Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Side cutters for electricians

Updated: October 2026

The cheapest handles in a UK accessory box are already red or yellow. Side cutters for electricians are not a colour. They are a 160 mm diagonal cutter marked to IEC 60900, often sold as VDE and 1000 V, used after the conductor is dead. A rubber, PVC or TPE grip is not that mark. The [side cutter comparison](/hub/cutting-tools/side-cutters) holds the product table. This page is insulation and dead working only. Size and wire class sit on the [side cutters buying guide](/hub/cutting-tools/side-cutters/sub/side-cutters-buying-guide). Who to buy in this batch sits on [best side cutters](/hub/cutting-tools/side-cutters/sub/side-cutters-best). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F., DIY & tools editor, 20 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

The cheapest handles in a UK accessory box are already red or yellow. Side cutters for electricians are not a colour.

Our top picks

KNIPEX Knipex 70 06 160 diagonal cutter

Best overall

KNIPEX Knipex 70 06 160 diagonal cutter
9.4/10about £27.26
View offer
Sharp-tec Sharp-tec BSL-30068 side cutters

Alternative

Sharp-tec Sharp-tec BSL-30068 side cutters
8.4/10about £9.99
View offer
Sharp-tec Sharp-tec BR-DP-160 side cutters

Alternative

Sharp-tec Sharp-tec BR-DP-160 side cutters
8.4/10about £12.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Cut it dead
  2. 2.What 1000 V on a handle means
  3. 3.The insulated listing in this comparison
  4. 4.Grips that are only grips
  5. 5.When to call a competent person

Cut it dead

Ordinary house wiring is isolated and proved dead before you cut it. Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, for England, Wales and Scotland, allows live work only when it is unreasonable for the conductor to be dead, reasonable to work live, and suitable precautions are in place. HSE's HSG85 says dead working is the normal method. A 1000 V mark does not meet those three conditions. Northern Ireland has its own electricity at work rules, so do not cite regulation 14 there without checking that order. Isolate, prove dead with a known-working tester, then cut. Consumer-unit work and a nick already in a conductor are jobs for a competent person.

What 1000 V on a handle means

IEC 60900 is the insulated-hand-tool standard, 1,000 V AC / 1,500 V DC, and HSG85 points insulated tools to BS EN 60900. Look for the double triangle, 1000 V, and the standard identifier on the pliers. Maun's explainer: VDE is a certifier, not UK legislation. The word insulated in an advert is not that test. Sleeves must be intact. PUWER 1998 applies to work equipment, and tape is not a repair. DIN ISO 5743 and ISO 5749 are dimension standards, not a voltage rating. CK's RedLine 160 mm cutter prints wire classes and EN 60900. It is not an ASIN here.
KNIPEX Knipex 70 06 160 diagonal cutter

Testsieger

KNIPEX Knipex 70 06 160 diagonal cutter
9.4/10about £27.26
View offer

The insulated listing in this comparison

Only B0001D9JDA, the Knipex 70 06 160, is sold as 1000 V insulated with a VDE line in this amazon.co.uk batch: £27.26, 4.7 from 5,750 reviews, 160 mm, edges about 62 HRC. The saved listing names soft and hard wire and prints no millimetres. Knipex's page adds Ø 4.0 / 3.0 / 2.0 mm and IEC 60900. Keep those sources separate. RS had the same part at £38.56 including VAT, a different shelf. One of 40 UK reviews says the tip snapped on 1.0 mm cable after about three months; another says not to cut pattress screws. Do not treat the mark as a permit to cut live, and do not copy those diameters onto other rows.

Grips that are only grips

KAIHAOWIN, BOENFU, HOUSERAN, Sharp-tec, FLZOSPER and US PRO use rubber, plastic, TPE, PVC or alloy handles. None of those files name IEC 60900, VDE or 1000 V. A bright sleeve stops the tool slipping. It does not test at 1,000 V. Treat them as dead-circuit tools. How you use a separate flush cutter for a nylon tail sits on how to use side cutters. The two Sharp-tec 160 mm pairs look like electrician's pliers: moulded grips, copper, aluminium and soft iron, no diameter and no insulation standard. Shared reviews talk about gaps in the jaws. Length and a red handle are not the Knipex listing.

When to call a competent person

Call a competent person for consumer-unit work, a circuit you cannot prove dead, or a conductor that is already nicked. Part P is not this page. Isolation is. A nicked sleeve retires a marked pair as an insulated tool. Sheet metal, pattress screws and piano wire are also a stop. Twin-and-earth is cut one dead conductor at a time, further back on the jaw. This page will not rank flush packs against a VDE cutter as one electrician's shortlist.

Common questions

Do side cutters for electricians have to be VDE?
No UK statute says the letters VDE must appear. Live work is restricted by regulation 14 in Great Britain. If you want an insulated hand tool, HSE points to BS EN 60900. VDE is one certifier of that kind of tool.
Is a rubber handle insulated?
Not by itself. Rubber, PVC and TPE in this batch are grips. Look for the double triangle and 1000 V on the tool.
Can I cut a live cable if the cutter says 1000 V?
Not on the strength of the mark alone. You still need the three regulation 14 conditions, and ordinary house cable should be dead. The mark is not a permit.
What mark should be on the tool?
The double triangle, 1000 V, and IEC 60900 or BS EN 60900 on the pliers themselves. A title that only says insulated is not enough.
Which listing in this comparison is sold as insulated?
Only the Knipex 70 06 160, B0001D9JDA, with 1000 V in the title and VDE on the specification line. The other ten listings do not name that standard.
What wire will the Knipex 70 06 160 cut?
The amazon.co.uk saved listing says soft and hard wire and about 62 HRC, with no millimetres. Knipex's own page states Ø 4.0 / 3.0 / 2.0 mm. Do not copy those figures onto other brands.
Are the Sharp-tec or KAIHAOWIN handles insulated?
Not on these files. No IEC 60900 or VDE line. Treat them as grips on a dead-circuit or craft cutter. If a marked sleeve is nicked, take that tool out of the insulated kit; tape is not a repair.

Related pages

Side cutters

Best side cutters for mixed copper, ties and packs

Side cutters buying guide: edge, length, wire class

How to use side cutters without a snapped flush tip

Side cutters vs flush cutters: bevel or a flat face

Sources

Sources listed in the research digest for this comparison, retrieved 20 October 2026. Prices and review counts are amazon.co.uk listing lines. This is not a lab test.

  1. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. HSE HSG85, Electricity at work: safe working practices (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. HSE INDG291, Providing and using work equipment safely (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. ISO 5749:2004, Pliers and nippers — Diagonal cutting nippers (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Maun Industries, Is VDE a legal requirement for insulated tools? (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Knipex 70 06 160 diagonal cutters (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Digital Toolbelt, Side cutters vs diagonal cutters (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Toolsmith, Wire cutters: flush, side, end and cable (retrieved 20 October 2026)