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Old 07-03-2016, 07:24 PM   #1
Tallor
 
Join Date: May 2016
Default Bolt Cutters -- Lighter Than Listed?

I was looking at the wide selection of various tools in GURPS: High Tech. One of my favorite things about GURPS is how it has stats for "mundane but important tools"--picks and shovels, fences and filter masks, even Geiger counters and superglue!

But I think I found an incorrect measure!

On page 25, I noticed that the Light and Heavy Bolt Cutters were quite heavy to say the least. The light ones are 15 lbs, and the heavy ones 30 lbs! Perhaps ones of TL6 were this heavy, but not TL7+! I went online to see how heavy bolt cutters really were--so far, somewhat-big ones like 900mm x 12mm were only around 13 lbs, and massive 4-foot ones rank around 20 lbs max.

I feel like perhaps the editors forgot to add one of those "this item gets lighter at TL7 and TL8" sort of notes. :P
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Old 07-03-2016, 10:50 PM   #2
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Default Re: Bolt Cutters -- Lighter Than Listed?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallor View Post
I was looking at the wide selection of various tools in GURPS: High Tech. One of my favorite things about GURPS is how it has stats for "mundane but important tools"--picks and shovels, fences and filter masks, even Geiger counters and superglue!
Great! Glad you like it!

Quote:
But I think I found an incorrect measure!
On page 25, I noticed that the Light and Heavy Bolt Cutters were quite heavy to say the least. The light ones are 15 lbs, and the heavy ones 30 lbs! Perhaps ones of TL6 were this heavy, but not TL7+! I went online to see how heavy bolt cutters really were--so far, somewhat-big ones like 900mm x 12mm were only around 13 lbs, and massive 4-foot ones rank around 20 lbs max.
If you look around, you will find heavier ones, such as these:
https://www.amazon.com/Neiko%C2%AE-0...88BPA8MJFH5NAF

But in any event, the items listed come from some catalog, manual, or loadout list. But by all means, feel free to change them. They are only there as representatives of the equipment. Have fun!
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Old 07-03-2016, 11:50 PM   #3
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Default Re: Bolt Cutters -- Lighter Than Listed?

The fact that the GURPS community is so small that one can make an observation about one of the main books and have a response from one of the authors within hours is phenomenal.
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Old 07-04-2016, 10:24 PM   #4
Tallor
 
Join Date: May 2016
Default Re: Bolt Cutters -- Lighter Than Listed?

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Originally Posted by safisher View Post
Great! Glad you like it!



If you look around, you will find heavier ones, such as these:
https://www.amazon.com/Neiko%C2%AE-0...88BPA8MJFH5NAF

But in any event, the items listed come from some catalog, manual, or loadout list. But by all means, feel free to change them. They are only there as representatives of the equipment. Have fun!
Holy molydenum, Batman! 42-inch bolt cutters! I think it's safe to say those are TL8. :P Thanks a lot! :D
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Old 07-04-2016, 10:27 PM   #5
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Default Re: Bolt Cutters -- Lighter Than Listed?

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Originally Posted by PTTG View Post
The fact that the GURPS community is so small that one can make an observation about one of the main books and have a response from one of the authors within hours is phenomenal.
My personal joke is that the GURPS community is so small that around 1% of its members are people I've trained. :P
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Old 07-05-2016, 09:56 AM   #6
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Default Re: Bolt Cutters -- Lighter Than Listed?

The weight is a function of what they're used for and who's using them - long handles gives you more leverage for the same strength of the user, but more weight and awkwardness. Shorter cutters take more strength to cut the same thing, but are lighter and much easier to operate in small spaces.

How "heavy duty" they are is a separate axis - thicker handles and bigger head, more expensive and harder alloys to stand up to being used on harder materials (such as the chrome moly blend used on the linked bolt cutters).

900mm x 12mm doesn't strike me as "somewhat big". Long handled, certainly, but that 12mm (1/2 inch) leaps out at me as being weirdly delicate. I'm going to assume that's the thickness and not the height, but that's still kinda slimline.

The linked cutters are only 762mm long, but 178mm high and 50mm thick - four times as thick.
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