Oil filter cutter question

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Nov 9, 2008
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So I bought one a few years ago, looks like the one below. But one thing that has mystified me is: how do you use it "well"? I've been using it with the filter chucked into a filter wrench so as to get leverage in one hand, holding this cutter in the other. At one point I had the filter clamped down in a vice but after moving my vice hasn't been in a good location to do that--is that the best way, with a large open clear area to spin this cutter around?

Or do most people just spin it around in the air?

I lucked out on the last trip to Walmart and found a filter wrench (socket I guess is the right term) that fits the current fleet--it's been rather annoying to try to use a 3 jaw adjustable wrench with this.

[Linked Image]
 
When you start off just tighten a little then spin it and tighten a little more and keep repeating till your thru. Kinda like cutting a pipe with a pipe cutter. I just bought one recently and made a video with my first one I cut open, I did over tighten when I cut mine, but it still worked. I cut open a Fram Ultra for a up coming video I'm working on.
 
Tighten it down just enough to get the cutting wheel to bite into the filter, then spin until you score the outside evenly. Advance the wheel and repeat.

Do not tighten it down excessively at each step like the guy in the video did. Doing so will lead to a dent that will be annoying as the wheel runs in and out of the dent while you spin the filter or the tool. Tightening it excessively will also mean you'll have to put more effort into spinning the filter since the wheel is biting into more material. Just do a lot of spinning with shallow bites versus less spinning with deeper bites. Not worth the energy with an oily filter.

Also make sure to lubricate the cutting wheel(s).
 
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