NWS 138 69 200 Fantastico Plus Review: High-Leverage Side Cutters With a Trade-Off

Introduction

Most of us grew up using ordinary side cutters, so the idea of a “high-leverage” version can sound like marketing talk. The NWS 138 69 200 Fantastico Plus makes the case for the category pretty quickly. Its side-lever design claims roughly a 50 percent leverage advantage over conventional side cutters, and in practical cutting that shows up as dramatically less hand effort.

There is a price to pay for that leverage, and it is worth understanding before you buy. Here is what these cutters do well, where they compromise, and who should actually pick them over a conventional pair.

Who These Cutters Are For

These are not an all-day, every-task replacement for a standard pair of side cutters. They shine on the hard jobs: cutting through bolts, nails, and screws. On those high-leverage applications they zip right through material that a regular cutter grinds against.

For everyday wire cutting, they are close to effortless. With almost no push on the handles, wire slices right through, which makes repetitive cutting tasks far less tiring. If your work includes occasional brutal cuts plus lots of routine wire trimming, this combination is exactly the appeal.

Main Strengths

The headline strength is the leverage. Cutting wire takes almost no effort at all, and even small cuts near the tip of the jaws that would stall a conventional cutter come off cleanly here. You can cut further up in the jaws than is easy with many standard pairs, and a light two-finger squeeze near the tip is often enough.

The blades are rated at 62 HRC, and the manufacturer states no problem with nails, bolts, and similar material. That hardness is where the design earns its keep: the cutters are at their best when you ask them to do the things ordinary cutters struggle with.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The trade-off for that 50 percent leverage is a significantly reduced jaw opening, roughly half compared with the handle opening of a conventional cutter. Material does not seat fully down toward the pivot unless it is small. Larger stock may not fit deep enough to get the full leverage advantage, and you often have to open the handles all the way to grab anything thick. That can turn some cuts into a two-handed operation.

Because your fingers end up further from your palm at full opening, you also lose some grip strength in that position. If you have larger hands this matters less, but people with average or smaller hands will notice the difference most when grabbing thicker material.

Buying Advice

Price-wise, this pair sits in interesting territory. It sells on Amazon for about $41.42, while a comparable Irwin Vise-Grip version runs about $72, so part of what you pay for elsewhere is branding. Conventional competitors like Ideal side cutters can be found for around $29, Klein’s long-handled cutters sit a bit higher, Knipex starts climbing from there, and Snap-on goes well beyond all of them.

If you are comfortable not having the Irwin name on the handles, the NWS delivers genuinely handy high-leverage performance right in the middle of that price field. The Snap-on HL138 ACPs high-leverage pliers offer a similar feel and are excellent on solid metal, but at a considerably higher price point.

Conclusion

The NWS 138 69 200 Fantastico Plus is a specialist that earns its spot: use it for bolts, nails, and hard cuts where its leverage shines, and enjoy nearly effortless wire work the rest of the time. If you mostly grab thick stock deep in the jaws all day, a conventional cutter with a wider opening may still suit you better. For everyone else, this is one of the most convincing high-leverage side cutters at its price.