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enter image description here

See the product here.

Ok, I cannot think why I would want the handle to be conductive. What is the deal?

muyustan
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2 Answers2

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It is lightly conductive for ESD dissipation. It equalizes charges so there is no risk of static electricity discharge.

Justme
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  • so it protects the components and does not harm the user, cool. – muyustan Jun 04 '20 at 17:14
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    @muyustan Dissipative materials are not meant for your personal safety. They are not insulators that will protect you from high voltages. – DKNguyen Jun 04 '20 at 18:24
  • @DKNguyen yes, that's why I did not say "protects user" rather said "does not harm". When I firsr thought about it, I was thinking that it might harm user. – muyustan Jun 04 '20 at 19:16
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The handle is "dissipative" so it's very slightly conductive and won't allow charge from the user to damage the components (and they won't allow a live circuit to shock the user).

I don't have any of that brand, but the cheap US-made Xcelite 175D nippers I have only conduct about 0.9nS when lightly held in the hand (a bit over 1G\$\Omega\$).

Spehro Pefhany
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  • If the handle were insulator, it won't allow charge from user to reach the components either since it won't conduct the electricity. So what is the difference? – muyustan Jun 04 '20 at 17:42
  • The metal in the nippers themselves could carry a charge if the handles were dielectric. – Spehro Pefhany Jun 04 '20 at 17:44
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    Also, if the insulator does develop localized charge, this charge equalizes and distributes over time which could be straight into the metal of the nippers. Then when the nippers are touched to something with a different potential, that stored charge is discharged again. This is somewhat theoretical since the charge in the insulator could decay towards other routes too. – DKNguyen Jun 04 '20 at 17:47
  • @DKNguyen hmm, so, if the handles are conductive lightly, then this static charge will not be able to stored but will be dissipated constantly. Right or even close? – muyustan Jun 04 '20 at 18:12
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    @muyustan Yeah. A lot of what harms a part is the rapid discharge (i.e. high power). If you slow that discharge down so it happens over a longer period of time then that reduces or eliminiates the likelihood of damage. So something insulating is bad because it can hold on a high charge for too long and keep accumulating it so that a rapid discharge can occur (everything becomes a conductor at high voltage and the charged store locally on the surface an insulator can still leave if you come into direct contact with it that area), while something conductive will leak charge away too rapidly. – DKNguyen Jun 04 '20 at 18:15
  • @DKNguyen ok, it was helpful, thank you both. – muyustan Jun 04 '20 at 18:18
  • "they won't allow a live circuit to shock the user" - I've seen many tools with dissipative handles that have prominent warnings that they are not intended to protect the user from electric shock and should not be used on circuits that are live with hazardous voltages. – pericynthion Jun 05 '20 at 02:56
  • @pericynthion Interesting. I wonder if that is just CYA from the vendor. – Spehro Pefhany Jun 05 '20 at 03:24