Tungsten carbide grit cutting edge cuts through carbon fibre parts with little chance of damage, and leaves a superbly clean edge that requires little-to-no finish work, high-quality aluminum handle and steel frame

On test: Effetto Mariposa CarboCut, December 2, 2008

Carbon fibre... meet tungsten carbide

Fibre composites require special care when cutting to prevent irreparable - and possibly very expensive - damage. Cyclingnews' technical editor James Huang takes a look at an intriguing solution for an increasingly common problem.

Effetto Mariposa's Carbocut isn't just an ordinary hacksaw... Photo ©: James Huang

Fine-toothed hacksaws work reasonably well for cutting carbon fibre parts, but even the sharpest ones still essentially tear through the substrate in violent fashion and can dislodge fibers if you're not careful. On the other hand, Effetto Mariposa's new CarboCut uses a non-toothed blade coated with bits of tungsten carbide to gently remove material with little risk of damage.

CarboCut actually cuts a bit slower than standard saws in our experience but if you're patient enough to do the job correctly and let the blade do the work for you, the reward is a fantastically clean surface that looks like it's already been sanded down. This should perhaps come as no surprise because that's exactly what you're doing; you don't cut through the part so much as grind it. Read more...