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You're right, I rarely use plain gauge and wonder if my little side business is actually big enough to warrant such purchase. It would be nice to have when I can't source a particular length and just order 2-3mm longer and trim it. But realistically how often does that happen? Once or twice a month perhaps. And I don't keep stocks of spokes due to the investment required especially due to clients specifying which spokes they would like for their build. Do bike shops and independent wheel builders require spokes cut to length? Would they be happy to pay say 15p per spoke to have it cut? It would be nice to get some figures but where would I find that?
I think this decision is going to remain in the pending tray.
arup-
I know both Strada and Just Riding Along have one, among others. It cuts waste if you build in volumes, but realistically you need to be north of 1,000 wheels per year to make sense of it. Also, I don't know you, but I find that there are 2-3 popular builds that everybody wants and realistically the number of spoke lengths used on a regular basis is limited. It is different for others, that do lot of wheel sizes (26 inch, 650b, 700c and so on) in which case a wider range is needed, but again, you can only shorten a spoke so much.
I think it will be useful, no doubt, but I doubt it will pay for itself unless your business get to those numbers. I don't see a market for spoke cutting-threading, other than the odd guy who bought the wrong size
ugosantalucia
Is there a market for spoke cutting? I know JRA have a Phil Wood machine and sell spokes in any length, but they don't charge more because they are cut to length.
Yes, it reduces the number of sizes you need to stock... if you used only plain gauge to virtually only one length needed, but realistically these days you need double butted, so you still need 5 mm increments. Some spokes cannot be cut (as above D-Light, but also Alpine 3 I think)... I don't know if it ever pays for itself. it is a nice piece of kit and tools are an investment... besides, if you do it as a business you can write it off your tax, which is a win win situation if you are not desperate for cash.
I would still not buy it though... I believe in the long run they are getting obsolete