Pocket fiber optic cleaver

In a pocket fiber optic cleaver having an elongated substantially cylindrical body arrayed along a longitudinal body axis, the body having, in longitudinal sequence, a fiber entry port, a cut-length adjusting section, a cleaving area, and a waste fiber exit port, and including a cylindrical bore, concentric with the longitudinal axis for receiving an optical fiber, the improvement wherein the cleaving area comprises: a cleaving pad in the form of a cylindrical section whose longitudinal axis is arrayed orthogonal to the body axis; a spring loaded pivot arm adjacent the cleaving pad, the arm carrying a fiber scoring member and having its pivot point adjacent the exit port, the fiber scoring member being adjacent the cut-length area; and a pressure pad surrounding the scoring member on three sides, the open side facing the cut-length section.