Pipe cutters are the best tool for cleanly and quickly cutting plastic or metal pipes. Plastic cutters look like pliers with a circular blade and ratcheting action, while metal cutters have two jaws and a rotating blade. Both types come in various sizes and can cut different materials.
When plastic or metal pipe needs to be cut cleanly and quickly, a pipe cutter is the ideal tool for the job. Using a saw can be difficult and messy and using a hinged scissor cutting tool with two opposing blades will often produce unwanted effects such as crimping or breaking of the pipe end, especially on metal ones. There are two main types of pipe cutters: plastic ones and metal ones. They can be available in a wide variety of sizes and configurations for cutting tubing of various materials, sizes and shapes.
A plastic pipe cutter actually looks like a pair of pliers or scissors, except that one side of the jaw is a blade while the other side is circular, on which the pipe rests. Because the blade can easily wear out after cutting a lot of heavy pipe, a plastic pipe cutter is usually designed with the ability to replace the blade. It is usually designed to cut PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe, which is among the strongest and most unbreakable types of plastic pipes.
It can be especially difficult to simply squeeze the two handles of a pipe cutter to cut denser material, so the mechanics of a plastic pipe cutter usually allow for a ratcheting action while cutting. This means the handles can be squeezed together more easily to produce a greater force on the blade. It may be necessary to squeeze the ratchet handles several times to get the blade all the way through, depending on the circumference and density of the pipe.
A plastic pipe cutter would be ineffective and likely break if used on metal pipes, so a metal or cast iron one should be used. This type relies on a different mechanics for a fast, hard-cutting pipe that can be even denser and stiffer. Basically, two jaws grip the pipe and hold a sharp circular blade in place. The blade then rotates around the metal tube and tightens until it is completely cut. There are manual metal cutters that need to be turned by hand and motorized versions, which will do all the work while a button is pressed. More often than not, these can also be used to cut plastic pipes and tubes.
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