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Review on AIRAJ PVC Pipe Cutter With High Resilience Spring Drive And Sharp SK5 Stainless Steel Blade,Easy To Cut PEX,PVC,PPR And Other Plastic Tubing,Suitable For Home Repair And Plumbers,1-1/4’’(33Mm) by Joe Glass

Revainrating 3 out of 5

2-1/2 " Cutter - Blade broke on second 1-1/4 " CPVC cut in cold weather

I'm no pro craftsman, but I do a lot of my own work on plumbing and electrical as I grew up on a farm where we had to and would consider myself an experienced DIY'er. I used this cutter twice on 1-1/4" CPVC (schedule 40). The first cut did ok - I noticed that the ratcheting mechanism was much more difficult to operate than a similar style cheap cutter for smaller CPVC I got at one of the big box stores. That being said, this cutter returned to the open position much easier. I bought this as the 1-1/4" CPVC either maxed those cutters out or was just on the edge of their size limit and usually left some material on the CPVC I had to trim down. I'd guess that first cut was into material that was 50 degrees F.On the second cut (probably 35-40 degrees F) in a trench the cutter got stuck and I couldn't get it to index to the next spot on the ratcheting blade. Admittedly, this was in a narrow trench where I can't guarantee the cleanliness of the bottom side of the conduit. The cutter was stuck in the conduit about 1/3 to 1/2 of the stroke and wasn't going to budge without forcing through the cut, so I used two pieces of 1" CPVC conduit as cheaters (around 10" long). I got through the cut, but it took a quarter inch or better chunk out of the blade and snapped the conduit worse than my small pair from the big box store. The chunk was near where the bottom of the conduit was, so it's possible something like a small gravel was stuck to the bottom, but I don't think that was the case. I was so frustrated with the cutters (and job) I threw them away without giving it a second thought.Since I was cutting in cold weather in a trench with cheaters, I usually wouldn't leave a review and call it my fault. I bought another pair from a company I'd heard of for about 3x the price as the job isn't complete, and due to the difficulty of operating the ratcheting cutters on a conduit size much smaller than the pair was rated for, decided to give the product 3 stars.It may perform well in "more ideal" conditions, but if you're buying a set to be your go-to in your plumbing/electrical kit when you need a reliable tool, I'd suggest you look elsewhere. If you see yourself potentially in a situation like the one I described, I'd at least suggest one with readily available replacement blades.

Pros
  • Easy to use. Clean Cut for plastic pipes
Cons
  • Can cause hand fatigue with prolonged use