PVC Cutter - 2"

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Chefwong

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Which 2" PVC cutter do ya'll like

Ridgid, Greenlee, Lenox...

NM. I was looking at the ratcheting cutters but ended up buying cutter blades meant for plastic for the cutters I already have
 
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Cacher_Chick

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I;ve been using my miter saw for 1-1/2 to 3". It makes perfectly square cuts every time. :)

Unless you are making a living doing plumbing, there are some specialized tools a DIY really need not spend the money on.

A steady hand with a hack saw does a fine job if you are only going to be making a few cuts.
 

Chefwong

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I'm like every other Garage junkie. Just another xcuse to add a tool to the stash...

I've got both the finish saw and chopsaw for rough...
Luckily I had the cutter and the blade was cheap. I suppose this does straighter cuts than the ratcheting cutters..
 

Gary in NJ

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+1 on the chop saw. I like to spend money on tools that have a purpose.
 

Mikey

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At the risk of resuscitating a dead thread, I'd like to ask essentially the same question, which was never really answered. I'm running a 130' run of 1" and 1 1/2" PVC with associated fittings and branches down a dock into a lake to draw water for irrigation. While I agree with HJ about the miter saw, it's a little impractical to carry it into the water, and sloshing back to shore to make each cut is tiring. I bought a BrassCraft ratcheting cutter at the orange big box store yesterday, but its cut is random at best, often winding up close to 3/8" off at the exit of the cut, compared with the start. OTOH, I don't want to spend $70 for on that might be better, but maybe not. There are lots of cutters out there that look just like the BrassCraft, so I suspect they all come out of the same horse. Any recommendations?
 

Chefwong

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I bought a big ridgid pipe cutter with the PVC blade.
While the cuts were very true, it was very slow and tedious to use.

I ended up using it just to mark the cut all the way around and then using a japanense woodworking saw (very thin blade double sided) to cut the pipe.

I do plan to buy a *beater* miter say just for this and misc odds/ends.
I refuse to use my Festool Miter Saw for this ;-)
 

Mikey

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I do plan to buy a *beater* miter say just for this and misc odds/ends.
I refuse to use my Festool Miter Saw for this ;-)
I used to have a small (8" I think) Craftsman miter saw (no compound ability) I used for this, but sold it in a cleaning frenzy. I'm happy to use my sliding compound miter saw for this, but it's land-bound, and not a Festool :(.
 

Gary Swart

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I've use a power miter saw to cut PVC and ABS, but find that the heat generated melts the plastic and leave a lot of cleanup. I like the my PC Tiger Saw for the larger size pipe, and a jig saw for the 1/2" and 3/4" sizes. Certainly nothing wrong about a hacksaw or even other handsaws. Unless you're a pro, why spend buck for a fancy specialized tool when you already likely have a very useable tools already?
 

Mikey

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I decided to play Consumer Reports a few days ago. I took the bad Brasscraft cutter back to the orange store, and they graciously allowed me to try every one they had in stock in hopes of finding a good one. It wound up being a case of finding the least bad, but the exercise prompted me to try several inexpensive cutters from local stores.

I wound up trying a total of 5 tools ranging from $3.99 to $12.98. The surprise winner was the #66971 Central Forge "Finger Release Ratcheting PVC Cutter" from Harbor Freight, $5.99 on sale. They also had a cheaper one available for $3.99, but it worked about as well as the Brasscraft. The 66971 had slightly longer handles so was easier to use (I used 1" Sch 40 for testing), and the blade opens via a spring action so you don't have to yank the handles apart. Satisfying to use, a consistently very-close-to-square cut, and it hasn't broken yet after 10 or 12 cuts. Customer reviews on the HF website range from POS to great, so maybe I won the statistics game with this particular tool, but hey -- for $6 it's worth a shot; buy 2 and have a spare for when you break (or lose) the first one. For the DIYer, clearly a better deal than the $170 Greenlee, no matter how good that might be. They all claim the cheap cutters will cut up to 1 5/8" but I don't believe any of them.

There are some reviews of the bigger and pricier cutters at http://brianslater.hubpages.com/hub/Best-5-PVC-CUTTER. The Milwaukee 2470-20 M12 would be a great stocking stuffer for the tool junkie -- up to 2" capacity, battery powered (tool $234, battery $112 (list)).
 

Bluebinky

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As a DIYer:
- for the big stuff I vote for any decent hand saw, as they do the job in a few seconds once you get the hang of it. A chop saw is nice, if handy.
- I never could cut very straight with a sawzall, but use one if needed in a tight spot. In a really tight spot, a nylon string works wonders.
- For 1" and smaller, the cheapo ratcheting tools seem fine.
 

Terry

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For PVC, I use a carbide tipped circular saw. A chop saw is nice too, but I don't carry one in the truck with me.
The skil saw does a nice job on ABS too. Though I have a nice wheel cutter for ABS.
PVC is much more dense and the the cutter leaves a lip.
 
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Wet_Boots

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If you have to own a good PVC ratchet cutter, consider a Wheeler, which is instantly recognizable as the source for all the cheap imitations out there.
 
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