Bolt Cutter Reviews

A pair of bolt cutters are a staple hand tool for electrical work. The five best industrial bolt cutters compared.

A pair of bolt croppers are often a stand alone tool, much like a wood planer. Sometimes referred to as bolt croppers, they're a rigid hand tool that's designed to cut through metal. Chain, wire, mesh, locks - anything that requires a strong cutting jaw and brute force, then it's chain or lock cutters that will get the job done.

Like a pry bar, they're found on many a construction site, they're also useful to have around the home. It's surprising how handy they can be when you've got them around and they're often the better choice when it comes to using a grinder or hacksaw.

The five best power bolt cutters are featured below. They're all best sellers, popular and great value for money. All are hard working, durable and resilient and will pay you back every time you come up against some troublesome metal.

KR Tools 11414 Pro Series 14-Inch Heavy Duty Bolt Cutter

These are the best selling bolt cutters, and are available in five sizes. They start at the 14" length and go through 18", 24", 30" and 36". They come with a lifetime warranty - which is always a telling sign re quality. They're a heavy gauge, heavy duty pair and can cut through chain, mesh and pretty much anything that«s metal based with relative ease.

The blade's are incredibly tough - they don't suffer when applied to the job in hand, no nicks, scratches or dents. The handles offer a good, comfortable grip and they do feel slip proof, which is part of the brand's claim. Overall they're a great pair of chain cutters, useful, user friendly and currently a third of their retail price. Top tool, top bargain.

KR Tools 11414 Pro Series 14-Inch Heavy Duty Bolt Cutter

This 14-Inch Heavy Duty Bolt Cutter features hardened steel cutting edges and forged steel blades.

Klein Tools 63050 9-1/2-Inch High Leverage Cable Cutter

These are the best cable cutters - and the best selling ones. Another five star rated product, they're 9 1/2" in length and the blades offer a pretty impressive amount of cutting power with little effort. The handles aren't rubber coated but they give a good enough grip and do the job they were designed for.

The shank and blade work well together, you don't get any wobble or feeling of instability when cutting, plus they're as comfortable cutting through a single decent size length of wire as they are a bunch of smaller ones together - they leave a fairly good edge. They're a US manufacture, up to weight, tough and built for heavy use. Good quality pair with a nice discount price tag.

Klein Tools 63050 9-1/2-Inch High Leverage Cable Cutter

9 1 2" long. High leverage design. Cable gripping, shear type jaws cut up to 4 0 aluminum, up to 2 0 soft copper, up to 100 pair 24 gauge communication cable. Ideal for working ...

~~$29.98~~ $28.78

Knipex 7102200 8-Inch Lever Action Mini-Bolt Cutter

These are the best small bolt cutters - and they pack an awesome little punch. The comfort grip is exactly that - comfortable. They'll cut through medium gauge wire/metal up to 5.2mm in diameter, and the blades - which are induction hardened, won't complain when they bite down. They're small enough to keep in the tool bucket or bag and will cope well with an average days work.

These are bolt cutters that will still be working years down the line. The manufacturer does produce and excellent quality tool and unless you need a larger pair for heavier work, these will see you through pretty much anything. The cutting action is nifty, the mechanism is pretty fine tuned and does remove any major effort on your part. They're a classy tool - you won't find better for the price and size.

Knipex 7102200 8-Inch Lever Action Mini-Bolt Cutter - Comfort Grip

The compact bolt cutters have lever action center cutters to cut material such as bolts, nail and rivets up to 5.2 mm. The comfort grip handles are made of a two color dual comp...

~~$54.0~~ $47.99

Irwin Industrial Tools 2078300 8-Inch Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper

These are the best wire cutters - strictly speaking they're not bolt cutters but - think of them as a super-mini pair. Chances are - if you're buying the big boys, you'll need their smaller counterparts. These are a well liked and highly rated hand tool in general, and tend to get more use than you'd first expect. Often found in the hands of electricians and testers, they're still a useful tool to have to hand in the construction industry.

They strip and cut wire from 10 gauge up to 24 - and do it with ease. They're nice to handle, behave almost as though they're a time saving device due to the stripping aspect and are worth every cent. They adjust automatically, grip and strip with one squeeze and as good as it gets with any pair of wire cutters. A superb small hand tool, a definite for anything related to electrical work.

Irwin Industrial Tools 2078300 8-Inch Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper with ProTouch Grips

Strips and cuts cable/wire from 10-24 gauge. Adjustable stopper controls the length of the core strip. Handles American Wire Gauge (AWG) Sizes: 10 - 22, Tool Length (in.): 8

Only $24.98

Knipex 6101200 8-Inch High Leverage End Cutters - Bolt Cutters

These are great pair of bolt cutters for taking the heads clean off nails, rivets and screws. They otherwise perform as you'd expect - they just work particularly well with the smaller tougher stuff. They'll still cut through medium wire up to 4mm, snip through piano wire up to the same gauge and make short work of a myriad of softer wires all day long.

They're a good stout pair, only 8" in length so the performance is pretty impressive in ratio to their size. The blades are induction hardened, and the cutters are oil hardened and tempered so you're getting an all round well made tool. The cutting action is fairly effortless, the blades use a single joint mechanism which requires less hand pressure, and if you need a reliable pair for dealing with a variety of tough tasks, these are a great choice.

Knipex 6101200 8-Inch High Leverage End Cutters - Bolt Cutters

KNIPEX 6101200 8" High Leverage Bolt End Cutting Nippers - Bolt Cutters * Powerful, compact, comfortable * Compared to conventional lever-assisted end cutting nippers, greater c...

~~$90.25~~ $89.32

Updated: 06/25/2012, Tested_to_Destruction

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