PVC and PEX Pipe Shear, Cuts up to 1 5/8″

A ratcheting pipe shear for PVC, PEX and aluminum-plastic tubing, cutting up to 1 5/8". The ratchet lets you work through a cut in stages instead of muscling it in one squeeze, so you get a clean square end without the burr a hacksaw leaves.

Stainless steel construction, roughly 9 1/4" long and about a pound. The handle shape lets you put weight behind it without your palm taking the edge.

Specifications

• Cuts: PVC, PEX and multilayer aluminum-plastic pipe up to 1 5/8"
• Material: Stainless steel
• Length: About 9 1/4"
• Weight: About 1 pound
• Action: Ratcheting

How to Use

1. Check the pipe first. This is for plastic pipe only. Do not put it on copper, steel, or any hardened pipe. That is what rolls the edge of a blade.
2. Release the blade. Squeeze the handles slightly and flip the lock, and the jaw opens under spring tension.
3. Mark your cut and seat the pipe all the way back into the jaw, square to the blade. A pipe held at an angle gives you an angled end, and an angled end is what makes a crimp or push-fit joint weep later.
4. Squeeze the handles in strokes. The ratchet holds your progress between strokes, so let it work rather than forcing the cut in one grab.
5. Release and check the end. It should be round and square. If the pipe came out oval or pinched, the blade is dull, and a dull blade is a leaking joint waiting to happen.
6. Deburr if needed. A quick pass with a utility knife or a deburring tool clears any tag of plastic on the inside edge before you make up the fitting.
7. Close the lock before you set it down or put it in the pouch.

Care

• Wipe the blade clean of plastic shavings after a run of cuts. Buildup on the blade is what starts crushing pipe instead of slicing it.
• Put a drop of light oil on the pivot and the ratchet pawl now and then.
• Store it locked and dry.
• Keep the blade sharp. On plastic pipe a clean cut matters more than force does.