lewis.charlie•7d agoMost Upvoted

My $50 pipe cutter ruined 4 copper joints before I tossed it

I was replacing a frozen section of water line under my kitchen sink in Portland last month. Everyone on here swears by those cheap squeeze-style pipe cutters from the hardware store. Mine left a burr so bad on the first cut that the fitting wouldn't seat right and I had to redo the whole joint. Same thing happened three more times on different cuts. I ended up buying a $10 hacksaw and a miter box at a yard sale and got cleaner cuts on the first try. Am I the only one who thinks those wheel cutters are junk for anything over 1/2 inch pipe? What do you guys actually use for copper that doesnt leave your joints looking like garbage?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_flores257d ago

Right? @brian_jackson nailed it, that tool is cursed. I just use a hacksaw now too.

brian_jackson7d ago

Did you try using it while blindfolded? That might have been the issue. I swear those squeeze cutters are designed by the same people who make those "as seen on TV" vegetable choppers that just smash your fingers. I've got a scar on my left thumb from one that slipped and decided to eat my hand instead of the pipe. They work great for cutting copper if you like your joints looking like a beaver chewed them.