Swagelok Pipe Cutter - [MS-TC-308] - Review

As most private individuals haven't heard of the Swagelok are a huge supplier of high quality fittings to industry. However they will deal with individuals directly which makes a nice change from having to contact a supplier/distributor.

Pipe cutters, as the name implies cut pipes, they come in a range of sizes from small specialist ones for instrumentation to large automated ones for industry. Some of the hand held ones are also equipped with an integrated deburing blade to clean the rolled edges left by the cutting process.

Pros:
Cuts Stainless, Copper and Aluminium Tubing
Takes sizes from 4mm - 25mm (3/16th - 1 Inch)
Rugged construction
Large handle
Replaceable parts

Cons:
Price - £36.75 from Swagelok Direct
(Correct as of 05/06/2013)


Review:
This is a very solidly built tool with a forged 'C' section and large reinforcing ribs to evenly distribute the loads. A design like this is directly linked to quality as cheaper variations of pipe cutters tend to be cast items which tend to fair poorly over time and have a habit of fatiguing and cracking in the major stress locations where the  tool is trying to push its-self apart. The large sections of this and other quality tools like the Rigid range prevent this. The knob used to adjust the cutting pressure is also a fairly robust piece with deep ridges to allow for a firm grip.

Stainless pipe proves no problem for the cutting wheel which slices through a 1mm section in only a few turns of the depth adjuster, I haven't ever found a pipe material that this wont cut, its even been used for some galvanised conduit in the past which although took a while the resulting cut was clean.

The specification says the cutter is designed to cut pipes from 4mm - 25mm which I have found to be true this is only limited by the opening of the jaws. If you need to cut larger sections unfortunately Swagelok doesn't stock an up scaled version. I do know however that Rigid offer the Rigid 65S RID31803 which would make short work of pipes up to 65mm.

The cutting wheel cuts cleanly on all pipe materials but tends to leave less of a bur on the harder materials, this is a habit of all pipe cutters though and so shouldn't be worried about as long as a good deburing tool is used to clean the finish cut. If the bur is not cleared then the pipe will in affect have an orifice plate fitted which will lead to large pressure losses in the system. The cutting wheel can easily be replaced with spares sold by Swagelok and proved a simply job when I replaced mine.

Conclusion:
I would highly recommend this product to anyone who regularly does plumping or pipe cutting jobs and even keen DIYers as the price doesn't place it to far into the range of the professionals and its always nice to have the right tool for the job. Its a great Pipe cutter and is very simple to use.

My only issue with the tools is its limited availability in general tool shops or even online, it can only be purchased direct. If you wanted a similar quality tool without the hassle then the Rigid 35S - RID29963 is more readily available from Amazon Here and other online retailers. It also looks better but comes with a slightly more expensive price to match but again it would be a tool for life so a good viable purchase for the right person. The cheaper tools are always tempting but they just don't have the same feel of quality about them and are generally made from a lesser grade material and wont last nearly as long.