Our top pick for the best bolt cutter is the Knipex Tools 7101250 10-inch CoBolt XL Compact Bolt Cutter. TEKTON also offers the bolt cutter in 6 different sizes which can be used for soft, medium, and hard metal cutting tasks.

Bolt cutters with fiberglass handles can be used for cutting live electrical wires and are useful during rescue operations. Strong tubular ergonomic bi-material handles have red/blue anti-slip grips that give you greater control during challenging tasks. Sometimes it’s not the hinge design that keeps users from being able to cut through steel rods and bolts. We had to eliminate the Ryobi bolt cutters from our tests, but this specific tool failure does not represent the brand’s overall quality.

As this cutter has a compact design, it performs well in a confined space and is ideal for everyday carry. This pair of 106cm Arm Adjusted High Tensile Bolt Cutters from Irwin Record are ideal for a wide range of heavy duty bolt cutting applications. With 130 years of quality hand tool manufacturing, this leading German company is at the forefront of efficient, innovative, and quality tools. K. Porter bolt cutters are classified as “center cut,” meaning both sides of the blades are sharpened to a center point. Klein's battery-operated bolt cutter is engineered to make linemen's work more efficient by reducing the time and effort needed on the job.

In regards to the cutting edge, sometimes there is a clearance issue as the head isn't capable of a flush cut due to the size of the body of the tool and with the head positioning. Sometimes it’s the discomfort that comes with applying a lot of pressure to the handles of the bolt cutters. Still, extended cutters mean more cutting power, so it’s a trade-off depending on the user’s preferences. The Knipex Tools 7101250 10-inch CoBolt XL Compact Bolt Cutter is an ultra-versatile tool for construction, automotive, farming, fencing applications, and home use. The two names are often used interchangeably, so it can be difficult to understand the differences and similarities between side and diagonal.We used this bolt cutter to cut through a variety of metal, including cattle panels, baling wire, fencing, 3/16-inch all thread (threaded bolt rod), and ⅜-inch rebar. Although a knife can do this task, this risks damaging the copper by catching or damaging it and it is much safer to use these specialist tools. Fortunately, we didn’t have that problem with Tekton’s 18-inch bolt cutters that come with cushioned nonslip grips. Large bolt cutters, which can be as long as 48 inches, can handle hardened steel rods, heavy chains, and thick threaded cable up to 7/16 of an inch in diameter.

The downside is that after we powered through multiple steel bolt cuts, we found a couple of nicks on one of the blades.This tubular arm bolt cropper from Facom is an extremely strong and durable piece of kit, with a steel cutting capacity of up to 160kg/mm². As long as users remember that these are light-duty cutters, their 9-ounce weight and 8-inch length will easily fit in a tool belt or tool box for impromptu cutting at work. Its high leverage design will do all the hard work for you and delivers extra cutting force with less effort. This is the most common type of jaw configuration and the only type we tested other than the powered all thread bolt cutter.

The Rockwell Scale uses an HRC code that tells you the level of hardness and resilience of the steel. Super-strong, portable, and affordable, the TEKTON 3386 8-inch Bolt Cutter is a must-have hand tool for tradesmen and DIY home maintenance gurus. The Draper 600mm 30° Bolt Cutters with Flush Cutting Jaws are suitable for cutting mild steel to HRC20 9mm diameter and 7mm to HRC40.Even with a quality bolt cutter, cutting through metal can be an uphill task requiring significant upper-body strength.