AIRAJ PVC Pipe Cutter, Cuts up to 1-3/4", Ratcheting PVC Pipe Cutter,PEX Pipe Cutter, PVC Cutters Tool, Suitable for Cutting All Kinds of Plastic Pipes

I am a licensed plumber. I work frequently with 2" schedule 40 pvc. I am excited to recommend and review this large up to 2.5" cutter by Airaj.My previous cutter was the Ridgid 2375 cutter that cost me $95 at Home Depot before tax, so over $100. It never worked that well but I thought this is what it is, either you deal with this or you get the hack saw. The Ridgid cutter would squeeze the pipe with great pressure and you can see the pipe actually bend before the blade begins to cut. This is because the blade lays flat across the pipe. Unless that blade is brand new it is going to squeeze and sometimes snap the pipe. In colder weather it's even worse. If you are trying to cut less than 2" of pipe forget it, get the hack saw because the Ridgid cutter will simply snap it. To make matters worse, the Ridgid pipe cutter has a cheap plastic clip that holds the handle closed when not in use. That clip broke within 6 months so these cutters are always wide open in my tool box with the sharp blade exposed. Finally, the Ridgid pipe cutter is very difficult to change the blade. I know their video makes it look easy but that guy is probably a magician and besides that he's working with a brand new tool. You have to push on one side and then press on the other. I couldn't do it, both sides were stuck. Lets see him try it with my old worn out tool.O.k. now let's talk about the Airaj cutter. First of all, at around $25 after tax it costs less than a replacement blade for my Ridgid cutter; yet the quality is apparently the same - it's all metal construction. Now the best part- look at my picture, look at that blade. The blade is not straight, it's a triangle, it PIERCES the pvc, not presses on it flatly. It instantly punctures the pvc and cuts it like BUTTER! I can cut 1/2" at a time if I want to without snapping the pipe! Next, look at the closing holder, it's made of metal. Yes, it can still break, but it won't break as quickly as a cheap plastic one. And if it does brake, I can get a paper clip or whatever piece of wire to go through the hole. Can't do that with the Ridgid! Finally, look at how easy it is to change the blade. There's a screw. Imagine that! Remove the screw and the blade comes out, Old tool or new tool, I know how to remove a screw. No magician tricks required.

They work as the should. Great for home plumbing repairs

The pipe cutter was initially a bit of a challenge to get around the 1 3/4" pipe but worked well once in position. The cut was slightly angled, though I thought I'd held it straight, so I'd advise care when making the cut to keep it as straight as possible.

The AIRAJ Ratchet PVC Pipe Cutter is worth the price, time, and effort than using a miter box. It provides a cleaner, quicker cut right on the mark.

These work great for small projects. My antique one worked good, but one of my sons commandeered it.

I'm no pro craftsman, but I do a lot of my own work on plumbing and electrical as I grew up on a farm where we had to and would consider myself an experienced DIY'er. I used this cutter twice on 1-1/4" CPVC (schedule 40). The first cut did ok - I noticed that the ratcheting mechanism was much more difficult to operate than a similar style cheap cutter for smaller CPVC I got at one of the big box stores. That being said, this cutter returned to the open position much easier. I bought this as the 1-1/4" CPVC either maxed those cutters out or was just on the edge of their size limit and usually left some material on the CPVC I had to trim down. I'd guess that first cut was into material that was 50 degrees F.On the second cut (probably 35-40 degrees F) in a trench the cutter got stuck and I couldn't get it to index to the next spot on the ratcheting blade. Admittedly, this was in a narrow trench where I can't guarantee the cleanliness of the bottom side of the conduit. The cutter was stuck in the conduit about 1/3 to 1/2 of the stroke and wasn't going to budge without forcing through the cut, so I used two pieces of 1" CPVC conduit as cheaters (around 10" long). I got through the cut, but it took a quarter inch or better chunk out of the blade and snapped the conduit worse than my small pair from the big box store. The chunk was near where the bottom of the conduit was, so it's possible something like a small gravel was stuck to the bottom, but I don't think that was the case. I was so frustrated with the cutters (and job) I threw them away without giving it a second thought.Since I was cutting in cold weather in a trench with cheaters, I usually wouldn't leave a review and call it my fault. I bought another pair from a company I'd heard of for about 3x the price as the job isn't complete, and due to the difficulty of operating the ratcheting cutters on a conduit size much smaller than the pair was rated for, decided to give the product 3 stars.It may perform well in "more ideal" conditions, but if you're buying a set to be your go-to in your plumbing/electrical kit when you need a reliable tool, I'd suggest you look elsewhere. If you see yourself potentially in a situation like the one I described, I'd at least suggest one with readily available replacement blades.

Awesome pvc pipe cutters. Got a set for each of our techs to use. For the money the quality is amazing.

In terms of functionality, these cutters did the job, but the finish is of poor quality and was chipping off right out of the box. The latch design is also lacking, there's no notch for it to sit in, so any jostling in a toolbox leads to it unlatching and popping open. Individually these aren't big issues, but taken together it makes the tool a poor value if you're going to be using it regularly.