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Electric nibbler buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You have a sheet to cut, a curve or a notch that snips will chew, and millimetre claims that do not say which metal they mean. An electric nibbler buying guide has to settle that before the star rating, because a punch that stalls in stainless is not a bargain at any price. The order is the metal and its strength, then the supply where you will work, then the battery you already own, then the waste strip and a punch you can buy again. Prices and the eight bare tools sit on the [electric nibbler comparison](/hub/cutting-tools/electric-nibbler). We used those amazon.co.uk listings and UK trade sheets. We did not run a lab test.

You have a sheet to cut, a curve or a notch that snips will chew, and millimetre claims that do not say which metal they mean.

Our top picks

TengXcel TengXcel Makita 18V nibbler

Best overall

TengXcel TengXcel Makita 18V nibbler
6.2/10about £107.99
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Gautesy Gautesy Makita 18V nibbler

Best value

Gautesy Gautesy Makita 18V nibbler
6.4/10about £79.99
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DEYITONG DEYITONG Makita 18V nibbler

Rank 3

DEYITONG DEYITONG Makita 18V nibbler
7.1/10about £106.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Read thickness with the metal
  2. 2.Bare tool, plug, or 110 V
  3. 3.Kerf, radius and the spare punch
  4. 4.What to do with a messy listing

Read thickness with the metal

Trade sheets print a thickness at a tensile strength, not one maximum. Mild steel is usually quoted around 400 N/mm². Stainless is stronger, often around 600 N/mm² and sometimes 800 N/mm², so the same tool is rated thinner. Aluminium is softer, often around 250 N/mm², and is quoted thicker. Makita's DJN161Z, a bare 18 V body UK shops list from roughly £300 to about £440, is 1.6 mm mild steel, 1.2 mm stainless and 2.5 mm aluminium. That spread is the pattern. A single 2.0 mm has not told you the stainless figure. In this set the splits are uneven. Gautesy prints aluminium to 1.6 mm and stainless to 1.0 mm. TengXcel prints a 3 mm maximum and no separate stainless line. DEYITONG's size field says 2.0 mm, with separate inch claims. Axelrivet names the metals and prints no thickness. If the table is missing, the tool is a trial on scrap.

Bare tool, plug, or 110 V

Every cordless ASIN kept here is a bare body, from £72.89 to £107.99, and none includes a battery or a charger. If you do not already own the platform, the bare price is the smaller half of the bill. Makita LXT, DeWalt 18 V XR and Milwaukee M18 do not share a slide. DeWalt's 20 V MAX label is the same family as an 18 V XR pack when the listing names codes such as DCB204. Follow the pack codes. A leftover Makita sentence does not change the slide, and a compatible body is not a Makita warranty. A dry workshop can use a 230 V tool with a BS 1363 plug. On a construction site the Health and Safety Executive points you at cordless tools or a 110 V supply centre-tapped to earth. The cordless or mains page takes the plug further. Coated roofing, on the roofing and cladding page, is a different limit: the head has to clear the rib.
TengXcel TengXcel Makita 18V nibbler

Testsieger

TengXcel TengXcel Makita 18V nibbler
6.2/10about £107.99
View offer

Kerf, radius and the spare punch

A nibbler throws out a strip of chips, so both offcuts lose that width. Trade figures sit around 4 mm on the Stakesys EN2, a 230 V workshop tool at £84.50, and 6.35 mm on Milwaukee's M18 FNB35. A UK reviewer of the DEYITONG put the bite at about 6 mm. If both pieces must keep their full width, shears are the honest tool. Mark the line short by about half the kerf, then check a scrap of the same sheet. Makita publishes a 45 mm inside radius on the DJN161Z. A 360° head does not shrink that radius. The punch wears. Stakesys sells EN2 punches at £11.95. A UK review of the LIROPAU says replacement heads could not be obtained. If the job is more than one afternoon, ask where the next punch comes from.

What to do with a messy listing

Several pages disagree with themselves. DEYITONG and the divinge titles print about 2200 rpm beside a bullet of 1900 strokes per minute. Gautesy's title says 30,000 rpm, which is not a cutting speed this guide will repeat as fact. LIROPAU's technical details say air_powered while the title is cordless. Builrand's warranty block says hand_powered while the bullets say a cordless tool. Those are conflicts, not a second kind of nibbler. When two numbers fight, use the one that names your metal, and treat watts and rpm as advertising until a manual agrees. Stars come last. DEYITONG's 4.3 from 62 reviews is the only large sample, and it includes a return after about 30 minutes. If you own no packs and the work stays at a bench, the EN2 at £84.50 avoids the battery bill. If you cut stainless every week, the named bodies are the different spend: DJN161Z from about £300, and the M18 FNB35-0X at £599 including VAT.

Common questions

What thickness of mild steel will it cut?
Only the figure attached to mild steel, low-carbon steel or iron, usually about 400 N/mm² on a trade sheet. Divinge prints 1.6 mm low-carbon steel and LIROPAU prints 2.0 mm iron. TengXcel's 3 mm bullet does not say mild steel, and Axelrivet prints no millimetre.
Does the stainless figure match the mild-steel figure?
No. Stainless is stronger, so the rating is thinner. The DJN161Z pair is 1.6 mm mild steel and 1.2 mm stainless. Gautesy prints stainless up to 1.0 mm. One millimetre for metal is not a stainless rating.
Is the battery in the box?
Not on any of the eight tools. The battery and charger are sold separately. A Makita, DeWalt or Milwaukee starter kit is a separate purchase, and the platforms do not interchange.
Will a Makita pack fit a compatible body, and do Makita punches fit?
Reviewers say a Makita 18 V pack clicks into the Makita-fit bodies. That is a slide, not a Makita product. One DEYITONG reviewer said a head fitted their Makita nibbler. Nobody here publishes a Makita punch part number.
How wide is the waste strip?
It depends on the die. Stakesys prints 4 mm on the EN2 and Milwaukee prints 6.35 mm on the M18 FNB35. One DEYITONG reviewer estimated about 6 mm. Most listings here do not print a kerf, so cut a scrap.
When is a corded workshop tool enough?
When the work stays at a 13 A bench, you own no 18 V packs, and the sheet fits a table such as the EN2's 1.8 mm mild steel, 1.2 mm stainless and 2.5 mm aluminium. It is the wrong default on a site, and the wrong tool on a roof with no lead.

Related pages

Best electric nibbler

Electric nibbler

Cordless or corded nibbler for a UK site or garage

How to use a nibbler for your first sheet-metal cut

Nibbler for roofing sheets: cold cut, not a grinder

Sources

Public UK sources and dealer pages for trade-body context, checked on 19 October 2026. amazon.co.uk prices and review counts are taken from the listings in this category and can change.

  1. BS EN 62841-2-8:2016, hand-held shears and nibblers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE: electrical systems on construction sites (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Heamar: power-tool nibblers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Southern Sheeting: cutting metal roofing and cladding (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Power Tool World: Makita DJN161Z body only (retrieved 19 October 2026)