Best nibbler
Updated: October 2026
Amazon’s Nibblers chart, checked on 19 October 2026, opens with a £15.99 drill cutter at 3.2 from 9 reviews, not with the tool that has a published trade rating. If you searched for the best nibbler, name the work, then the listing, then who should leave it. The twelve cards and the GBP prices sit on the [nibbler comparison](/hub/cutting-tools/nibbler). The order of decisions is on the [nibbler buying guide](/hub/cutting-tools/nibbler/sub/nibbler-buying-guide). We did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase through an amazon.co.uk link can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Amazon’s Nibblers chart, checked on 19 October 2026, opens with a £15.99 drill cutter at 3.2 from 9 reviews, not with the tool that has a published trade rating.
Amazon’s Nibblers chart, checked on 19 October 2026, opens with a £15.99 drill cutter at 3.2 from 9 reviews, not with the tool that has a published trade rating. If you searched for the best nibbler, name the work, then the listing, then who should leave it. The twelve cards and the GBP prices sit on the nibbler comparison. The order of decisions is on the nibbler buying guide. We did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase through an amazon.co.uk link can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Steel capacity | Drive | Spares in the box | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Makita Makita DJN161Z 18 V nibbler | 1.6 mm mild steel | Cordless 18 V | No | 7.5 | about £267.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Fujiwara Fujiwara double-head drill nibbler kit | Up to 2 mm or 14 gauge claimed | Drill chuck | Yes, extra parts and wrench | 7.4 | about £31.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Draper Draper air nibbler 70835 | 1.5 mm | Air | No | 6.6 | about £35.56 | View offer |
On this page
A rank is not a recommendation
The DoublleHui drill plate cutter sits at rank 1 in Nibblers on this snapshot. The same listing is 3.2 from 9 reviews and excludes bent, ribbed, profiled, and welded plate. Buyers describe a body that fell apart on the first cut, or a circlip that vibrated out. Rank 1 tells you people clicked. It does not tell you the punch will cross a rib.
Gautesy’s bare Makita-fit body is 5.0 from one review at about £79.99. That reviewer cut a 1.7 mm galvanised bracket. One review is not better evidence than the Makita DJN161Z at 4.4 from 353, or the Fujiwara kit at 4.2 from 158. Divinge and Builrand have no star line in this raw set. If the listing forbids the shape, skip the card.
If you already have the battery
The top pick is the Makita DJN161Z bare LXT nibbler at about £267.99, 4.4 from 353 reviews. It prints 1.6 mm mild steel, 1.2 mm stainless, and 2.5 mm aluminium. UK comments include cladding, about 20 m of cutting on a 5 Ah pack, and one tool that stopped after mild work use. The battery is not in the box. Non-genuine packs invalidate the Makita guarantee. Trade sites in the research window were around £420 including VAT, so the Amazon figure is a channel price.
Clone bodies cost less and still need a pack. DEYITONG at about £106.99 is 4.3 from 62 reviews. A UK reviewer returned it after about 30 minutes. None of the clones is a Makita tool. Skip this aisle if you own no 18 V packs, or if you only need one hole in thin flat sheet.
If the job is one flat sheet
The best value, if you already have a keyed drill and the sheet is light-gauge, is the Fujiwara kit at about £31.99, 4.2 from 158 reviews. UK buyers have cut duct doors, van windows, 0.7 mm roofing, and a 150 mm hole in 1.5 mm galvanised steel. The listing claims up to 2 mm or 14 gauge, without a stainless millimetre. The spindle is short, a keyless chuck can bind, and some units would not cut. It is not the tool for a deep crown.
Axelrivet at about £27.99 prints 1.6 mm carbon steel, 1.2 mm stainless, and 2.0 mm aluminium, and says it is not for corrugated steel. The sample is 4.6 from 5 reviews. DYXDYC at about £17.63 is 3.3 from 375, with UK reports of the cutter falling apart on box-profile roofing. Coated profile belongs on the nibbler for roofing sheets page, not on a £16 chuck.
If you already run a compressor
The Draper 70835 is about £35.56, 4.2 from 57 reviews, rated to 1.5 mm steel. The listing states neither pressure nor air consumption. Reviews say the connector is not a standard 1/4 inch BSP fitting. One review stopped after five minutes on 1 mm steel. That price makes sense only if the compressor and the inlet already exist.
If the job is a short flashing and the panel can curl, you may not want a nibbler at all. That choice is on the nibbler vs tin snips page.
Common questions
Which nibbler in this set is the trade bare tool?
The Makita DJN161Z, sold body-only, with 1.6 mm mild steel, 1.2 mm stainless, and 2.5 mm aluminium on the listing. Trade sites in the research window were around £420 including VAT, so the Amazon price is a channel figure. It is not a drill attachment.
Is the number 1 Nibblers rank the one to buy?
No. On this snapshot that rank is the DoublleHui cutter at 3.2 from 9 reviews, listed for flat 0.8–1 mm steel plate and not for ribbed or welded plate. A sales rank is not a capacity check.
Is a 5.0 from one review better than 4.4 from 353?
No. Gautesy’s single 5.0 describes a 1.7 mm galvanised cut and a firm battery fit. The Makita DJN161Z at 4.4 from 353 is the sample you can actually judge. One five-star line does not outrank that record.
Who is the Fujiwara kit for?
Someone who already owns a drill and is cutting light-gauge sheet or a van panel, not a structural rib. Centre the short spindle. Some units will not cut, and a keyless chuck can bind.
Which cordless bodies have no star rating here?
Divinge (B0H2VJRYY6) at about £73.99 and Builrand (B0HCVBN2YF) at about £84.99. Both claim Milwaukee 18 V packs. Neither has a customer-review line in this raw set. Do not pick them on rank or on a printed millimetre table alone.
What do I still have to buy with a bare tool?
A battery and a charger that the listing accepts. None of the cordless rows includes them. On the Makita, non-genuine packs invalidate the listed guarantee. Add that cost before you compare about £80 or about £268 with a £32 drill kit.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked in October 2026.
- HSE INDG291, provision and use of work equipment (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE, selecting equipment to control vibration (retrieved October 2026)
- Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved October 2026)
- GAP Group, Makita DJN161Z cordless nibbler (retrieved October 2026)
- Tooled Up, nibblers vs shears (retrieved October 2026)
- Colour Clad Profiles FAQs (retrieved October 2026)
- Sealey SNA9821 drill-attachment instructions (retrieved October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved October 2026)