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Pipe cutter buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are under a basin with 15 mm copper, or holding Speedfit that still needs an insert, and the listings have mixed wheel cutters with plastic shears. A pipe cutter buying guide settles the order before stars: material first, then the outside diameter you have, then whether the tool can orbit the pipe. The product table is the [pipe cutter comparison](/hub/cutting-tools/pipe-cutter). This page is that decision order only. If you already own the wrong type, the listing will not save the joint. We used amazon.co.uk listings and did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are under a basin with 15 mm copper, or holding Speedfit that still needs an insert, and the listings have mixed wheel cutters with plastic shears.

Our top picks

Sharp-tec Sharp-tec 5–50 mm cutter with deburrer

Best overall

Sharp-tec Sharp-tec 5–50 mm cutter with deburrer
9.4/10about £19.99
View offer
Toolwiz Toolwiz 3–28 mm mini copper cutter

Best value

Toolwiz Toolwiz 3–28 mm mini copper cutter
9.0/10about £6.43
View offer
DOWELL DOWELL spring PVC cutter 0–32 mm

Alternative

DOWELL DOWELL spring PVC cutter 0–32 mm
8.8/10about £7.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Material before stars
  2. 2.Match the outside diameter
  3. 3.Access and spare wheels
  4. 4.What a 42 mm ratchet is not

Material before stars

A wheel scores a groove in copper, brass and other soft metal until the remaining wall parts. A shear closes a blade through plastic. BuildWiz puts the split plainly: do not use a copper wheel on plastic. John Guest’s July 2024 Speedfit guide is sharper. A score mark on barrier pipe leaks past the O-ring, and a hacksaw burr is also a leak. Fit the insert after a square shear. An olive on 15 mm copper wants a round end from a wheel. A Speedfit or Hep2O coupler wants unmarked skin from a shear. Toolwiz states 3–28 mm, a wall no more than 3.8 mm, and excludes stainless steel, PVC, acrylic, bike bars and thick-wall tube. Stars come after that match. Yorkshire Copper maps common UK sizes to BS EN 1057 R250 tube: 15 × 0.7 mm, 22 × 0.9 mm and 28 × 0.9 mm. That standard rates the tube, not the cutter. Named picks sit on the best pipe cutter page.

Match the outside diameter

A fixed pipe slice is one diameter. The 15 mm and 22 mm twin packs here are built for those two copper sizes. If you also have 28 mm, you need a third slice or an adjustable cutter that includes 28 mm. A mini that states 3–22 mm reaches 15 mm easily; 22 mm sits at the stop. One Sharp-tec mini review cut 22 mm copper with a millimetre or two to spare. That is a tight fit. Toolwiz lists 3–28 mm. The Sharp-tec mini lists 3–22 mm. The Sharp-tec set lists 5–50 mm and weighs 1.2 kg; reviews call it bulky. The SHALL kit lists 6–50 mm plus a 3–22 mm mini. Those last two are bench tools, not cupboard tools. Plastic shears use a maximum opening: DOWELL 0–32 mm, EZUVITA 35 mm, THINKWORK and the Sharp-tec ratchet 42 mm. Up to 42 mm is about 40 mm waste pipe if the jaws open. It is not 110 mm soil pipe, and a 35 mm shear will not cut a 68 mm downpipe. For 15 mm and 22 mm barrier pipe, a 32 mm spring shear is enough.
Sharp-tec Sharp-tec 5–50 mm cutter with deburrer

Testsieger

Sharp-tec Sharp-tec 5–50 mm cutter with deburrer
9.4/10about £19.99
View offer

Access and spare wheels

A slice has to orbit the pipe. BuildWiz uses about 60–70 mm clearance as a rule of thumb. Against a tile, a joist or the back of a basin, the body hits before the wheel finishes the groove. A mini needs the same rotation in a smaller circle. The 1.2 kg adjustable cutter is a bench tool. A shear does not orbit; a 28 mm Speedfit note on the DOWELL listing mentions a tight space because the jaw comes in from one side. Twin copper packs in this folder state two spare wheels. Several minis do not. If the listing only claims a replaceable wheel and does not put one in the components line, budget for a second wheel later. Copper still wants a ream so the olive seats. Speedfit wants the insert. A deburrer in a Sharp-tec or SHALL set is for copper.

What a 42 mm ratchet is not

The Sharp-tec ratchet states 3–42 mm on PVC, PEX and similar plastic. Several of its 39 amazon.co.uk reviews say the arms will not open as supplied. That is a return, not a technique. THINKWORK states the same 42 mm opening with a better star line and a smaller sample. Neither listing is a soil-pipe cutter. Waste pipe around 32–40 mm is the honest upper end. Thin PEX and 15 mm barrier pipe sit in a 32 mm spring shear. A 42 mm sticker does not let you cut gas pipe. Domestic gas work is for a Gas Safe registered engineer. Copper sizes sit on pipe cutter for copper pipe.

Common questions

Do I buy one cutter for copper and Speedfit?
No. A wheel scores metal and leaves a groove. John Guest says a score mark on Speedfit leaks past the O-ring. Buy a slice or mini wheel for copper, and a shear for barrier pipe, PEX or thin PVC.
What size do I need for 15 mm and 22 mm copper?
Those are the two common UK outside diameters. A 15 mm and 22 mm slice pair matches them exactly. A mini that states 3–22 mm or 3–28 mm can cover both if you still have room to turn it. 28 mm is a third size.
When is a mini wheel better than a slice?
When the pipe is copper, the diameter sits inside the mini’s range, and you have rotation room but not enough space for a full-size slice body. A mini is a poor choice if you want a spare wheel in the box, or if you treat the feed knob like a clamp.
Does up to 42 mm mean soil pipe?
No. Forty-two millimetres is about 40 mm waste pipe if the ratchet opens. 110 mm soil pipe is another tool and often another trade. A 35 mm shear will not cut a 68 mm downpipe either.
When do I stop and call a plumber?
Call a professional for gas, an unvented cylinder, a supply you cannot isolate, a shared riser, or 110 mm soil pipe. A ratchet that will not open is a return, not a reason to reach for a hacksaw on a live fitting.

Related pages

Pipe cutter for plastic pipe

Pipe cutter

Best pipe cutter: a copper pick and a plastic shear

Pipe cutter for copper pipe: 15 mm and 22 mm olives

How to cut copper pipe with a pipe cutter, then ream

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, retrieved 20 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines used for this comparison.

  1. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. HSE — Gas safety for employers (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. John Guest Speedfit technical guide, July 2024 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Yorkshire Copper technical guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Mueller Europe — copper tube in domestic water services (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. BPEC — essential plumbing skills, copper pipe (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. BuildWiz — pipe cutter (retrieved 20 October 2026)