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Slate cutter vs angle grinder

Updated: October 2026

You have a 115 mm or 230 mm grinder in the van and a valley to cut on a scaffold. The fast thought is a dry disc, a plume, and ten minutes. HSE’s cutting-roofing-tiles page says the opposite for natural slate and fibre-cement: those coverings do not need power tools; use hammers and cutters. This page is the versus argument only. Cutting steps sit on [how to cut roof slates](/hub/cutting-tools/slate-scissors/sub/slate-scissors-how-to-cut). The three amazon.co.uk listings and prices sit on the [slate scissors](/hub/cutting-tools/slate-scissors) comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a 115 mm or 230 mm grinder in the van and a valley to cut on a scaffold. The fast thought is a dry disc, a plume, and ten minutes.

Our top picks

TSF Products TSF SC01G slate cutter

Best overall

TSF Products TSF SC01G slate cutter
8.8/10about £37.95
View offer
Tooltime Tooltime 320 mm slate cutter

Best value

Tooltime Tooltime 320 mm slate cutter
8.0/10about £11.36
View offer
Malco Malco TSNS1 slate turbo shear

Alternative

Malco Malco TSNS1 slate turbo shear
7.4/10about £247.83
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What HSE asks you to do first
  2. 2.What a hand cutter actually changes
  3. 3.If you still use a saw
  4. 4.Drill shear is not a grinder

What HSE asks you to do first

HSE wants you to pick a hand cutter or a slater’s hammer before you pick a saw. Natural slate and fibre-cement slates do not need power tools. If a cut-off saw is still used, the same page wants water suppression and respiratory protective equipment with an assigned protection factor of 20, an FFP3 or P3 filter, face-fit tested. Outdoor air does not cancel that. CIS54-family guidance treats dry cutting as high-risk work. Slate can contain 20–40 per cent crystalline silica, which is the ST5 figure. The workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ as an eight-hour time-weighted average. Dry-cutting peak figures on paving pages are not slate laboratory results. SVK’s UK technical data for fibre-cement slates also tells you not to use an angle grinder because of dust. JJ Roofing still publishes a 150 mm / 230 mm grinder method. It does not lead with HSE’s instruction to use cutters instead, so this page does not treat that method as the professional default.

What a hand cutter actually changes

A hand cutter changes the cloud, not the need for care. You still get chips. You do not get the dry-disc plume that hangs on a scaffold and drifts into the house. The change is largest on a few cuts you can bring to a bench. It shrinks when the slate is thicker than the listing, 5 mm on TSF and 6 mm on Tooltime, or when you have many metres of 4–8 mm stone. Slower options are a merchant 7 mm plier, a slater’s hammer and stake, a drill shear, or a wet saw with the controls below. If the covering might contain asbestos, a survey comes before either tool.
TSF Products TSF SC01G slate cutter

Testsieger

TSF Products TSF SC01G slate cutter
8.8/10about £37.95
View offer

If you still use a saw

Sometimes a wet bench saw is the remaining option: a long run of thick stone, or a yard set-up with extraction that a scaffold will never have. Water suppression, a dedicated cutting area, RPE with APF 20, and a face-fit test are the package. A splash of water from a bottle and a paper mask are not that package. Call a professional when the roof is high or fragile, or when you cannot set up water and RPE.

Drill shear is not a grinder

The Malco TSNS1 is a drill-mounted shear, not a disc. It nips 4–8 mm natural slate instead of grinding it. It is still not dust-free, and it is still not the tool for a porch of a dozen tiles at £247.83. One UK review said the head hits larger slates, which is a clearance limit. Owning a turbo shear does not license a dry grinder for the last awkward cut. If the shear is the right tool, best slate cutter UK says who should buy it and who should skip it.

Common questions

Is a grinder the professional way to cut slate?
No. HSE tells you to use hammers and cutters on natural slate and fibre-cement. A grinder is a controlled exception with water and APF 20, not the trade default. Merchant pages that lead with a 230 mm disc are describing a method HSE does not put first.
Does a hand cutter make no dust?
It makes less airborne silica than a dry grinder. It still chips stone. Wear eye protection, and a mask is still sensible. Do not call the method dust-free. The TSF cleaner-than-a-grinder note is an anecdote about two synthetic valleys, not a measurement.
What mask do I need if I still use a saw?
RPE with an assigned protection factor of 20, which means an FFP3 or P3 filter, face-fit tested, plus water suppression. A paper mask on a dry disc is not that control. Outdoor air does not reduce the grade.
Can I dry-cut on a scaffold because it is outside?
No. CIS54-family guidance does not treat outdoor dry cutting as low risk. The plume still sits in your breathing zone and still drifts. If the cut cannot come to a bench, keep it as a hand cut or set up water and RPE, or stop.
Does fibre-cement change the answer?
No. HSE names fibre-cement slates alongside natural slate as materials that do not need power tools. SVK’s UK data also tells you not to use an angle grinder because of dust. Unknown older fibre-cement may be an asbestos question, which stops both methods.
When is a wet bench saw the remaining option?
When the stone is too thick or too long for a plier and you can set up water, a dedicated area, and APF 20 on the ground. That is a yard decision, not a scaffold improvisation. It still sits behind a hand cutter for ordinary valley and verge cuts.
Does owning a Malco turbo shear count as a grinder?
No. The TSNS1 is a drill shear. It belongs with cutters in this versus, with its own 4–8 mm listing and a UK clearance complaint. It does not make a dry disc acceptable, and it is not a dust-free tool.

Related pages

How to choose a slate cutter

Slate scissors

Best slate cutter UK for porch, bench or long runs

How to punch a hole in slate: gauge and nail metal

How to cut roof slates from the bed in short bites

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listing lines; retrieved 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE, Cutting roofing tiles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE ST5, Sawing slate (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE, Roof work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. NHBC 7.2.19, Fixing tiles and slates (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. SSQ, Natural slate design and fixing guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Wickes, Roughneck slate cutter and hole puncher (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. amazon.co.uk, TSF SC01G (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. HG Roofing Supplies, TurboShear NS1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)