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Drill wire twister vs pull twister

Updated: October 2026

Drill wire twister vs pull twister is a 1/4 inch hex head your drill turns, or a spring hook that spins when you pull. A tying gun that feeds and cuts wire is neither. A short fencing bar is a third type and is not scored here. The [wire tie twister comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/wire-tie-twister) tables the 11 listings. Products Compared editorial team, 16 October 2026. Prices are GBP from this amazon.co.uk set. No laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Drill wire twister vs pull twister is a 1/4 inch hex head your drill turns, or a spring hook that spins when you pull. A tying gun that feeds and cuts wire is neither.

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Two mechanisms, and a third that is neither

A drill-shank twister is a head on a 1/4 inch hex. You seat it, keep the speed low, and the chuck spins. A pull twister is a hook, about 260 mm to 305 mm where a length is printed. Both loops go on the hook, and a straight pull makes it spin. Between about £5 and £18, automatic means the spring reloads the hook. It is not a wire feed. A tying gun is a different machine. The Makita DTR180, £914.95 including VAT at Tooled-Up, feeds 0.8 mm annealed wire and ties on a trigger. HSE names a cordless tier for tying rebar all day. The buying order is on the wire tie twister buying guide.

When the drill head is the one to buy

Buy a drill head if you already have a 1/4 inch hex chuck, the ties are mild or annealed, and you will keep the speed low. It does not tension a fence. High-tensile line is refused for both tools, on wire twister for fencing. None of these listings clearly includes tie wire. All six state a 1/4 inch hex, from about £4.99 to £7.99. VANORIAL adds gloves you should not wear on a spinning chuck. CYUXING at about £7.99 states a 9# arc at 60 mm and an 11# square at 63 mm. Those are head sizes, not a British wire gauge. The item count says 3 against two named heads, 4.54 g is not a credible weight, and 5.0 from one review is an anecdote.

When the pull hook is the one to buy

Buy a pull hook for double-loop rebar ties or sack ties when you do not want a chuck in the work. The hook does not feed a coil, and wire is not in the box where that field is known. NEIKO 61025A is about £17.32, 4.2 from 621 ratings, with an internal spring and no stated length. Draper 31059 is about £18.13, 4.4 from 175 ratings, 260 mm, with a drop-forged hook. Draper’s own £36.24 is not the Amazon price. Zeromall is about £7.99 and 305 mm, 3.2 from 20 ratings. QWORK is about £9.99, 2.5 from 140, and the UK text is dominated by early breakage, so it is not the pull to prefer. Heryson is a hand plate, outside this pair.

The choice, with the limit attached

If you already own a 1/4 inch hex drill and you will run it slowly on mild or annealed ties, take a drill head. CYUXING at about £7.99 states both heads in millimetres, and its one-review score stays unreliable. If the job is double-loop ties and you do not want a chuck, take NEIKO 61025A at about £17.32 for 621 ratings, or Draper 31059 at about £18.13 for 260 mm. If you are tying rebar all day, or the wire is high-tensile line, choose neither. The steps are on how to use a wire tie twister.

Common questions

When is a drill-shank wire twister the better buy?
When you already have a 1/4 inch hex chuck, the ties are mild or annealed, and you will keep the speed low. CYUXING at about £7.99 states a 60 mm arc and a 63 mm square, which are head sizes. Its single five-star review is not reliable. You supply the wire.
When is a pull hook the better buy?
When you are closing double-loop ties or sack necks and you do not want a chuck nearby. NEIKO 61025A at about £17.32 is 4.2 from 621 ratings. Draper 31059 at about £18.13 is 260 mm, with a drop-forged hook and 4.4 from 175 ratings. QWORK at about £9.99 has UK reviews centred on early breakage, so the lower price is not the better buy.
What does automatic mean on a £5 to £18 tool?
The spring or return spindle reloads the hook after you pull. Draper 31059 calls that part a return spindle. NEIKO 61025A says recoil and reload. Next Day Steel still prints semi-automatic on a 300 mm hook at £20.39 including VAT, and that shop is outside this Amazon set. The word does not mean the tool feeds wire or cuts it.
What is a 9# arc and an 11# square?
Seller labels for an arched head and a square head. They are not a British wire gauge and not the wire’s diameter. CYUXING adds 60 mm and 63 mm, and those figures are the heads. KIPTVO’s printed 10 × 10 × 1 mm is not a usable size for the same parts. You still match the head to mild or annealed tie wire you supply.
Is a cordless tying gun just a dearer pull hook?
No. A Makita DTR180 at £914.95 including VAT feeds 0.8 mm annealed wire and ties on a trigger. A pull hook from about £7.99 to £18.13 only spins a loop you have already placed. HSE points to a cordless tier for tying rebar all day. The price gap is the feed and the cut, not a longer handle.
Can either type tension high-tensile fence wire?
No. Both spin mild or annealed tie wire you supply. Neither is a strainer, and high-tensile line can spring a twist undone. A fencing claim on a drill-bit title does not change that. The short bar for mild-steel netting is a different tool, and Heryson is not in this pair. Named picks for the whole set are on best wire tie twister.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this set, last checked on 16 October 2026.

  1. Conservation Handbooks, joining wire (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Conservation Handbooks, fencing tools (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. HSE, repetitive work (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Draper 31059 bag tie twister 260 mm (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Hampton Steel, stock fencing (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. BSI, BS 4449 reinforcing steel (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  9. Tooled-Up, Makita DTR180 rebar tying tool (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  10. amazon.co.uk listings in this set (retrieved 16 October 2026)