Manufacturer / Supplier
Model
Category
Power (Watts)
Weight (kg)
Stainless Steel
E.R.P. (Inc. GST)
TradeTools Direct
TTD32ES
600
3.7
2
$0
Hitachi
CN16SA
400
1.8
1
Bosch
GNA16
350
Makita
jn1601
JS1600
300
1.9
JS1660
260
1.6
TBJ-11 2
.5
For comparative purposes we have generally placed tools in the following categories. Light Duty, Trade Duty or Industrial Duty however some tools may need to cross over between categories. Click here for an explanation of these categories.
In brief.
Both nibblers & shears are generally used for cutting sheet metals. Whilst they both perform a similar task, the cutting action that these tools employ is quite different. A nibbler cuts the material, by removing small crescent ‘bites’ along the line of the cut. The cutting action is performed by a punch & die (or pin & anvil) mechanism. The curved punch ‘punches’ through the material against the curve shaped die. This method results in minimal distortion to the material. The amount of waste (swarf) removed is generally 5mm in diameter. Our tester referred to this waste as “the tradesman’s confetti” & looking at the photo, you can see why! The majority of nibblers on the market provide a punch & die holder that can be rotated 90° to the left or right. This enables the nibbler to be used to cut sideways, which is very handy for cutting up & down the ridges of a sheet of corrugated iron. Nibblers are commonly used by ‘roofers’ for cutting through sheets of corrugated iron. They can also be used for cutting sheets of plastic material. Due to the pin & anvil cutting action they can cut reasonably tight curves, as the punch & die mechanism allows the tool to turn freely whilst cutting. A shear has a blade that uses a scissor action against a stationary blade in order to cut the material. This can result in some distortion to the sheet as the cutting blade separates the material. A straight shear differs from a regular shear in that it uses a wide double-sided middle blade, which cuts against 2 stationary blades (or anvils). It produces virtually no distortion to the material. Unlike a regular shear it removes a ‘ribbon’ of swarf (see photo). Shears are usually less expensive than nibblers & are designed for straight cutting. They can only cut very slight curves. Also, the blades do not offer the flexibility to cut across the rise & fall of corrugated iron.
What we did.
We performed the test cuts using a sheet of mild steel 0.9mm thick. We marked out a straight cutting path for all of our tests to see how easy it was to view & follow the cutting line. In addition to the nibblers & shears we reviewed; we considered another option for cutting sheet metals. A shear head attachment can be fitted to a regular drill. The drill used will need to meet some basic requirements, which we have detailed in that particular review.
What we found.
Both the nibblers & the shears performed the cutting task with ease. Nibblers offer more cutting flexibility & shears offer no loss of the material. The choice of tool really comes down to operator preference & their individual requirements. The TradeTools shear - the TTD32ES deserves a mention for its value for money & powerful cutting depth. It has the capability of cutting stainless steel twice the thickness of all the nibblers & shears we reviewed! The shear head attachment for the drill took some time to learn to operate effectively. However once we had it mastered, it provided a good clean cut. We regard this to be a flexible & inexpensive option for the purpose of cutting sheet metal.