Libraton 2-1/2″ PVC Pipe Cutter Review

Here I test out my new Libraton PVC Pipe Cutter, designed for cutting pipes up to 2-1/2″

Review

I’ve traditionally used a saw to cut all my PVC pipe, but for my central vac modification project, I needed a ratcheting cutter. As such, I picked up this one off Amazon to give a try, so here’s what I found.

Upon opening up the package, the cutter is inside a plastic bag, then you have a simple set of instructions. Overall, here’s some of my key observations:

• Cutting some schedule 40 3/4″ PVC pipe worked pretty good – I discovered right away the tool liked to cut to the right, so you need to give it some opposing pressure to straighten out the cut
• Cutting schedule 40 1-1/2″ PVC also worked fine – the tendency to cut to one side got worse, so more pressure required to keep things straight
• With 2″ Schedule 40, not much difference – still need some good pressure to keep the cut relatively straight
• Cutting the thin-walled central vac 2″ PVC forced a new technique of twisting the pipe as the cutter started clamping down on the pipe, otherwise you tend to crush the pipe
• With some practice, the twisting technique worked pretty well, giving a nice clean cut that ended up very close to a 90 degree cut

Note I did end up using these to redo my central vac system. Key to a good cut was to do the twisting motion while starting the cuts. They worked great for this project and I plan to use them moving forward when doing varous plumbing projects.

Bottom line, I give this 4 out of 5 stars, mainly due to the need for mastering a technique to get a straight cut. I do recommend them, so if you’re looking to buy a set and would like to support my efforts at no cost to you, please use the Amazon link below.

Libraton 2-1/2″ PVC Pipe Cutter