Tubing Cutter

A tubing cutter clamps around the pipe and uses a sharp wheel to score the outer wall as the tool rotates, cutting cleanly through the tube without crushing it or leaving burrs. The cutter has a handle, an adjustment screw to tighten the wheel against the pipe, and rollers or guides that keep it centered as you turn the handle. Different models exist for specific materials—copper, plastic, and stainless each have slightly different wheel hardness and cutter geometry.

In the field, a tubing cutter beats a hacksaw for clean, quick cuts on supply lines and makes deburring easier afterward. After cutting, you need to ream the inside to remove the burr, or it will restrict flow and potentially cause trouble with fittings. Most plumbers carry both a cutter and a reamer, or use a combo tool that has the reamer built into the cutter handle.

Stay alert to the tube material—using a cutter meant for copper on PEX can leave a rough edge that damages the fitting seal. Quality matters here; cheap cutters with dull wheels will deform soft tubing rather than slice it clean.