Midrange priced air nibbler recco?

[67King]

Have a HF one. Never worked well, but now it needs a new punch and die. Have air shears, great for flat straight line stuff, but I'm finding I need a nibbler. They range in price from $20 to $200.

Restoring a 67 GTO. I'm replacing the trunk pans, one panel in the floor, and I'l be doing a lot of work on the front fender liners to make the wider tires fit. Will not be doing "exterior" sheet metal work, that will go to the pros. I don't know what else I may use it for in the future. So I'm a DIYer, not a pro, but I do a lot, myself.

Don't really want to go down that HF road again. Looking for something more in the line of SK/Wright/Williams than Snap-On on the high end or current day Craftsman on the low. Wouldn't mind a "Home Depot" brand like Husky, but i doesn't appear that they make them (I'm happy wiht my Husky shears). I see a lot of positive stuff for Air Cat, which is about $100. I've seen some stuff about Astro, about $60, but the reviews aren't as great (though I have some of their tools and am happy with them). Then of course the IR and Chicago Pneumatic stuff is in the $200 range.

Anyone have suggestions on which way to go, or better yet, a good tool for a decent price that may not be professional level, but it more than use once and throw away? Prefer that the punch and die are replaceable.

 

[CobraRed]

Where do you see poor reviews of the AP 727? Mines been flawless

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

Where do you see poor reviews of the AP 727? Mines been flawless

I just ordered the 727 to cut the panels for my ice shack.

I'll post back if it's good, or junk, but so far everything I've bought from Astro Pneumatic has been fantastic.

 

[neophyte]

Nibblers vary in design and cutting capacity.
“High end” pneumatic nibblers are way more expensive than $200.
I’m more familiar with corded and cordless options.

Kett makes an 18 gauge nibbler, and a 14 gauge pneumatic nibbler.
Both likely use the same pneumatic motor, with the difference bring the cutting heads and dies.
The 18 gauge pneumatic nibbler is the PN-1020.
The 14 gauge nibbler is the PN-2020
Kett is onevof the main manufacturers of power shears in the USA, and likely manufactures, or did manufacture, the strip shears, or at least the cutting heads, sold by many US tool manufacturers.
I gave no experience with the Kett shears.
Cost seems to be around $350 to $475 depending on the nibbler gauge.

Stanley used to be one of the other main nibbler manufacturers in the USA, but that was decades ago before the original Stanley Power Tool division was sold to Bosch.
Some of the Bosch nibblers and shears may still use Stanley designs attached to Bosch motors.
I know there used to be Bosch pneumatic nibblers and shears, but they may no longer be manufactured.

Sioux makes pneumatic shears, that seem to use Kett heads, on Sioux motors.
The price is two to three times that of the Kett nibblers.

Most high end German made nibblers use Trumpf made cutting heads (other than Bosch, and maybe Milwaukee), and the cost is usually easily just as high as the Sioux nibblers.
Also, it looks like German manufacturers may just be mostly making Cordless or electrical nibblers nowadays.

 

[dnschmidt]

Astro for pneumatic but in this day and age Milwaukee's M12 nibblers are the bomb. Rural Renovators cuts miles of steel using these and that's a good enough endorsement for me.

 

[GeoBruin]

Astro for pneumatic but in this day and age Milwaukee's M12 nibblers are the bomb. Rural Renovators cuts miles of steel using these and that's a good enough endorsement for me.

The m12 nibbler is pretty slick.

 

[mikedodge]

I have one of those cheapos. Whoever is making the punch and die must have made a change because I've had it 10+ years and never had a problem with it.

 

[Tim in Indiana]

I have the M12 nibbler and I can cut dozens of feet on a 3ah battery. Pretty much use it all day cutting pole barn siding for gable ends and openings. Personally, I don't ever want to drag an air hose around again.

 

[speed bump]

I have a Chicago pneumatic one, after 15 years it still does the job. Personally I use my air saw a lot more than I ever used my nibbler for body stuff though.