Looking for a Cordless shear..

[FTWingRiders]

Hoping for some schooling for a 18v shear to have for a few small projects. 18-25 gauge stuff, nothing too serious. I’m invested in Milwaukee and Makita so I’d like to stay with those two.

18V Cordless 18 Gauge Double Cut Shear Kit

Redesigned body to provide an inline wrist design that maximizes control during use and adding the industry’s only Tool-Free 360° rotating head, our new shears can be used where hand snips have been needed to finish the cut.

www.milwaukeetool.com

Makita USA - Product Details -XSJ04Z

18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 18 Gauge Offset Shear, Tool Only

www.makitatools.com

Anything to look for besides the color?

 

[dnschmidt]

These two are not equivalent. One is a double cut shear that produces a curly-cue and the other acts like an electric aviation shear. The Milwaukee is a very old tool and is not brushless which in this day and age is antiquated. The Makita is brushless but I've never been found of that style of shear. This is the brushless Makita that is similar to the MIlwaukee: https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XSJ03Z

 

[LeeG]

I have the 14ga version of the Milwaukee. It works great on the 16-18ga I mostly use.

 

[neophyte]

If uou can affird it, maybe look at the shears made by Hilti.
I believe the cutting heads may be made by Trumpf, who are the leading manufacturers of handheld metal shears in Europe.

SSH 6-22 Cordless shears - Cordless Shears and Nibblers - Hilti USA

Hilti Cordless Shears and Nibblers - SSH 6-22 Cordless shears - High-capacity cordless double-cut shear for fast cuts in sheet metal, profiles and HVAC duct up to 2.5 mm│12 Gauge (Nuron battery platform)

www.hilti.com

Cordless Shears and Nibblers - Hilti USA

Show me 22V sheet metal shears and nibblers for faster cutting through metal

www.hilti.com

The only major downside to the Hilti shears is usually replacement cutter cost.

The other option is to see if you can find a cordless shear that uses a Kett cutter head.
Kett likely used to manufacture cutting heads for most of the major US tool manufacturers, or at least the shear heads that fit on drill type motors. ( not the Stanley Bosch “Unishear” type)
Both the Kett 14 gauge shear, and the Molwaukee vordless 14 gauge shear have their heads painted blue, so maybe Kett is still making the cutting heads, but I can’t be certain.
Kett doesn't offer a cordless shear.
I think they did at one point back in the NiCd era.
The major advantage to the Kett shears is the replacement cutters are way more affordable than cutters for the German/Swiss type shears made by Trumpf.
I doubt either Milwaukee or Kett would tell you if the shears blades are compatible.

If you can afford the extra cost, by the heavier gauge shears. Metal seems and welds can be an issue, and the only advantage to lighter gauge shears it that sometimes the lighter gauge shears have a tighter turning radius.

Both the Makita and Milwaukee shears posted have cutting heads similar to ones made by Kett, although the shear heads are different designs.
The cutting head type on the Milwaukee is probably better, although the ones on the Makita may give better versatility or handling for certain types pf materials.

Here’s the Kett website

Tools

Kett Tool Company

kett-tool.com

 

[danski0224]

Hoping for some schooling for a 18v shear to have for a few small projects. 18-25 gauge stuff, nothing too serious. I’m invested in Milwaukee and Makita so I’d like to stay with those two.

18V Cordless 18 Gauge Double Cut Shear Kit

Redesigned body to provide an inline wrist design that maximizes control during use and adding the industry’s only Tool-Free 360° rotating head, our new shears can be used where hand snips have been needed to finish the cut.

www.milwaukeetool.com

Makita USA - Product Details -XSJ04Z

18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 18 Gauge Offset Shear, Tool Only

www.makitatools.com

Anything to look for besides the color?

Those two items in your post are not the same.

Both manufacturers make both types of shears.

Neither needs a brushless motor to improve performance.

The "offset shear" is like a pair of red handled offset aviation snips. It will take practice to use the tool. It may distort the cut edge or put little dents in it or both.

The double cut shear (Milwaukee in post) cuts out a strip of metal. Cut edges are typically distortion free.

Both tools need a starter hole if the cut doesn't originate at an edge.

Typically can't cut a strip of metal with only one cutter used on a double cutting tool. I don't think that the offset style is any better in this regard.

Neither of those manufacturers offer a cordless unishear yet, last I checked.

Double cut shears as offered by Kett, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita (any brand that looks like Kett shears) do NOT cut curves. Yes, you can push the tool into a gentle drift, but none of them will do something like a 12" radius cut line.

The only double cut shears I know of that will do curves are Trumpf, Fein or Draco and maybe HILTI, and they need a different moving blade to do it.

 

[mike93lx]

Have you considered nibblers?

 

[neophyte]

Those two items in your post are not the same.

Both manufacturers make both types of shears.

Neither needs a brushless motor to improve performance.

The "offset shear" is like a pair of red handled offset aviation snips. It will take practice to use the tool. It may distort the cut edge or put little dents in it or both.

The double cut shear (Milwaukee in post) cuts out a strip of metal. Cut edges are typically distortion free.

Both tools need a starter hole if the cut doesn't originate at an edge.

Typically can't cut a strip of metal with only one cutter used on a double cutting tool. I don't think that the offset style is any better in this regard.

Neither of those manufacturers offer a cordless unishear yet, last I checked.

Double cut shears as offered by Kett, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita (any brand that looks like Kett shears) do NOT cut curves. Yes, you can push the tool into a gentle drift, but none of them will do something like a 12" radius cut line.

The only double cut shears I know of that will do curves are Trumpf, Fein or Draco and maybe HILTI, and they need a different moving blade to do it.

Some of the Draco shears are specifically designed for curves, and come with the cutter made for curves.

 

[neophyte]

Have you considered nibblers?

Nibblers are good for weird intricate cuts, but the nibbled pieces of metal, particularly with round punch/die type nibblers, will destroy shoe and boot soles, and get stuck everywhere.

 

[FTWingRiders]

Awesome replies! Goes to show how much I need to learn.. I’m a total noob when it comes to metal work, just never really learned it for some reason.. either hacked out what I needed or paid someone.. but figure it’s time to learn. Would a metal band saw be a better tool? Basically I need to cut curves into sheet metal. . I’m sure I’ll end up with all sorts of new tools, this is GJ and I’m a disciple.. lol. I also plan on checking out a brake this weekend.. I hate to ask, but is horrible Freight even worth looking at? Welding is next..
thanks for your help!

 

[GeoBruin]

How about a Beverly Shear?

 

[VolvoRyan]

Have you looked at the Malco Turbo Shear? Nifty tool. I bought one for the furnace install. Very handy, but not for super detail work. It's also clunky if the work isn't clamped/weighted down.

-Ryan

 

[danski0224]

Basically I need to cut curves into sheet metal.

Define curves and sheet metal.

A lot can be done with plain old manual power offset tin snips.

In the first post, 18-25 gauge is mentioned. Manually cutting thicker than 24 gauge with snips becomes difficult for any appreciable length of cut.

A Unishear or offset shears (Makita in first post) becomes more difficult as the metal gauge gets thicker due to material passing over the blade like aviation snips. The Makita/Milwaukee/Malco Turbo Shears will not do well in thicker materials beyond their specifications.

Fein had a 14V double cut shear that would do the equivalent to 16 gauge steel, but the capacity was reduced by at least 1 thickness (18 gauge mild steel) when the curve cutting blade was installed. That blade was over $100.00, by itself. The current Fein tool is 18V, and they have a Unishear design and a double cut design.

I have not used a Beverly throatless shear, or any of the copies. I can imagine that it should be set into a table if any of the cuts are long. This kind of tool was the only thing available long before corded or cordless tools were available at a reasonable cost to cut "sheet metal".

A bandsaw will have limitations on curve radius and it will be slower than a shear. There will be throat limitations. I would choose a jigsaw with the appropriate blade first, for "sheet metal".

Almost all of these tools will have additional limitations if the cut isn't starting from the edge.

The Fein (and presumably other European design double cut tools) can start from a much smaller hole inside the sheet that the Kett copies. The offset shears (Makita in first post) require an even larger hole. Nibblers are nice in this regard, but as previously mentioned, will create millions of half moon pieces of waste debris per inch of cut, but can also make cuts that are impossible with other tools.

 

[neophyte]

Awesome replies! Goes to show how much I need to learn.. I’m a total noob when it comes to metal work, just never really learned it for some reason.. either hacked out what I needed or paid someone.. but figure it’s time to learn. Would a metal band saw be a better tool? Basically I need to cut curves into sheet metal. . I’m sure I’ll end up with all sorts of new tools, this is GJ and I’m a disciple.. lol. I also plan on checking out a brake this weekend.. I hate to ask, but is horrible Freight even worth looking at? Welding is next..
thanks for your help!

For curved cuts in metal, a decent jigsaw with the proper blade is possibly way better than a bandsaw.
The only issue with a jigsaw is you get a lot of vibration, which can be an issue in thin sheet metal.
Backing the metal with masonite can help relieve the vibration issue, but wind up costing more.

For thin sheet metal between 18-25 gauge, hand shears of various types can be used, although they get fatiguing after long use.
Bessey/Erdi and Stubai make hand shears with extremely curved blades in left and right hand models for tight curves, but the cost is pretty high. (way higher than Midwest, one of the top US manufacturers of sheet metal hand shears)
You also usually need different types of shears for some of the different cut types.
Wiss aren’t the best shears nowadays, but a pair is less than $20 at Home Depot, and can always be used for certain other shop tasks if you don’t like actually cutting metal with them, in case you haven’t tried that method.

Admittedly, the metal bandsaw I used was in a school shop environment, and the blade my have been dull as hell, and nobody really showed anybody how to properly use it.
I think the saw was an old US Delta or Powermatic 14” or thereabouts model.
The SwagOffRoad tables for portable bandsaws look good, and the blades are likely more affordable than for a larger saw.
The Swag kit is about $80-$150 for the swag table, plus the cost of the portable bandsaw, which might be $300+-.
You would want a corded portable saw if you went this route.

If you just want to see what a power shear is like to use, Harbor Freight has a few options that cost less than $60.
I have no clue what the long term durability would be, but the price is around the same or kess than a pair of cutters for a Kett shear, and way less than the cost of replacement cutters for Trumpf, Fein, Draco, Hilti, etc.
The HF unishear type shear doesn’t look bad.

And HF also has a double cut.

 

[danski0224]

I have Bessey/Erdi offset snips, and they SIGNIFICANTLY outlast Midwest/Craftsman. I have not been able to break the jaw off, either.

Not even the expensive TiN version, just the basic version.

 

[jbtvt]

At work we've always used the corded Milwaukees. I bought my personal pair, used in like new condition, for $70. They last forever, although I mostly cut aluminum <= .060" with the occasional steel or stainless.

I have Bessey/Erdi offset snips, and they SIGNIFICANTLY outlast Midwest/Craftsman. I have not been able to break the jaw off, either.

Not even the expensive TiN version, just the basic version.

Looks like they make at least three styles, is this the kind you have? https://www.kmsheetmetal.com/shop/Bessey-Erdi-Shape-and-Straight-Cutting-Snips-p507884170

 

[turbodave]

Dewalt makes a shear attachment that works with most cordless drills/impacts. Maybe a little more cumbersome than a dedicated tool, but for occasional use it looks interesting.

18GA Shear Attachment

18GA Shear Attachment

www.dewalt.com

 

[danski0224]

These

https://www.bessey.de/en-US/BESSEY-Tools-North-America/Products/Cutting-Tools/Premium-compound-leverage-snips/Offset-snips,-optimized

 

[GeoBruin]

I'll throw in another recommendation for a jigsaw with a sheetmetal blade. And that's from someone with a Beverly B2.

 

[ipgenie]

I have the Dewalt adapter and it works great on my impact drivers. I use it several times a year but usually just leave it attached to one of my impact drivers. If I had to remove and reinstall it each time, I would be fine with that. It only takes a minute.

 

[danski0224]

Dewalt makes a shear attachment that works with most cordless drills/impacts. Maybe a little more cumbersome than a dedicated tool, but for occasional use it looks interesting.

18GA Shear Attachment

18GA Shear Attachment

www.dewalt.com

The "problem" with these and the Malco version is that 2 hands are required unless the stabilizer braces are attached to the drill.

 

[ipgenie]

I can't imagine why anyone would use it without attaching it to the drill. Takes a few seconds. Once attached, it works like a dedicated tool.

 

[jlrut]

I have the Milwaukee, had it for more than a few years now. Use it professionally, cutting open furnaces and ducts daily. Holding up well. I like it better the the Makita shear style you posted.

 

[danski0224]

I can't imagine why anyone would use it without attaching it to the drill.

Um, because?

 

[ipgenie]

I just came across these panel sheers. I've got a bigger job coming up with a ton of rips and cut-to-fit pieces in ribbed metal and I may give these a try. If you use 20V Dewalt, the batteries interchange.

 

[neophyte]

I just came across these panel sheers. I've got a bigger job coming up with a ton of rips and cut-to-fit pieces in ribbed metal and I may give these a try. If you use 20V Dewalt, the batteries interchange.

Interesting.
It’s like a modern day, cordless, higher quality version of the old Black & Decker Rotary Power Cutter, which some people apparently loved.

 

[danski0224]

I just came across these panel sheers. I've got a bigger job coming up with a ton of rips and cut-to-fit pieces in ribbed metal and I may give these a try. If you use 20V Dewalt, the batteries interchange.

Those look interesting.