If you need to cut plastic pipe, put down that saw and pick up a hand-held pipe cutter, a tool specifically designed to sever flexible and rigid pipes and tubing. These cutters are fast—just mark and snip—and they make a clean cut, without the frazzled edges left by a saw blade.
Pipe cutters also produce straight, square shoulders so connecting pipes to fittings is easy and accurate. Small single-action cutters are best for PEX, PVC, and CPVC water pipes and conduits, usually up to 1″ in diameter. Garden hose stands no chance. For heavier ABS and PVC drain pipe or polyethylene water lines, powerful ratcheting cutters, available in a range of sizes, use multiple squeezes to make the big cuts.
A Milwaukee 1″ PEX and Tubing Cutter, with one-handed locking and replaceable double-ground blade, will run you about $45, homedepot.ca
This article was originally published in the Early Summer ’26 issue of Cottage Life.
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