# greenlee conduit cutter



## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

yeah, i bought it too...its junk...ill just stick with the sawzall


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

X3. It's no better than a plumber's pipe cutter, and the knob on the handle unscrews before it backs the blade off the pipe. I have yet to cut any EMT that still didn't need reaming, and it's far more time-consuming to read that da







ned ridge off than what you normally get with a hacksaw or sawzall.

Save your money.


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

Haha...thank god I read this thread....I was eyeing one of those things at Nedco the other day!


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## chenley (Feb 20, 2007)

I've just used the cutter's the plumber's use. 

The only uses I have found for them is to cut EMT to be used for standoffs when the measurement needs to be dead-on. Use the large ones to cut underground conduit when the old conductors don't want to come out. 

I'll use the real small one to cut hard to reach conduit, like inside a cinder block wall in retrofits. It's sucks cutting the conduit with it, just have not found a better way to do it.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

Greenlee sells a lot of it's stuff just based off it's black and green trademark colors.

If you want a good pipe cutter, look to see what the plumbers are using.

I bought a mini rigid cutter and it works fine. Yeah, you have to ream it still, but it's great when you have to get in those tight spaces without a sawzall.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Frasbee said:


> Greenlee sells a lot of it's stuff just based off it's black and green trademark colors.
> 
> If you want a good pipe cutter, look to see what the plumbers are using.
> 
> I bought a mini rigid cutter and it works fine. Yeah, you have to ream it still, but it's great when you have to get in those tight spaces without a sawzall.


 
I can understand using a plumbers pipe cutter when the need arises, and I'm one of those who do so. But the problem is, Greenlee is touting this cutter as one that does not require reaming after cutting the conduit.

Quote from their website:


> Patented cutting wheel cuts clean and eliminates the need to debur the inside of the conduit.
> Simple to use - just tighten the screw, turn the tool around the conduit, and snap the conduit in two.
> Can cut conduit with wire inside without damaging the wire.


How do you snap the conduit when it's installed and you can't move it?

I could simply not get any pipe to snap apart, no matter what I did. I had to run the blade all the way through, leaving a ridge inside the pipe that Sir Edmund Hillary would have been scared of.


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## Adam12 (May 28, 2008)

You can accomplish the same thing (dull burr) with the plumbers cutter, just dont cut all the way through the emt and snap off, it will leave a round burr not sharp. I still try and get the burr out of the conduit though because it bothers me.


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## iaov (Apr 14, 2008)

Reaming the pipe is no big deal. The thing doesn't cut it to begin with. A total piece of crap.


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

maybe we should all get together and get greenlee to refund our money


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

I was in the supply house a few days ago and saw a new retractable sheetrock saw they've got out. It looked kind of hokey but I got it to give it a shot anyway. The dang thing broke on the truck ride before I even made it back to my house. It's going back. Crap it was only $12 but what a dissapointment, it never even say any action. BTW, MADE IN CHINA. Just because it says Greenlee on it doesn't mean it's quality. A lot of their stuff is made in China or Taiwan.


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## Frasbee (Apr 7, 2008)

I ream it out regardless. I don't want to have to deal with any wires or anything get caught up on something like that because I was too lazy to ream for 2 seconds.


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

I fell for the hype and bought 2. I regret that decision every time I see the damn things.


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## Bruce H. (Jul 27, 2008)

*Tubing Cutters on Conduit = Bad News*

Around here the inspectors will bust ya' for using tubing cutters on conduit. Causes a huge lip inside the pipe that snags insulation.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

Bruce H. said:


> Around here the inspectors will bust ya' for using tubing cutters on conduit. Causes a huge lip inside the pipe that snags insulation.


 how will they know if you use that tool if they came to inspect the job after its finished? xray vision?


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## GEORGE D (Apr 2, 2009)

man, i thought i was the only one who wanted to punch the designer ! this tool is a disgrace to the electrical tool industry.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

GEORGE D said:


> man, i thought i was the only one who wanted to punch the designer ! this tool is a disgrace to the electrical tool industry.


If you're going to punch him, make sure your fingers are wrapped around one of those peices of s







t when you do so.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

this greenlee tool is the worst tool ever created in the history of tools


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## GEORGE D (Apr 2, 2009)

MADE IN CHINA has become way to common on top brand tools. I find it much more logical to just get the Harbor Freight versions of some things. Its basically the same exact thing with a much lighter price tag. They also provide some pretty good additional warrantys.


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## s.kelly (Mar 20, 2009)

I agree with you George D Made in China enirely too common on brand you thought you could trust. Typically, I will not buy, but find the cheap version if I cannot find made in USA, but usually it can still be found if you are willing to look!


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

I really think Greenlee has seriously dropped off in quality. I remember using my buddies Hot box for pvc and it allmost seemed junky and flimsy to me. I also bought a greenlee 220 foot snake and even metal used seemed flimsy.


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

captkirk said:


> I really think Greenlee has seriously dropped off in quality. I remember using my buddies Hot box for pvc and it allmost seemed junky and flimsy to me. I also bought a greenlee 220 foot snake and even metal used seemed flimsy.


 who makes good tools then? i seen current tools online but never seen them


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

gilbequick said:


> I was in the supply house a few days ago and saw a new retractable sheetrock saw they've got out. It looked kind of hokey but I got it to give it a shot anyway. The dang thing broke on the truck ride before I even made it back to my house. It's going back. Crap it was only $12 but what a dissapointment, it never even say any action. BTW, MADE IN CHINA. Just because it says Greenlee on it doesn't mean it's quality. A lot of their stuff is made in China or Taiwan.


I have the folding Ideal saw and love it and the fact it fits in the Veto.


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## ibuzzard (Dec 28, 2008)

The best tool for cutting conduit that I've used is the small Stout battery bandsaw.They are really sweet and make a hacksaw obsolete.For reaming,it's always nice to beg borrow or steal a plumbers pocket reamer to do the inside,cleans it right up.


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## Mastertorturer (Jan 28, 2009)

All of you have failed to read the instructions that are on the package.

1. The conduit should be scored to the point where you see the face of the roller is touching against the conduit.

2. The reason for the extra large handle is to provide easy pressure on cutting wheel. It takes very little twisting of the handle to exert large amounts of force. That extreme force will bind the cutting wheel before it ges a chance to mark a line.

3. Snap the conduit off. There will be no burr to remove.

4. You can snap off peices as small as 1" long. Score the conduit. Place it in the bender like you're making a box offset. The leverage will snap it. 

If you're using a hacksaw and reamer you will be slower than someone using this tool. If you use a saws-all to cut your conduit then why would you buy this tool? Answer: You wouldn't. 

Just thought it was funny that another tool which requires a bit of skill + Finess gets trashed by people who don't use it correctly. 

Just like the Roto-Splitter for BX.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Mastertorturer said:


> All of you have failed to read the instructions that are on the package.
> 
> 1. The conduit should be scored to the point where you see the face of the roller is touching against the conduit.
> ...........


I did read the instruction. By the time I got the pipe to where I could snap it, I couldn't back the knob off to remove the cutter.... I had no choice to snap it while the cutter was still wrapped around the pipe. I went through about $30 of EMT trying to 'master' it, but it was nothing more than a standard plumbers pipe cutter.


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## ibuzzard (Dec 28, 2008)

This well-intentioned but poorly executed tool will probably be pulled from their line-up, as word gets out.I don't have an opinion,and won't for a while.I have heard rumors of ,but have yet to install,any metal raceways since arriving in Iraq.Steve


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## 2towbot (Nov 19, 2008)

to bad we cant call it china wrap ............


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

ive seen them but never bought one. they look like a regular old tubing cutter to me. ive got a mini rigid that i use for tight spots that works great.


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

I read the instructions and followed them. I always ended up with a ridge, not a sharp burr, where the cut was. Alot of times on small jobs we won't bother to bring a chain vice so that we can snap off small pieces. I couldn't get the hang of snapping off pieces smaller than 12" without a vice. I still don't like it.


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## shunt trip (Jan 15, 2009)

*Nothing faster*

On the job, Nothing cuts faster than a cordless sawzall/bandsaw followed by a good power reaming... 
Gilbequick knows what i'm talking about.


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

Heck, even a hacksaw and the drill reamer is way faster and cleaner. I had a bunch of switch boxes that needed pipe stub ups the other day, they were all the same height. I think there were 16 of them. I bent and cut them all at the same time and then with the d-reamer did them all in the time it would have taken to do maybe 4 of them with a hand reamer.


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## ZZDoug (Apr 30, 2008)

mattsilkwood said:


> they look like a regular old tubing cutter to me


The only difference is the cutting wheel. If you look closely the wheel has a shoulder on it that (theoretically) limits the cutting depth so that it wont cut all the way through. Thats why you have to snap the pipe to complete the cut and (theoretically) why it doesnt leave a ridge.
I have used a Ridgid 151 pipe cutter for many years. Main reason is that its so much easier on my hands than hacksawing. Sometimes when sawing you dont have a convenient method of securing the pipe, holding by hand can tough on the hands. I epoxied an old unibit into a socket and use it on a ratchet to ream the ridge, only takes a couple of seconds - no longer than regular reaming. Also as mentioned here, pipe cutters are great for making standoffs (which require square ends), demo and in confined areas etc. Many times in dropped ceilings I have installed the conduit and cut it in place - sometimes quite difficult to do with a saw. They are also usefull for scoring insulation around large cables before stripping. But for me using one is mainly a carpal tunnel thing.
And yes, dont ever let an inspector see you using one. Some of them can be very closed minded about this, for some reason they will trust you to do other things properly, including using pipe cutters with rigid. But not to use a pipe cutter on emt.


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## ibuzzard (Dec 28, 2008)

*And For This,We Humbly Ask Thy Forgiveness,Oh Mastertorturer!*



Mastertorturer said:


> All of you have failed



If it's not simpler,it's no improvement at all.A band-saw takes the cake.Steve in Baghdad.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

ibuzzard said:


> If it's not simpler,it's no improvement at all.A band-saw takes the cake.Steve in Baghdad.


I'll try that next time I'm 1000 feet away from the temp pole, 40 feet up in a lift all day running pipe in a skeleton.


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## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

ZZDoug said:


> And yes, dont ever let an inspector see you using one. Some of them can be very closed minded about this, for some reason they will trust you to do other things properly, including using pipe cutters with rigid. But not to use a pipe cutter on emt.


Is the inspector going to tell you what kind of screwdriver you can use next? Properly reamed, is properly reamed regardless of the cutting method.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

MF Dagger said:


> Is the inspector going to tell you what kind of screwdriver you can use next? Properly reamed, is properly reamed regardless of the cutting method.



Some inspectors think they run the world. :whistling2:


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## cmac1 (Aug 31, 2008)

i used it once for cutting back an existing conduit,actually it worked well,pulled me out of a tight spot.For new work like the plumbers cutter,both are a waste of time and effort and both require reaming.


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## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Some inspectors think they run the world. :whistling2:


Some inspectors need to be shown that they don't. I never understood why people let inspectors opinions get in the way of the code. Oftentimes taking a financial hit to please them. If I was an inspector I'd much rather inspect an "electrician"'s job who was willing to pull out the code book than an "installer" doing what they are told and never bothering to seek out why.


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## ZZDoug (Apr 30, 2008)

cmac1 said:


> a waste of time and effort and both require reaming.


Well, I already explained why it can actually be less effort than a hacksaw. But could you tell me what cutting method you use that doesnt require reaming? And if you do ream pipe can you do it faster than the 2 or at most 3 seconds it takes me? And can you carry whatever tool you use to cut conduit in your toolbelt or pocket? I can.


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## ZZDoug (Apr 30, 2008)

MF Dagger said:


> Is the inspector going to tell you what kind of screwdriver you can use next? Properly reamed, is properly reamed regardless of the cutting method.


Yes we agree, except you are talking about the way things ought to be and I am talking about reality. They may very well be all reamed properly, but if he wants he can make you break every single joint and show him.
I was taught long ago to never ever butt heads with inspectors. An inspector on the jobsite is like a cop on the street - they sometimes act like god because, there, they are. You can squash them like a bug in court, but out there on the street its a battle you aint going to win. Now if you have juice in the mayors office or in the electrical board itself etc then maybe so, but otherwise its not so smart to tangle with an inspector - no matter how much of a jerk they may be.
So in answer to your question, I use Wiha screwdrivers so I hope they dont tell me some other kind to use. But if they do, I will try to have whatever they suggest in my hand next time I see them coming around. If you knew me you would be surprised at that, but I have been around and learned, inspectors (and cops) arent worth bucking. Especially if you are likely to see them and their colleagues again.


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## Mastertorturer (Jan 28, 2009)

480sparky said:


> I did read the instruction. By the time I got the pipe to where I could snap it, I couldn't back the knob off to remove the cutter.... I had no choice to snap it while the cutter was still wrapped around the pipe. I went through about $30 of EMT trying to 'master' it, but it was nothing more than a standard plumbers pipe cutter.


If you can't loosen the cutter you've crushed the conduit. You're not trying to twist the nipples off the statue of liberty. 

Set aside your manly handshaking strength for a sec and just interpret the tool. When you're twisting connections with your lineman's do you keep twisting and twisting and twisting? No. You feel the force and stop. 

Ahhh I don't know why I'm so invested in this stuff. Suppose I'm addicted to the notion of skilled trade meaning something


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## cibredemon (Feb 20, 2010)

I agree, the things a piece of ****, though I got my money back. works ok after reaming with a unibit


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

this was the only tool i thrown in the trash can that wasnt worn out. usually bad tools go on the shelf but this one didnt deserve that


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Mastertorturer said:


> If you can't loosen the cutter you've crushed the conduit. You're not trying to twist the nipples off the statue of liberty.
> 
> Set aside your manly handshaking strength for a sec and just interpret the tool. When you're twisting connections with your lineman's do you keep twisting and twisting and twisting? No. You feel the force and stop.
> 
> Ahhh I don't know why I'm so invested in this stuff. Suppose I'm addicted to the notion of skilled trade meaning something


I think hes saying you are only book smart 480! :whistling2::laughing:


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## electricalperson (Jan 11, 2008)

jwjrw said:


> I think hes saying you are only book smart 480! :whistling2::laughing:


just ignore him he is just silly


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

jwjrw said:


> I think hes saying you are only book smart 480! :whistling2::laughing:


 
No, I just don't think he understands that the knob on mine is a loose as a two-dollar hooker.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

480sparky said:


> No, I just don't think he understands that the knob on mine is a loose as a two-dollar hooker.


Ive seen a 4dollar hooker ( buying gas 1 day she asks me if I got 10 dollars..I say Im getting 8.00 worth of gas in a can...Why do you want to know if I have 10 dollars? Oh I cant do nothing for 2 dollars....What are you talking about girl? I didnt ask for nothing....If you can come up with
2 more dollars Ill **** you ****. Oh no thanks not interested...:laughing

But since im not familiar with hookers just how loose is that?:laughing:


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

I do admit to owning a Greenlee conduit cutter. I do not look at the tool as a everyday tool but a special situation tool. To say it is slow , well that is sugar coating it but it does work and work well for what I use it for. 
Will it replace a hacksaw never not in my book.
LC

Listen Think Solve


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