I have been talking to Armor Tool recently, after they saw my post on Craftsman’s Peg Table. Armor Tool is the OEM for that clamping and assembly table, and wanted to answer some of the questions I still had about the product.
After the first email exchange, I took a quick look at Armor Tool’s website to see what else they made. Of course they make a lot of clamping products related to their portable work table, but also T-track clamps and automatic hand clamps. They also make 2 sizes of compound action bolt cutters, and after taking a closer look I found them to have interesting designs.
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The 14″ bolt cutter is shown here, but Armor Tool also makes a 24″ model.
Most bolt cutters have a similar compound action design that makes it easier for the tools to cut through hard materials. Think smaller bolts, metal chains, things like that. All of the bolt cutters that I previously wrote about are a different take on a rather ordinarily tool design.
What’s special about these Armor Tool bolt cutters is that they have a double compound action design that gives you additional cutting leverage. That second compound action pivot is a force multiplier.
Armor Tool says that their Compound Pro technology reduces cutting effort by 40%, compared to standard bolt cutters, which should greatly reduce user fatigue.
In short, you get added power while exerting less force.
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These Armor Tool bolt cutters remind me of the HK Porter PowerLink bolt cutters, which also feature a double compound pivot design.
Price: $27 for 14″, $48 for 24″
More Info(via Armor Tool)
I can’t find these in stock at any of the online retailers I am familiar with, but you might be able to order them directly from Armor tool. If you find these at a distributor you know and recommend, please let me know!
I always like to see tools that get a job done quicker or easier. I haven’t used any Armor Tool products before, but their tools seem to be thoughtfully designed and engineered. If I were in the market for new bolt cutters, I’d probably give these a try. They’re certainly inexpensive enough to give a shot.
Keep in mind that there is a tradeoff with tools like this. Additional leverage or a second compound action pivot usually means that the handles must be spread further apart to achieve a similar jaw opening as on other single-pivot tools. That would make these bolt cutters better suited for cutting harder materials, and not necessarily larger or thicker ones.
Jerry
Does the compound action allow for cutting harder objects, or just thicker ones?
I like the idea of the double compound bolt cutters, provided they allow you to cut thicker or harder objects when compared to cutters of the same size. There has to be a trade off in ters of how far you must swing the handles to get a given jaw opening, but I look at it this way: If I can cut something with a pair of 14″ cutters that would normally require 20 or 24″ cutters, I will be using a tool that is lighter, shorter, and less bulky overall. It sounds like a fair trade off to me, especially if I can get by with one pair where otherwise I might need two.
Stuart
They don’t say, but I don’t think the point is to cut harder or thicker objects than regular bolt cutters. To me, it seems like the point is make it easier to cut the mid-sized materials you would cut with regular bolt cutters, such as steel wire, chains, and things like that.
As I said in the post, and you mentioned in your comment, handle spread is probably going to be the tradeoff.
Toolfreak
Handle spread is a bad tradeoff since that’s usually the problem with bolt cutters – you can’t get enough leverage to cut what you want to since the handles are in a fully-splayed position when you’re trying to push the handles together to make the cut.
Maybe it works out so that the increased spread and the reduced effort of these particular compound cutters make it so that pushing the handles together in the initial fully-splayed position isn’t as much of a problem, but some compound cutters only make the cutting easier from about the halfway point onwards.
Jack
I’had several sets of bolt cutters in my career and find that when the jaws get dull or chipped its difficult to find replacements. Is that a problem with the Porter cutters?
Mike
Probably the easiest brand to find replacements for. Even Home Depot sells them through their site, and replacements for obsolete models are all over eBay.
Toolfreak
Now THIS is something I’d like to see reviewed and tested on ToolGuyd.
I’d love to see how these compare to the HK Porter PowerLink and ToughBuilt/Olympia folding cutters, and maybe even the Kobalt ones from Lowe’s and a generic China-made set.
KL
The Kobalts are surprisingly durable!
Stuart
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for the suggestion! To be honest, this isn’t something I’d be able to get to until at least after the New Year, but I’ll still put it near the top of my to-do list.
If I might ask, how often do you use bolt cutters?
Toolfreak
Just have them send me the bolt cutters – I’ll do the test!
No need to put this at the top of the to-do list, I’m just in the market for 14″ bolt cutters and finding a set of compound-action cutters in the 14″ size has offered a new option I wasn’t previously aware of.
Part of the reason I mentioned this as a possible review item was that Armor Tool saw a previous post about one of their products on the blog and contacted you. Seems to me they are pretty proactive about their products and might be interested in providing a sample of these cutters, especially if they aren’t really widely available yet, as good press can create demand.
The other reason was I just used my 14″ bolt cutters a few times over the last few weeks cutting some steel wire, or rather, trying to. I had to use my Knipex 8″ cutters to actually cut the wire, since the 14″ cutters now just crush the wire flat so it’s easier to cut with a smaller tool. The jaws aren’t loose/flat/damaged/misaligned, and they have been ok when it comes to cutting chain, bolts, nails, etc. but the performance isn’t like it was when they were new, and I’ve been wanting to buy a better set of 14″ cutters for quite awhile so I can keep these as a backup for dirty jobs and use the new ones when I need to cut something clean and quick. I missed out on getting the ToughBuilt folding cutters while they were sold at Sears – they were there and then one day, they were all gone. I don’t know if they just stopped selling them or sold out and couldn’t buy more. I’ve looked at the Workforce cheapo 14″ cutters at HD, they are about the same thing as the cheapos at HF, (many of which have been used and returned, I might add). I’ve been on the fence about buying a set of Kobalt cutters, partly because my local Lowe’s stores don’t seem to carry the larger bolt cutters anymore, but also since the Kobalt 8″ cutter I have doesn’t work very well (for cutting metal, anyway), especially compared to the Knipex.
I don’t use bolt cutters THAT often, but they are one of the tools I find I have to break out to help others – when someone has lost the key to a padlock, when someone gets steel cable tangled up, or when a seized, rusted bolt needs to be cut. I also just like having them handy for vehicle-related uses, on and off-road. I have a 24″ set as well, but I keep the 14″ cutters in my mobile box since they fit in the bottom of a standard tool box, and they seem to be the perfect size for most average jobs. I’ve used my current ones often enough to notice the decrease in their performance over time, so it seems like a tool I should probably get a better version of.
I had been pondering the idea of buying the ~$12 Tradespro 14″ cutters and the ~$35 ToughBuilt 14″ cutters on Amazon to have both and see if the ToughBuilt are better, but just hadn’t pulled the trigger. There is also a set of Capri-branded 14″ cutters on Amazon for $24 that look decent and has good reviews. I passed on the HK Porter Powerlinks since they weren’t available in 14″, the 14″ cutters they do make are overpriced, and the jaws don’t seem to be that great, going by what the 24″ ones at HD look like.
Along comes this post with some Compound-Action 14″ bolt cutters. At a decent price. But no availability. Yet.
I could probably do with having one good set and two cheapo sets, but do I need a compound-action set, a folding set, one decent set and two cheapo sets, all in the 14″ size? Well maybe I do, but it seems like the better option would be to find the cutters that cut the quickest and easiest and just get those in the smaller and larger sizes.
I also don’t like the idea of spending more on multiple 14″ cutters than I could on a REALLY good one – like a 14″ Knipex – or even buying a dedicated cable/wire rope cutter.
I guess I’ll at least contact Armor Tool to see if they sell direct, have information on where these would be available, or will send me a set to check out. Even if I get another pair or of regular cutters, having one compound-action pair might be good too.
Michael
I still hope to see ratcheting bolt cutters
Jerry
Been discussed before
http://www.sonictoolsusa.com/bit-socket-ph-1-4-one-piece-ph-2.html
They are available, but pricey.