While the mini bolt cutter delivered clean cuts, its hardened, ribbed grip caused some discomfort during testing, particularly when cutting the large 3/16-inch toggle bolt. A quality cutter will incorporate a comfortable yet practical design that minimizes effort and eases strain. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations. To help you find the right pair of mini bolt cutters, our team tested five of today’s best mini bolt cutters and scored their effectiveness based on a series of rigorous tests.

Despite the mini bolt cutter’s comfortable grip, the product did see a steady decline in cut quality when tested on increasingly thicker piano wire. Although the GreatNeck bolt cutter is our lowest-rated product, this tool is tied for second with the TEKTON and ARES bolt cutters for the least amount of force needed to cut through the tested materials. To help users control its strong steel frame, this product has plastic-coated handles that are easy to grip.

This product also includes an easy-to-use locking mechanism that keeps its tubular steel handles shut. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. Despite requiring the highest amount of force out of all tested mini bolt cutters, this product was able to deliver clean cuts to each tested material. Since this product offers bolt cutters in larger sizes, its reviews cover the spectrum of its available bolt cutters, from eight- to 36-inch models. Despite its hard grip that caused discomfort during use, its ribbed construction increased overall control during each test.

This led to each bolt cutter receiving full points for the quality of cut for the 3/16-inch toggle bolt testing. This mini bolt cutter from ARES is a quality addition to any tool bag, with its hardened cutting blades that can snip through heavy-duty wires, bolts, and nails. We cut each material with every mini bolt cutter five times for a total of 30 tests per mini bolt cutter.It’s important to know the material you need to cut through before purchasing a bolt cutter to ensure the tool has enough jaw capacity. Affiliate Disclosure: This Old House’s Reviews Team is committed to delivering honest, objective, and independent reviews on home products and services. Most padlocks have a diameter between 3/16 and 7/16 inches, which means a bolt cutter needs to have at least an equal jaw capacity to cut through the material. The maximum diameter that most eight-inch mini bolt cutters can puncture is 3/16 inches, so a larger bolt cutter with more jaw capacity will be needed to cut most padlocks.

Bolt cutters with adjustable blades will provide more control during use and cut through materials of greater widths. When determining what size bolt cutters you need to cut through a padlock, the jaw capacity of the tool is more important than its length. To help you cut through thicker materials, the mini bolt cutter comes with spring-assisted handles to increase your leverage.A mini bolt cutter with a non-slip and easy-to-grip handle will make it easier to generate force and use over long periods.