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There are two possible outcomes from cutting glass: you could end up with a neatly shaped piece, which you can decorate further, or you could end up shattering the sheet of glass — in the worst-case scenario, the glass may cut you. Thinking of the latter may make you think twice about cutting glass, but it doesn’t have to be such a daunting task. Using a glass cutter will ensure that you get more positive outcomes. All you need is a high-quality glass cutter that reduces the time you spend on each job. With a little practice, any DIYer can transform into a professional glass craftsman and make some extra cash on the side designing glass pieces. But you shouldn’t just buy any glass cutting tool. We walk you through getting some of the best options on the market.
Toyo Pistol Grip Glass Cutter
This glass cutter features an ergonomic handle and Toyo’s Tap-Wheel Technology, which makes it easier to break through the glass.
Red Devil DIY Glass Cutter
This is a general cutting tool that can be used for every DIY glass cutting project. It has a slim handle and a straight-blade design that ensures a clean cut.
CCC TEEZY Glass Cutter Tool
This is a high-quality and robust manual glass cutter with a precision diamond head. Originally part of a glass bottle cutting set, this tool became available as a stand-alone due to its versatility and ease of use.
Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.
This is a lightweight glass cutter with a handle that is shaped to conform to your hand like the butt of a pistol. It’s a great option for people with wrist problems, larger projects, or glass that needs more pressure to cut it precisely. It allows the user to apply significantly more pressure to the glass than other types of glass cutters.
As the name implies, this type of glass cutter looks like a pen or a pencil. It’s the most common type of glass cutter on the market. It’s ultra lightweight and a great choice for complicated, intricate, or shallow cuts to glass. It’s also a good choice for smaller jobs. The compact size and intuitive pencil shape make it a very versatile and easy-to-use option.
This type of glass cutter is a newer design than the first two. It’s shaped like a pencil grip glass cutter, but with the addition of a saddle, or a thumb rest, that allows the user to apply more pressure for cutting. It’s a good choice for intricate cuts on thicker glass or for users with hand or joint issues who can’t manage longer, uninterrupted cutting with a pencil grip cutter.
A bottle cutter is usually a kit that includes either a pencil or pistol grip glass cutter with a strong base that securely holds bottles of different diameters that you can cut into various sizes. It allows for a safe and snug hold on a bottle and a clean, straight cut. This is essential for anyone who wants to cut bottles into drinking glasses, vases, candle holders, planters, etc.
Toyo was founded in Japan in 1907. It’s a comprehensive global manufacturer of leading technology glass cutting tools. The company continues to strive to develop innovative and dependable tools, like the Toyo Custom-Grip Supercutter.
Red Devil is a family-owned business that was initially founded as the Smith & Hemenway Company in 1872. It was established by Landon P. Smith and is headquartered in New Hampshire. Over the years, it has designed some of the best innovative hardware tools, including painting tools, knives, scrapers, and glass cutters. If you are looking for an affordable glass cutter, check out the Red Devil DIY Glass Cutter.
MantisTol is a registered trademark of the Shanghai CutTool Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. Located in China, the company develops a wide variety of cutting tools for architectural and housing renovation projects. The company makes heavy-duty trim cutters, flooring cutters, wood cutters, and glass cutters, including the MantisTol 8 .9" Pro LVT/VCT/LVP/PVC/WPC/Vinyl Plank Cutter.
The cutting head could either be a straight cutting or a pattern cutting head. The straight cutting head, as the name suggests, only cuts glass along a straight line and doesn’t pivot. It’s best used to cut glass for making windows, windscreens, or any regular glass design. Pattern cutting heads are slightly narrower and swivel by about 360 degrees, thereby making them ideal for cutting glass into circular shapes or carving out decorative patterns.
The most common types of glass cutter handles are pen-style or pistol-grip handles. A pen-style handle, as the name suggests, has the same design as a tactical pen and you hold it the same way. Pistol-grip handles offer a more comfortable grip since they are designed to be large enough to fit in the hand. You can use pistol-grip handles for lengthy cutting projects to reduce hand fatigue.
Wheel diameter is an important factor when selecting the right glass cutting tool for a particular job. One of the most common wheel diameters is 5.5mm, which is a good diameter for a wide variety of glasses and projects. For softer glass and more large-scale cutting, consider using a wheel diameter of 6mm. Smaller, more intricate jobs will do well with a smaller wheel diameter of 3mm, which won’t drag as much as a larger wheel.
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Available in an assortment of colors, Toyo’s glass cutter has a unique design featuring a pistol-grip and tap wheel technology. The pistol-grip handle is designed with finger indents for a comfortable grip. The patented Tap-Wheel Technology helps to add more vibration to the tap wheel as it rotates to make it easier to cut through glass. It also reduces hand fatigue since you cab break through glass faster and make clean cuts as you go.
The blades are replaceable and are made of carbide steel, which is designed to last longer than conventional cutters. Also, an efficient self-oiling feature helps to deliver oil to the wheel so it can roll freely to help make consistent cuts. The oil runs out faster the longer you use it, but you can carefully take it apart and refill it.
If you are looking for a general glass cutting tool for simple DIY projects, then the Red Devil DIY Glass cutter could work for you. It has a slim profile that’s made of a zinc die-cast handle and a steel blade. It doesn’t cut through the glass but instead makes a light cut so you can easily snap it off.
The handle is somewhat slim so you shouldn’t use it for lengthy cutting since your hand can get tired. However, it offers much-needed stability for making clean straight, or round cuts. The blade can offer a cutting angle of about 30 to 45 degrees, and therefore can be used for scoring bottles before you use other techniques to neatly separate the parts.
The CCC TEEZY Glass Cutter Tool is a high-quality and robust manual glass cutter with a precision diamond head. Originally part of a glass bottle cutting set, this tool became available as a stand-alone due to its versatility and ease of use. This model contains three cutter heads, one already fixed on the pen tip and two spares.
Use this tool to cut or carve sharp glass edges, trim stained glass, or shape and cut mirrors. The carbide tungsten wheel cutter allows you to make clean and intricate lines. The non-skid alloy handle lets you keep a secure and sure grip. An automatic oil dispenser keeps the wheel properly oiled and limits glass damage.
As with many handheld glass cutters, this one can be difficult to master without some practice. Instructions for use are sorely lacking, so consider watching a few online video tutorials to help clarify steps and instructions.
If you are looking for a versatile glass cutter that can cut through glass and ceramic tiles, then the Moarmor Glass Gutter Tool Set is right up your alley. The set comes with a slip-resistant handle, a pair of diamond carbide blades, and a screwdriver for adjusting the blades on the handle. The manufacturer also provides an oil dropper, but the glass cutting oil is sold separately.
The blades are quite durable and offer a combined cutting range of 2- to 20-mm (0.08 to 0.8 inches), which lets you work with materials of various thicknesses. The pencil-style handle has an embossed finish, which offers a non-slip grip for precision work. It also has just the right thickness to help reduce hand fatigue when cutting through thick material. The end of the handle features a round steelhead that’s wear-resistant and can be used to strike the glass after cutting it.
We’ve included the IMT Pencil-Style Glass Cutter to diversify your options when it comes to high-quality and compact glass cutters. IMT offers a simple set, which includes a pencil-style handle, a tungsten carbide cutting blade, and an oil dropper. The blade provides a cutting range of 6- to 12-mm (0.2 to 0.4 inches). It’s quite durable and has a cutting life of over 65,000 feet, which makes it up to 30 times more long-lasting than its competitors.
The handle has an anti-skid finish for optimal grip and the end is fitted with a metal knock cap that can be used to separate glass pieces. Also on the handle is an oil guiding tube, which you can fill with glass cutting oil (not provided). The oil slowly leaks onto the pivoting cutting wheel, which allows for smooth cuts.
The Swpeet 3Pcs Heavy Duty Glass Cutter Kit is a comprehensive kit that helps you safely and intricately etch, cut, and separate decorative glass. This kit includes a pistol grip glass cutting tool, grip oil, glass running pliers, and breaker grozer pliers that allow you to do a clean and precise separation.
The glass running pliers feature an adjustable screw set that lets you accurately control the amount of pressure applied, giving you the option of cutting glass of different thicknesses. The pliers also feature comfortable rubber grips and plastic tips on the jaws to prevent chips and scratches. The breaker pliers feature grozers that can be used to carefully chip away rogue glass edges to form clean and smooth perimeters.
One drawback to this kit is that the blade is not made from carbide and will not last as long as one that is. The blade itself is also quite large compared to some other options on the market, making it more difficult to do tinier, more intricate cuts. There are also concerns about the long-term durability and reliability of some of the components of the kit.
If you want to be able to do more than just trim or etch glass panes and mirrors, the HPST Bottle Cutter & Glass Cutter Bundle also gives you the option of custom-cutting bottles to make multiple projects. Make bottle lamps, vases, drinking glasses, candle holders, wind chimes, and more.
This comprehensive kit includes a bottle cutting base with five support wheels that provide secure stabilization of the bottle so you can make accurate and straight cuts. It can be adjusted to accommodate bottles of various sizes and circumferences. The cutting blade is composed from super strong diamond carbide that will give you over 100,000 cuts.
This is a great way to reduce glass bottle waste and make fun and unique gifts for friends and family. Prior to your first use, be sure to tighten all nuts and bolts that are holding wheels on the bottle base, as they can be loose straight out of the box. Also, be aware that the heating/cooling routine of cutting the bottle will take some practice, so consider using some spare bottles before working on your final project.
For framing, trimming, and larger cutting jobs, we like the MantisTol TC930 36 inch Glass Cutter. This is a 36-inch dual-scale, high-accuracy speed T-cutter for cutting larger pieces of glass with straight edges. It features an aluminum body, a self-oiling ultra-durable carbide blade cutting wheel, a built-in dual-scale ruler and straightedge, and a link for a glass opener.
This cutting tool is suitable for mirrors and windows, as well as stained glass and artwork. It comes with one replacement blade, giving you hundreds of cuts. While it’s not going to be a great option for intricate and artistic cuts, it’s a super quick fix for straight trimming and resizing jobs.
This cutter is more forgiving when it comes to making clean and even cuts than some other options on our list, but it will still require some practice to get the feel for exactly how to get it right. As seems to be the theme with many glass cutting kits, instructions are vague and can be confusing, so it helps to watch some video tutorials online to familiarize yourself with the proper steps
That greatly depends on the task at hand. You wouldn’t use the same glass cutter for intricate stained glass jobs as you would for cutting large mirrors or window panes. The glass cutters on our review are some of the best on the market, and the Toyo Pistol Grip Glass Cutter is the overall best for smaller, creative jobs.
Any sharp tool can be used to score glass, but the glass won’t break or snap the way you want it to. You may even end up shattering it. You need to use a dedicated glass cutter, which helps to score glass so that it can split neatly.
Most online stores, including Amazon, sell glass cutters. It’s convenient to buy one from the comfort of your home and only wait for a short while for it to be delivered. You can also purchase glass cutters in many hardware stores or craft stores, depending on the size and purpose of the cutter.
First, you need to place the glass on a flat table so you can map out the area you need to cut with a marker pen. Then, you need to ensure that you can get a comfortable grip on the glass cutter, and score the glass along the traced line with just the right pressure not to chip the glass. Thereafter, you can use your hand to break away the parts you don’t need.
When it comes to the best overall glass cutter for smaller projects, in terms of functionality, dependability, and price, our top pick has got to be the Toyo Pistol Grip Glass Cutter. It is a comfortable, user-friendly glass cutter that features automatic lubrication of the cutting wheel for clean and precise cutting.
Our top budget-friendly pick is the Red Devil DIY Glass Cutter. Its slim profile makes it a highly portable option that is a good choice for smaller, quicker jobs.
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