Is It Worth Buying a Large Set of Bolt Cutters, What Else Could It Be Useful for Other than Removing Padlocks?

AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 13:09

I need to remove a padlock and I can't find any spanners for that two spanner trick. Wondering if I should just buy some bolt cutters, a good quality big one, so I'll be covered for padlocks for the rest of my life. But are bolt cutters useful for anything else, are there any unconventional use for them that'll make me glad I bought it? What else can it cut, can I use it for pruning bushes or trimming small pipes?

The only other use I can think of is when they use it in movies to remove fingers when torturing someone, but I doubt I'll ever need it for that.

Home & Garden Bolt Cutter Hand Tool

Comments

  • Hybroid on 05/09/2022 - 13:13

    $13 at Bunnings. Costs more to rent one for a day. Not worth worrying much about, grab it and you'll find another use eventually.

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/products?q=bolt%20cutters…

    • AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 13:18

      I actually tried that very model and it was too small to cut the lock. The lock isn't even that big, but that $13 paid is just too small for it. Not enough leverage.

  • Fredfloresjr on 05/09/2022 - 13:14
    -2

    bikies

  • pegaxs on 05/09/2022 - 13:15
    +7

    I need to remove a padlock

    Battery operated hot saw… I am sure you know someone with an angle grinder…

    I can't find any spanners for that two spanner trick.

    And that "two spanner trick" is bullshit. It will only work on very cheap and very shitty padlocks. Source: I'm a locksmith.

    • But are bolt cutters useful for anything else?: Yes, cutting bolts.
    • Are there any unconventional use for them that'll make me glad I bought it?: Yes, cutting bolts.
    • What else can it cut, can I use it for pruning bushes or trimming small pipes?: No. The jaws will have too much of a gap when closed and not open up far enough when opened for pruning, and as for pipe, will most likely just crush the pipe.
    • timthetoolman on 05/09/2022 - 13:26

      I thought you were a mechanic? Or both?

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 05/09/2022 - 14:17
      +1

      You forgot stealing bikes.

    • apsilon on 05/09/2022 - 15:50

      It will only work on very cheap and very shitty padlocks.

      Which is what most people buy because they don't want to spend more than $20 so buy whatever is cheap and has nice packaging at Bunnings.

    • Dexn on 06/09/2022 - 10:28
      +1

      Maybe it's just your two spanner trick method - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOSWXo9fpTI&t=0s

  • MrThing on 05/09/2022 - 13:18
    +1

    bolt cutters basically only good for; chains, locks, reo bar, metal round bar, metal mesh

    cant think of any other uses for them, but buying the biggest setup will make it useless for smaller applications

    tl'dr; buy a cheap battery grinder in the same battery setup you may already have for battery tools and it'll cut the largest lock or the smallest mesh. win win

    • AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 13:20
      +1

      Wouldn't an angle grinder make a lot of noise?

      • pegaxs on 05/09/2022 - 13:21
        +15

        Oh… you want to do it to a padlock that isnt yours… Well, that's different…

        • AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 13:24

          It's mine, but it's on my side gate. It'd disturb the neighbours. And suppose I need it to help a friend at midnight who accidentally lost the key to their garage padlock, all the noise would disturb their neighbours. Listen to how noisy this guy is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmfYIKyDbOk And who knows how long he was grinding before the video started.

          • onetwothreefour on 05/09/2022 - 13:56
            +1

            @AustriaBargain:

            It'd disturb the neighbours.

            Surely 5 minutes of noise around lunchtime on a Saturday wouldn't disturb your neighbours too much?

            • AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 14:02
              -1

              @onetwothreefour: They will later ask what the noise was about, it'll disturb them.

              • mapax on 05/09/2022 - 14:21
                +1

                @AustriaBargain: Does it matter if they ask?

                • dust on 05/09/2022 - 14:45

                  @mapax: It's not much noisier than mowing the lawn and certainly much quicker?

                  • mapax on 05/09/2022 - 14:53

                    @dust: It shouldn’t be any louder than many home maintenance tasks and certainly a lot quicker.

              • Euphemistic on 06/09/2022 - 06:47

                @AustriaBargain: If it’s that likely to disturb them, go ask them first when is the best time. It’ll take under 5min.

          • MrThing on 05/09/2022 - 17:26

            @AustriaBargain: (profanity) ur neighbours, its your property, you can do what you want during daylight hours

          • 2esc on 06/09/2022 - 09:01

            @AustriaBargain: Thats not a big deal that noise level on the youtube video.

            Couple minutes in the middle of the day shouldnt be a problem or wait till their mowing their lawn if your really worried. Make sure you have a cut off disc not a grinding disc in the angle channel though.

      • MrThing on 05/09/2022 - 13:23

        a battery grinder is fairly quiet in comparison to a mains powered grinder

        the big noise with battery grinders will come in when you start cutting something.

        where as a mains powered grinder is noisy, then only gets noisier when you are cutting

        • Euphemistic on 05/09/2022 - 15:48
          +1

          Battery and mains grinders make about the same noise. Most of the noise comes from the actual grinding, not the motor of the grinder.

          • NigelPearson on 06/09/2022 - 08:36

            @Euphemistic: Not in my experience.

            My AEG brushless (battery powered) angle grinder spins with a nice quiet whistle. All my 240V ones seem to have a noisy motor, and the gearbox also seems to contribute to overall noise.
            (note that my Metabo is quieter than my Makita or Ozito)

            With a nice thin slitting disc (<1mm), it cuts quietly also, as long as the disc is balanced. If the disc is new and unbalanced, it sometimes skips and vibrates on the job, making noise. GRINDING wheels always seem to be noisy.

      • Dexn on 06/09/2022 - 10:30
        +1

        And time - I mostly use my bolt cutters for cutting reo bar, takes considerably longer cutting through 20 bars with an angle grinder than with bolt cutters. I don't go through cutoff discs either!

  • AndyC1 on 05/09/2022 - 13:30

    Drill the lock out on the padlock.

    • AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 13:35

      Okay then my question is "is it worth buying a good drill"? I don't have a drill either, but I kinda need one to mount smoke alarms to the ceiling, drill an external blind into brick, and drill little holes into ink tanks to reuse them with aftermarket ink. If a certain kind of drill could open padlocks too then a drill would probably be more useful than a bolt cutter.

      • AndyC1 on 05/09/2022 - 13:52
        -1

        If you do not get a drill then how can you "mount smoke alarms to the ceiling, drill an external blind into brick, and drill little holes into ink tanks to reuse them with aftermarket ink"?

        A drill will not open a padlock. You drill out the barrel and it should open or you can force it apart with a screw driver. Lookup y-tube for videos.

        The drill bits are what you need to make sure are good for what you are going to use them for. Cheap ones are for soft wood or soft plastic. Expensive ones are for HSS.

        For drilling into brick you need the drill to have a hammer feature. You also need masonry drills for drilling into brick, clay or cement pavers or bricks or walls. For ceramic tiles you need a diamond tipped drill and hope you do not crack the tile and watch some y-tube videos to get the tricks to use.

      • geek001 on 05/09/2022 - 14:35

        Lol. Maybe find a friend with either a large bolt cutter, an angle grinder or a drill with some good quality drill bits. The job will take 5 mins, then you guys(or gals) can head down to the pub and buy him/her a beer for a job well done. :)

    • pegaxs on 05/09/2022 - 19:55
      +1

      Lol @ drill the lock.

      About half of my work as a locksmith is fixing locks where people just tried to “drill the lock”.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 05/09/2022 - 14:42

    i got a cheap lockpick set on amazon with practice lock after spending a few nights obsessed with lockpick lawyer's youtube channel.

    it's definitely not as straight forward as the movies and pros make it look - but might be an option, just dont take it out in public or get caught with it on you :D

  • c64 on 05/09/2022 - 15:16

    corded angle grinders are pretty cheap, will be much more entertaining when removing the lock

  • Davo1111 on 05/09/2022 - 16:11

    angle grinder

  • djones145 on 05/09/2022 - 18:42
    +2

    grab another padlock, lock the padlock to the padlock to somethng like a trampoline, turn around, count to 10

    wait for padlock to be cut and trampoline stolen

    boom padlock cut! and u got rid of a trampoline

    • AustriaBargain on 05/09/2022 - 19:30

      Unfortunately the padlock faces the inside of a very tall gate/fence.

    • Euphemistic on 06/09/2022 - 06:46

      Boom new padlock cut, trampoline gone, old padlock still locked to gate.

      • djones145 on 06/09/2022 - 17:08

        but the trampoline is gonnnnnneeee
        marge is happy

  • franco cozzo on 06/09/2022 - 06:14

    The only other use I can think of is when they use it in movies to remove fingers when torturing someone, but I doubt I'll ever need it for that.

    …jesus christ man!? what have you been watching???

    • Loopholio on 06/09/2022 - 21:55
      +1

      I know right? Torturing people does not require a bolt cutter. Any old kitchen knife will do.

  • BIGPETE0005 on 06/09/2022 - 08:04
    +1

    Better not vacuum the carpet, might disturb your neighbours.

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 06/09/2022 - 08:23
    -2

    Just pick the lock, it’s really not hard to do.

    But a bolt cutter is good for cutting bolts. Strong metal things.

  • spurf on 06/09/2022 - 09:20

    I use my bolt cutter a few times a year to trim screws and bolts down if they are too long. Insert the screw part way into the surface you are working with to create a thread and then take it out to trim the tip. Likewise with bolts, tighten a nut past where you want to trim the bolt and then remove the nut past the cut to repair the threads else you'll struggle to use the bolt after.

  • saltypete on 06/09/2022 - 09:45

    Reminds me of a very old song
    ‘There’s a hole on the bucket….’

  • gorgrond on 06/09/2022 - 11:14

    I've tried this method once, and it worked for me. Maybe it helps.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBSSA5ot0tA

  • ColtNoir on 06/09/2022 - 12:14

    But second hand on marketplace or at a trash n treasure market?

  • jonkvh on 06/09/2022 - 17:14

    Just learn to pick the padlock. Done heaps of them, easy to learn since sometimes whatever the padlock is attached to, can be damaged when using bolt cutters.

  • d500 on 06/09/2022 - 22:12

    Bolt cutters are useless to the average person other than cutting one lock.

    Buy one of these grinders, plus a cutting disc. The disc that comes with it is not suitable for cutting the padlock.

    Very very quick, and easy. You will need an extension lead to plug it in but cheaper than a battery powered one. If the neighbours can't deal with the noise of a powertool for 15 seconds you surely must be stealing something.

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