hello all I have a big hardi board soffit job coming up and am ready to buy a set of shears and was looking for any and all recommendations
thanks Noah
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Kett.
I have snapper shears and love them. I believe they were the inventors. Too long of a story but Hardie gave me my shears, so I would take that as who they recommend. You can find some once used ones on Ebay, some DIYer's buy them for their house and put them up for sale. Most of the time those are Snappers or the Porter Cables. The Snappers run on a milwaukee drill motor (best drills made) and the PC's run on porter cable drills, the cutting heads are the same, PC buys them from Snapper.
http://www.pactool.us/snappershear/index.htm
I've had snappers and kett. the Kett has reversible blades so you get twice the life out of them, otherwise they performed pretty much the same.
I think you might have that backwards, but not sure. Have only taken a sideways glance at the Kett!
Snappershear you can reverse the blades from side to side and then end to end, then side to side again giving you four blade changes.
I am up to sixteen homes now with the original blades and now they are ready for changing.
Snappers blades are reversable. I've heard the kett were not, did you get those mixed up?
Ok so I just went and dug out my kett shears and you're right. I had them mixed up.
Sorry!
In my defense, I haven't done anything with hardie since '04. The shears have been living in a box in the garage since then.
Hmmm. Perhaps I should consider parting with them for a price....
Oh for pete's sake! What am I thinking? Actually sell one of my tools? Never!!!!" If I were a carpenter"
"Oh for pete's sake! What am I thinking? Actually sell one of my tools? Never!!!!"
Now that is hilarious!! Why would you ever think of selling a tool? Let's go online and find some new tools to buy instead!
Kett, they have two models I think, get the heavier duty one #KC-193.
Never heard of the snapper model around here.
Edited 5/26/2006 10:36 pm ET by WoodWolf
We're using Hardi for the 1st time, bought the smaller Kett. Cut like a charm, for a day and a half. then the top bolt in the shear broke off and the spacer fell out and was lost. I took it back, they had a bolt but no spacer. Left it to be fixed and bought the higher amp model. It made it almost 2 days before the same bolt broke and the spacer fell out and was lost again. Stuck a 16d through the hole bent it over and cut it off. It's made 4 days and looks like it'll last for the few hours tomorrow we'll need it to finish the job.
There's no substitute for a shear. However, I doubt we'd use Hardi again. Too heavy to deal with up high. It takes on water. When you cut to a point, it will roll away from the cut. Although we nail with a gun, if you have to set a nail with a hammer, especially at a point or a thin strip, the hammer blow can shatter the material. It's only 12' long. I do like the perforation soffit vents though and the ability to set the soffit proud of the sub fascia and trim it even with the shear, then apply the fascia tight with no careful measureing and cutting is the nuts. Seamless look and fast. But cedar fascia and 1/2" ply soffit for me.