Top 7 Best Bolt Cutters for Master Locks (Hightech choices) in 2023
If you’ve lost your padlock keys or master lock code, then you're in the right place. We tested and analyzed 25 bolt cutters to present you the best bolt cutters for master locks in 2022.
Top 7 Best Bolt Cutters for Master Locks
You are in the right place if you have lost your padlock keys, master lock combination or if you have other items that need chopping such as chain links, nails, screws, and much more.
Have you heard about drop forged hardened steel or compound cutting action?
The right tool for a job will save you time and money and this review will help you purchase the best bolt cutters worth your time.
Read on to discover the best bolt cutters for padlocks, best bolt cutters for hardened steel and other items in 2022.
Coming up after the review is a buyer’s guide for bolt croppers to help you avoid second-guessing.
Arguably the best bolt cutters on the market, Fiskars PowerGear is a next-gen bolt chopper, designed for the ultimate strength, comfort, and control.
Features
The advanced PowerGear is a patented technology in which leverage enhancing gears give you more than 30% more power during heavy duty cutting.
Adjustable eccentric bolts allow you to achieve optimal jaw alignment for the best performance over the long term.
The blades have been also forged and heat treated, assuring that they will stay sharp even when you put them through hardcore use.
Most tools are designed for function and not user-friendliness but this best bolt cutter handles are curved and feature Softgrip technology to give you better comfort and control.
The cutter is capable of chopping soft materials up to 3/8 inches thick and hard materials of up to ¼ inch thickness
Finally, even though it will cost you more, the quality of this tool is guaranteed to last for decades and that’s why they offer you a full lifetime warranty.
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Weight: 9.8 pounds
<center>What Reviewers Like<center>
Superior quality and durability
PowerGear technology delivers 30% more cutting thrust
Full lifetime guarantee
<center>What they Don’t Like<center>
High price
Relatively heavy
If you are a fitness enthusiast, you know that theft of valuables at the gym is widespread news and it’s wise to take precaution. Please click here to see a review and buyers’ guide for the best locks for gym lockers in 2022.
HK Porter has had a leading worldwide reputation for the quality, strength, and durability of their industrial cutters. True to this, Powerlink bolt cutter is not your ordinary bolt cutter and is rated .
Features
The powerful bolt cutter is developed with the unique Powerlink geometry. This is a double action compound system developed through specialized computer-aided design that delivers high efficiency unmatched by any traditional bolt cutter.
The additional power provided by Powerlink technology means that you only need to exert 30% less cutting effort for the same power of other bolt cutters. However, you need to take greater caution when using this tool since more power may cause severe injuries.
The superior efficiency is coupled with industry-leading blade durability to give you long-term bliss for owning HK best bolt cutters for cutting locks. The forged power links and tubular steel handles deliver the ultimate toughness, enabling the cutter to withstand the harshest working conditions.
The strength and energy of this bolt cutter make it your perfect solution for your cutting needs in production facilities, utilities, maintenance and repair, construction sites and so much more.
HK Porter is the best bolt cutters for hardened steel and there is nothing metallic that you can’t cut, from master locks, hasps, rods, nails, wire mesh and chain links, springs and so on.
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Weight: 4 pounds
<center>What Reviewers Like<center>
Industry leading efficiency and durability
Requires 30% less cutting effort
Tubular steel blades provide extra strength for harsh working environments
Handles can open up to nearly 180˚ for increased leverage
Best bolt cutter for wire shelving
<center>What they Don’t Like<center>
Some users have found the power link action to be a bit stiff when the cutter is new
The heat treated and forged 36-inch premium Cr-Mo steel jaws have the right hardness to resist dents and damage as you work them through the toughest applications.
The best bolt cutters for master locks are precision engineered with a classic lever fulcrum design and precise blade alignment to realize additional leverage at a lesser cutting effort. In numbers, 50 pounds of force at the handles is converted to 4,000 pounds of pressure between the jaws.
Your handling comfort has also been taken into serious consideration. The handles have textured rubber grips for greater grip and control and also angled to deliver greater leverage.
With the Neiko best bolt cutter brand, you don’t have to worry about the size of your padlock’s shackle. The blades’ clearance at the narrowest section is preset to ½ inch (12mm) and two eccentric bolts allow you to easily adjust this gap.
Besides hardened steel shackles, this heavy duty bolt cutter for master lock is the best choice for cutting chains, threaded rods, and many other metallic sections.
Finally, the smooth satin blade finish provides a classic contrast to the handles’ black matte finish.
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Weight: 12.9 pounds
<center>What Reviewers Like<center>
Sharp heat treated blades
High power transmission
Easy to handle with textured non-slip grips
Best bolt cutters for the money
Classic finish
<center>What they Don’t Like<center>
Relatively heavy
Works best on lock shackles and rods up to ½ inch diameter
Klein Tools 63RBCHD Heavy-Duty Ratcheting Bolt Cropper might be too high-end for master locks but if you need an all-in-one solution for all your cutting needs, then this is the most powerful and easiest tool available.
Features
Guy strands such as those found in utility pole and tent stays, electric cables, chains and padlock cables always present a problem when cutting because the strands fall out place and you find yourself having to clip them one by one.
What you need is a cutter with notched cutting blades to hold the strands together so that you can chop them in one swipe.
Klein Tools heavy-duty ratcheting bolt slicer features a spring loaded retention system that hooks the strands, cable or bolt between the chopping blades thus greatly saving the cutting time. The heavy-duty steel blades can slice copper-clad ground rods, rebar, bolts up to grade 5 and 8, guy strands and EHS wire ropes, all in a matter of seconds.
The best bolt cutters on the market also have a smooth ratcheting mechanism. Coupled with 21 inch long handles, it provides you with extra cutting leverage for a swift cut and makes this bolt cutter the easiest to use. You just need to open it, snap and cut whatever is troubling you.
Lockplate reinforcement keeps the jaws in perfect alignment, ensuring optimal performance for the long term.
TEKTON is a high quality and versatile bolt cutter that lets you adjust and even replace its jaws.
Features
Most bolt chopper manufacturers will try to convince you that their cutter blades are so hardened that they can’t deform or break no matter where or how long you use them.
The truth is that any blade will get blunt with use and it necessitates replacement with time. You also have different cutting needs and to cater for this adaptability, Tekton heavy-duty bolt and wire cutter features both neck adjustment bolts and jaw adjustment bolts for varying or replacing the jaws.
Besides, the jaws are made of hardened steel, drop forged and driven by a compound hinge system to deliver superior cutting force at much less muscle effort from you.
Strong tubular steel handles are just the perfect handles that you can exert pressure on them without twisting or yielding.
Finally, the tool’s cutting head carries most of the weight and the long handles are cushioned with non-slip rubber grips. The two features hand you superior leverage and comfort so that you don’t have to work so hard when cutting heavy-duty materials including master locks.
You might be having a lock for which you’ve lost the key or forgotten the combination, protruding nails, rods and rivets and the drop forged WorkPro bolt slicer is your best work mate for this mess.
Features
WorkPro best bolt cutters are made of Chrome Molybdenum steel jaws, drop forged for high strength and durability.
With 30 inches of handle length, WorkPro are long bolt cutters that provide extra leverage and the ability to work on hard to access bolts, screws, and nails.
Strong tubular handles with rubber grips also provide comfortable and non-slip grip, an important consideration when you are using the tool for long.
A compound double cutting action means that you don’t have to be strong to cut hardened steel bolts, lock shackles and hasps, rods, electric wires, chain link fences and so on.
The steel cutters come with powder coated finish to provide resistance to rust and other elements.
Finally, the 30 inch bolt cutters for locks have a jaw capacity of 3/8 inches, excellent for most domestic padlocks.
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Weight: 5.7 pounds
<center>What Reviewers Like<center>
Extra-long handles provide additional leverage and allow hard-to-reach cutting
Bi-material soft handles for no-slip grip
Compound cutting action
Rust-free powder coat
<center>What they Don’t Like<center>
Requires more cutting strength than HK Porter bolt cutter
A good bolt cropper is almost a meter long tool and Olympia Tools have made an easier to carry power grip bolt cutter by making its handles foldable.
Features
The best bolt cutters for locks features an innovative folding mechanism that lets you fold the handles halfway and latch them in position so that the heavy duty cutter can easily fit into your tool bag or box.
The compact bolt cutter is made of Chrome Molybdenum hardened cutting blades that will crush the hardest steel locks.
Precisely aligned blades maximize the cutting efficiency and the handles have extra wide grips which significantly reduce the pressure on your hands as you chop.
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Weight: 6.97 pounds
<center>What Reviewers Like<center>
Patented folding handles allow convenient carrying and storage
Cr-Mo blades with high cutting strength
Ergonomic handles require less cutting effort
Best bolt cutters for the money
<center>What they Don’t Like<center>
Some users find it a struggle to snap the handles open
A buyer’s guide for the best bolt cutters for locks
Not all bolt cutters will help you cut open your combination padlock and the wrong tool can end up breaking. To avoid wasting your money, it is important to consider some of the factors below when searching for the best bolt cutter for cutting locks.
(i) Steel strength
Most padlocks have hardened steel shackles and the bolt cutter needs to be harder for it to chop the shackle.
Go for cutters with drop forged hardened steel blades for the best results.
(ii) Bolt cutter size
Most domestic keyed and master locks for home, gym, school lockers and so on are medium security with shackles of up to ¼ inch diameter.
A typical 24 inch bolt cutter has a jaw capacity of 5/16 inch and this should suffice for a standard padlock.
To be on the safe side, consider the 24-36 inch range of bolt cutters.
Anything larger will mean unnecessary burden of high budget, weight and storage space.
(iii) Weight
A ridiculously heavy cutting tool will make you a beast of burden and if you can get the same performance at a lower weight, the better.
Good bolt cutters for locks should weigh between 5 and 10 pounds.
(iv) The cutting mechanism
A bolt cutter worth your time should provide mechanical leverage that will make you do more for less effort.
Most of the steel cutters in our review feature a compound cutting action that scales down the required muscle effort by up to 30 percent compared to run of the mill bolt cutters.
(v) Handle design and build
Handles are not just for holding but ergonomically designed hand grips can increase leverage and comfort.
In our review of the best bolt cutters for locks, we found that long handles with a slight curve required the least pressure application.
Handles should also have sturdy non-slip rubber pads so that the tool doesn’t slip as you work or they leave you with nasty blisters.
How do bolt cutters work? – Here’s how to use bolt cutters
The basic principle of the best bolt cutters for padlocks is the lever. This is a simple machine that uses a pivot to transform much less pressure to a great amount of force on the opposite shorter end of the bar to perform some mechanical work. In short, a lever scales down the distance of force while scaling up the amount of force.
The mechanical work includes lifting or moving rigid loads, and in the case of cutters, chopping hardened materials such as steel, something that wouldn’t have been possible using bare arms.
Typical padlock cutters transform 50 pounds or less of human arms’ force into 4,000 pounds of cutting pressure, enough to slice typical metallic materials such as padlock shackles and hasps, chain link fences, rebar, nails, bolts, and so on.
Some specialized hydraulic bolt cutters can transform the human arm force to a high of 16k pounds of cutting force, appropriate for industrial and emergency applications.
A point to note is that unlike scissors which slice fabric between their two sharp blades, bolt cutters crush a material by concentrating the massive force on the small area where the blades come into contact with the item.
Here are the basics of how to use bolt cutters
Recap
The best bolt cutter for master lock is what you need if you have lost your padlock keys, or master lock combination. Get the best tool for cutting the shackle of your padlock from our exquisite review.
What is the manufacturer for the cutters featured as the icon for the article? Those do not seem to be listed...but I am very interested and would like to know where to purchase them.
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What is the manufacturer for the cutters featured as the icon for the article? Those do not seem to be listed...but I am very interested and would like to know where to purchase them.
Hi Natalie,
The cutter in the featured image is the KRENN-Bolt Cutter – K Series, manufactured by Krenn steel company. You can find the product here https://redirect.viglink.com?key=2013ca785776740a8c8529bc6a39d005&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FKrenn-Bolt-Cutter-BA030-K14-%2F142848664081&opt=true