PacTool SS204 Snapper Shear - Power Cutter for Fiber Cement Siding - Professional Power Tools

There is a little bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it this thing rocks. Worth every penny. One tip make sure it stays flat. If you do this there is virtually zero tear out. Its well made. Take a bit getting use to the drill setup. Made cutting the Hardie a breeze and no dust to boot.

The PacTool SS404 Contractor Grade Snapper Shear has been a lifesaver for my home renovation project, especially when tackling large 4x10 sheets of fiber cement siding. Knowing the dangers of silica dust from traditional cutting methods, this tool is a safe and efficient alternative that has made the process smooth and hassle-free.A few tips from my experience:Mind your cut line – The shear removes about 1/4 inch of material during the cut. Keep this in mind to avoid cutting sheets shorter than intended. Align the cut line to the left or right of the guide, not directly in the center.Manage the excess material – The waste curls up as you cut, so periodically clear it to maintain visibility and precision.Watch your cord – The tool's angle tends to catch the power cord on the fresh cut edge, which can cause frustration. Use your free hand to guide the cord away and ensure smooth progress.Overall, this tool is a must-have for professionals and serious DIYers handling fiber cement siding. It’s reliable, effective, and worth every penny.Highly recommend!

Great tool no to very little dustSimple to use

I use this on all forms of Hardie plank and board and it is a game changer. It doesn't put out fine dust so one doesn't have to wear a mask. It does cut a 1/4" kerf so you have to take that into account but it goes through the Hardie like the proverbial butter. It also produces a long band of material from the kerf which is fairly annoying and has to be constantly cleared, but it's worth that hassle. I see YouTubers trying to put up Hardie without this, inhaling silica and I yell at the TV. If you are going to work with this somewhat difficult material, you want to get this tool.

I watched several videos and read several articles before buying this tool. I had never used power shears for cutting fiber cement products before. I have used special saw blades and jig saw blades. We all know they are a mess and they also dont last long. I bought this tool to do long rip cuts on some hardi plank siding and also do my own special shapes. The first cut I made was perfect. The second cut was terrible. It wasnt a clean cut and the cut edge was mangled and unusable. This continued for several more cuts until I gave up and went back to the saw. Later I studied the piece of paper that accompanied the tool hoping to find answers. They offered no tips or instructions on how to USE. They mentioned changing the blade but nothing in how to use it. Later with more experimentation I discovered the key to the tool is to keep the back of the shears down against the product. If it is lifted that is when the cut gets mangled. Of course this is a little tricky when you start the cut because you have nothing to press the tool downward. After a while you do get the hang of it. Accurate cuts - like I saw in the videos - just dont happen. You can get close but not perfect. Maybe that takes practice too?? I tried to cut some shapes but I got mixed results and I decided to not even attempt it opting for a jigsaw instead. Another issue is the waste. The tool removes about 1/4" of product as it is cutting. It curls up right in from of the tool blocking your view of where you are cutting. So you have to slow down or stop to get this out of the way. I think that is causing my inaccurate cuts as well. Overall it is okay. I think the manufacturers should have included some type of instructions on how to use it - dont just assume that the customer knows anything about it. How much would that have cost? 10 cents? 25 cents? I dont think I got my moneys worth out of the tool and I probably wont. This is a tool that is going to require a lot of practice.

Amazing tool

cutting hardy board with this was a blessing ,no dust !!! straight cuts very easy ,we did the whole house with this , !!!! i;d buy again , nor regrets here !!!

I just finished siding about 2500 sq ft of siding and wanted to write a review after I was finished so I could give an honest review. I used both the shears and saw blade designed for the Hardy fiber cement lap siding. The shears were easy to use and didn't produce as much dust which seems to be one of the big selling points. I liked not having to put mask and glasses on everytime I used the shears. You have to get used to where it cuts, there were a couple times at the start where I had to either re-cut or get a new board out simply because I wasn't used to where the cut would be and was off by maybe a 1/4 inch or so, really no big deal. There were a couple times it seemed like it jammed but would start cutting again after a moment. The cuts it made were rougher than the saw though. When we wanted a smooth end cut we would use the saw blade because it produced a nicer, smoother cut. Most of the time it didn't matter because we were caulking over those cuts but there were a couple times we had to make a cut that wouldn't be caulked over so the saw blade was nice to have. If we had to rip a board we would use the saw blade most of the time because it would be a little faster but it did really kick out the dust. We also had to use the saw blade for the trim as the shears won't go through anything that thick. I would definitely recommend the shears as they were easy to use and most of the time very quick. They didn't produce the dust and held up nicely on the 2500 sq ft of siding we put up. I did like having the saw blade though as well. We only purchased one saw blade which lasted the whole project.