A tube cutter is used to cut plastic tubing or piping materials such as; PVC (polyvinyl chloride), CPVC (Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride), PEX (polyethylene), vinyl, polybutylene and other plastics.
These plastics are used mostly for water supply lines as they do not corrode as easily as copper piping when they come into contact with acidic water.Plastic piping is fast overtaking copper piping as it is much cheaper and quicker to install.
PVC is commonly used for electrical conduit (electrical piping). Smaller tube cutters, such as pivot joint tube cutters and wheel tube cutters, are used for cutting this type of tubing.
