Metal shear attachments are appealing to some because they are powered by an ordinary drill, which you probably already own, saving money and space in your tool bag.
That’s not to say that corded or cordless metal shears aren’t good, because they are. But unless you’re using a shear very often, it might not make sense to buy a standalone hand-held power metal shear, which can cost quite a lot.
Dewalt’s corded 14-gauge shear is priced at $278 at Amazon (as of the time of this posting), and even more elsewhere.
David sent in a tip (thanks!) about Dewalt’s new shear attachment, model DWASHRIR, that works with your cordless drill or impact driver.
It’s not the only impact-rated metal shear available – the Malco TSCM corrugated metal Turbo Shear ($100 via Amazon) is said to work with impact drivers. That’s the only other impact-compatible shear attachment I could find, and since it works with corrugated metal it doesn’t have much cutting capacity (30-24 mild steel gauge).
But, although this isn’t the first impact-compatible shear attachment, it’s one of the least expensive I’ve seen, and it seems to have decent cutting capacity.
The new Dewalt shear attachment can handle “up to 18 gauge material.” Hopefully that’s 18 gauge steel – we’re checking with Dewalt to see if they could clarify this.
Besides sheet metal and corrugated sheet metal, it can cut ducting, asphalt shingles, steel mesh, vinyl siding, wire, plastic materials, cardboard, and rubber.
The cutter can be rotated a full 360° for maneuverability. You see where the brace attaches to the cutter, right near the hex shank? That’s where it can be rotated.
The shear attachment is compatible with “most 18V and 20V Max impact driver and drill tool brands.” Even though it seems to be impact rated, that doesn’t mean you cannot or should not use it with your drill/driver.
Price: $50
ETA: TBA
First Thoughts
In the first draft of this post, I wrote that this is a new Dewalt metal-cutting shear. But it’s not. Well, it is, but it’s not just a metal shear. It’s described as a multi-purpose shear. The retailer’s site, where the info was first posted, calls this an 18 gauge shear attachment. So I went back and tool out the “metal” part of each specific Dewalt shear attachment mention.
What I’m hoping is that this new shear attachment can handle 18 gauge sheet metal. That would sure be nice, seeing as how the Malco TSHD heavy-duty TurboShear is priced at $80 at Amazon. Dewalt’s is so far looking to be priced at $50 – which is more than just a little less expensive.
Compared to other shear attachments, this one has a much smaller-looking tool clamp. The tool clamp holds the cutting attachment steady. Otherwise, what’s to stop the cutter head from rotating along with the drill chuck.
This looks to be an interesting new drill and impact driver attachment from Dewalt. It’s hot on the heels of Dewalt’s new right angle flex shaft extension, which a lot of readers are excited about.
So what do you think about this new shear attachment? Hooray, or nay?