Ridgid plumbing tools have been a mainstay in the industry for decades, and the company's newest offerings show us what plumbers have been missing until now. Using the Tailpiece Extension Cutter ($21) on the thin-walled plastic tubing found in undersink drain lines sure beats making fuzzy cuts with a hacksaw. With openings sized for 1-1/4- and 1-1/2-inch tubing, the tool works much like a wheeled tubing cutter, except that its spring-loaded pointed tooth cuts with a scraping action that also bevels and deburrs the cut end. Another new tool, the 2-in-1 Close Quarters Autofeed Cutter, can cut copper tubing up to 1 inch in diameter inside walls or in other tight spots. The tool ratchets an included (but removable) Model 118 midget cutter around the tubing within a few inches of an obstruction. The handle needs only 10 degrees rotation to ratchet. And the spring-loaded cutting wheel needs to be tensioned just once per cut if the easy-to-turn football-shaped knob is cranked down tightly. 800-769-7743, www.ridgid.com.
