4" GUILLOTINE SHEAR by Pepe Tools. Made in the USA

Love this tool!!!

Excelente

I have had this shear for years (197.60) http://pepetools.com/collections/cutting-1/products/4-guillotine-shear, purchased from Micro-Mark Tools possibly up to 8 years ago. The product now available is the 197.60N. Pepe seems to have made some changes to design, Pepe has always been consistent in their quality & workmanship, so I will post this review here, for anyone considering this purchase...This is a nice light-duty shear for jewelry and metal crafts. The measuring guide is extremely helpful in making repeat cuts, for example making ring shank stock or money clip strips, where you want a consistent size. My unit has a slightly different stop on the guide, but I don't think it would make a lot of difference in the working. The measurement guide can be fine tuned to insure accuracy.Other shears, most notably open-throat and chop type designs, leave wavy "potato-chip" scraps that are difficult to flatten and reuse. This is a guillotine shear, and makes clean straight cuts. There will be about a 1/16" compression zone on the cut edge, which is pretty easy to clean up- if necessary. The remaining uncut metal will remain flat and useable as well.ALL bench shears need to be bolted securely to a strong work surface for use. However, I have used my shear unsecured, to cut light gauges. This shear is easy to take down and transport- especially if you bolt it to a board and use C-clamps to hold it to the bench surface. I often take my shear to classes that I teach, in order to let students cut their stock into useable pieces.My shear is rated to cut non-ferrous (silver, gold, brass) up to 16 gauge (I see the legacy literature now says 18 gauge max). The 197.60N is recommended for material "up to 20 gauge"... I'm not sure if they down-graded the equipment/blade or if they felt that they had originally over-stated the capacity. Mine will cut 16 gauge, albeit with a LOT of physical force... but 18 and lower is pretty easy. I have also cut sheet bronze up to 24 gauge, it is challenging, but I found annealing it helps. I am stating this for reference only- I can't speak to the 197.60N version of their 4"guillotine shear. NEVER try to cut steel or hardened metals with this shear- you will most likely strip the lever mechanism blades and possibly jam the shear completely.I have only used the angle feature a couple times. I had difficulty getting my angles correct. It isn't a feature that has found a place in my own work, so no biggie for me... If OTOH, you need this feature specifically I would recommend drawing a paper dummy, or laying down masking tape guides on the feed bed to insure your metal angles prior to making cuts in valuable metals.The one issue I must mention is that the widest sheet that you can cut will be 4". If you purchase metals from suppliers, they usually have 6" parent sizes. So ordering your basic stock in 4" cuts will help you to make the best use shear. For metals that aren't available in smaller sizes, you may still have to saw before it will fit in the shear. :)When my shear was purchased, I received an extra blade (if I could only remember where I put it), and I do not see any offer- even for an add-on purchase, of a replacement blade for this shear... Hopefully they are available? this represents a major purchase for most hobbyists and craftspersons. It would be good to know that they can obtain additional blades as needed... Maybe Pepe head office could clear that up for us?I have to say, that the Pepe guillotine shears are a great investment for anyone that has to cut small amounts of metal at a time on a regular basis. Use them for making class kits, small production runs and parceling your metals for use or sale. With a little practice, they will provide consistent and reliable metal cutting for many years. When my 167.90 gives up the ghost, I think I will upgrade to the wider 6" Pepe 196.90N, which has some nice options... but at the rate that my shear is going (hardly shows any wear at all), that may be a very long time! ;)