Tool Time Tuesday - Koil Kutter vs. Jump Ringer
Do you know that the movers will be here in just 7 short days. 7 DAYS!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!! The knot in my stomach is getting tighter and tighter. I am 2 days behind in packing because of the illness of my baby last week. Luckily she is doing much better now and I am finally able to get some things done. Though, it is still difficult to get everything done and have three children that need various things, particularly as we get ready to say goodbye to their friends and such.
Well, for one of my last Tool Time Tuesday posts here in Ohio I decided to do a comparison between the Koil Kutter (now offered by Potter USA) and the Jump Ringer (Offered at Rio Grande.) As you may have noticed, Potter USA has been sponsoring me in return for my reviews and instructional videos for some of their products. It has been a great deal for both of us as I get to try out new tools and help to develop ideas for others. Having me do their instructional videos helps them so that Kevin Potter can continue doing what he does best, making affordable tools for people who make jewelry.
Recently, Dave Aryns, the creator of the Koil Kutter, turned the Koil Kutter System and manufacturing over to Kevin Potter. Kevin, being the person that he is, took the system and has improved upon it while doing his best to keep the price right where is was.
I have wanted a jump ring creating system for a long time, but I never made enough jump rings to make it worth the investment. But let me tell you, every time I had to hand cut that stupid coil of rings, I was really wishing I had one. So when I was presented with the opportunity of getting one of the Koil Kutters, I jumped at the opportunity. I thought it would be a great idea to compare a couple of systems. My good friend Katie Mullins brought her Jump Ringer system over so we could do a comparison between the two. We were able to identify the various things we liked and didn't like about the two systems while comparing them side by side.
So let me share with you my thoughts on the two systems.
The Koil Kutter can be purchased through Potter USA at their website for $89.00
The kit can be purchased for either a Dremel or Flexshaft.
The kit includes:
Aluminum koil holder lock, 6" long
Steel top plate for holder
Saw blade guard for Foredom Flexshaft with adapter bushing (Or can be purchased for the Dremel)
1 saw arbor to fit 3/8" hole blades
1 saw blade
*** In the picture, I show the mandrels. Those are not included in the kit. ***
Well, for one of my last Tool Time Tuesday posts here in Ohio I decided to do a comparison between the Koil Kutter (now offered by Potter USA) and the Jump Ringer (Offered at Rio Grande.) As you may have noticed, Potter USA has been sponsoring me in return for my reviews and instructional videos for some of their products. It has been a great deal for both of us as I get to try out new tools and help to develop ideas for others. Having me do their instructional videos helps them so that Kevin Potter can continue doing what he does best, making affordable tools for people who make jewelry.
Recently, Dave Aryns, the creator of the Koil Kutter, turned the Koil Kutter System and manufacturing over to Kevin Potter. Kevin, being the person that he is, took the system and has improved upon it while doing his best to keep the price right where is was.
I have wanted a jump ring creating system for a long time, but I never made enough jump rings to make it worth the investment. But let me tell you, every time I had to hand cut that stupid coil of rings, I was really wishing I had one. So when I was presented with the opportunity of getting one of the Koil Kutters, I jumped at the opportunity. I thought it would be a great idea to compare a couple of systems. My good friend Katie Mullins brought her Jump Ringer system over so we could do a comparison between the two. We were able to identify the various things we liked and didn't like about the two systems while comparing them side by side.
So let me share with you my thoughts on the two systems.
The Koil Kutter can be purchased through Potter USA at their website for $89.00
The kit can be purchased for either a Dremel or Flexshaft.
The kit includes:
Aluminum koil holder lock, 6" long
Steel top plate for holder
Saw blade guard for Foredom Flexshaft with adapter bushing (Or can be purchased for the Dremel)
1 saw arbor to fit 3/8" hole blades
1 saw blade
*** In the picture, I show the mandrels. Those are not included in the kit. ***
The Jump Ringer can be found at Rio Grande for$289.00
The kit includes:
One blade
One blade arbor
One blade guard/guide
One round, four-sided coil holder
One winder
One chuck key
One stick of Bur-Life®
So the difference is that you get the Coil winder and a stick of Bur-Life®
*** This image shows the mandrels (Not included) and does not show the coil winder or Bur-Life***
All parts on each of the systems can be purchased separately. So you don't have to buy the entire kit if you don't need it, or you can replace just one item if needed.
Let's look at the saw blades first.
The Koil Kutter blades are the same outer diameter and have the same number of teeth as the Jump Ringers. The difference between the two is the notch where it attaches to the arbor. The saw arbor on the Jump Ringer has a raised area to hold the blade in a certain position.
One nice thing about the Koil Kutter blade being without the notch is that if the blade does happen to bind or grab while cutting, the blade can slip a little and will help protect the blade from breaking.
Prices:
Koil Kutter: $11
Jump Ringer: $12.50
Next up is the Blade guard.
The Koil Kutter is made of steel and has two wing nuts that screws INTO the bushing for the flexshaft and ONTO the bushing for the dremel. It has a bit of weight to it, so I don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing.
The Jump ringer is made of aluminum, or at least that is what it feels like. There are three screws that have plastic caps, and as you can see, a little easier to break.
Cost:
Koil Kutter: It is not posted on the website, but I know you can get it as a stand alone piece.
Jump Ringer: $53.50
The coil holder:
The Koil Kutter has only two sides for holding coils. The groove goes the entire length of the piece. The screws to hold the blade guide in place are a little taller and it is easy to hand tighten them. When you need to get them tighter or even un-tighten them, they have an allen wrench that comes with the system.
The Jump Ringer coil holder is also aluminum. The thing I like about this one is that it is 4-sided. Each side is grooved with a rounded surface. The screws are a phillips head. So you will need a screw driver to place and remove them.
The blade guides:
The Koil Kutter has a nice little coil stop that helps to position the coil so that the blade can cut the entire coil.
The Jump Ringer has a smaller slot so it does essentially the same thing with positioning the coil as to make it so the blade can cut through the entire coil.
Cost:
Koil Kutter: It is not posted on the website, but I know you can get it as a stand alone piece.
Jump Ringer: $89.95
Mandrels:
Neither system comes with mandrels. Both systems offer mandrels in US Measurement and Metric. It looks like both now offer a set that have a holder. At first, when my friend Katie bough hers, they weren't available with a stand. Her mandrels weren't marked either. You can see in the first picture of the jump ringer that she has wrapped the ends with tape and marked the size of mandrels on the tape.
The mandrels that are currently available for the Koil Kutter are not marked on the mandrel itself, but the slot where the mandrel fits is labeled.
The Koil Kutter Mandrels have a groove that has been cut into the end of the mandrel where you can wrap your wire into and begin to wind your coil. The jump ringer mandrels have a hole drilled through them toward the end of the mandrel where you can insert your wire and begin to wrap your coil.
Cost:
Koil Kutter:
US Measurement:$39.95
Metric: $39.95
Jump Ringer:
Us Measurement: $98
Metric: $98
So there you have it in a nutshell. I did create a little training video on how to use the Koil Kutter. Kick your feet up, relax and have a look.
The kit includes:
One blade
One blade arbor
One blade guard/guide
One round, four-sided coil holder
One winder
One chuck key
One stick of Bur-Life®
So the difference is that you get the Coil winder and a stick of Bur-Life®
*** This image shows the mandrels (Not included) and does not show the coil winder or Bur-Life***
All parts on each of the systems can be purchased separately. So you don't have to buy the entire kit if you don't need it, or you can replace just one item if needed.
Let's look at the saw blades first.
The Koil Kutter blades are the same outer diameter and have the same number of teeth as the Jump Ringers. The difference between the two is the notch where it attaches to the arbor. The saw arbor on the Jump Ringer has a raised area to hold the blade in a certain position.
One nice thing about the Koil Kutter blade being without the notch is that if the blade does happen to bind or grab while cutting, the blade can slip a little and will help protect the blade from breaking.
Prices:
Koil Kutter: $11
Jump Ringer: $12.50
Next up is the Blade guard.
The Koil Kutter is made of steel and has two wing nuts that screws INTO the bushing for the flexshaft and ONTO the bushing for the dremel. It has a bit of weight to it, so I don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing.
The Jump ringer is made of aluminum, or at least that is what it feels like. There are three screws that have plastic caps, and as you can see, a little easier to break.
Cost:
Koil Kutter: It is not posted on the website, but I know you can get it as a stand alone piece.
Jump Ringer: $53.50
The coil holder:
The Koil Kutter has only two sides for holding coils. The groove goes the entire length of the piece. The screws to hold the blade guide in place are a little taller and it is easy to hand tighten them. When you need to get them tighter or even un-tighten them, they have an allen wrench that comes with the system.
The Jump Ringer coil holder is also aluminum. The thing I like about this one is that it is 4-sided. Each side is grooved with a rounded surface. The screws are a phillips head. So you will need a screw driver to place and remove them.
The blade guides:
The Koil Kutter has a nice little coil stop that helps to position the coil so that the blade can cut the entire coil.
The Jump Ringer has a smaller slot so it does essentially the same thing with positioning the coil as to make it so the blade can cut through the entire coil.
Cost:
Koil Kutter: It is not posted on the website, but I know you can get it as a stand alone piece.
Jump Ringer: $89.95
Mandrels:
Neither system comes with mandrels. Both systems offer mandrels in US Measurement and Metric. It looks like both now offer a set that have a holder. At first, when my friend Katie bough hers, they weren't available with a stand. Her mandrels weren't marked either. You can see in the first picture of the jump ringer that she has wrapped the ends with tape and marked the size of mandrels on the tape.
The mandrels that are currently available for the Koil Kutter are not marked on the mandrel itself, but the slot where the mandrel fits is labeled.
The Koil Kutter Mandrels have a groove that has been cut into the end of the mandrel where you can wrap your wire into and begin to wind your coil. The jump ringer mandrels have a hole drilled through them toward the end of the mandrel where you can insert your wire and begin to wrap your coil.
Cost:
Koil Kutter:
US Measurement:$39.95
Metric: $39.95
Jump Ringer:
Us Measurement: $98
Metric: $98
So there you have it in a nutshell. I did create a little training video on how to use the Koil Kutter. Kick your feet up, relax and have a look.
Posted by Melissa Muir at January 30, 2012 8:18 PM 
Categories: Tutorials, Tool Time Tuesday
Tags: Koil Kutter Jump Ringer Tool Time Tuesday Jump Ring Mandrel Saw Blade Video
Categories: Tutorials, Tool Time Tuesday
Tags: Koil Kutter Jump Ringer Tool Time Tuesday Jump Ring Mandrel Saw Blade Video
We will miss you here in Ohio. Good luck with your move and best wishes in your new home.
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Thanks Roberta.
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Thank you so much for the comparison and the helpful video tutorial! I've been looking for a less expensive version of the Jump Ringer system that was well made and reliable, and the Koil Kutter sounds like the perfect solution for me.
Can I ask what kind of work bench you use? I'm trying to find a good reasonably priced table with a hard wood top that isn't too big and haven't had much luck.
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Molly, so glad I could help. I have been happy with my Koil Kutter so far. Hope it works well for you too.
As far as the benches I am using, mine are custom. My Father-In-Law built them for me. So, I am afraid I am not much help there. But if you would like further information such as specifications I would be happy to share them as well.
Melissa
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Thanks for the response, Melissa! Wow they are lovely benches I'm not surprised they're custom built. I'll have to keep an eye out at garage sales and used furniture stores for something with a sturdy hardwood top. I browsed some of your other tutorials and tips for organization, really useful information thanks for sharing.
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