WEN Metal Shear, Swivel Head, Variable Speed, 18-Gauge, 4-Amp

I put the WEN metal shear to work on a mix of projects—flat 18-gauge mild steel, corrugated roofing, some stainless trim, and even a test on 1/4-inch fiber cement siding. Over several days of use, it proved to be a capable, straightforward cutter with a few thoughtful touches and a couple of quirks worth knowing.

Build and ergonomics

The shear is compact and surprisingly light, which matters more than you might think when you’re guiding a long cut. The grip is comfortable and the tool’s balance makes it easy to run with one or two hands. A 4‑amp motor drives a triple-blade cutting head that removes a thin ribbon of material as it goes; the resulting edge is cleaner and flatter than you’ll get with aviation snips and doesn’t heat up like a cut-off wheel.

The head rotates a full 360 degrees. That rotation isn’t a gimmick—it’s functional. Being able to turn the head to meet the work lets you keep your wrist in a neutral position while maintaining good visibility down the cut line. The action to swivel is positive and stays put once you set it.

My one ergonomic gripe is the cord exit. It drops straight down from the handle, which occasionally bumped into the work when I needed a shallow approach angle. Looping the cord over a shoulder helps, but a rearward-exit design would be friendlier in tight spots.

Speed control and noise

A pressure-sensitive trigger controls the stroke rate from a gentle creep to around 2,500 strokes per minute. Full tilt is fast—great for long shears on flat stock. At the slow end, I could feather it for careful work, but the trigger gets touchy: the difference between “just right” and “too fast” can be a few millimeters of pull. It’s manageable with practice, though a tad more low-speed resolution would make it easier for delicate starts.

Noise is notably lower than abrasives or circular saws. You still want hearing protection, but it’s less fatiguing to be around, and there are no sparks.

Cut quality on flat sheet

On 18‑gauge mild steel, the shear tracks confidently and leaves a clean, burr-minimal edge. The center blade’s kerf produces a narrow, continuous curl that peels away from the cut. Feed rates are brisk; once the line is established, the tool happily glides along, and it’s easy to maintain a straight line as long as the operator does their part. I had no trouble following a layout line for long rips on 8-foot panels.

On 20‑gauge stainless, cutting is slower—as expected—but still entirely within the tool’s comfort zone. Keep steady pressure, let the motor work, and rotate the head so the waste ribbon clears without rubbing the work surface.

Curved cuts are doable within reason. Because the tool removes a strip, there’s a minimum radius—tight scrollwork isn’t what this head is for—but I made gentle arcs cleanly, and the rotating head helps you steer without contorting your wrist.

Roofing and corrugated work

Corrugated and ribbed roofing is where the swiveling head earns its keep. For single ridges, rotating the head about 45 degrees and pushing slightly down and forward let me transition over the rib while maintaining control. The tool will not power through stacked double-lapped seams or deep compound profiles; for those, I started with a cut-off wheel or snips at the seam and then rejoined the shear for the long, flat sections.

For straight cuts across the field of a panel, the shear is both faster and safer than a grinder, and it avoids the hot shards that come with abrasive cutting. Edges are neat and sit flush when overlapped.

Fiber cement siding test

Although this is a metal shear, I tested it on 1/4‑inch fiber cement siding to see if it could be a dust-reducing option for small jobs. It cut the boards cleaner and far more quietly than a saw and produced a surprisingly low amount of airborne dust. The waste still curls into thin strips, which made cleanup simple—just sweep the coils. Feed speed was slower than on metal and required a steady hand, but the results were very usable for patchwork and short runs. For siding an entire house, I’d still choose a dedicated fiber-cement shear or a score-and-snap workflow; for repairs or small installs, this tool worked well enough to keep on the truck.

Waste management and visibility

The ribbon of waste is both a feature and a minor annoyance. The strip curls up in a tight coil and, depending on the direction of cut, can drift into your sight line. In practice, I’d pause occasionally to flick the ribbon aside or reorient the head so the curl deflected away from my layout line. A small clip-on deflector would make this perfect; in the absence of that, planning your cut direction helps.

Do wear gloves. The waste coil and the fresh edge are sharp, and the ribbon loves to snag on clothing or ladder rungs if you’re working at height.

Power, limits, and durability

The 4‑amp motor has enough grunt for the tool’s stated capacity—18‑gauge mild steel and 20‑gauge stainless. Stay within those limits and it doesn’t bog, even at lower speeds. Try to force it through heavy overlaps or thicker stock and you’ll feel the motor protest; that’s your cue to stop and change tactics.

Over multiple sessions, I didn’t notice appreciable blade dulling on mild steel. As with any shear of this style, the center blade is a wear item. Replacement blades are part of ownership; if you plan to cut a lot of stainless or abrasive materials, budget for spares and keep the screws snug.

Handling and control

The tool’s light weight pays off during longer cuts, particularly overhead or on a ladder. Vibration is modest; the reciprocating action is there, but it’s not a hand-numbing experience. I had the best control using two hands: one on the main grip for throttle and a guiding hand on the head housing to keep the nose flat and the cut line visible. Clamping the work and keeping the panel supported near the cut reduces chatter and gives the cleanest edge.

Practical tips from the field

• Rotate early: Before starting a cut near an obstacle or rib, rotate the head to a comfortable angle so you don’t have to fight the handle position mid-cut.
• Mind the cord: Loop it over your shoulder or through a belt clip to keep it off the work surface.
• Start holes with a punch: For interior cutouts, drill a starter hole big enough for the cutting head to enter cleanly; then ease into the cut with a light trigger pull.
• Plan waste direction: Cut so the curl peels away from your scribed line, not onto it.
• Let the tool eat: Apply steady forward pressure and let the blades do the work. Forcing it only distorts the sheet and worsens the edge.

What I’d change

Two refinements would elevate the experience:

• A rear-exit or angled cord strain relief to improve clearance near the work.
• Finer low-speed control—either via trigger modulation or a mechanical reduction—to make delicate starts and tight curves easier.

Neither is a deal-breaker, but both would bring polish to an already useful package.

Who it’s for

If you’re a DIYer, remodeler, or light-duty pro handling HVAC ducting, flashing, roofing panels, metal siding, or occasional stainless trim, this shear fits neatly into the “saves time, cuts cleaner” category. It’s faster and safer than a grinder for most straight and gently curved cuts, and it leaves material flatter than hand snips. For daily, industrial-grade production or frequent work on heavy profiles and double seams, a heavier-duty shear or complementary tools will still be necessary.

Recommendation

I recommend the WEN metal shear for small to medium sheet-metal projects and occasional fiber-cement tasks. It’s lightweight, genuinely useful, and the 360-degree head and variable-speed trigger make it adaptable in real-world situations. Cut quality is clean, the motor has the right amount of power for its rated capacity, and it’s far more pleasant to use than abrasive methods in terms of noise and debris. Be aware of its limits on thick overlaps and very tight curves, and plan to manage the waste curl and the down-exiting cord. Within those bounds, it’s a capable, cost-effective addition to a metalworker’s or roofer’s kit.