If you're in the drain cleaning business — or you're a serious DIYer — you already know that clearing a clog isn’t just about brute force. It’s about using the right tool for the job.
From grease buildup in kitchen lines to tree roots in main sewer lines, the cutter head you attach to your machine makes or breaks the job. Here's a breakdown of the top-performing cutter tips and when to use each one.
🛠️ 1. Spear Head Cutter – Best for Roots and Dense Blockages
If you're up against roots, hard clogs, or debris that needs piercing, the spear head is your go-to.
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Design: Tapered, pointed tip
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Best Use: Root intrusion, heavy debris, first-pass clearing
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Compatible With: 5/8" and 3/4" sectional cable machines
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Recommended Product:
👉 Spear Head Drain Cutter Tip – Fits Ridgid, Spartan, General
💬 Pro Tip: Run a spear tip on the first pass to penetrate the blockage, then follow with a side or grease cutter to fully clean the pipe.
🧼 2. Grease Cutter – Best for Kitchen Lines and Soft Buildup
Grease is a beast. It coats pipe walls, traps debris, and slowly narrows flow until the whole line is backed up. The grease cutter tip is designed to slice through soft sludge and get your flow back.
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Design: Open-loop or U-shaped
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Best Use: Kitchen clogs, grease, soap buildup, soft blockages
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Recommended Product:
👉 Grease Cutter Drain Tip – 1.25" – Ridgid Compatible
💬 Did You Know? Most professional plumbers use a grease cutter on every kitchen line — even when they think the line is clear — just to guarantee full pipe wall contact.
🌀 3. Straight Boring Head – Best for Initial Exploration
This is your “probe tool.” Before you know what kind of clog you’re dealing with, the straight boring head helps you feel it out without overcommitting.
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Design: Slim, bullet-style
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Best Use: Initial clog exploration, partial blockages
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Recommended Product:
👉 Straight Boring Head Tip – 3/4" x 4"
💬 Combine a boring head pass with a spear head follow-up for total clog destruction.
🧽 4. Side Cutter Blade – Best for Final Cleaning
You’ve cleared the major blockage — now it’s time to scrape the pipe walls clean. The side cutter blade ensures there’s no grease or debris left behind to cause a future backup.
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Design: Winged blade
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Best Use: Final cleaning, scraping pipe interior
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Recommended Product:
👉 Side Cutter Blade – 2" x 4"
🧰 5. Best All-in-One Cutter Head Set (Contractor Choice)
Not sure what you need — or want to be ready for anything?
The 4-piece cutter set gives you all the core heads pros carry every day:
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Spear Head
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Grease Cutter
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Side Cutter
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Straight Boring Head
👉 Shop the Full 4-Piece Drain Cutter Set – Only $28.95, Ships Free
💬 Buy 2 or more and get 10% off automatically — great for backups or crew loadouts.
🧠 Bonus: Choosing the Right Cutter Tip for the Job
| Clog Type | Recommended Tip |
|---|---|
| Roots | Spear Head |
| Grease | Grease Cutter |
| Sludge/Scale | Side Cutter |
| Unknown/Soft | Straight Boring Head |
| Full Cleaning | Run multiple passes in order |
🔩 Compatibility Reminder
All DrainCutter heads are designed to fit:
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Ridgid®, General®, Spartan®, and Electric Eel® machines
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5/8" and 3/4" sectional cables with slotted ends
No adapters needed. No wobble. Built to last.
✅ Final Thoughts
Choosing the right cutter head means:
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Less time on the job
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Fewer callbacks
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Happier customers (or better self-fixes)
Get the right head for the job — or grab the whole set and never get caught unprepared.