Knockout punches cut clean, burr-free holes in sheet metal, electrical enclosures, junction boxes, and steel panels without a drill press or plasma cutter. A punch and die pair clamp around the workpiece, and when you drive the stud through with a wrench or hydraulic ram the die shears a precise disc from the material. Electricians rely on them for adding conduit knockouts to distribution panels, and metal fabricators use them for cable gland holes and access ports in enclosures. The 18 products curated here span from $27.83 for the AMZCNC JXKK Black to $399.00 for the TEMCo TH0037, covering manual hand-driven kits through heavy-duty hydraulic sets. The main divide in this category is between manual and hydraulic drive. Manual kits, such as the Manual MK-60 at $50.57 and 3.82 kg, rely on the operator turning a wrench to pull the punch through the material. They are compact, quiet, and require no pump or auxiliary equipment, making them practical for occasional panel work or tight installation spaces. Hydraulic sets use a ram to do the pulling, which reduces fatigue dramatically on heavier gauge steel and allows a single operator to punch multiple holes in quick succession. The AMZCNC SYK-8 at $84.05 and the AMZCNC TPA-8 at $76.40 represent the mid-range hydraulic tier, while the TEMCo TH0004 at $200.00 and the TEMCo TH0037 at $399.00 step up to heavier-duty hydraulic capacity. Trade brands like Klein and Greenlee bring decades of commercial electrical job-site history and are the default choice for conduit knockout work on code-compliant panel installations. To narrow your selection, consider three factors: material thickness, job volume, and portability needs. Light sheet metal or plastic enclosures worked on a few times per week are well served by a manual kit under $55. Regular work on heavier steel or larger panels warrants a mid-range hydraulic set in the $64 to $115 range. Professionals who need a recognized trade-brand tool with long-term support should weigh the Greenlee 7235BB at $195.00 or the Klein 53732SEN at $299.98. Weight matters significantly in the field: the Greenlee 7235BB is listed at just 3 lbs while the TEMCo TH0037 reaches 26.38 kg, so portability is a meaningful differentiator across price points.
Every knockout punch listed here passed a minimum 3.8-star rating threshold and carries at least 100 verified owner reviews. Rankings reflect review volume and active buyer demand (units sold per month), with published specs checked against marketing claims where possible. Prices, weights, and dimensions are taken directly from product listings and are not estimated or adjusted. Where specs are absent from a listing, that gap is noted in the product entry. We research and curate based on specs and verified owner feedback; we do not conduct hands-on lab testing. Questions? Reach us at [email protected].
