Cutting a clean circular hole in plasterboard for an extractor fan or ceiling vent sounds simple. In practice it rarely is. Hand-cut holes wander, jigsaw blades crack the board face, and core drills meant for masonry leave ragged edges that gaps in the grille can only half hide. The CHUMPround is a purpose-built hand tool designed specifically for this task.
What is the CHUMPround?
The CHUMPround is a manual cutting tool made by Chump Tools for cutting precise circular holes in plasterboard. It is aimed at installers fitting bathroom and kitchen extractor fans, MVHR units, ceiling vents and anything else that requires a round opening in a plasterboard ceiling or stud wall.
The tool works by scoring and cutting the plasterboard from the face side, producing a clean-edged circular hole that matches standard vent aperture sizes. The approach avoids the vibration damage and cracked face paper you get from abrasive methods, and is considerably faster than repeatedly scoring with a knife and a compass.
Who is it for?
The CHUMPround is most useful for:
- Electricians and ventilation engineers fitting bathroom extractor fans in new builds and refurbishments
- Heating engineers and MVHR installers cutting apertures for continuous ventilation systems
- General builders carrying out bathroom and kitchen refits
- Any trade that regularly fits ceiling vents, downlighter covers or speaker grilles into plasterboard
If you fit extractor fans regularly, the time saving adds up across a day. A clean hole also means less remedial work: no cracks to fill, no face paper to repair, no awkward filler around the grille edge.
How does it compare to other methods?
Most trades currently use one of three methods for cutting circular holes in plasterboard:
A hole saw attached to a drill works well if you have the right size and do not push too hard, but hole saws are aggressive and the vibration can crack plasterboard if the board is not well supported. You also need a different hole saw for each size.
A jigsaw with a fine blade is flexible but hard to keep on a circular line without a template, and the sawing action risks blowing the paper face off old or thin board.
Scoring with a knife around a drawn circle is slow and leaves a stepped, rough edge that needs cleaning up.
The CHUMPround is a dedicated solution for this specific cut. Like any specialised tool, you pay for the precision rather than the versatility. If you only cut a handful of vent holes a year, it is a harder case to make. If fitting extractor fans is a regular part of your work, it earns its place in the bag.