Tried it in extremis. A poor alternative. First, bolt cutters are extremely dull. Second, the blades are directly opposed. They aren't designed for shearing, but for crushing (which is why they don't work on flat pieces like your metal tabs). Third, the force is applied from two opposing directions, easily crushing a tube. A good housing cutter applies force from four directions at 90° angles. It tends to compress rather than crush a tube. That's why you have to do so much work to clean up the ends.

Ever tried to cut cable with a bolt cutter?