The aim of this study was to describe the shaping ability of a rotary nickel-titanium instrument in combination with different torque-controlled endodontic devices in severely curved root canals of extracted human teeth. Sixty human molars with curvatures ranging from 25° to 69° were embedded in a muffle system and portioned into five horizontal sections (thickness 1.2 mm), starting from the apex. Canals were divided into three groups (n = 20 for each) and were prepared with either a cordless endodontic handpiece (SiroNiti) or two conventional devices (E-MasterTM and Endo IT control) using FlexMaster® instruments and a crown-down preparation technique. We evaluated the frequency of instrument failure, preparation time, loss of working length and differences between pre- and postoperative instrumentation of root canal cross-sections. The root canal area before and after the intervention was determined using area-measuring software. The data were analyzed statistically using a one-way ANOVA followed by a Kruskal-Wallis multiple-comparison Z-test.