best and worst tile saw in $300-$500 range

[LinLee]

I just bought the Ferker TM-75 to do my
glass & limestone bathroom. It worked great.
I wasn't so sure that the little glass tiles wouldn't just explode,
but nope...it was smooooth
It also didn't blow out my eardrumbs.
LinLee

[RLeVan]

If this is your first time using a wet saw, you may want to look at renting one if your tiles are 13" (most likely 12") and you plan on doing diagonal cuts. For straight cuts the TM-75 will work like a champ, but cutting the diagonals will require a bit of freehand work since the table isn't large enough.

The one thing thing that sold me on buying a saw was resale value. When you calculate out the number of days you plan to rent a wet saw in relation to having the convenience of having it by your side to fix a tile you may have screwed up the measurement on, it usually balances out.

If you're doing more than one room, I would definitely recommend buying the saw and selling it later. I bought a Felker TM-75 for the exact same purpose but for smaller tiles and I have say I've saved my money in headaches.

I'd listen to John, he has a great review of sawa that may fit what you need. From what I hear, if you get an MK, also get a set of earplugs.

[RLeVan]

The bad thing about a snap cutter is cutting tiles diagonally and getting the grout width for those cuts to be the same width as the uncut tile. For example, if you choose an 1/8" grout width, you can't cut the tile in half. You need to cut an 1/8" strip out of the center of your diagonal cut in order to get a uniform grout pattern.

This is something that never would have occurred to me, since I haven't cut tile that way yet, until I read this forum.

There's a really good thread on how to cut diagonal tiles here.

Cutting Tiles Diagonally

[Wade]

Hello everyone,
Just looking for some input from the more experienced on this topic. I am looking to buy a tile saw for working with up to 12 inch tiles. I have 4-7 bathrooms to do in the next 12 months, and need to purchase a reliable machine. I was looking at the MK370 and 470, but see that the plastic gear has been a major failure point. Looking at the Porter Cable. Any suggestions and warnings would be appreciated.
Thank you

[kevjob]

if you can stand hd they have the big mk 100 for 500 and will last a lot longer than the 370 i have the 370 only use it for 4x4 or 6x6 wall tiles.

[opiethetileman]

Construction complete they have better deal plus they give us a few bones for the forums

[Wade]

I know about Construction Direct, I have purchased from them before and will probably make this purchase there also. More looking at what brand and model to consider and which to stay away from.

Wade

[Mike2]

My advice would be to consider the Felker TM-75 which is available through our Online Store .

It has a larger much quieter motor than those MK saws with grinder motors you mention plus it's backed by Felker's Five-Star customer service.

Go to our Liberry and you will find several threads featuring this saw.

[coloradotrout]

my 2 cents.. (you can see my thread on the mk370exp also)

Get the Felker TM75 if you are OK w/ cutting only 10" tiles diagonally.

Consider the MK370EXP if you need to be able to cut 12" files diagonally and you are OK with the issues I noted in my other thread. I don't know if the plastic gears are in the 370EXP.. it does not sound like it.. but I really don't know... the table on the 370exp is aluminum.. the 370 I believe is plastic..

Spend $500-$600 if you are going to do a lot of tiling.. and ask your Q of what's available in that range, but dig deep on what the extra $200 really gets ya. At least the MKs.. it seems they pretty much run on the same rail system. Big difference it the motor.. but I suggest you look closely at how it aligns w/ the rail system.. it might run smoother, quieter, and longer.. but it may not cut any more accurate. Also consider the weight of the unit. Are you lugging this around? Packing and unpacking?

[coloradotrout]

First let me say I'm a beginner at tiling.. just one 40 sq ft bath thusfar. I'd love to hear from pro tilers as to the accuracy of their tools.. and also just how much they rely on accessories like straight cut guides, bevel guides, and diagonal guides.

My MK370exp out of the box is not very accurate -- at least to my standards. See my other thread on this. Maybe I just got a bad one. But their support is pretty lousy also. I got it from contractorsdirect.com. 1st round they directed me to MK, who bounced it back to them. CD then made the call to MK for me.. and asked me to take it to a service center.. MK, Dewalt or B&D. I did.. the guy there did not even want to deal with it. It was a motor shop, so he could care less about the table/rail alignment issue. And when he pulled the blade off the "grinder" based motor.. it ran quiet, thus he declared "no trouble found". I get exactly the same results under those conditions, but when the 7" diamond blade is on it.. there's a "gear catching" sound.. a thump.. thump.. every so often. It would seem to be getting better.. when I first got it, I could switch it off/on into a state where it rumbled horribly. If anyone has a 7" angle grinder maybe they can chime in on if it makes that sound also. I have a 4.5" Harbor Freight (cheapie) one and it runs smooth.

I'm not saying dont buy the MK370exp. If there is another 18" cut saw out there in that $300 range, it would be worth a look. 18" get you through a 12" tile diagonallly. My alignment problem could be resolved with a simple design change. If MK is listening here.. just make the table to rail assembly independent; a couple of small bolts to attach the table to the sliding assembly. Then we could set the table perpendicular to the rail. That is the only adjustment that cannot be done.