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

[johnnyaico]

What's a good brand (and model) wet tile saw for under $300? I have a few small to medium size jobs in the house and plan to use porcelain quite a bit. The tiles are up to 13" - probably straight cuts - but, maybe diagonal. Thanks.

[John Bridge]

Hi Johnny,

You can get the perfect saw in our store. Look for the Felker TM-75.

Here's a little review we did on the saw a couple years ago:

http://tileyourworld.com/tilesaw.htm

[purdyd]

Originally Posted by johnnyaico

What's a good brand (and model) wet tile saw for under $300? I have a few small to medium size jobs in the house and plan to use porcelain quite a bit. The tiles are up to 13" - probably straight cuts - but, maybe diagonal. Thanks.

If you go diagonal with 13 inch you will need a saw that will do 18 inches.

I don't know if Felker has one but there is a MK saw in your price range that will do the job.

And i would not do a tile job without a wet tile saw.


David

[ronnald]

I read this site for tile saw advice several months ago. I bought the Felker 75 a few months ago going from the advice I read on this site. It's a very nice wet saw, esp for the price. The only thing that seems to "bother" me, is the guides are plastic, but maybe that is common for wetsaws, I don't know. Also the rubber drape in back doesn't let the water runoff back into the tub but I plan on modifying that this week . Nevertheless it's a nice saw.

[coloradotrout]

The MK 370EXP (need the EXP) is a decent saw, IMO, for about 319 now at various resellers. That price should include the stand and a kit. I do have a post out here about 2 issues I'm having w/ the saw. The motor/gear issue I'm confident will be fixed, and the alignment issue may just be my desire for near perfection. Other than that, this saw cuts 18", so it will do a 12" tile diagonally. That was the selling point for me. But don't forget about simple snap cutters. A friend loaned me his inexpensive one, and it worked very well. I went ahead and bought a Brutus 20". For straight cuts that are hidden along a wall, etc., it's much quicker, much simpler, and much cleaner. Unless you are cutting a really narrow pieces (less than 0.5"), the snap cutter will be a joy to use. I just about went with a tile saw only, but I'm so glad I gave the snap cutter a try. I guess my point is, I'd be very unhappy cutting all the tiles with a wet saw. I guess capacity of the wet saw would be the other thing to consider. The MK is pretty well made. My only wish is they would have made the table to rail adjustable. It's instead a solid aluminum casting, and in my case, it's not exactly perpendicular. I'm hoping I just got a bad one, and MK can replace it with a good one, else I may try to figure out a way to make it adjustable. I'm striving for exactly 90 deg between table back rest and rail, and exactly parallel of sliding rail to blade. The latter can be achieved with the rail adjusting screws.

[purdyd]

Originally Posted by coloradotrout

The MK 370EXP (need the EXP) is a decent saw, IMO, for about 319 now at various resellers. .

That is what i have and yes it is loud, i wear muffs, but it makes quick work of the diagonal 12" tiles. And yes you can make two cuts on smaller saws but it is a pain and if you end up with 18" tile, like i have, you really want 18" travel in the table.


Maybe it is just me, i just don't like snap cutters. I have now done about 800 sq feet of floor with a tile molding, a bathroom tub enclosure and now working on another bathroom. Oh and a fireplace.

tile saws pay for themselves.


David

[purdyd]

just one last thought,

i was talking to a contractor about tile saws, he has one of the large mondo size ones but tends to use snap cutters.

Why? first the big saws use larger blades which cost more, a lot more, ok, but they are heavy and hard to move around also and so he doesn't like to break it out.

So the smaller tile saws make a lot of sense, even for pros

I just think it is a shame the something like the Felker 150 doesn't have a bigger table and pan with more travel. Aterall, it is really just a bit more plastic and longer rails, not much of a cost difference at all. That is why the 370exp sort of hits a sweet spot. Light (noisy) but with capability to handle long cuts

But really, i would like a larger table and a better stop guide system for repeated cuts (i am spoiled by my tablesaw). But it seems you have to go bigger and heavier to get that.

Maybe an upgrade kit with 28" travel and a wider table for the F150 produced by tile world.... hint hint.

David

[coloradotrout]

aaah.. another woodworker gone tilesetter ;-)

That is my struggle right now.. I'm used to woodworking accuracy.. at least 1/16th across 24 to 48 inches.. maybe 1/32nd or better, with tools set to .005 or so accuracy. My MK370exp is not even close to that. MK and the retailer (contractorsdirect.com) insisted I take it to a repair center (DeWalt). I've done that, buy my intentions are to get a new saw. Afterall it was brand new. The gear rumbles like there are marbles inside, and the table (fence) to rail is off an 1/8" from back to front (table is not perpendicular to rail). So even though I can set the rail parallel to the table, I cannot get a 'tuned' saw. I'm sure the gear issue can be resolved. I used a friend's MK370exp, and yeah it was noisy (it's a grinder.. what can I say), but it ran as a grinder should.

[hitechguy]

Does anyone have experience with the Husky saw being sold by Home Depot? It's a 7 inch angle grinder style and runs low-$300. I'm mainly interested to know if it's an accurate and durable machine. It boasts a laser guide (doesn't do much for me) comes with a stand, and is locally available. But if it's crap, it's crap ...

Looks like most on this forum are satisfied with the Felker, I'm just looking for some other options before deciding.

Any opinions appreciated.

[bellabella]

I bought the home depot saw. It lasts about6-9 months then burns out. If you are going to use it for a couple small projects, its great. Easy to use and precise. But for the long haul it won't hold up. I went thru 2 of them; brought them back each time then switched to a US made MK saw.

[hitechguy]

ok, thanks for the info. I only want to have to do this once :-)

So then I'm probably down to deciding between the Felker 75 and the MK 370EXP. Sounds like the Felker is quieter and more accepted in this forum, although I don't can't seem to find them stocked locally (MN) and I hate bying stuff w/o seeing it first.

I'm leaning toward the 370, but I'm a bit nervous about some of the accuracy issues coloradotrout expresses. Perhaps my accuracy expections are out of line ... I too am a woodworker turned weekend-tiler.