MK Diamond 158252 MK-145 1/2-Horsepower 4-1/2-Inch Wet Tile Saw
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List Price: Our Price: $95.99 You Save: $29.01 (23%) Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of MK Diamond 158252 MK-145 1/2-Horsepower 4-1/2-Inch Wet Tile Saw
Customer Review: Best saw for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
This saw, by far in the way, is the best you could purchase for your money. So far, using only this saw, I have completed the tiling of a half-bath (using standard size tiles), a back splash (using roughly 1.5" tiles) and am in the process of completing a foyer (250 sq/ft and 18" tiles). This saw has cut them all and is still going, although I did purchase the upgraded blade. For a DIY who is not looking to do major over hauls this saw is perfect.
However, there are several drawbacks.
- The water system is terrible on it and the basin usually runs out after a single cut so you should invest in a pump and some tubing to remedy this.
- It is extremely messy, you should either buy plastic shield or just prepare to get soaked, you cannot use this saw indoors. I would advise once you get the hang of it, learn to offset your body position to avoid the spray.
- There is no slide. Yes they include a crappy guide but to be honest, its worthless and I wouldnt use it. You will acheive a better cut by eyeing it yourself.
- Lasty, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, you must understand that this is a bottom blade saw. Knowing this, to achieve a cut without cracking/chipping the surface you should stop the cut before completion, and then begin on the end point of the cut. Otherwise, you will consistently snap/chip the tiles. This is the only way I have found to avoid this (cutting 3/4 of the length, and then flip the tile and finish it). This is a product of blade placement, and not the manufacturer.
Besides the cons lifted above, I would still rate this 5 stars for the DIYer. It is great for doing smaller projects, and has handled 18"ers for me. It will pay for itself in two uses vs. renting one so I would suggest just purchasing it. However, if you are going to be doing more than a handful of small projects, and are looking to be making a lot of complex cuts, you should probably not purchase this one. It will still do them, it will just take a lot longer.
Customer Review: Great little saw!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great little tile saw! It's easily worth twice the money. I bought it for a project that involved cutting 13 x 13 tiles for a fireplace. As long as you take your time, keep the water reservoir full and feed the tile slowly you should get good cuts. I've already made at least 200 cuts on large tile and the blade is still cutting like it did out of the box. I really like the design; it's just like a little table saw. I have a lot of experience cutting wood on all kinds of machines but have never cut tile in my life. Inside of 5 minutes I was making all kinds of cuts with great results. I really like the ability to cut 45 and 22-degree angles by just tilting up the table face near the blade.
The only thing that I would change on this saw would be to make it out of metal instead of plastic. Then, of course you would probably have to pay 2 to 3 times as much for it. This is not necessarily a criticism, just an observation.
Once you start using the saw and you get tile fragments on the top of the cutting area, it's difficult to move the cutting guide because it jams on the cut tile particles. You just have to remember to stop and clean the table off with a brush and some water every time you want to move the guide. Cutting tile with this saw is very messy. The blade is water-cooled and even though it has a splashguard that covers the blade, water and tile particles dribble off the saw and on to the floor. I had my kitchen tile done by professionals and the $1000 machine that they used made just as much of a mess, I guess that just comes with the job of cutting tile.
Like I've said before, I've worked with a lot of different tools and this little saw is a winner.
Customer Review: Great tool for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I had two tile jobs to do, a shower and a fireplace surround, and I didn't want to rent a saw because I wanted to be able to take my time. After lots of looking, this saw looked like the best option in the "low priced DIY" category. Having completed both jobs now (and one other small job in our kitchen because I was on a roll), I can confirm that the positive reviews for this saw are justified.
I started with the shower, which was done with a standard ceramic tile. The saw cut through the tile like butter. Adjusting the rip fence was a somewhat finicky job but doable and, like another reviewer, I initially had problems with each cut chipping at the end. However, I quickly determined that I could avoid the chipping by "notching" the tail end of the cut and then completing the cut from the other end.
Other reviewers have noted that this is a loud saw, which I can also confirm. The first day, I was thinking, "This thing doesn't seem THAT loud." but that night my ears were ringing and I decided to wear hearing protection from then on.
The fireplace surround used porcelain tile. Cutting these went a little slower but, frankly, that was somewhat of an advantage for me because the layout of the tile was on the diagonal and required a lot of unique freehand cuts which would have been kind of scary if the saw cut too quickly.
By the end of the second (and later, third) job, I was very satisfied with this tool. This saw doesn't claim to be a professional saw and it's not. However, as a DIY saw you are getting everything you paid for and maybe a little more.
Customer Review: Excellent Casual Use Saw
Summary: 5 Stars
The first saw I received from Amazon had a motor that was not fastened to its housing, and it arrived with the case edging shattered. Amazon exchanged it without question, and the second saw arrived shortly thereafter. I bought the saw to do a fireplace slip (the non-combustable, usually stone, tile, or brick area immediately surrounding the firebox). Not an enormous amount of cutting, but a job that required accuracy and a fine cut finish. This saw delivered both without complaint.
The saw was not as loud as I expected it to be after reading other reviews here. I also found that there was not as much mess from spray as I had been led to expect. I think the key to minimizing mess is to use the blade guard and to keep it as low and close to the workpiece as possible. The fence worked fine, as did the 45 degree guide for the fence. The device provided for keeping the saw from walking away while a cut is being made did a really good job.
This is a small, casual use saw. I think that if it is used with that in mind and it is not treated like an industrial-level production tool it will provide top-notch results (clean accurate cuts in a reasonable amount of time) for just about anybody. It certainly did for me. I also appreciated the ability to use the "garden hose" method of cleanup. That worked great too.
This saw is a keeper.
Customer Review: For what it is, a great saw
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this saw to do about 40 feet of edge cuts on floor tile with a few misgivings after reading the reviews here. However, having finished the job, I found nothing to complain about.
I cut 12"x12" slate tile which, while too big to allow use of the fence guide, was just fine with this saw. I haven't used a "professional" wet saw, but just made sure the water reservoir was full before each cut, and slowly pushed each tile through the blade, making sure I wasn't pushing hard enough to slow down or bind the motor.
I marked a line on each tile where I needed to cut, lined up the blade with one end of the line, checked with a straightedge against the blade to make sure I had the correct angle, turned on the saw, and started slowly pushing. The saw cut straight and true each time.
From reading the other reviews, I think you just need to buy this saw understanding that it's a lower-power, do-it-yourself oriented saw. It won't cut as quickly or as easily or as large as a more professional saw, but as long as you don't force it to do too much, it does just fine. I finished my cuts in a couple of days and they all turned out fine, even the two tiles where I had to make two right-angle cuts to get around a wall.