Decent Tile Saw?

[Handyandy23]

I'm looking to get a new tile saw and looking for opinions. I'm a DIYer so I'm not looking to spend big on something professional. That being said though, I've got a couple basements I'll be finishing in the next year or so, including bathroom floors, backsplashes, and likely showers, so I need something halfway decent.

From what I've looked at so far, it seems like there is no clearcut winner in the "DIY" class of tile saws. The ratings on most sites range from horrible to slightly above average. So I'm not expecting miracles.

My short list so far is the Porter Cable PCE980, Skil 3550-02, and Ridgid R4031S. They are all 7 inch blades and $200 or less, but the Ridgid is currently on sale at HD down from $350. It also has more capacity (cuts up to 24" vs 18" for the others). That's the one I'm leaning towards, but I'm also a bit worried by the inconsistent reviews on it. One complaint that seems consistent is that the accuracy falls off the table on longer cuts, which kind of negates the advantage of having larger capacity.

Anyone have any feedback on any of my options, either good or bad? Or perhaps any other options in that price range I'm missing?

 

[Farmall450]

The PC has 4.5 stars on Google; not too shabby for online reviews.

 

[noahwins]

What about renting a professional quality tool from Herc Rentals or equivalent? The thing with big ticket tools that aren't junk like a tile saw is they're huge. What do you do with them after you're done with them?

Or "rent" a tile saw from Craigslist. Buy it, use it, sell it for what you paid for it.

 

[The Cobbler]

Where do you live? I have 2 10" saws, and one could be for sale, I dont need 2
you would be able to re sell when you're done the project.
way better than the small table top saws

 

[James-W]

A friend of mine has this one from Harbor Freight.

https://www.harborfreight.com/7-in-portable-wet-cut-tile-saw-69231.html

If you were in business and was doing this everyday, then I would say this is NOT the saw for you. But for occasional use, it worked really well for my friend. He did his bathroom floor and his kitchen floor and the saw worked just great.

 

[Handyandy23]

What about renting a professional quality tool from Herc Rentals or equivalent? The thing with big ticket tools that aren't junk like a tile saw is they're huge. What do you do with them after you're done with them?

Or "rent" a tile saw from Craigslist. Buy it, use it, sell it for what you paid for it.

A tile saw for me falls as something I'll use enough I feel it's worth owning. I actually have one right now, it's just horrible to use and I wanted to upgrade. I find I've ended up using it more than expected.

The problem with rentals, at least around here, is they only rent pro grade tools and charge pretty big money. Usually $80-$100 a day. By the time I do a couple bathrooms and kitchen backsplashes paying $200 to own an ok one is definitely worth it.

 

[ChrisLS8]

I just did my whole kitchen backsplash and new shower with the Ryobi. Zero complaints

 

[Robinson1]

I bought the Ridgid 8 inch saw (too lazy to look up model # but Home Depot still offers it) about 8 years ago and have used it professionally. I average 5 or 6 bathroom remodels a year plus a handful of kitchen backsplashes and occasional random tile floor job. No complaints at all. If it dies tomorrow I'd buy another

 

[PugetDude]

I have an older HF 10" saw with a sliding table.
It's cut miles of travertine, a lot of ceramic, granite, and porcelain. I've done a dozen kitchens and baths myself, loaned it out for years at a time... it became the community tile saw. Everyone that borrowed it returned it with a new blade; I'll never have to buy another blade in my lifetime, It's belt drive,fairly noisy, throws a bit of water around, but it cuts smooth and square and just keeps on working.
Only real issue I've had with it is a bad switch; replaced it with a $2.00 toggle switch from...you guessed it, HF.

 

[Bluesnake]

Do you have a snap cutter already? A good snap cutter is nice to have for porcelain or ceramic and I use for most cuts on jobs. The snap cutter is quick to set up and doesn’t make a mess or a racket like the saw and alot cheaper than a pro saw. I use a small mk 770 wet saw for complex cuts like around vent registers where I can’t use the cutter. Very light and easy to transport amd set up. With natural stone tiles the snap cutter is not an option though.

 

[Robinson1]

You need a grinder with a good tile blade on it as well. Half the time I use a grinder over the wet saw for one off complex cuts. And a good tile blade doesn't have to be expensive. A continuous rim diamond blade can be had for less than $20

 

[Motown]

I have to agree, don't rule out the HF. Their not a bad saw. One thing is to make sure you Change the water when using it..

 

[M6erfan]

If you've ever used a "good" saw the HF is pretty terrible by comparison.

If you've got a tiny job and won't be using it often, the HF might be a decent choice. But for a one off project you'd be much better off renting a saw and getting the job done a lot more quickly, safely, and with a lot less swearing.

 

[PugetDude]

If you've ever used a "good" saw the HF is pretty terrible by comparison.

If you've got a tiny job and won't be using it often, the HF might be a decent choice. But for a one off project you'd be much better off renting a saw and getting the job done a lot more quickly, safely, and with a lot less swearing.

...says the guy who's never used one?

PS, I'd love to hear your explanation as to why the HF saw is slower and less safe than a rental saw? I'll go get the popcorn.

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

I have used the harbor freight one for 4 bathrooms, a kitchen, and other misc jobs.....and use 2? blades......it's been crazy good.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

This saw is downright fantastic for the money.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-7-in-Tile-Saw-with-Stand-R4030S/203757434

I found the 7" can do all the things a 10" can do without the blade deflection. Which makes for straighter/cleaner cuts. The only real benefit for a 10" is cutting bricks, but that is really hard on the saw anyways. Better to have two dedicated saws, one for tile, one for brick.

 

[Handyandy23]

This saw is downright fantastic for the money.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-7-in-Tile-Saw-with-Stand-R4030S/203757434

I found the 7" can do all the things a 10" can do without the blade deflection. Which makes for straighter/cleaner cuts. The only real benefit for a 10" is cutting bricks, but that is really hard on the saw anyways. Better to have two dedicated saws, one for tile, one for brick.

Thanks for the feedback, this is one I'm looking at since it's on a good sale in Canada right now. Only negative reviews I read on it were that the arbor has some play in it for longer cuts, but then others refuted that and said they must have something set up or installed wrong.

Have you noticed any of this deflection on long cuts?

 

[ddurrett896]

I got the 10' HF wet saw and it's a beast. Put a good Dewalt blade on it for like $50-$60.

Did my master bathroom, kitchen floor and back splash plus my buddies master bathroom, kitchen and living room.

Worth every penny. Ripped 24" and 36"tiles no problem.

 

[seber]

Buy used and sell when done. You can get a true professional saw for less than $200 that way and recoup when you sell.

 

[engineer2]

I never liked the tabletop saws because of the amount of water they spray out.

I had the 8" Felker TM75 (long discontinued) and it was a great saw and very portable. Sold to a contractor buddy who still uses it.

I now have a used Target 10" Target TA10100 which is a beast. Will cut tile or brick about as fast as you can push it through. Picked it up used from a rental company so it was well taken care of and came with all the accessories.

I would check the local used market for a professional saw you can resell. Lots to choose from on kijiji. There are a few gems if you are patient, but the majority of saws around here have been beat to death by contractors and never cleaned.

 

[M6erfan]

...says the guy who's never used one?

PS, I'd love to hear your explanation as to why the HF saw is slower and less safe than a rental saw? I'll go get the popcorn.

What? Never used what? A HF or a good one?

The MK rental saw was night and day better than the HF. Is MK not a good one? The MK was way more solid and cut much faster. Not even close.

 

[Handyandy23]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and comments so far. A couple things I wanted to note that have come up a few times:

- The HF saw isn't really an option for me since I live about 5 hours away from the closest one (and on the other side of the border). Not likely going to make that drive for a tile saw.

- I've looked at the used market locally and it's pretty poor. Not sure if this is a Canada / Toronto area thing, but everyone wants 75% of what they paid new because it's "only used a couple times". I'm also more the type that would like to buy new, take care of it, and keep it for future use myself, instead of flipping it again. I've found I pretty consistently end up 'finding' new jobs to have to use it on.

I'm pretty heavily leaning towards the Ridgid 7" Job Site saw that's on sale since it seems like a decent balance between junk and "pro". The cheapie table top ones are all around 5-6 amp motors, and this one is 9 amps (whereas the pro-level ones look to be 12-15 amps?). It'll handle larger tiles and it has a folding stand built into it. Seems like it'll give pretty good bang for the buck without having to get too spendy.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

The 7" will serve you well, here is what it can do.

 

[engineer2]

The ridgid R4030S 7" saw should be fine. Lots to be said for a portable saw. 7" diamond blades are easy to find too.

 

[Jeffksf]

I just picked up the newly released HF 7" and I love it. with coupon it was $219.

 

[laddy]

I also have he ridgid 7 incher don't have any complaints, its been through 6-10 large bathrooms and about as many kitchens and floors. I usually go through blade or two a year, I very much prefer the tray kind to the table saw kind some were recommending. Only is a drag if you are cutting real long thick tile, 2 plus feet by a foot or more, then you have to flip the tile 180 to finish the cut. Otherwise its a great saw and if it died tomorrow I would not hesitate to buy another.

 

[packet]

I have an MK101 I bought used to do tile in the last house I owned. I've done ~2500sq ft of tile or so with it so far, and have had zero issues other than having to align the blade once or twice. I've used it for everything up to 30" cuts with a few hacks.

Buy one used, sell it for the same amount you originally paid once you're done. I've had mine for 6 years now and still haven't gotten to the point that I'm ready to sell it.

MK makes good stuff. Dewalt also has a tile saw that looks pretty decent. you can get by with a cheap saw, but it makes everything harder. Life is too short to have to deal with ****** tools.

 

[TLCObsession]

I also have an MK101. I am a serious DIY guy who does renovations on rentals and other stuff we own. I paid $200 for the saw, tuned it up and have done a ton of projects with it. One thing about the pro saws that matters to me: Tile is hot right now. There are tons of trends from glass tile to 6" x 30" wood plank tile. It used to be a cheapy would get you by because you were doing subway tile or smaller format tile. Now with large format tile, glass tile and other materials that are trickier to cut, it makes a huge difference.

BTW - With large format 18 x 18 or 12 x 24 tile, I can't tell you how much better your results will be if you use a leveling system!