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If you’re even renovating your kitchen, refurbishing your bathroom or simply adding a few tiles here and there, a tile saw will come in handy. It will also pay for itself after only a few projects, or even just one.
In this article, we’ll provide you with some wet tile saw reviews of the best products on the market right now while going over why these machines are so useful and why they are worth getting.
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Why Buying a Wet Tile Saw?
Wet tile saws are made for cutting tiles and not much of anything else. They are tools with a specific, singular purpose, which is the reason a lot of people avoid buying them as they just don’t see how useful they can be.
They are unique machines – electric saws with steel, diamond encrusted blades, filled with water that sprays everywhere. It seems like a lethal combination, but it works wonderfully. It functions similarly to a miter saw in the sense that the saw slides through the work table onto which you place the material you want it to cut. Or alternatively, you push the tile into the stationary, rotating blade. It also has the ability to make angled cuts and usually has an adjustable fence to measure the cuts.
Cut tiles without a hitch with the best wet tile saw
But a tile saw doesn’t cut as much as it “grinds” through the materials that are offered to the blade. This creates a lot of friction, and that’s why water is necessary – to cool both the blade and the material it is cutting. This makes both less susceptible to chipping thus ensuring a clean cut.
The reason for owning one is simple – if you have any need for working with tiles in or around your house, it will save you both money and time. Renting a saw or even paying someone to cut the tiles for you can be costlier than simply purchasing a tile saw and doing it yourself.
You won’t need much experience or knowledge to operate one either, despite what professionals might say to try and dissuade you from doing it yourself and not paying them in the process. Almost anyone can make perfect cuts with a wet tile saw and using it doesn’t require much effort – you probably won’t even need to read the instructions, though you should.
Overall, it’s true that wet tile saws have a limited use, but what they can do they do well, better than other saws can. If you have any need for cutting tiles or similar materials, getting a wet tile saw is a good choice.
Of course, they aren’t all great, and we came across plenty of bad tile saws during our rigorous testing process. It’s not always easy to judge a saw like this before you try it out, but if you know enough, you can make an educated guess. Of course, that knowledge would usually come through buying and using plenty of bad products along the way – but we already did that for you. In this article, we’ll go over the most important factors to look at when it comes to tile saws and offer our reviews of the best products out there right now. We also peppered in some user reviews, for some extra info. In short, this will fully prepare you for picking a good tile saw for yourself. So, without further ado, here are the top three products we picked.
Meet the Best Wet Tile Saws
The Good: It’s a great tile saw that excels in almost every regard.
The Bad: The price is high, and the motor produces a lot of noise and vibration.
The Bottom Line: It is an expensive tile saw that has some issues, but in the end, we believe it is well worth the price.
The Good: For the price, this is a decent wet tile saw with good cutting capacity.
The Bad: The blade rusts easily, it’s messy, the water spills everywhere while working.
The Bottom Line: This is a decent saw at a low price point, but it has some significant flaws which are difficult to ignore.
The Good: It’s an incredibly cheap tile saw that is still sturdy and offers decent performance.
The Bad: Not fit for anything except light work and has some annoying design flaws.
The Bottom Line: This is an underpowered tile saw with some obvious flaws, but for this price, it is still difficult to pass up.
These were the previews only; for the full reviews and recommendations, read below:
All of the Factors Considered
There are plenty of difficulties you can come across when trying to buy a tool like a tile saw, especially if you’re inexperienced. They are tools with an incredibly specific purpose, so most of their specs do not apply to them the same way they do to other saws. Because of that, a tile saw that might look good on the surface could, in actuality, be quite an ineffectual product and you might not notice that until you start cutting. So, we decided to help you out with the picking and buying process by listing what we consider to be the most important features to consider when it comes to tile saws.
Engine Strength
The power of the engine is what determines almost everything about the performance of the tile saw. The most important of all it affects how fast the blade rotates and how well it can cut. Most wet tile saws use an electric motor, so the noise and vibrations usually aren’t a huge concern.
Engines of up to 0.5 horsepower are usually adequate for smaller jobs and cutting thinner, ceramic tiles. For something harder and thicker you would need a more powerful engine, sometimes up to 2 horsepower, but that already steers into more expensive and weighty territory of professional-grade machines. It all depends on what you need and what you want to do with your wet tile saw.
Cutting Capacity
The cutting capacity of a saw like this is mostly determined by the size of the blade as well as the size of the table. There are two important numbers you will encounter concerning the cutting capacity of a saw like this. The rip capacity, referring to the distance from the blade to the fence and the maximum width you can cut a tile into, is the first of them. The other is the depth of cut since it effectively determines the maximum thickness of the tiles you can cut with the saw.
The noise and vibrations aren’t a huge concern
Overall, you almost always want a saw that will have a larger blade, a larger cut capacity, and a larger table, as well as higher adjustability. Of course, bigger blades are also thicker so if you want finer cuts you might want to opt for a saw with a smaller, thinner blade at times. You might also have a limited work area, or you might desire a portable machine, in which case you should also pick a smaller unit with a smaller work table. In the end, it all depends on what you need from the tile saw you’re buying.
Durability
As with all similar tools, you don’t want to buy a tool that will fall apart within months or after a couple of uses – you want a machine that will last and pay itself off with quality work.
To that end, you should check almost every aspect of it and ensure that it is well-made. For starters, look for a machine that uses mostly metal in its construction, while using little to no plastic or similar, flimsy materials. That won’t completely ensure you get a durable product, but it will get you on the safe side.
More to the point, check out the experiences of different users; see if they complain about a specific component and its flimsiness and whether that component can be easily replaced with a better one. If it can, the saw may still be worth buying despite that concern.
Additional Features
Wet tile saws, like most other saws of similar ilk, can have a variety of useful or not-so-useful extra features and add-ons. Some of them may provide additional comfort to the user or give more functionality and versatility to the saw and so on. There are loads of different features, and it’s difficult to pick out the best ones, so you should simply guide yourself by what you need the most and what you consider to be useful.
Of course, you shouldn’t get a saw that’s overloaded with tons and tons of extra features since it might not provide good core functionality. Try to strike a balance and get a saw with a couple of decent additions instead of one with a huge mixed bag of extras.
Those are the most important aspects to consider and here’s how we ranked our top products in those areas.
In-depth Reviews of 3 Best Wet Tile Saws
DEWALT D24000
Key Features
Strong but Noisy and Bumpy Engine
The engine in this unit is strong, sitting at an above-average 1.5 HP. This gives the blade enough power to handle almost any material you put in front of it. It’s incredibly noisy and produces plenty of vibration though. It’s both the best and the worst thing about this unit.
Great Cutting Capacity
With its 10-inch blade this saw can cut up to 3-1/8 inches deep while having a rip capacity of 24 inches, and a diagonal capacity of 18. It far exceeds the average in this regard, and we haven’t even mentioned the miter feature and the degree guide.
Tough, Durable but Compact Construction
This tile saw doesn’t weigh a lot and is easily portable, but despite that, it’s a sturdy machine. There’s a lot of tough stainless steel in its construction, and it’s all solidly put together with not one loose screw in sight.
Good Additional Features
The standout feature of this saw is its plunge feature, allowing you to make quick plunge cuts with ease. The dual water nozzles are also a time-saver as you won’t have to deal with an excess of water as much as you would with other saws. It’s a good package all-around.
Customer Reviews
If you want a top quality tile saw, this is the one I would recommend this one over all the others.
Who Should Buy this Product
If you’re looking for an exceptional wet tile saw that can handle nearly everything and work as an almost professional-grade product would – this is the one. It’s a supremely strong, durable saw with great cutting capacity and loads of good extra features. It’s above average in almost every regard.
What to Watch Out For
Another thing that’s above-average when it comes to this saw – the price point. It’s an expensive piece of kit, not something everyone can afford. The noise and vibration levels coming from the motor are also far above average and may be intolerable for some.
The Conclusion
Overall, this is one of the best consumer-grade wet tile saws you can get right now. It’s great in almost every regard, offering almost unparalleled power, cutting capacity and portability. It is expensive though and has some downsides, the worst of which are the noise and vibrations of the motor. Still, it’s an amazing product, and it might just be worth the price if you can afford it.
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SKIL 3550-02
Key Features
Decently Powerful Motor
This motor has approximately ¾ HP, making it moderately strong for a wet tile saw like this. It is nothing exceptional, but it works well and is rather noiseless and free of vibration.
Adequate Cutting Capacity
The blade is seven inches in diameter – quite average. The cut depth and rip capacity are not readily available, but you can estimate it by the blade size. The blade is not adjustable though. The bevel can be set to 0, 22.5 and 45 degrees. Overall, it is average at best, but that’s still good for a below-average price.
Not Quite Durable
The frame and the body of the saw are mostly solid, but the rest of it not so much. The blade is the worst offender as it rusts easily, but the various plastic parts are also rather flimsy and easy to break. You’ll have to replace parts of it sooner rather than later.
A Strange Mix of Extra Features
Some extra features, like the touted HydroLock System, don’t work that well – the water still spills everywhere. Others, like the extension to the table and the miter gauge, work just fine. It’s a mixed bag overall.
Customer Reviews
Who Should Buy this Product
People looking for a wet tile saw that wouldn’t tax their wallet too much are in for a treat with this product. It has more than decent specs for its price, offering good cutting capacity as well as some decent adjustability and additional features. Overall, it’s just good bang for your buck.
What to Watch Out For
There are a couple of issues with this saw, and none of them can be easily overlooked. For starters, it’s messy and spills water all over the place, no matter how you set it. This problem is compounded by the fact that the blade – even when cleaned properly – rusts rather quickly. It also has plenty of cheaper plastic parts that seem rather flimsy. It’s just not that durable, sadly.
The Conclusion
Overall, this saw is mostly a good value proposition as it offers some decent power and cutting capacity for a low price. However, it has more than a few flaws, including some that can be mended, like the easy-to-rust blade, and some that can’t like the messy operation and flimsy parts. In the end, it’s a mixed bag, but it might be worth it for some as it still does the job decently.
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QEP 22650Q 650XT
Key Features
An Engine of Average Power
It’s got around 3/4 HP, so it’s nothing special, but it works fine, which is more than enough for such a low price. It allows the blade to achieve a speed of 3600 RPM.
Small Cutting Capacity
The cutting capacity of this unit is less than impressive, with its seven-inch blade only cutting 1-1/4 inches deep. The rip capacity also seems low, probably 16 inches, 18 at best by our estimation. It’s barely average.
Surprisingly Durable
It has a sturdy steel frame and a steel table while the rest is made of plastic. Still, it’s rather durable plastic, which is more than surprising considering the low price.
Lacks Extra Features
The table extension is nice, allowing you to cut larger tiles with this unit, but that’s all it has. No other additional features are present, making this saw more than a little lacking in that regard.
Customer Reviews
I’m using this to redo my master bath with marble and porcelain tiles. I needed to cut around 20 12 by 12 tiles to around 9 by 10. It took around two hours to do that; the cuts were clean and quite consistent in measurement, for which I used the saw’s guide. For this price that was more than good enough for me.
Who Should Buy this Product
If you’re on a tight budget and looking for a wet tile saw that will work for you and have decent specs, this is a great choice. It’s exceedingly low in price, more so than most other products, but it offers decent bang for the buck and is surprisingly sturdy – it will last for a long while.
What to Watch Out For
This is not a product that can be used for heavy duty tasks; it can handle light work with thin tiles made from soft materials, at best. Even then it will prove to be difficult to use – the water will spray into your face if you’re not careful, and some parts of it like the fence won’t work well. It’s a cheap wet tile saw, and it shows.
The Conclusion
Overall, this product has one big thing going for it, and that is that anyone can afford it – it’s as cheap as you can get. To be fair, it also offers decent specs for a machine of that price and is surprisingly sturdy, so it will last. However, it has more than its fair share of manufacturing flaws, and it can only handle light duty work. It will fit some people for sure, but if you want something more powerful, look elsewhere.
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The Best Tile Saw – DEWALT D24000
It took us a while to come up with the three products we would include in this article, as we came across plenty of great tile saws during our research and testing process. Still, we managed to pick these three as the products that stood out above all the rest by being exceptional in some regard. The most exceptional out of all of them, however, would be the DEWALT D24000.
This saw impressed us the most because it’s not just above-average in almost every regard – it’s exceptional. It stands above the rest simply by being better in all aspects and having barely any flaws to speak of. For a product of this quality, you can tolerate a bit of noise and vibrations. Despite how expensive it is, we think it’s more than worth the price, and that makes it our best pick.
The Conclusion
While we do consider the other products here to also be valuable in their own right, we think they just can’t compete with the DEWALT D24000 and what it offers. Still, there might something that you don’t like about the wet tile saw we picked as the best and you could be in need of something else. In that case, just use all the information we presented here as a guideline to pick the ideal wet tile saw for you. The only thing we wanted to achieve with this article was to help you through that process, and we hope we were successful. If you have found this article helpful – share it around, we would appreciate that. Until next time, have a great day!
You are absolutely right, wet tile saws are pretty much specialized tools and totally useless if you don’t have to work with tiles most of the time. Still, it doesn’t hurt to know a great product/deal in case anyone would need one. Might get the DEWALT D24000 in that case.
I would have preferred the Dewalt D24000 but the noise is a turn off. No tile saw is perfect but I prefer a device without much noise.
Our Dewalt is still working well. It was bought when we renovated the house and dad decided he will decorate our porch with tiles and that he needed a tile cutter.
A lot of people don’t go for wet tiles saws because they are made for cutting tiles and not much of anything else. Normally tools with a specific or singular purpose are hardly bought by people.