Angus will tell you Felker if you can find it. MK is good, but you pay through the nose if you want a 24" cutting capacity. The 101 at lowes only cuts up to 18". I've heard terrible things about the Rigid saws, but also there are some guys who like them. I went w/ the Dewalt for my remodeling company and it has worked out wonderfully for me so far. Before my Dewalt, I had a QEP bridge saw. Worked OK until it started going out of square every other tile. This only happened after about 8000 sq feet of tile was installed w/ it though. Not too bad for a $300 saw.

I guess it really depends on how much you will be using this. Since your an electrician, it probably won't see constant use. The best advise is buy the best you can afford.

 

I'll be getting alot of use out of it for sure. Got to remove and replace some pavers and tiles to lay some conduit for country club. About 15000 sq. ft. in walk way lighting, landscape lighting, comm and all that crap someone didn't think of when they built the country club.

 

If its mostly for pavers, you may want to think about getting a paver saw. MK makes some pretty awesome ones and you can find them pretty cheap used on Craigslist and Ebay. The nice thing about the paver saws is that they are gas powered for portability and just plain power. For that much paver work/repair, I would look into a paver saw for sure. I've also seen a lot of guys just pull out a cut-off saw w/ a diamond blade for a few cuts here and there. With a little practice you can get really good w/ these.

 

Why not rent?

With wet saws, you get what you pay for. So a home cheapo saw is just that. A decent saw will run you $700-$1000. That doesn't seem like a good investment for 1 job.

Regardless, if you do purchase, most likely the new blade will be sub-par. Consider buying a new blade too.

 

I compared the rental rates and during the length of the entire job.. 3-5 months. I would be the owner of 2 of these. So outright buying one is best suit for me. Which models of felker do you recommend? I would need to cut new pavers for replacement and also tiles up to 18x18.

I'm considering a dewalt, felker or mk diamond

 

I have been happy with my Dewalt

 

If you need right away, go Dewalt & get a Raimondi blade. If you can wait, there will be a badass new saw being released soon. Husqvarna assumed both the Felker & Target names. Not sure of release date.

There are no longer saws made with the Felker name.

 

DeWalt is great, I've been very happy with mine for 3 years. It's a great saw when it's just you to set up on your own.

 

Happy with my Felker FTS- 150


ML

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I'd stick with a dewalt.. now for a good vendor to buy from and the best price out there?

 

Where are you located?

 

I am located in northern california near San Francisco.

 

Check locally. Going rate for the Dewalt is $800.

Or you can call my favorite online supplier.

 

I'll give your supplier a holler and see whats the best price. Thanks!:thumbsup:

 

I have had this one for over a year now and have completed 9 descent tile jobs with it. Works like a champ, and for the price you can't beat it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-hor...l-tile-brick-saw-95385.html?utm_term=95385&utm_medium=cse&utm_source=googlebase

Description of Chicago Electric Power Tools 95385
Two-position cutting head lets you adjust the 10” blade for cutting standard tiles or bricks up to 3-1/8" thick. Tile/brick saw includes a built-in, 3 gallon per minute water pump, removable easy-to-clean high-impact ABS water tub, and 45° miter fixture. Powerful, 2.5 horsepower dual capacitor motor has sealed bearings and thermal overload protection.

• Cuts tiles up to 18" long, 12" diagonally
• Cuts to a maximum depth of 3-1/8"
• Oversized steel frame with precision linear bar system for smooth operation
• Unique heavy-duty cast alloy column and cutting head for reduced vibration

Stand sold separately. Diamond blade shown, sold separately.
Motor: 2.5 HP, 115 volts, 15 peak amps Max. speed: 3550 RPM Arbor: 5/8" Overall dimensions: 37-3/4" L x 22" W Shipping Weight: 97.0 lbs.

 

Yes and you won't be disappointed by Dewalt. Just do a review not only for pro's opinions about it but also their service record. It's not some cheaply made in China saw sold at a discount store.

Ask for Rich or Don. They will give you opinions of other options based on your needs too.

Good luck :thumbsup:

 

Angus,

Where would someone go to find service records for a product?:whistling

Also, good thing the Chicago Electric isn't a cheaply made Chinese saw. :thumbup:

http://www.protoolreviews.com/revie...com/reviews/power-tools/corded/saws-routers/chicago-electric-10-inch-tile-brick :thumbup:

And I love Discount stores. You get stuff cheaper, so anyone who wants to pay full retail, have fun suckas! :laughing:

 

Angus,

Where would someone go to find service records for a product?:whistling

Also, good thing the Chicago Electric isn't a cheaply made Chinese saw. :thumbup:

http://www.protoolreviews.com/revie...com/reviews/power-tools/corded/saws-routers/chicago-electric-10-inch-tile-brick :thumbup:

And I love Discount stores. You get stuff cheaper, so anyone who wants to pay full retail, have fun suckas! :laughing:

I highly doubt that the HF model is the same or close to the same quaility as the Dewalt saw.... I have always found that you get what you pay for.:whistling

 

I forget to ask one question before I make the buy leap. I'm going to cut a lot of porcelain tiles as well. Will the dewalt hiccup over that?

 

You've hit on something very important, the motor!

I'll be honest, I got rid of my Dewalt because I felt I was over powering it. Did it ever fail? No. Did it ever come close to failing? No. Did it do everything I asked it to? Yes.

I just felt it was time to move to the best available. Once I got to a Baldor motor it made a huge difference in my opinion on tile saws. You routinely hear about guys with old Felker or Target saws that are 10, 15 & even 20 years old. There is no cheap plastic on my big Felker saw to break. So for me, the $200 extra spent on the Felker over a Dewalt is chump change.

If you're gonna consider low end stuff like Chicago Electric, than you mind as well shop Ryobi, Husky and QEP saws too. Don't let some internet tool review site tell you what is good. Do your own search and look what other professional contractors are using and saying about a saw before deciding to buy one.

 

wow some people on these sites wine so friken much it's quite hillariouse.

When I'm about to purchanse an investment like this I look at it from a few different points of view. And COST is actually my last point of view. I would rather go with a more expensive and higher quality than a cheaper one for this reason:

All of my tools are either dewalt, ridgit or hilti and Im proud of them because they have not failed me yet and dont think they will because they are made for contractors to use them daily. Another question most people dont think about is, what will your customer/vendor think of u when you walk onto a 15,000sq.ft. project with a cheap ass tool? I think that is very important. And i'm not saying that the you the contractor will be able to do the job any better with the $900.00 delwat saw compared to a $100.00 HF saw. Because the skill is all in the contractors head. Instead i love it when I walk onto the project and my vendor prides him self that they have great contractors with quality tools rather than someone who keeps coming onto the job with cheap brand name tools when the project is set at a nice high price.

 

How do you know these guys are pro's and that they use the saws day in day out? :blink: Seems like most bought the tile to do a small job and then let it sit. Buying a cheap tool to use 4-5 times a year is fine and nothing wrong with that. Just don't expect it to have the quality, accuracy, life expectancy and after sales service that a good quality saw has.

 

How do I know your a pro? You guys are something else. You guys are weak in argument. I never said that most of the reviews were from pros, but that pros reviewed the saw and liked it. I have provided enough evidence to prove that it is not a cheap saw. You are going to cling to being a tool snob and have no real want or desire to listen to actual good reasoning.

Can't Beat It For The Price! Review by Geoff


I am a contractor and bought this saw figuring if it held out for two jobs it would pay for itself in the charges I would have paid to rent one. It has more than paid for itself! I have used it for 5 large brick patio jobs and 25+ tile jobs and it has worked as well as the MK ones I have always rented. I have had it for over 4 years. I had to replace the belt on it once and the pump but I abuse this saw. I would definitely recommend it to anyway.
(Posted on 9/29/10)

good saw Review by JMG services


I have one since 2005 and I have to say that it is great, good power, good capasity I'm still using the same blade but I will upgrade it soon, I love HFT tools I have a few of them, I know they are not perfect but remember that you are not paying as you should pay for a big brand tool, this machine will do the job with not problem and by the end of the day you'll save some money if you compare a similar machine from HD $ 799.00 or more
(Posted on 9/23/10)

 

TNT, you want to debate, fine. But check the name calling. You are barking up the wrong tree by going there.

 

I would get a Raimondi.

and a Husky table top for the delicate cuts.

 

Well guys I went out and bought a dewalt and a harbor freight tile saw. That harbor freight tile saw with a nice diamond blade bought seperate definately had the power to cut my test sample pieces of poreclain. The dewalt was a bit sluggish cutting porecelain tiles.

no bull**** answer for you guys.

I'm keeping both saws... the dewalt for other tile pieces. The harbor is definately going to be for what Harbor is known for... heavy use and abuse (those damn pavers).

 

Thanks for playing.....