DEWALT DW861W Heavy-Duty 4.5-Inch Wet/Dry Masonry Saw

List Price: $189.00 Discount Price: $185.59

Features:

• High power 12.5 amp motor for cutting hard materials such as granite and porcelain
• Includes 13 foot water line for wet cutting
• The premium 4 1/2" diamond blade allows the user to cut ceramics and stone materials up to 3cm deep
• 0-to-45-degree bevel feature and shoe for precise angled cuts
• Only 6 lbs. for reduced user fatigue

Customer Reviews:

Professional Grade Portable Wet Saw [Posted on 2006-02-19]
DeWalt DW861W Wet/Dry Masonry Saw

Pros:

- Unusually powerful motor for a small saw (12.5 amps)
- Blade spins at 11,500 RPMs for efficient cutting
- 4.5" blade included with saw is excellent. Described as extended performance (XP) "450x longer life than abrasive blades", suitable for "tile, porcelain, and other masonry products", part number 626708-00. Retail price is about $30.
- Two-pronged rubber electric cord has a built-in GFCI, is 13' long, and is soft/pliable rubber.
- 1/4" clear water line has built-in 5-PSI regulator (at house pressure, water line would burst or pop off the water "manifold"), is 13' long, and is clear & pliable. Water regulator has female threads to receive male end of a garden hose.
- Manifold has valve to control water-volume spray onto both sides of blade, and is blued brass. Setup keeps the blade very wet.
- Cuts 0 to 45 degrees, just like a wood-working circular saw
- Comfortable handle with no sharp spots; fits my large hand
- Tool is easy to control
- Push-button option to lock switch to the ON position for long cuts
- Steel sole-plate has thick zinc-plating
- Suitable for production use at a stone/granite/slate fabrication shop; with the proper blade, can cut the hardest stone-like materials: concrete, concrete-stucco, patio-pavers, brick, porcelain, marble, granite, or any tile.

Cons:

- Does not include a carrying case, probably to keep the price lower. Unfortunately, if you transport or store this tool, it really needs one. Portable wet saws have no blade guard, as it would obstruct the water manifold. Even with the blade fully raised, it still extends past the sole-plate by about 1/8", so you have to be careful setting the tool down so as to not damage the blade. Also, 13' water & electric lines, with a bulky GFCI and regulator on their ends, make the tool a bit unwieldy to carry. I made a carrying case out of wood - which means the tool has to be thoroughly dry before putting it in the case.

Other:

- My saw has no serial number. The spot on the tool after the words "serial number", is blank?
- The saw is loud; no doubt due to the very high RPMs.
- Safety note: A wood cutting blade could be mounted on this saw. However, portable circular saws designed for wood have built-in blade guards to protect you from the spinning blade. That guard also protects the blade itself when you set the saw down, and it protects you from most of the wood chips during the cutting process. In other words, it's not a good idea to use a wet saw for wood cutting. Most wet saw blades are actually quite safe, as there are NO teeth to cut you. You can typically brush against the spinning blade that comes with this saw without serious injury, unlike a spinning wood-cutting blade, which is extremely dangerous.

Summary:

The Makita 4101RH is also a professional-brand portable wet saw, but it:

- costs more
- has a cheap-looking plastic water "manifold", vs. brass on the DeWalt
- has less powerful motor (7.9 amps vs. 12.5 amps for the DeWalt)
- comes with a cheaper blade than the DeWalt

The DeWalt DW861W is a fine choice for the professional tile-setter, or the serious Do-It-Yourselfer.

Awesome!! [Posted on 2007-03-08]
This little bugger works great! I was laying some framework and some floor tiles were in the way. I set the depth to be just enough to cut tile yet not go into concrete below.It adjusted perfectly, I didn't even use water since it was a fast cut.It cut right through with precision like a breeze in a super straight line.Definitely a time saver.

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