MK Diamond 155779 MK-470 1/2 Horsepower 7-Inch Wet Tile Saw

List Price: $323.08 Discount Price: $269.90

Features:

• Professionally engineered high torque AC motor for optimal power and durability
• Built-in, quick adjusting 45-degree miter system for less downtime
• Includes 7-inch diamond blade, water pump and rip guide for quick setup and versatility
• Chrome plated linear guide-bar system for precision alignment and accurate cutting
• Splashguard protects motor from water mist for reduced corrosion and better performance

Customer Reviews:

Wore out after one large tile job [Posted on 2005-11-02]
The good:

- Did a kitchen splash back job and a full-tile job for a bathroom -- 200 square feet of porcelain tile. It cuts very hard tile slowly, but on softer tile, it cuts quickly.

- Relatively inexpensive for a wet saw.

- Sufficiently light to make transport by one person, easy.

The bad:

- Water flow to the blade was not sufficient in my estimation, so I slightly modified the water output ports near the blade to increase the flow. Even though this only took 20 minutes, this is not something a customer should have to do.

- This tool is very loud; ear protection is needed; especially if used indoors.

- Lots of water is sprayed to the rear of the blade; M-K's water containment system doesn't work. Having to refill the tray is the least of it, since the dirty water makes a mess in your work area.

- When cutting large tiles (12" and up), some water pours off the top of the tile being cut onto the floor, to the right of the machine.

- The guide rail gets dirty, which keeps the cutting table from sliding easily. Not a big deal, but it should work better.

- The water pump clogs too quickly. You have to clean the filter to restore flow.

- The aluminum `stop' accessory for the table is so crudely made; it is difficult to get it square to the table. (It is used when you want to make several tiles of the same width.)

The ugly:

- Toward the end of the bathroom tile job I did, the gears were making a very-noisy grinding sound. Tried to use it for another small job after that, and the tool died completely. (Click on Customer Photos above to see the striped worm gear.) The blade no longer turned, rendering the tool useless. The opposing gear was also ruined. Unfortunately, my saw warranty had expired; and since the replacement parts were so expensive, the M-K saw was discarded. At least it worked long enough to finish one big job.

Summary:

Why did the tool gears strip so quickly? Probably due to the strain on the tool of cutting a large number of porcelain tiles (versus softer tiles). The motor appears to turn in the 24,000-rpm range; which is reduced via its worm gear to around 3400 rpm at the blade. The high motor speed and worm gearing is why the tool is loud. The worm gear design results in gear failure if the tool is under any serious stain, such as many hours of hard-tile cutting. That is, the drive gear (shown in the photo) is only one-half inch in diameter, with 7 teeth in total, so no more than two teeth are fully engaged in the opposing gear at any time. When those teeth are stressed beyond the design goal (minimal tool use and/or softer tiles), metal fatigue occurs; keep cutting, as with my bathroom job, and the gear teeth are worn down to the point the tool fails. My tool failed within 20 hours of total use.

This consumer-grade saw is an OK tool for the occasional do-it-yourselfer, as long as it's not used very much and you limit cutting of hard tiles (marble, granite, porcelain, concrete, etc.). Although brick and concrete pavers (e.g., 2" thick) can be cut with quality wet-saws, do not use this saw for that purpose, as those products would quickly ruin the worm gear.

Great saw for the money [Posted on 2007-11-18]
I have owned mine for eight years and have cut a lot of tile with it with no problems.I don't know if they are making it cheaper now, thus perhaps the problem the other reviewer had with failure. Sadly most of the tools we buy now are Chinese made junk imitations of once great tools. Great saw, a couple tips: lube the slide tube with WD40 and keep it clean. Clean the pump filter after every use.

You can find this new on Ebay for under $200.

A Lot of Saw for the Money.... but [Posted on 2008-06-25]
For the price it is a good deal. My nit-pic is that to cut a 16" tile, you need to tilt the tile into the saw blade because the distance to the backstop is 1/4 inch too short.

good small saw [Posted on 2008-08-10]
I have owned 3 of these MK saws. They are great for working inside, but with one caveat! They are loud when they are new, and they get louder as they age. Invest in some good ear plugs ! Joe

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