Hi all, for ages now I've been looking for a lightweight, versatile and efficient wet tile saw. Has anyone tried the 12v Makita cordless, and what did you think of it? I won't be doing a huge amount of cuts with it but I will need it to do the job, i.e. it must be capable of cutting cleanly and accurately through the dreaded porcelain. The tiles are 300X600X8mm. Cheers guys, grateful for any feedback. Simon.

hi simon..

It will be cheaper to buy a table wetsaw than the makita one....any reason it has to be that particular cutter...?

It's a good little cutter but the tiles your cutting I would go something with bit more ooomph

its ok for certain things but the batteries are nicad and they wont stand up to much use cutting the tiles/sizes your on about..they're quite pricey but great for notching out and plunging etc but i would follow dave and whitebeams advice if i were you mate

The great thing with them is they are quick and portable and a damn side easier to get out the van than a table cutter. The down side is the battery runs out quick and you only get one with it and you have to be very careful with the blade. By far the better cutter is the Makita 4101RH which is a hand held wet cutter but then you are moving into the £300 bracket for one so I would probably go with Daves advice and get a table saw

Kev

I have one................can't remember the last time I used it.

It kills ya batteries

Its only good on cheap ceramics

The blades are chuffing dear

Waste of money really.

Wish I had got a small cheap (kitchen sized, 4"x4") wet cutter instead

Thanks everyone for the advice. Dave, as to why that model, simply because I already own a Makita cordless with batts & charger which, I am assured, will run the little tile cutter, so I'd save nearly a ton on the list price. Also, with tiles getting bigger and bigger - let's face it, soon we'll be tiling a whole bathroom with just four giant tiles! -the design of the one I posted about means not having to worry about tile size. Further, I've been disappointed with big hire machines (although I suspect maybe the hire people were just milking the blades for the last mm of cut); they tend to flood the whole area and most of them would cripple me if I tried to lift them in and out the van. The DeWalt model looks promising but it's about £700 (the amount of tiling jobs I do I could never justify it, and I've no idea if it's even any good) and, finally, the little table saws I've tried were pants, especially the plasplugs model. That little Makita looked like the answer to my prayers but it seems you guys disagree. CJ, TilingLogistics, is there any particular make/model you'd recommend? Tiler Burden and Whitebeam, thanks for responding. Grateful for all replies.
Regards all, Simon.

i've got a makita cordless tile cutter it's very good on ceramic tiles havn't used it on any other i'm impressed cuts clean very handy on site work where theres no power but i wouldn't replace the table saw for it battery doesn't go down to quick

hi simon....please sign up..gets you more answers that way..plus it's better to know who we are talking to....( without you saying so)....

As for cutter then i think the makita would be good for occasional cuts but i don't think it will have the power to cut large tiles......you can get a good quality wetcutter for about £200 ish maybe a lot lower...put a decent quality porcelain blade in and it will last you years......

good luck and let us know which way you go....

I wouldnt bother with it either, i have one and used it very little, came in quite handy when i was doing council regeneration contracts as a lot of the properties were vacant with no electic or water switched on, as said above ok for cheap tiles, forget the porcelain, as said above blades not cheap and easy damaged

Originally Posted by CJ again

I have one................can't remember the last time I used it. sell it

It kills ya batteries not really but handy to have a spare

Its only good on cheap ceramics disagree totally

The blades are chuffing dear yes if you are rough it will eat blades

Waste of money really. nope

Wish I had got a small cheap (kitchen sized, 4"x4") wet cutter instead

Got to disagree with you here mate think your one is a dud as I use mine all the time and it will cut anything great fro plunge cutting sockets also toilet waste pipes. I have cut marble, slate, granite, porc, ceramics and glass no problems. It is one of the best bits of kit I have in tool box.

Yes the blades are dear but if you take your time and are not rough with them they last for ages. As for battery life yes it can eat the battery depending on the material your cutting but I can get complete splash back out of one charge and still have life in battery. I normally have spare on charge if I need it.

So I would recommend anyone to get one most of the guys I know once they have seen me using one on a site go out and buy one. Brill for site work where power is limited. All you need is a bucket to cut over and away you go.

Am using it one a site just now have completed 4 batrooms and ensuites in porcelain. Job before was travertine and used it for that as well.



Highlander

stick with the table saw you can get a real good un for half the price of the makita ,mine aint seen the light of day for two years. unless they have improved you need about four batteries a day .

I dont use mine instead of a table saw I use mine as it is supposed to be for small cuts not using it all day. If I have a few cuts to be made I use this instead of setting up wet saw saves hrs.

So agree if you are thinking this will be instead of a wet table saw think again buy a table saw.

Highlander

You had me going there for a bit highlander, was gonna say there is no way one of these makitas is a substitute for a table cutter, the odd little cut yes, no way can you cut granite, marble lenght after leght with one of these, i used mine for the same purpose, the odd small cut to reduce the curve so as to get your nippers snapping, good for plunge cuts but so is the table saw, only benefit is small jobs on site in my opinion where you cannot get the big gear going

anybody with one that doesnt require it anymore and would like to sell it? let me know

I've had one for the last 18 months now and I find it invaluable, great for small cuts, plunge cuts and general use. However, porcelain is a challange.......would recommend purely as it is portable and easy to use especially when there is no power on site. Downside is it's not ideal for large cuts or hard tiles so the table cutter comes out in those circumstances. Other than that I am still loving it.

Used mine today.............first time in about 6 months

Shoved a battery in it.............. flat

2nd battery............................ flat

3rd battery............................. bloody hell