are bridge saws that much better than Tile cutters for large format Porcelain tiles?

i'm currently using a Vitrex V 750watt tile cutter which has been great for 4 yrs.

but with more and more porcelaine tiles its becoming a right struggle.

i dont know anyone i can ask apart from the tile shop staff that obviously want to flog me one!

any help appreciated

750 watt is not a lot of power when cyting hard materials such as porcelain. It can and will do it but you need to make sure the cutting wheel is in 1st class condition and a wheel of good branding such as Rubi, Montolit or Marcrist.
Whether you use a flat bed, bridge or the Dewalt style is personal preference.....Of course the Dewalt is my weapon of choice

cheers! heres me thinking 750w was quite alot!!!
may just look for a more powerful flat bed as i wasnt to keen on a big bulky bridge saw in little bathrooms etc.

The Rubi ND200 has an 880 watt motor but at a price of £480.
As i said before, your cutting wheels need to be in tip top condition for Porcelain.

I only have the Palsplugs contract one which is very similar to the Vitrex, it is slow going on the harder porcelains. I used a bridge type on some trav the other day and to be honest i wasnt too impressed. I have to say though it wasnt a decent branded machine.

Have a lok on youtube at some of the machines in action, the Dewalt flies through everything. There are vids of lots of machines on there, definitley the Dewalt D24000 and Sigma 10m as i have been looking too.

are bridge saws better than dry cutters for porcelain??
not always, a good cutter like the tx700, sigmas or montolits cut great and leave a neater line than a wet saw but, there are porcelain tiles that need wet cutting ..

if you are buying a bridge saw, treat the buying process in the same way as the dry cutter

i think plasplugs and vitrex are ok when you are starting out but if you are in the tiling game professionally, then they dont really stand up to well...that said, the little plasplugs where great for kitchen splashbacks etc so they have their place dont get me wrong, they do a job but you really need the professional equipment for porcelain and granite etc.

the rubi nd200 was / is a popular table saw but when you think for the extra £200 or so, you get the dewalt, then it makes you stop and think? as neale says, the balde is as important and the saw...it needs to be quality! the saw needs...
the power,
the accuracy
and the durabilty to cope on a daily basis..

i would rather pay the extra for the top branded equipment because even when you sell them on ebay or here, you get the top 2nd hand prices, so all in all, you get a better allround return on your investment.

cheers
ed

I have a nd200 but had for a while now and cut 600x600 with it and find it a good cutter, sort of in the loop if it ai'nt broke don't fix it

Im also looking into getting a bigger wet cutter. At the mo I have a Plasplugs Contractor Plus with a marcrist blade and it does well. But with the larger formats its not so accurate, especially as the cutters' bed is quite small.

My main concern with the larger cutter, such as the Dewalt, is whether I can actually carry the damm thing! I can just cope with 25kg bag of addy but anything heavier and Ill probably do myself some damage!
The Dewalt is about 31kg (69lbs) and looks quite compact, are there lighter ones?

cheers
missyT

Originally Posted by MissTiler

Im also looking into getting a bigger wet cutter. At the mo I have a Plasplugs Contractor Plus with a marcrist blade and it does well. But with the larger formats its not so accurate, especially as the cutters' bed is quite small.

My main concern with the larger cutter, such as the Dewalt, is whether I can actually carry the damm thing! I can just cope with 25kg bag of addy but anything heavier and Ill probably do myself some damage!
The Dewalt is about 31kg (69lbs) and looks quite compact, are there lighter ones?

cheers
missyT

The Dewalt can easily be broke down to 4 main components, The stand, the trays with guide and side tray inside, the rolling carriage and lastly the machine head. I always carry mine like that and it makes life a lot easier.

I use a makita grinder with a marcrist blade 90% of the time, i have a rodia bridge saw and 3 table saws but only use em when i have nowhere to use the grinder and only use the rodia for stone, i can cut as accurate with the grinder and the marcrist leaves a great finish , its so much easier than carting about all that gear, and i work mainly with large formats including porcelain..

I use a grinder if i can work outside, but alot of work i do is in flats and just isnt practical, and even using a wet cutter can be awkward in places.
Has anyone ever used the Makita Power Saw?
Tradetiler Wet Tile Saws

It'd keep the dust down and is small.

missyT

dont even bother trying to cut porcelain with that all day it hasnt got the guts ive had one sitting in my garage for around 4 years no good tool imo

i hired a nuova battipav vip bridge saw on a large stone job i did recently and was very impressed. cut through 15mm marble with ease and no chipping. i use a makita grinder most of the time but i will invest in one sometime soon