Power Saws Reviews

DeWalt D24000 10" wet tile saw

One reviewer called this tool a "game changer" in the wet saw business. I agree. Having done tile work for years using mostly MK brand tile saws, when this saw came on the market, its benefits were obvious. Here's an analogy. At a car show when mini-vans were still fairly new, a salesman was showing his model, which had a sliding door on one side. Next to his display was a competing mini-van with sliding doors on both sides. He knew immediately that his mini-van was an obsolete design.

Compared to this wet saw, every other model near this price point is an old-design.

Here's why:

1. DeWalt made this a LARGE capacity saw, but light enough for one person to carry. Although the tool is only 70 lbs., you never have to lift that much. DeWalt advertises "two trips" to transport the tool:

Trip 1: Tub (water trays, miter and table extension, stored inside) and the fold-up tool stand.

Trip 2: Saw assembly with rolling table locked in place, and water pump. (54 lbs., total).

Rather than carrying an awkwardly shaped 54 pounds, I transport the tool in three trips:

Trip 1: Saw assembly minus the pump and sliding table. (44 lbs., total.)

Trip 2: Tub (with water trays stored inside) and a 5-gallon bucket holding the water pump, table extension, and miter gauge. The water pump is supposed to be secured to a slotted "mini-table" on the saw-assembly when being transported. Instead, a quick-release connector on the water line of my saw allows removal of the 3 lb. water pump. Click on customer photos.

Trip 3: Custom made tool stand and a customer-made wooden carrying case with the 7 pound rolling table. The table has three sets of double rollers which could be damaged if it's dropped. The case protects the table when it's being stored or transported. Again, click on customer photos.

2. The team that designed the water-containment system must have been told they'd get 50 lashes if it didn't work, because it's very effective. Other large wet saws regularly spray lots of water to the front, and drip water off the sides. Consequently, they make a mess of the areas surrounding the saw. Install the forward and right drip trays on this saw and nearly all water is trapped and routed back into the tub, with only minor dripping. (The trays are not as robust as they should be, so you have to be careful not to break the tabs that hold them on.) Most water spray is actually caught at the cutting point by the excellent rubber apron on the back side of the blade guard.

There are, however, two cases where all water will not be contained. One is when the motor is tilted to cut tiles at an angle; in this case, some water will be sprayed to the left of the machine. Also, if cutting very large tiles that extend beyond the right extension tray, some water will run across the top of the tile and drip on the right side of the machine; you can stop most of this, while cutting, by skimming your hand on that tile to scoop the water back into a tray.

3. This saw does plunge cuts; e.g., for electrical outlets or registers. Without this feature, about the only way to cut a square in the middle of a large tile was to use a portable (e.g., 4.5") wet saw. With this DeWalt, loosen the plunge lock, align the tile under the blade, and lower the blade as it cuts. Do this four times, once per side of the square/rectangle, on each side of the tile, and you've got a clean hole.

4. Powerful direct drive motor. It is loud, but it's also a work-horse. DeWalt made it 15 amps, probably so it can be plugged into virtually any 110v outlet without blowing a breaker. Direct drive means there are no gears to wear out, which why my previous wet saw died.

5. Huge capacity for a saw in this price range and weight. 24 inch rip and 18 inch on the diagonal. You may not need that much on every job, but it's great to not be limited by the tool. Impressive to be able to cut 24 inch square slate. Most amazing thing is cutting a 3.5" thick concrete paver in one pass. I've cut slate pieces so heavy, I could hardly lift them onto the table. I've also ripped a 36 inch long, inch and a half thick, slate paver, by setting one end on top of the table stop and cutting half the paver's length, then flipping the slate end over end to complete the cut. There is 13" between the blade and the motor support, so you can cut up to 13" from the side of a tile.

6. The motor easily tilts and locks at 45 or 22.5 (degrees), so cuts are possible without using an accessory cart block. These are the only angles mentioned by DeWalt, because the table has slots to receive the blades for these angles. However, you can actually cut any angle (e.g., on half-inch thick material) between 0 and 45 degrees if you lift the blade and tile above the table so the blade misses those slots.

7. The rolling table has thick rubber bonded to the top, to prevent slipping tiles. A great innovation. The table can be put onto the saw assembly, or removed, quickly and easily. The table has a slide-lock to keep it from coming off the saw and can be "locked" into two other positions, for transporting on the saw assembly.

8. Saw comes with a reversible 45 degree miter which clamps to the table and works well.

9. The excellent water pump is rated at 170 gallons per hour, which is more than adequate. Search on "little giant 518200" via Amazon or Google [Froogle, actually], for more details.

The DW24001 tool stand is designed specifically for this tool. The tub bottom has four molded sections that fit into the stand top. Since I'm tall and wanted the wet saw higher than the DW24001 allows, I designed my own stand.

The tool has adjustable rollers to align the table for sliding smoothness and squareness to the blade. My tool needed no adjustements.

As with any wet saw, cleaning is no fun. I put all the parts on the grass and use a hose at low water pressure to rinse of the various parts, being careful to keep water out of the motor. Also run water backward through the water pump to clean out the insides.

The box this thing comes in is huge. It's very well packed and protected, and there was zero delivery damage to the tool.


DeWalt DW861W Wet/Dry Masonry Saw

This tool appeared on Amazon.com in September 2005, but DeWalt first made it available in February 2006, which is when I bought one. It was worth the wait...

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.

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.

Summary:

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

- costs $100 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.

I have wanted a combo cordless bundle for a long time and although it is more than I need it is rugged and I plan on it lasting for a long time. The drill has plenty of power to drive a 2" screw into a solid block of pine with no flinching. The variable tourque settings save many a stripped head on the driven screw! The circular saw zips through a 2x4 with no hesitation with angle and depth options not always available. The flash light has a broad - bright beam and the recip saw is good to go.

What a great purchase. I have been wanting this kit for a long time and finally found a great price on Amazon. Since purchasing this kit, I have built birdhouses, toy boxes for the grandkids, and set of Adirondack chairs for my patio. Great tools at a great price. I ordered them on a Wednesday and received them on Saturday.

Makes little tasks simple ands big tasks manageable. I've always purchased more conventional Black and Decker tolls. De Walt is well designed, sturdy, easy to use. And yes, the cordless feature is a great plus. Convenient storage case and a great value!

The Dewalt kit arrived ahead of schedual, and in good condition. The price was right, and included a rebate of an added 18v battery. No complaints.

I've had this combo set for 3 weeks it's done everything I've ask it to do.there both excellent tools.I would'nt want to use the drill for reguler stuff , but when you need a heavy duty drill this is the baby.the sawsall is just amazing,it's faster then my sawsalls that i have to plug in 'but bring plenty of battery's this bad boy run's out before the fun really get's started. my only concern is the blade clamp on the sawsall is plastic,but we'll have to see. The price on this site is great.

dewalt is one of the best tools on the market but i can beat your prices easy because my friend owns is own business and i help him get best buy for is money, because with the rising cost of insurance just to stay in business plus with 4 work vechicles, bond insurance libility umbrella ins. fuel cost tool cost payroll etc....

I got this saw to replace a old Sears one and I forgot how good it was to use a good saw. I seem to be finding more uses for a Jig saw now. You can spend more but for the money this is one good saw.

This is a great set of blades. Minimal chipout, they stay sharp, and do not need cleaning. I own and have owned several Freud blades including the Super Dado and none of them cut as well as these DeWalt blades. You can make a marginal saw perform like an expensive saw with good blades and these rank among the best I have tried.

Not really a lightweight, and that's good- helps make the saw stable both in guided cuts, and visually following a line. Motor makes moderately soft starts, again enabling control.

Moderate noise level, and plenty of power, make the cuts quick and less fatiguing.

The electric brake is a must-have for safety, IMHO.

Sure would be nice if DeWalt would clarify difference between different saw models, though.

When you buy the dewalt miter saw workstation be sure to get a couple of extra of thes supports. They come in very handy and mount right to the workstation. They give added support and the opertunity to use the length stops with out pulling in the extentions.Very easy to adjust.

I have the Dewalt miter stand that included two DW7232 stands however I was doing a large project that needed multiple stops both long and short. Instead of moving the existing DW7232 stands around constantly I added two more of the DW7232's on the main rail and was able to cut down the number of stop changes in half. In addition these added support in the middle to the long piece of wood that I was cutting. I just wish I had purchased these sooner.