Power Tools Reviews

This tool is great.Perfect for ferrous and non ferrous metals.Makes a small kerf with an fairly easy to guide blade.Cuts stainless steel pipe clean and accurate.No need in getting out the Plasma arc when you own this tool, unless you are cutting a large length of plate. The only downside is it uses up abrasive wheels fast like any other abrasive wheel.
"Worth every penny"

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 nickle-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 got this tool free when I purchased the 18v xrp combo kit. I laughed when I first saw it and quickly told my wife that it was her drill. Well, I picked it up one day to hang some blinds as it fit better into the space than my 18v drill and couldn't believe how well it worked. Since then I have used it for everything from driving drywall screws to driving 4 inch deck screws. That's right -- 4 inch deck screws! And it has very good battery life. I reach for it now instead of my 9.6v makita when I have small jobs. I just wish this thing the ability to hold drill bits because it would be great for small jobs. Overall I am very pleased and demand quality from everything. I have no patience for poor engineering or workmanship and this did not let me down.

I have used this saw for 2 years and have had no problems. It has good power for a 14.4v. It's light and extremely durable. I have found it very easy to handle. The keyless blade change is great! It saves a lot of time. My only complaint is that the shoe is not adjustable. Otherwise it's a great tool to have around when you need it.

I bought this set in early 2002 because I was a couple hours away from my cordless drill, which I needed, and this set was on sale. What a great purchase! The saw is as powerful as any reciprocating saw out there, cordless or otherwise. I especially appreciate DeWalt's easy blade changing method (no tools required, just flip the yellow lever by the blade). The drill is the best cordless drill on the market that I've yet seen. For normal at-home use, the battery life will never be a problem, but as has been said in other cordless reviews (for ANY brand), the batteries will wear out more quickly with heavy use. Keep them charged and pick up a spare or two if you can. Like I already said, you won't find anything better without a cord, and both are better than most with cords.

This is the tool to have when you need to countersink and drive multiple screws !!!! The very sturdy design will provide the ruggedness you expect from all Dewalt products. The included magnetic bit for screw driving will prove quite handy when you begin to install your screws. Once you get your hands on it, you will wonder how life ever existed without it.

excellent saw for any metal working job no starter holes no deburring conduit and pipe sheet metal

I was amazed by how well this tool work. I have not stripped out a screw since I started using it. It is great at counter sinking screws. It's compact size makes it work well in tight places.

I have had this drill for a year and love it. I use it for mixing mortar and drilling large holes where a lot of torque is needed. Do NOT buy this drill for making small holes. The drill speed is a very slow 550 rpm's. You will need a much faster drill for most drilling. Works great!

I used this blade with a DeWalt 8.5-inch sliding compound miter saw on my recent flooring project. I was putting down a laminate/composite floor. The recommendation of the flooring manufacturer was for a carbide blade with a lot of teeth (60 on a 10-inch blade). I had to cut many angles because of the shape of the room and the saw/blade worked very well. Cut surfaces were very smooth - almost like they were planed. No chipping of the laminate surface, except to a very minor degree when I had to plunge the blade because the angle put the start of the cut right at the edge of the material.

I also used a laser guide with this blade. The laser guide is reliably at the left edge of the kerf, so you can get very close to the exact cut location you want.

The cutting noise is a bit lower than carbide blades with fewer teeth.

No complaints - the blade works as advertised. I also have a 7.25" Freud carbide blade on my circular saw (a Milwaukee) and it works well. This is one reason I decided on the Freud for the DeWalt saw.