Ryobi 7 Inch Portable Tile Saw Review
Ryobi 7 In. Portable Tile Saw with Laser – Model WS750L
The folks at Ryobi recently sent us one of their new tile saws to use on our kitchen backsplash project. The following article is our thoughts on the Ryobi Model WS750L Portable Tile Saw with built-in Laser.
Home owners and DIY’ers are installing tile in their homes at an ever increasing rate which means they all have to buy a wet tile saw or rent one. In the past there were several options including renting a heavy duty commercial tile saw, purchasing a heavy duty commercial tile saw or purchasing a cheap table-top wet saw.
Obviously buying a commercial tile saw is a bit overkill and frankly the old cheap table-top versions were sketchy at best. I bought one of those old table-top versions and used it on several jobs and spent quite a bit of time swearing out loud that I wouldn’t use it again! The old kind basically has a flat table top like a table saw with a small motor and diamond coated blade. You push the pieces of tile across the metal surface and into the blade (you can see my old one in the adjacent photo).
Commercial tile saws are quite a bit different in their design. Typically they are attached to a stand and they have a rolling cutting table that the tiles sit on. You push the rolling tile towards the saw with no friction between the tile and top surface. This allows for more precise cutting and far fewer broken tiles.
So this is where I got excited about the new Ryobi 7 In. Portable Tile Saw with Laser. This thing is designed and built with features similar to commercial wet tile saws. As you can see in the photo at the top of the page it comes with a stand and a rolling cutting table. The beauty is this tile saw comes in at under $300 compared to a commercial tile saw that can cost $1,000 or more!
Ryobi WS750L Features
- Powerful, high torque 1-3/4 HP (peak) motor for the most demanding applications
- Overhead cutting wheel for professional quality results
- Exactline™ laser alignment system accurately aligns cut line with cutting wheel (two “AAA” batteries included)
- Large Capacities – cuts 22″ rip and 16″ diagonal tile with a 2-1/4” depth of cut for cutting pavers
- 7″ Continuous Rim Diamond Cutting Wheel offers precision cutting and prevents chipping
- Wrap around rear splash guard to retain water spray
- Receptacle for submersible pump powers on with main power switch
- Submersible pump with filter for providing continuous water fl ow to cutting wheel
- Pumpless Flow System™ keeps clean, fresh water on wheel for trouble-free cutting
- Clean Wave Wall™ blocks sediment from entering pump when in use, extending pump life
- Unique drain system captures cut-off pieces and allows drainage to remote locations
- End-of-cut reminder prevents chips and broken tiles
- Fully-enclosed water system keeps tubes and wiring organized and out of the way
- Dual flow adjustment valves allow for customized optimal water flow
Our Thoughts
We used the Ryobi WS750L for cutting our marble tiles and decorative tiles on the kitchen backsplash project. The saw took about 30 minutes to assemble (one of my few gripes are the directions which frankly aren’t much help!). The saw comes with everything you need to start cutting tiles including a diamond coated blade, batteries for the laser guide and tools for assembly.
Accuracy
I was very pleased with the accuracy of the saw blade and moving table. I was able to consistently cut square, parallel edges on each of the tiles that I cut. As you can see in the photo above the saw comes with a built-in laser to help with aligning the blade. While the laser is handy I found that it only really lines up well at the edge of the blade and you can’t rely on the laser further back on the piece (if you do you’ll be fooled into thinking the saw blade is not square to the table top).
Power
The WS750L had plenty of power for cutting the marble tiles for our project. Tile saws usually have no issues with power unless you’re trying to use an old dull blade.
Water Pump System
This saw comes with a water tray and water pump to keep the diamond blade cool. You fill the tray up with water and connect the water pump to a power source. Whenever you turn on the saw it sprays water on the blade to keep it cool. Some tile saws can spray water all over the operator and everything within a 8 foot circle. I was very pleased with this saw as the water spray was very minimal. It has a nice large spray guard on the back (show in black in the lower portion of the photo above) that keeps water from spraying all over the ground behind the saw. Very little water shoots out the front which kept me nice and dry.
Features
Overall this little saw comes with some nice features. The cross-cutting sled allows you to make perpendicular cuts with ease. The saw also comes with a rip fence that allows you to easily cut miters and rips. The saw is also very portable considering that it’s really light, easy to fold up and has a nice set of wheels which makes moving it around much easier for one person.
Overall Thoughts
The Ryobi WS750L 7 Inch Portable Tile Saw is an excellent tile saw for home owners and DIY’ers. If you’re planning on doing your own tile work then you need a tile saw. Renting is an option but you’re likely to spend quite a bit of money doing that and if you plan on doing more than one tile job then I recommend you buy a saw. This saw is easy to use, accurate and a great value. If you’d like to buy this saw you can visit your local Home Depot store or order from them online at: 7 In. Portable Tile Saw with Laser.
I’m not sure how the reviewer managed to get his saw to “to consistently cut square, parallel edges on each of the tiles that [he] cut.” For me, on the downside, the sled runs on plastic rollers. They bind. And wobble–thus inconsistent, non-square, and imprecise cuts. The included blade left large chips. The sled is also quite narrow for oversized tiles. On the plus side, the Ryobi saw is designed similar to the MK Diamond 770 saw that I already own. The motor appears to be more than powerful enough–and I was cutting porcelain tile. The water management system is superior, giving a choice of either a garden hose or a recirculating pump. The motor is quieter than my MK–a lot quieter. The laser is a rather gee-whiz addition; nice, but not all that important. The included, built-in stand seems sturdy, and is easy to set up and collapse. The combination mitre/rip fence is easy to use. A major plus: Home Depot gave me a 100% refund on my purchase. (And I went to that tool store that features “ridiculously low-priced tools” and bought a bridge-style wet tile saw that runs on metal bearings for about the same price as the Ryobi. YMMV.)
Robert – Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I actually had very good results with the unit. While I certainly agree that it’s not a top notch commercial unit, I disagree that you can buy a commercial grade (roller bearings) type saw for that kind of money. At $250 there’s no commercial type saws available that I know of. The closest with that type of quality are in the $600 to $900 range.
At any rate, thanks for sharing your experience.
Seem to be having a consistent problems with tile chipping and making rough cuts. I dotn think we’ve gottn a nice smooth cut during this entire job! Thought we ruled out the issue when we changed the brand new blade with another on a hunch; however it did not take long to start ruining tiles again. I can feel rough spot on the balde already. I’m beginnign to wonder if the water stream is not actually getting to the blade enough to cool it and therefore the blade keeps getting dulled. ? We are really frustrated as we are perfectionist in our DIY projects and this was a complete remodel job on a bathroom. I have also noticed that H.Depot sold us this saw at $258 30 day ago and it is now priced at only $178
Kat – How large are the chips? how fast are you pushing the tile through the saw? Can you physically see water shooting off the blade?
I’m wondering if this saw is able to cut pavers. We are going to be laying 2.5″ thick pave stones in our backyard and will need a saw for the job. Just wondering if this one can handle it or should we just rent one? Thanks!
Rachel – This saw has a cut depth of 2-1/4″ inches so it looks like your 2-1/2″ pavers are just a tad too thick.