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.