Qep Tile Tools 83200 24-Inch Bridge Saw

Qep Tile Tools 83200 24-Inch Bridge Saw

Ranking: 7.7 out of 10

Manufacturer: Jensen Distributing
Model Number: 83200
Product Code: 010306832007
Price: $489.99 -- get the latest pricing from Amazon

Features:

  • Rips tile 24 inches square and 18 inches diagonal; powerful 1-1/2-horsepower, 18-inch diagonal motor
  • Linear, diagonal, and 45-degree angle cuts; adjustable leg for setup on uneven surfaces; accepts 8-inch blade with standard 5/8-inch arbor
  • Motor trolley unit, rides on six ball bearings for improved cutting
  • Includes water pump, 8-inch continuous rim wet diamond blade, 45 degree angle cutting guide, fold-out stand
  • 1-year warranty

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Description:

Great features and a great price make this bridge tile saw the right choice for you. 1-year limited warranty.

User Reviews -- Add a new review for this Product

The right choice

Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 5.1 out of 10
Created: Dec 26, 2008
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I shopped everywhere for a tile saw. I had a kitchen counter (50 sq. ft.) and a kitchen and den floor to tile (650 sq. ft.). I originally bought a tile cutter and it only took me a few minutes to take that back. I bought this saw hoping it would be okay and also because it came with a stand. It worked almost flawlessly. The only problems I had were with the water pump and the slide on the back gauge for angle cuts was sticking on a screw that appeared to serve no purpose so I removed that. The pump would only come on if tapped, but after cutting about 100 tiles it seemed to operate fine from that point on. If I had one thing to change about the saw it would be the wheels on the bottom of the cart. That don't work that well, but that's something I will rectify shortly. I give it five stars because to me it was well worth the money. I would buy it all over again.

A good wet saw for DIY tool-building...

Rating: 2 out of 5
Weight: 3.8 out of 10
Created: Dec 26, 2008
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I bought this wet saw thinking it'd be like every other bridge saw I've used, where the saw can be pulled across but also raises and lowers to accommodate for cutting different-sized materials. Not so with this one. The available cutting spaces is only 1-1/2", which is fine for tiles but not so much for folks with 2-1/4" bricks. I've found a workaround, though. If you replace the (6mm) bolts which hold the bridge onto the table with longer bolts (a _minimum_ of 50mm, go for 75mm fully-threaded bolts (you'll need four) if you can find them) and add a few 10mm nuts to allow you to raise and lower the bridge, you can increase the cutting space to 2-1/4" and beyond. You'll lose the angular cutting functionality when the saw is lifted, but that's a small price to pay.
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br /I have nothing new to add about the wheels, which are misplaced and don't work very well.
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br /The legs, fold down and are anchored in place by angle brackets which attach over little buttons. They're difficult to get on and off, and even worse, when transporting the saw, the brackets hang down and make it difficult to lower the saw onto the ground.
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br /In order to unfold the legs, you have to rest the saw on its side, however there is no rubber bumper to prevent the weight of the saw from doing damage to the stuff on its side. Also, once the leg is extended, you have to pivot the weight of the entire saw on the two extended legs, and I'm fairly positive that it's not going to survive this for too many uses.
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br /I had the same issue with the pump... tapping it doesn't even restart it sometimes... I have to disassemble the thing while the saw is running, and push on the pump's internal paddles like I'm priming a flywheel. Considering that it's only a 60gph fountain pump, you might be able to find a $10 submersible pump to replace this one.
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br /Finally, the parts that house the 8" non-standard blade are fully detachable from the saw's motor. I wouldn't recommend running this saw without its protective housing, however you _can_ order the 10" housing as a replacement part for QEP's larger wet saw from QEP, providing you with the ability to use a standard 10" blade instead.
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br /All in all, the saw, as delivered, is junk for my purposes, however with only a few modifications it's equivalent to QEP's larger, more expensive bridge saws. Since you're probably not as desperate as I was to find an inexpensive masonry saw, I'd recommend that you find a different saw for cutting your bricks.

Great Tile Saw

Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 3.2 out of 10
Created: Dec 26, 2008
Mark As: Useful, Not Useful
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My husband and I are DIYers. We tackled our first tiling project ever with this saw. In our kitchen, I wanted porcelain tiles laid on a diagonal, and the tiles I selected are sixteen inch square. This means a lot of cutting, but this meant a big saw if we did not want to have to flip the tile over halfway through the cut. This wet tile saw made cutting tiles like cutting through butter. It has great guides, very stable, adjustable legs for uneven surfaces, does not spray a ton of water everywhere, and simple to use. It had a little assembly out of the box which took us about 45 minutes. My only complaint is with the instruction manual...it is not very clear. I really did not want to spend this much money on a saw, but boy was it worth it! I highly recommend it!

Great for a First-time Tiler

Rating: 5 out of 5
Weight: 3.2 out of 10
Created: Sep 18, 2008
Mark As: Useful, Not Useful
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This saw did the trick for my first job. Great, smooth and straight edges. Easy to use and reliable.

Horrible saw...I had high expectations!

Rating: 1 out of 5
Weight: 2.4 out of 10
Created: Dec 26, 2008
Mark As: Useful, Not Useful
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I worked for 2 years at Home Depot in the flooring department, and had experience with several different tile saws. As a woodworker, I've used a sliding compound miter saw and radial arm saw. When I saw this "bridge" saw, the idea of it appealed to me because it was similar to those woodworking tools. I liked that it could cut 18" tiles on the diagonal. The comparable "traditional" style could only cut 14".
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br /I have 6 rooms to tile in my new house, so I went ahead and bought a saw. I had problems with this one from the beginning.
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br /It features a laser guidance system that I was NEVER able to calibrate, and therefore never used. It's obviously a hack add-on, powered by a AA or AAA battery. It is impossible to line up, but obviously a feature they're proud enough of to put on the outside of the box.
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br /The deck of the saw is made up of extruded aluminum strips, which are not level. The vibration from the saw and lack of support of the tile from these aluminum strips was breaking literally half of the tiles I tried to cut.
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br /Because of the motion of pulling the saw blade across the tile instead of pushing the tile against the blade, the blade would deflect and cut into the extruded aluminum deck (also cutting the tile crooked).
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br /The cheap plastic miter gauge is not true, and diagonal cuts were never straight. The adjustment knob allowed the miter gauge to slip. Even when used in a 90-degree configuration, its flimsy construction made cutting uniform strips impossible (I was cutting a 1-1/4" decorative strip). I even tried clamping a speed square to the deck to get the miter cuts to work, which worked better.
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br /There is an expanded metal shelf that rests in the middle. This shelf has angle "hooks" to keep it in place. However, they hook on the inside of the legs, instead of the outside. While moving the saw, the shelf falls off, and I have injured myself TWICE because of this, making a huge bruise on my shin and hurting my foot very badly with the weight of the heavy shelf.
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br /And the other user is correct, the wheels are just badly designed. They don't work. The ONLY time they were useful were if you folded the legs up into the body of the saw, then you could use the handle to roll the saw. However, I think most people would want to move it around the room with the saw assembled.
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br /You also can't find blades at any home improvement store chain. It takes an odd size that Depot and Lowe's don't carry.
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br /The idea of this saw is a good one, but the implementation is really bad. I would recommend purchasing a larger traditional-style tile saw and skip this one altogether. I returned mine and bought the 2-HP QEP professional saw...well worth the difference in price.

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