MK Diamond 157222 MK-170 1/3-Horsepower 7-Inch Bench Wet Tile Saw

From the Manufacturer

Versatile and compact for tabletop use by do-it-yourselfers. High-torque, universal motor. High-impact thermoplastic water reservoir will not rust or peel, and can be removed for easy cleaning. Safe-switch prevents saw from being operated when locking key is removed. 15-1/2-inch-by-14-1/2-inch-by-12-1/2-inch. Standard equipment: mk-170 tile saw, 7-inch mk-100 wet cutting diamond blade, submersible water pump, and adjustable rip guide. Specifications: 115-volt, 50/60 hz universal motor, 5,500 rpm. 7-inch blade capacity, 5/8-inch arbor, 2-inch depth of cut (10-inch blade), 12-inch length of cut (300 mm).

What people are saying about the MK Diamond 157222 MK-170 1/3-Horsepower 7-Inch Bench Wet Tile Saw:

Good saw, but not perfect., May 19, 2010
I have a fairly large size tiling project to tackle, so, after much research and reading lots of reviews, I decided to donate the portable 4" tile saw I picked up at Harbor Freight for $45 and invest in an MK-170. The MK-170 comes 85% assembled by the manufacturer and sets up quickly out of the box. The 7" continuous rim blade attaches easily to the motor with the provided tools. The deck is made of metal and not plastic, so you can expect it to last for many years. While I haven't used the MK-170 to cut tile yet, I can see where the raised bumps on the deck might pose a problem with making staight cuts. The bumps are quite large and don't appear to serve any useful purpose. I'll update this review after I've used the saw to cut tile. I turned the power on to test the motor. Some reviewers reported it as being 'loud', but it's quieter than my 4" Harbor Freight saw, which screams like a Banshee. The water tray is made of thick plastic and seems durable. The bottom of the tray is smooth, so I expect the saw may slide during use if not somehow braced. My Harbor Freight saw has 2 plastic elbows/brackets mounted to the front housing that latch onto a bench top to prevent sliding backwards during use. I plan to fabricate something similar for my MK-170. The on/off toggle switch is easy to operate. As other reviewers reported, there is no guide included for making angle cuts. Fotunately, I still have the angle guide that came w/ my Harbor Freight saw. If you don't have an angle guide, one can easily be fabricated out of 1/4" aluminum or PVC, but a guide should probably be included with the MK-170. Also, the included rip guide is plastic and seems flimsy, requiring a bit of finagling to lock down wing nuts on both ends to hold the rip guide in place. The locking mechanism on the rip guide could definitely be improved. The rip guide on my Harbor Freight saw is also plastic, but it clamps into position on both ends, similar to the attachment for a rip guide on a table saw. The MK-170 could also benefit from a ruler attached to the front and back of the deck, which would mean less time wasted fumbling around with a tape measure. Again, I haven't used the MK-170 to cut tile, but based on a side-by-side comparison of the MK-170 with an inexpensive Harbor Freight saw, I can see several areas on the MK-170 in need of improvement. After I put another $15-$20 and some quality time into my MK-170 tile saw, it'll be great, however, given that MK Diamond manufacturers professional-grade saws costing $1,000+, I don't believe to should be necessary for the consumer to have to find ways to fix obvious design flaws.




MK-170 good DIY saw, August 30, 2009 
I bought this tile saw to replace my 120sqft kitchen floor with 12in ceramic tiles. The saw arrived quickly and in good condition. Assembly was not difficult, although the instructions for attaching the tubing to the pump were not clear and I struggled a bit to get the tubing on. Otherwise, the saw easily cut all the tile I needed. The plastic fence is flimsy, but it works well enough. As the directions state, you need to make sure the fence is parallel to the blade. I only needed to do this once at the initial setup. When moving the fence, be sure to lock down the front end of the fence while the back side is loose, and tighten the back side second. This helped keep the fence square. As with all wet saws, water went everywhere. However, I thought this saw was particularly bad at containing the water. I had to refill once every third tile, which seemed a hassle IMHO. There was not enough margin between the required minimum and maximum levels when you're losing water at such a high rate. It didn't help that it was also a little difficult to determine the water level (difficult to see if the pump was covered). One other small issue was that the saw would move in the tray during the cutting process and press the fence against the back of the tray. I had to shift the saw away from the back of the tray to move the fence. In summary, I am very happy with the saw. I am a tiling novice, but my floor came out fantastic with the help of this saw. I have other tiling projects planned (bathroom and laundry), so it made sense for me to buy a saw instead of renting.