Power
Rated motor power of the electric tile cutter. The more powerful the engine — the more force it can give to the cutting tool, the higher the rotation speed and disc diameter can be. Accordingly, a more
powerful tool is better suited for larger jobs and hard and/or thick materials. On the other hand, high power significantly affects the price, dimensions and weight of the tool, despite the fact that there is not always a real need for it.
In light of all this, it is necessary to choose a tile cutter in terms of power, taking into account the specifics of the intended use. So, in the case of a hand tool for simple household work, a power of 700 – 800 W is enough, more solid indicators may be required mainly for professional use. But in stationary units, where compactness does not really matter, you can not save on power — especially since such devices are usually used where performance is important.
Rotation speed
The maximum disc rotation speed provided by the motor of the electric tile cutter. Higher speeds are good for productivity, clean cuts and the ability to handle difficult materials, but they also require the right amount of power.
In general, if a tile cutter is bought for simple work with ordinary facing tiles (for example, repairs in an apartment), you can not pay much attention to this indicator: even the “slowest” models provide enough speed to cope with such tasks. But for cutting specific materials (for example, some types of stone), higher speeds may be required; detailed recommendations on this issue can be found in special sources.
Disc diameter
The nominal diameter of the cutting disc for which the electric tile cutter is designed. A disk of a larger diameter will simply not fit into the seat; but the use of smaller nozzles in some cases is allowed (but not recommended).
The depth of cut depends primarily on the diameter of the disc (see below). So, with ordinary tiles, having a thickness of up to 1.5 cm, almost any disc, even the smallest one, will cope; but for thicker materials (for example, paving slabs) and the appropriate tool will be needed. However it is worth noting that with the same diameter of the disc, the thickness of the cut may be different.
Also, the size of the cutting tool allows you to generally evaluate the class of the tool: the larger the disc, the more powerful and performant the tile cutter, usually.
Cutting length
The longest cut that can be made with a tile cutter.
This parameter is relevant primarily for manual tile cutters, as well as for electric stationary units with a top disc feed. In such tools, the cutting element moves along the guide rail and has limited space for movement, and the length of the cut is, in fact, the length of the stroke of the cutting tool from one extreme point to the other. In fact, this is the maximum width of the material that can be cut with a tile cutter.
Cutting depth
The greatest depth to which the tool can cut through the material being processed, in other words, the maximum thickness of the tile that the tile cutter is guaranteed to be able to cut.
It is worth choosing a tool for this parameter taking into account the thickness of the material with which to work, plus some margin “just in case”. But this margin should not be too large: for a
deep cut, large discs and high power are required, which accordingly affects the price, weight and dimensions of the tool.
Disc/cutter feed
This parameter describes from which side the disk or cutter of the tile cutter is fed to the tile.
- Upper. The top position of the cutter is standard for manual as well as portable electric tile cutters (see "Type"). Stationary electrical units with this arrangement are more bulky than the "lower" ones, and have restrictions on the length of the cut. On the other hand, they are more convenient and accurate.
- Lower.
The bottom feed of the disc is found exclusively in stationary electric tile cutters. The design of such a tool resembles a classic circular saw: it has a tabletop, from which the edge of the cutting disc protrudes. Such units are considered less accurate than top feed models, but they are more compact, and the length of the cut is limited only by overheating of the disk.
Folding table legs
The presence of
folding legs at the table on which the electric stationary tile cutter is installed (see "Type"). This feature allows you to significantly reduce the dimensions of the structure for ease of storage or transportation.
Angle stop
The presence of an angular stop in the design of the tile cutter.
The miter fence is designed to make it easier to cut diagonals and other oblique lines. Do not confuse this function with angular cutting: in this case, we are talking about turning the material horizontally, and the cut itself can be normal, vertical. The corner stop is convenient because you can set it to the desired angle in advance, and then fix the tile in it and not worry about it moving during cutting. This is easier than holding the material by hand and controlling the angle in other ways.
Table dimensions
The size of the working surface of the stationary tile cutter (see "Type"). The larger the table, the lower the likelihood that the tiles will hang from it during operation.
