Drilax 4 Inch Diamond Hole Saw Kit | 1-1/8" Depth | Tile & Glass Hole Saw with Locator Guide & Water Coolant Function | for Ceramic, Porcelain, Stone, Tile, Glass

As my Amazon user name may suggest, I work as an installer of ceramic tile and stone. I have been fortunate enough in recent years to work with many clients specifying high end materials in large scale custom installations. More and more, these jobs entail the use of large format porcelain ceramic floor and wall tiles. I love the look of these behemoth tiles (commonly 12 x 24 or larger) but they certainly present some challenges when striving for a neat, clean installation. The job I am currently finishing is a good example of these challenges, as the design features 12 x 24 shower walls in two showers with large, custom niches in both. Heavy gauge (3/8") tiles of this size can be very tough to work with, due in large part to the internal stresses which accumulate within the tiles themselves as they are double fired. Attempting to cut anywhere near the edges very often ends in failure as the internal stresses relieve themselves with a sudden, uncontrolled crack. Even harder still is the job of cutting a large diameter hole to accommodate a shower control valve. I have always used a 4" diamond edged wheel in an angle grinder to make these cutouts in the past. I've had instances where I've had two or three tiles break before I have finally gotten the piece right. That can get expensive, and I have adopted the policy of not making any more than three attempts without at least taking a break and/ or trying something different. On this particular job, after breaking a record four tiles attempting to make that large hole, I looked online for an alternative. This 4 1/2" hole saw is exactly the right diameter to accommodate the shower valve seal that comes with the Schluter Shower System, which I try to use in every shower I do. It came in two days, and the price was significantly less than I pay for similar bits of much lesser diameter. I was skeptical. I am very practiced in using hole saws in tile, so the set up for me was easy. There is no central pilot drill in these bits, so one must use other methods to keep the bit from wandering whilst starting the hole. You also must use a low RPM drill and keep the work and the bit wet. Go slowly. Long story short....it worked flawlessly on the very first attempt. Neat edged hole through rock hard porcelain tile very near to the edge of a 12 x 24 tile. Highly recommended.

Used to cut a 4" hole in a 6' x 3' 3/8" porcelain tile for the shower mixing valve... Worked great - secured the hole guide with 2 pieces of wood clamped to the tile, the guide does not hold water on it's own, so just ran a hose on low slowly over the cutting area during cutting. Cut a practice hole first... looks like the hold saw diamond bits are still in good shape (I did it slow & steady, maybe 3-5 mins per hole), so will keep to use again!

I bought these to bore holes in 1.25" granite slabs. So far I have gotten two holes out of my first hole saw and while it is still cutting, it is cutting pretty slow at this point. If you are cutting tile or veneer stone, these are great, just keep water running on it and it'll cut perfectly. For granite slabs, I'm not sure I can recommend it unless you are ok spending on the order of 16 to 25 dollars per hole on hole saws and just assuming you'll be throwing them out. My only real complaint is that the advertised 1.25 max hole depth is not quite accurate. I'm finding that it bottoms out around 1-1.125" deep and I have to knock the core slug out from below (prevents edge tearout) and continue cutting. Not the end of the world, just slightly annoying. The hole saw did have a bit of a wobble to it like the shank was slightly bent but honestly I think it may have helped it cut and eject the debris better by applying a slight pumping motion to the water in the cut. I am buying another few of these as well as a cheaper brand (also on Amazon) to see if I can find out what the best bang for buck is on granite. My recommendation for getting these started is to line scrap lumber up at 90 degree angles right on the edge of the hole and clamp it to the work, as I've shown in one of my pictures. This gives you something to rest the hole saw against in both axes while you get it started instead of it trying to scoot around and scratching up your workpiece.

Totally worth the price! I chucked it in my Makita 18 volt drill and set the speed on low. I almost forgot to use water but remembered just in time. Since I was drilling tile that I had set over the drain the previous day, I was able to slowly pour the water around the saw as I went. It worked best for me to hold the drill steady with both hands at the start and spin the saw slowly until it scored a nice groove in the tile. With the saw set in the groove, I then sped the drill up and applied firm but not hard pressure, intermittently stopping to pour more water. The saw is very grippy and quickly ground a perfect circle through the tile. I was impressed! Time will tell how many uses I get out of it, but hopefully it holds up well. Even if it only lasts for five drain cuts it's worth the price to me. Too often I see poorly cut drains with jagged angular edges that ruin the look of an otherwise fine tile job. This saw leaves a very clean, proffesional result.

I ordered this item as another reviewer had said they had used it to cut tile for their shower mixer that had a Schluter seal; exactly my situation. I am tiling with 12" x 24" tiles and where the mixer was set spanned two tiles - just barely - you can see in the picture. I used a scrap of 1" plywood to make a guide by tracing around the edge of the drill bit and then using a jigsaw to cut out the circle (used a drill to make the initial hole). I then set up the two tiles using tile spacers and plumbers putty in what will be the grout line. I used more putty to secure the wood guide to the tile, and then duck taped it down as well. I filled the guide with water and started drilling. I made the guide just a hair too large so the drill was not as steady as I would have liked - I think that's where the chip you can see in the photo came from. Also because of the grout line - even though I had the plumbers putty - the water leaked out and so I ended up using a pitcher of water and pouring it while I drilled. I'm thrilled with the result. Had used an angle grinder for around the toilet and this was leagues easier and did a much better job.

Ordered this hole saw to cut a round opening in ceramic tile to fit over the shower drain. Worked perfectly. The tile was a mesh backed mosaic type and I was concerned that the saw would rip the small tiles off the netting while I was attempting to cut the hole through it. What I did to circumvent this problem is to take two pieces of 3/4" plywood slightly larger than the 12"x12" tile. I cut a 5" hole in the center of one of the pieces using a hole saw designed for wood, then I sandwiched the tile to be cut between the two pieces of wood so that the hole in the upper piece of wood with the hole cut in it was centered over the area of the tile to be cut out. I secured the two pieces of wood together by screws, thereby immobilizing the tile in between. With a spray bottle full of water at the ready, I began to cut the tile with this 4.5" diamond hole saw. This method allowed me to cut a perfect 4.5" hole exactly where I wanted it. There are probably other ways to accomplish such a task, but this method worked pretty well for me and was not overly time consuming. I would recommend this hole saw, especially considering that 4.5" hole saws available at the big box stores are MUCH closer to $100. This item, even with overnight shipping, came to only half of what I would have paid locally. No idea of the longevity of this item as it was ordered for a specific purpose and so have only had the opportunity to use it once. I would venture to guess that if used properly, keeping it WET during use, it should last several through several uses.

I liked the price point and using it cutting a hole in cement backer board. But unfortunately I noticed the first time I used it cutting the backer that it was slightly deformed. I didn’t think it would be as much an issues as it turned out to be. When it came time to cut the porcelain tile, it cut aggressive and smooth but the warp ended up binding up in the cut, came to a screeching halt and broke the tile. I’m willing to give this brand another chance but will not accept any deformation again.

I own 4" and 5" Drilax diamond hole saws along with assorted smaller diamond hole saws from other Amazon sellers. I think the Drilax saws are of significantly higher-quality -- I'd rate them as prosumer tools that will readily stand up to any DIY project. Whether you want the hole or the disc, this saw will get it done in quick order. I believe the depth-of-cut claim of 1-1/8" to 1-1/4" in the product description is questionable; I purchased my 4" saw in Dec. 2021, and it cuts to just under 1". For my application cutting porcelain tile, that's no problem, but there's no excuse for inaccuracies in product descriptions. There are slots and holes in the frame to pry out the core once the cut is complete. The photos show my saw after cutting a half-dozen holes in very hard porcelain tile (wetting the tile while cutting). The diamond matrix looks unscathed, and the last cut was as easy as the first. Cutting is most easily done in a drill press at about 450 rpm, misting water occasionally around the rim., but you can also cut freehand (though it's hard to get a perfect circle): tip the saw and gently engage it at one point on the edge, then slowly bring the saw perpendicular to the surface and continue. Please remember to wear hearing and eye protection.