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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 12:27 pm
by Hintonwood
I am in the market for a petrol disc cutter with a water system. It is to be used for cutting bricks, flags and concrete but no heavy jobs. The choices seem to be Stihl, Makita or Partner.
I have heard that Stihl are the best, followed by Parner and then Makita. If 'best' means value for money in terms of long life of engine and components then I suppose it is worth spending the extra for a better machine.
Any views or recommendations please?
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:12 pm
by Tony McC
Stihl are very good, but 'official' repairs and parts are expensive. Partner are more reasonably priced but always seem to stop working as soon as there's more than 5 specks of dust in the air filter. I think Makita lecky tools are the best in terms of value for money (I could never afford DeWalt) but I've no experience of their petrol-engined kit.
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:48 pm
by dig dug dan
from experiance, Buy ther stihl
I have a ts400, and I have used it for the past 6 years, and all I have had to do is service it (only twice, £80 from my stihl dealer) and replace the pull cord a couple of times (£5).
It has a compensator when the air filter gets blocked, a water attachment as standard that an ordinary hose coupling connects to, and a decompression valve.
Makita, never had experiance with and as tony says, the partner is no good. (the "happy shopper" of the disc cutter world!) 
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:53 pm
by Nigel Walker
Disc Cutters.
I have a Stihl TS400 and a Partner KS650.
I like using both machines but the Partner gives a quicker cut.
A while ago the Partners were VERY tempremental but they seem to be a lot better now.
The Makita is actually called a Dolmar saw in the trade .It is called Makita in DIY. These are not bad saws but tend to be a bit heavy and akward to use.
At the moment my personal preference is the Partner closely followed by the Stihl.
A lot depends on what price you are prepared to pay and the after sales service available.
One of the main problems people have with the Disc Cutters are the type of blade used. If someone is using a cheap diamand tip blade (£30-£70) then it will be a bad blade, but because it takes ages to cut a flag they think it is the saw that is bad !.
Buy a quality blade for the right purpose. The blades I use at the moment for cutting Concrete Block Pavoirs cost around £110 each + vat. But they last 10 times longer than the cheap rubbish.
Nigel
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:45 pm
by Hintonwood
Thanks for the useful advice. As I suspected, the experience of individuals varies.
In my experience, personal preference is often driven by whether the machine was built on a monday morning or a Friday afternoon.
The Makita DPC 6400 is available new for as little as £ 400 including a free general purpose blade.
The Partner may be a little more than £ 400 and then I will have to pay approx £ 100 for a decent blade.
I do not yet have a new price for the Stihl but I guess that it will be £ 500+ and then still needs a blade. Given that Partner have a new 'Low Vib' 650 model, I think I will probably end up trying that.
Thanks again for the input.
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:27 am
by ABILITY
We tend to use the Makita as mentioned, find it good value for money. As Nigel says they are quite heavy, but do not find this too much of a problem.
Having had three nick off sites over the last few years, there is some gain in not paying for the highest priced models.
The filter system on the 6400 works excellently, better than the old Sthil, but not had one of them for a long time.
Never had any problems with them - usuall except pull cord snapping.
Best price found recently on Makita was £ 350 + vat, but maybe someone has a better offer on.
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:39 am
by Hintonwood
Prices I quoted include VAT as I am a sole trader and not VAT registered. Will post the confirmed prices when I have them.
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 2:29 pm
by dig dug dan
Go to Sed in May, and a stihl can be had for £345+ vat.
I have seen them this cheap at dealers too. Try Hempstead Plant, 01442 252564. They do great deals on stihl
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:50 pm
by alan ditchfield
I have 2 stihll ts 400s but im a tree surgeoen and tend to stick with the things i use most, having said that the company i used to work for used Makitas and i would say they have more power, i agree that they are heavier, and could not comment on long term durability. I would go for the stihll first Makita a close second and would not entertain the partner.
Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:25 pm
by Hintonwood
Thanks again for the input.
Decided to go the Stihl route.
Lowest price I found is Toolshop Direct at £ 459 inc VAT. Dan's recommended contact at Hemmel charges £ 470 delivered. My view is that as I phoned them on recommendation and mentioned dan's name when calling, it is better to pay £ 11 extra and use a non-internet recommended firm because we all want the local businesses to be there when we need them. £11 is a small price to pay to help keep them in business.
Any specific recommendation on best value diamond 300mm blade for brick, slabs & concrete?