Drilax 4-1/2 inch Diamond Hole Saw with Guide for Tile, Porcelain, Ceramic & Glass, Granite and Stone Cutter, 3/8" Shank for Drilling Large Holes for Drains, Recessed Lights and Plumbing

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.

Worked very well to cut a hole in tile for the shower valve. I made a template from 1/4 in plywood, clamped the template to a tile. While a helper sprayed water, I ran the drill. Perfect hole. Making a template is key. The Hole Saw will walk on the material without a template to keep it in place.

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.

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!

First hole cut like butter. It was a bit hard to get tile piece out of bit but I ended up breaking the tile and it just fell out. Looking forward to using it again.

No pilot so saw is hard to use, needs to be on drill press with work secured or useless.

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.

Didn’t make it through one hole and when I looked closer at it… It was sold to me as 4 1/4 inch but it was 105mm. I know that’s only like 3 mm off… But really why lie…

Product would have been good had it had a central pin to secure it from spinning off course.

Used several times. Good quality and worked well

Great product, great service.

I used this item in a drill press to cut holes, No problems in this job and hopefully will last for a few years.