And it looks like we have a winner for the craziest looking, most cartoon/video game like new tool for 2011! It is the new HDS60 Dragon Saw ($7480, Ohio Power Tool) and as if it didn’t look scary enough it even has a wicked name. We got to see one in person at this year’s Diamond Products University, a several day training event for professional concrete cutters, and honestly it’s even more impressive in person. This hand held unit can cut up to 16” into concrete and 12” without any overcutting.
The Dragon Saw vs Husqvarna Ring Saw
Right off the bat you will see the Dragon saw uses much larger blades, up to 20”, where the Husqvarna Saw is only at 14”. At almost 6” more in cutting depth this really becomes a much more versatile tool however also twice the price. The biggest complains we have heard with a ring saw has always been the maintenance and skill experience need to operate these units correctly. The Dragon Saw is built differently so the more pressure placed on the blade the tighter the rollers grab vs the ring saws which slips. The slippage leads to more maintenance costs and damage to pricy blades while the Dragon Saw claims it will not slip. The wearable components in the Dragon Saw are also much easier to replace and last 2-5 times as long.
The Dragon Saw vs Concrete Chain Saw
There is little that compares to the effectiveness of the concrete chain saw when it comes to a hand held tool than can cut deep into concrete. However it comes at a price, a big one, often as much as 10 to 20 times more expensive in terms of inch/feet vs a traditional diamond blade. This high price tag means professionals that know what they are doing will use these tools as little as possible, perhaps just to cut the corners of an opening but not the whole opening. This technique saves money but also waists time with multiple tool set ups. The Dragon Saw blades, while still expensive, have the cutting life similar to a traditional blade making them a fraction of the price of a chain saw blade. The water cooling requirement is also 1/5th of that of a chain saw which is very important if containing the mess is a concern.
Proper Use of the Dragon Saw
While this saw is pretty revolutionary it’s not a cure all for all your cutting needs. We are still talking about a 20” diameter blade being held-on by a few rollers. For best results it is recommended to use a 14” gas or electric saw to pre-cut the opening up to 4” deep. For applications such as block wall the saw can be used without pre-cutting but it just takes a little more patience and a steady hand. The Dragon Saw blades are .165” wide and will not bind when used in a pre-cut application. The blade changing takes less than 5 minutes and the saw include all the tools needed. There is also no special adjustments needed to go from the 16” to 20” blades and each blade sold includes a wear plate which should be changed with each blade. Concrete cutting can be tricky business, if you have any questions about the Dragon Saw or any other Diamond Products concrete cutting equipment call the professionals at Ohio Power Tool 800-242-4424.
