I've used this bit to cut outlet holes in a travertine on Wonder-Board floor. Travertine is soft, and easy to cut, and Wonder-Board is not hard either, so I have only tested the bit at the kindergarten level. However - it did make quick work of a series of 2 1/4" holes that would have been very difficult to cut without it. If it were a new floor installation, I could have cut the tiles from the back side, but for a retro-cut, the XB-FT1 was the ticket. My first impression when trying out the bit on a scrap of travertine was that it cut very slowly. But if you consider that a wet diamond blade on a high powered saw is only removing a 1/16" of material, and this bit is removing 4 times that, dry, and pushed by a tool that you can nearly hide in your hand (Rotozip R20), it's really not that slow.
There are a couple of tips that Rotozip publishes regarding use of this bit that are worth noting, as can be witnessed in the other reviews here:
1. You really should not try to start a hole by using the tip of the bit; extend the bit as far as is safe, and angle the tool so that the side of the bit touches the material rather than the tip. The center of the tip bay be turning 30,000 RPMs, but it's not traveling in a way that will cut anything. The conflicting directions of a spinning, round tip will also make it want to dart off in one direction or the other, potentially damaging things that you might prefer to not damage.
2. Rotozip also recommends moving the tip up and down as you are cutting. This makes sense, to spread the work around to reduce heat build-up, and to clear material from the teeth. I'll add that it makes sense to tip the tool, fore and aft, to ease the cut ahead with progressive undercuts that aren't taking out the full contact surface of the bit, all of the time.
I have to wonder if the reviewer who gave it 1 star actually bought the XB-TC1, and/or what kind of tool they were using it in. Rotozip XB-FT1 1/4-Inch Floor Tile XBIT, 1-Pack
I bought this cutter from HomeDepot priced $32.00 because its label said it can cut floor tiles. The truth is that it can't. What it really can do is grind edges smooth but definitely not cut a floor tile. After forcing it to cut a one inch curve on a floor tile, the bit glowed very hot and after several more attempts the cutting bit wore-out. Whatever the metallurgy used in this bit it is definitely not harder than the floor tile. What appears to be cutting crystals embedded in the bit are not diamond or silicon-carbide but some other softer material. Ultimately, I reverted back to using my 6 inch diamond blade and gave up cutting curves. This is a poor product labeling a misleading capability.
Tiled the bathroom and needed to cut a round hole for the toilet pipe. Looked at Home Depot and Lowe's and they wanted $40 for this bit. Found it here for $14.95! Brand new in sealed box and it worked perfectly. I plan to use it on the microwave vent through the Hardy cement siding. Man tha stuff is tough! Thanks again AMAZON!
I bought this thinking it had an 5/16 shank as advertised on other sites. I does not! It now has a 1/4 shank and I will have to modify it to make it work. Thanks you @#$%%$@# for not telling me this. Put the proper picture up if you are going to change the product! Amazon are you ignorant?
I got this bit so that I could cut holes in porcelain tile without breaking the tile. It worked great for the project. I have since used it to widen faucet handle holes in cultured marble vanities. It worked well for that use too. The only downside I see is the cost.
This Bit worked Beautifully for me in my rotozip tool to make cutouts in 1/4" ceramic floor tile. I would recommend using a colbolt drill bit to make the initial hole & then use the tool moving it up and down as you make the cut to preserve the bit. Also let the tool do the work and dont over torque it & it will cut just fine, just have a little patience is all!!!
G.O
I have cut two 1 1/8" holes in the center of some heavy ceramic tiles and notched out the edge of a third. These are Italian Ceramic heavy duty floor tiles. It takes about 3-4 minutes to complete a hole of this size. I am using this bit at 30,000 RPM on a 6.0A Roto-Zip RZ2000. It will chip the side facing up a bit when you use the recommended sawing motion, but my holes will be behind fixtures and the chips are small, so no worries.
The price here is also about 15 bucks cheaper than my local big box store.
UPDATE: I just cut a 5" by 3" oval for a plumbing valve. The sides came to within 5/8" of one edge of the tile and 2" of the other. No problem. It took about 20-25 minutes for the cut.'
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