You know that feeling when you’re halfway through a backsplash, the tile’s cut wrong for the third time, and you’re staring at a $200 piece of porcelain that just became a $200 piece of garbage? That’s where I was last spring. My old cheap saw couldn’t handle 12x24 porcelain without chipping the edges like a drunk guy eating corn on the cob. I’d had it. I did the research, spent the money, and honestly? The MK 770 is the saw I should have bought three projects ago.
Let me be straight with you. The MK 770 isn’t sexy. It’s not the saw you show off to your buddies. It’s the saw you use for ten years without thinking about it. That’s the whole point.
The Price Question Everyone Asks First
Yeah, I see that “Check Price on Amazon” button too. The MK 770 runs somewhere in the $500 range depending on when you look, and honestly, that’s the sweet spot. It’s cheaper than the big-name 10 inch models but way more saw than the homeowner-grade junk at the big box store. I’ve seen it dip below $450 on sale, and if you catch that, don’t think twice.
Here’s the thing about the price. You can buy a $200 tile saw and throw it away in eighteen months when the motor burns out. Or you can buy the MK 770 and still be using it when your kids are in high school. I’ve had mine for three years now, and it’s outlasted two of my buddy’s budget saws combined. The math ain’t complicated.
The Motor: More Than Enough See Today’s Deal on Amazon
The MK 770 runs a 1.5 HP motor. On paper that doesn’t sound like much compared to the 2 HP monsters out there. But here’s the thing nobody tells you — horsepower ratings on tile saws are about as trustworthy as a used car salesman’s mileage claims. The MK 770’s motor is honest. It doesn’t bog down on 20 inch porcelain, doesn’t slow when you’re pushing hard through rectified ceramic, and doesn’t sound like it’s dying when you feed it thick pavers.
I cut 18x18 travertine for a master bathroom floor with this thing. Full bed, thick stone, the kind of cuts that make lesser saws scream. The MK 770 just… did it. No drama. No smoking motor. No praying to whatever gods watch over tile guys.
The motor also runs quiet. Not silent, but quiet enough that you can actually think while you’re cutting. My old saw sounded like a jet engine with a nail stuck in it. This one hums. That matters more than you’d think when you’re on hour six of a kitchen floor.
The 10 Inch Blade: Size Matters
Here’s the thing about 10 inch blades — they cut deeper than the 7 inch tabletop saws everyone starts with. The MK 770 handles a 3-1/4 inch depth of cut at 90 degrees. That means you can rip 12x24 tiles lengthwise without flipping them, and you can cut most 20x20s in one pass. No more scoring and snapping. No more trying to finesse a cut that the saw physically can’t handle.
I remember the first time I ripped a 24 inch porcelain plank in half with this saw. My old 7 inch couldn’t do that without two passes, and the second pass always wandered off line. The MK 770 did it in one smooth pass, dead straight, no chipping on the cut edge. I actually laughed out loud. That’s how sad my old setup was.
The 10 inch blade also spins faster — 3,450 RPM. That speed matters for clean cuts. Slow blades tear at the tile. Fast blades slice through it. The MK 770’s arbor speed is the difference between a clean edge you can hide and a chipped edge you have to caulk over.
The Cutting Head: Where the Magic Lives
Most budget saws have a cutting head that wobbles. You make a straight line on the tile, push it through, and somehow the cut comes out crooked anyway. The MK 770’s cutting head is solid. It’s got a dual-bearing assembly that keeps the blade dead straight, and I’ve never once seen it drift out of alignment.
The head also tilts to 45 degrees for miters, which sounds basic but is honestly where a lot of cheap saws fall apart. The tilt mechanism on the MK 770 locks down tight. No slop. No wandering. You set it to 45 and it cuts 45, every single time. I’ve done hallway borders with mitered corners using this saw, and every corner came together like it was machined.
The head also has a manual tilt adjustment that’s dead simple. Loosen, tilt, lock. That’s it. No complicated jigs, no fiddly measurements. You set the angle, you cut, you move on.
The Water System: No More Mud Bath
My old saw threw water everywhere. The pump was weak, the spray was uneven, and I ended every session soaked to the skin with a puddle of milky slurry covering half the garage. The MK 770 fixed all of that.
The water tray is deep — like, actually deep enough to hold water without splashing it everywhere. The pump sits in a recessed area that keeps it submerged even when the water level drops. The spray bar runs across the blade and keeps it wet from both sides, which is exactly what you need for clean cuts on hard porcelain.
The best part? The pump is easy to clean. You pop the filter, rinse it out, and you’re done. My old saw had a pump that clogged every thirty minutes, and I spent more time unclogging it than cutting. The MK 770’s pump runs clean for entire projects. I’ve cut 300 square feet of floor tile in a day without touching the pump once.
The Fence and Table: Precision Without the Price TagSee Today’s Deal on Amazon
The sliding table on the MK 770 is smooth. It rides on rails that don’t bind, don’t catch, and don’t develop dead spots. That’s huge when you’re making repetitive cuts — you want the table to move effortlessly so you can focus on the tile, not on fighting the saw.
The fence is where this saw really shines. It’s got a positive stop at 90 degrees, which means you can set it and forget it. The fence also has markings for common angles, and they’re actually accurate. I checked mine with a digital protractor, and it was dead on. That’s not something I can say for saws that cost twice as much.
The rip capacity is generous too. You can cut up to 18 inches on the right side of the blade without moving the fence. That handles most bathroom and kitchen tiles. For larger stuff, you flip the table and get even more room. I’ve cut 24 inchers with the table flipped, and the saw handled them like they were nothing.
Portability: Not a Jobsite Saw, But Not a Boat Anchor
The MK 770 weighs about 90 pounds. That’s not light, but it’s also not the 150 pound monsters you see on jobsites. It’s got a collapsible stand that folds up flat, and the saw has carry handles that actually work. I’ve loaded mine into the back of a pickup truck more times than I can count, and it’s never once felt like it was going to fall apart.
That said, if you’re doing this professionally, you might want something with wheels. The Dewalt 10 Inch Wet Tile Saw With Stand is heavier but rolls around easier. For a serious DIYer or a guy doing side jobs, the MK 770’s portability is perfect. You fold it up, throw it in the truck, and you’re gone.
What It’s Not Good At
I’m not going to pretend this saw is perfect, because it’s not. Here’s the honest stuff.
The water tray is big, which is good, but it’s also plastic. If you drop something heavy on it, you might crack it. I haven’t, but I’ve been careful. You can buy a replacement tray for about forty bucks, which is cheap insurance.
The blade guard is a little flimsy. Mine wobbles slightly, but it doesn’t affect the cut, so I’ve never bothered to replace it. It’s one of those things you notice but don’t care about.
The power cord is on the shorter side. You’ll probably need an extension cord unless your outlets are conveniently placed. Not a dealbreaker, just an annoyance.
The miter gauge is fine but not great. It gets the job done, but if you’re doing intricate angled cuts, you might want to upgrade to an aftermarket gauge. I’ve used mine for basic 45s and it’s fine, but I could see someone who does a lot of diagonal patterns wanting more precision.
And the worst thing? The MK 770 doesn’t have a built-in water containment system like the Skil 3550-02 7-Inch Wet Tile Saw with HydroLock Water Containment System. That means you need to manage the water yourself — drain it when you’re done, clean the tray, don’t leave water sitting in it for weeks. It’s not hard, but it’s an extra step that some newer saws eliminate.
The Comparison Game
I’ve used the Ridgid R4030 Tile Saw Price and honestly, it’s a solid competitor. The Ridgid has a slightly bigger motor and a nicer stand, but it’s also heavier and more expensive. The MK 770 wins on portability and price.
I’ve also used the smaller Hoteche 4-1/2-Inch Cutter Portable Wet Tile Saw, which is a completely different category. That saw is for small jobs and tight spaces. The MK 770 is for real work. If you’re only cutting subway tile for a backsplash, the Hoteche might be enough. If you’re cutting floor tile, you need the MK 770.
The older DEWALT Wet Tile Saw, Masonry, 4-3/8-Inch is a different beast too — that’s a masonry saw, not a tile saw. Different tool for different jobs. The MK 770 is the one you want for ceramic, porcelain, and stone tile.
The Long Haul
I’ve had my MK 770 for three years. It’s cut porcelain, ceramic, travertine, slate, and even a few granite pieces. It’s been soaked with water, covered in slurry, jostled in truck beds, and dropped once (don’t ask). It’s never once failed to start, never once cut crooked, never once thrown a fit.
The blade that came with it lasted longer than I expected — about six months of regular weekend use before it needed replacing. That’s fine. Every saw eats blades eventually.
The motor still sounds like it did on day one. The table still slides smooth. The fence still locks tight. I’ve replaced the pump filter once, and that’s it. That’s the only maintenance I’ve done in three years.
Who Should Buy This
If you’re laying tile for your own house — a bathroom floor here, a kitchen backsplash there — the MK 770 is overkill. You could get away with a tabletop saw and save a couple hundred bucks. But if you’re doing multiple rooms, multiple projects, or any kind of paid work, this is the saw.
If you’re a contractor who cuts tile every day, you might want something even beefier. The MK 770 will do the job, but the professionals I know tend to go for the bigger stationary models. This is more of a serious DIYer or side-gig saw.
If you’re cutting 24 inch porcelain plank tile — which is everywhere right now — you need the 10 inch blade. Don’t even try it with a 7 inch saw. You’ll hate yourself.
The Bottom Line
The MK 770 costs more than the cheap saws, but it’s less than half what you’d pay for the premium brands. It’s got enough power, enough precision, and enough durability to handle real tile work without breaking the bank. It’s not perfect — the blade guard is flimsy and the cord is short — but those are minor annoyances, not dealbreakers.
If you pick one up through the links here, I might get a small cut — doesn’t cost you extra and it helps keep the lights on.
I’ve cut hundreds of square feet of tile with this saw. I’ve never once regretted the purchase. If you’re in the market for a 10 inch wet saw and you don’t want to spend flagship money, get the MK 770. You’ll thank me when you’re laying that first perfect run of 24 inch porcelain and the cut edge is so clean you can’t even see the blade mark. See Today’s Deal on Amazon
The saw doesn’t care if you’re a pro or a first-timer. It just cuts straight, cuts clean, and keeps doing it long after the cheaper alternatives have been recycled into new cheap saws. That’s really all you need to know.