Reviews – Hilti DSH700 Concrete Cutter

Hilti DSH700 is a medium sized hand held gas saw for:

• Wet/dry concrete and asphalt cutting for small repairs, expansion joints and curbs
• Cutting of brick, concrete block and other small floor or wall openings
• Cutting of metal deck, rebar, bolts, dowel bars, grating and other metals

With sales tax and an extra blade, 24 hour rental cost was $150 (unused extra blade can be returned for a full refund). Home Depot even provided me with a small gas can that was pre-mixed with engine oil (2 cycle engines use gas-oil mixture unlike 4 cycle engines).

To reduce the amount of dust produced when cutting, Hilti recommends use of the wet cutting method. Just make sure the rental place gives you a quick disconnect connector so that you can hook up the water hose to the saw.

By the way, you do NOT need a lot of water when cutting.  Just a trickle will do just fine to reduce the dust and cool off the blade.  If you have too much water, it will splatter all over, making cleanup more difficult and time consuming.

Because I did not know if this concrete step contained rebars, so I rented a metal blade for extra $100. There is nothing worse than stopping what you are doing and making a trip to the hardware store in wet dirty clothing. Besides, if I did not end up using the blade, I could return it for a full refund.

Summary

As far as the saw was concerned, it felt light enough to maneuver it easily. With a 14″ blade, the cutting depth was approximately 3 inches. You definitely need to wear eye and ear protections because it is LOUD. With a diamond tipped blade, I felt like cutting butter with a sharp knife.

Before leaving the store, make sure you understand how to operate the saw.  If you have never worked with a gasoline powered, 2 cycle engine before, ask one of the salesperson to show you how to properly start Hilti DSH700 concrete saw.
 

References

• Hilti Operating Instruction DSH 700X-900X (PDF file)
• Hilti Operating Instruction DSH 700-22 Wheel Set (PDF file)
• Hilti Operating Instruction DSH 700 / DSH 900 (02) (PDF file)