Took the plunge , New Sigma 3DM Tile Cutter

[Aston]

right dave, i'll do my best to explain.
i needed to buy another tx700. i wanted a lighter cutter without the box which used to pee me off on jobs (it got in the way) and i wanted a cutter where one wheel did the lot, lasted ages and only cost a couple of quid, so i bought a sigma 6 and though, what have i got to lose.

i got every waste piece of tile i had in the garage. g5 porc, off cuts from porcelanosa, quarries, old english anything i had and just decided that i would be embrace it confidently, grab the sigma by the horn if u like

seeing the line

1. the view of the line wasnt a problem, especially when working at a height where you are standing over it.
you can line up the wheel easily from the begining of the score and adjust at the top if necessary on rakes etc readt to score back quickly and snap
also, as neale says, you can line your mark on the tile over the center point of the bed and then there fore its the mark if you get my drift.
i never liked the idea of scoring backwards over say a 350 tile but i found that the more

scoring

i decided to really treat the scoring arrogantly rather than awkwardly. i practised holding it on the bend of the handle, at the end by lifting up so the wheel griiped the tile and then just pulled. this is where the week bit came into play. the first few days i thought this is going on ebay and then as each day went by you must gain a bit of technique (bit like riding a bike. you wobble, then before you know it you are off and it all happens in the space of a couple of days) anyway you realise that scoring backwards and then being able to snap at the end of the pull is faster and more natural in the end. it starts to become 2nd nature and you realise why so many rubi users say i hated it at first but then say, theyd never go back....

i'll do another post covering the breaking situation because i'll time out on this post lol ;0)

 

[Sigma UK]

So Ed you got the Sigma 6 which is 35cm and not too much of a dent in the pocket and it cuts G5 porcelain, Ceramic, Quarries & and old English tiles. Sounds like a bargain pal as there are not many cutters out there that size that can cut g5 porcelain without having to go for bigger cutters with powerful breakers.

 

[Aston]

snapping

i always thought you had to bang the handle to break the tile on a sigma and that was off putting. i like the way you can just press the bar down on the tx etc without any shocking the tile but i soon realised 2 things
1. you can just push the handle down on ceramics and its just like using a tx infact the handle is much more powerful too.
2. even when you do have to shock a tile, you dont have to hit it anywhere near as firmly as you do a montolit.

tbo, i really started to develop some good techniques. i could even tap lightly, push down, lightly palm the handle, even tapping it really lightly with my middle knuckles broke some tiles.
only with hard porc did you need give it a firm sharp tap with the palm of your hand but again, not as hard as you have to hit a montolit imo.

i have to admit dave, they really really to cut incredibally well mate. lovely square clean cuts all the way through. you definately without question get less waste and sharper quality of cuts and if you didnt, i honestly would not not say that mate. once you get over that initial period of change and technique, you realise how good they are and as i found out to my surprise i dont want to go back to rubi and i never thought id say that!!

i borrowed a 3c last week from a sigma guy so that i could use that and my sigma 6. just to give myself a good allround perspective. i actually dont mind even scoring back on a 75cm cutter now too!! the guy from sigma is going to send me out a MAX handle to use so if i do get def up of back scoring, then i can swap the handles.

a few aother things got me thinking.
1. i didnt want a big case in the way on customers jobs where space was and issue (claiming off me for tripping ;0)
2. theres just the one wheel on the sigmas and they are a couple of quid to replace and last for ages.
3. only 11.5 kg which is light for a big cutter
4. the 3c only cost £269-95p inc vat and del whereas another tx700 was gonna set me back anywhere from 320 -350

so all in all more from my point of view only here, more cost effective in the short and long term regarding buying, replacement parts,n tile wastage and maybe even time cleaning up the odd rough cut?

dont get me wrong, i will never bad mouth rubi but i cant go back when i know in my head, heart and pocket that sigma are right for me now!

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Good on you Ed for coming out,:lol: what ever works for you mate.

 

[Aston]

So Ed you got the Sigma 6 which is 35cm and not too much of a dent in the pocket and it cuts G5 porcelain, Ceramic, Quarries & and old English tiles. Sounds like a bargain pal as there are not many cutters out there that size that can cut g5 porcelain without having to go for bigger cutters with powerful breakers.

the sigma 6 was £131 delivered inc vat.. and yes very inexpensive considering its versitility compared to say a ts40plus. i borrowed a 3c also before i took the plunge on that today..

the sigmas are a very simple basic design/method of cutting but they distribute the power of the break very well. dont get me wrong there where some breakages but you can definately notice a big difference on porcelain.

 

[DHTiling]

Where the breakages of softer tiles, as in crushing?

 

[Aston]

Good on you Ed for coming out,:lol: what ever works for you mate.

hi phil,
give us bell when you do your next geo job and i will lend you that sigma 6 and i swear that you will ditch your ts40 and pin hammer mate ;0) very very impressed and yes i find in weird saying this after all the fun weve had on here but sometimes things change and you find yourself changing too?

 

[DHTiling]

See, this is the feedback i wanted from what i know is a hardened Rubi TX user or shall i say was :lol:

Ok, off to westerhope tiles to buy a sigma now.

 

[Gazzer]

See, this is the feedback i wanted from what i know is a hardened Rubi TX user or shall i say was :lol:

Ok, off to westerhope tiles to buy a sigma now.

Late night shopping ? take a house brick with you.

 

[Aston]

Where the breakages of softer tiles, as in crushing?

yes mate but to be fair that was as much my fault as anything because i was going through so many diffent tiles/thickness, i didnt always gauge the depth right at times. once set correctly perfect most of the time. just the occasional b&Q ceramic veered of line due to poor quality

 

[DHTiling]

Cheers Ed mate... still need to try one before i decide..

 

[Peter]

Regarding 'shocking' the tile, you shouldn't really ever have to. If the tile takes a bit of extra effort to break then it can be broken by 'jimmying' the breaker getting firmer and firmer. Sometimes if you bang the handle you'll end up chipping the tile.

The Sigma's are getting more and more powerful all the time too. The 4a and 5a 'old style' cutters with the one sided diagonal guage will cut anything but need slightly more pressure on the breaker. The newer style machines with the two sided swivel will snap a tile with half the effort, which is virtually the same sort of pressure that you'd use to type a text message. :lol:

Must make a tutorial some day for those hoping to make the switchover regarding techniques and methods. Some people find the pull bars easier to get used to if they hold the tail of the handle up with their other hand until they develop enough technique to do it one handed. As for holding the handle, a scribe should be made by holding your hand on the bend. Snapping should be done approx 10-20mm from the rule.

 

[DHTiling]

Maybe Derek (pompey jay) might send me one to try and compare against my TX

 

[Peter]

Didn't realise Pompey Jay was actually Sigma UK, just thought he was another zealous tiler.

In that case, I'll have a couple of Sigma t shirts in size Large for all the good work I've been doing in promoting your brand.

 

[Gazzer]

Didn't realise Pompey Jay was actually Sigma UK, just thought he was another zealous tiler.

In that case, I'll have a couple of Sigma t shirts in size Large for all the good work I've been doing in promoting your brand.

Plain greedy....and get to the back of the queue.....1st dibs