A manual tile cutter at Bab Al-Saif starts at 6.750 KD for a 400 mm bed whose record says it cuts up to 10 mm thick, and runs to 50.000 KD for a bed that takes a 1600 mm cut. The number in the name is the longest cut the bed will take, not the tile size — so a 400 mm cutter will not score a 600 mm plank at any price, and a 60 x 60 cm tile cut corner to corner needs about 85 cm of bed. This page gives the bed length, the thickness each one states and the price, and says where a manual cutter stops and the 28.700 KD electric one starts.
Manual cutters: bed length against tile thickness
| Cutting length | Thickness its record states | Bench space needed | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 mm | up to 10 mm | not recorded | 6.750 KD |
| 600 mm | up to 12 mm | not recorded | 8.950 KD |
| 900 mm | 4 to 14 mm | not recorded | 27.000 KD |
| 1200 mm | not recorded | 143 cm machine length | 32.450 KD |
| 1600 mm | not recorded | 1830 mm machine length | 50.000 KD |
Two of the five record no maximum thickness, so if your tile is over 14 mm the honest answer is to bring a piece in rather than take a number off this page. And the bench-space column is the one that catches people out: the 1200 mm cutter is 143 cm long overall, and the 1600 mm one 1830 mm, so each of those needs about 23 cm more table than the cut it makes.
What separates them beyond length is the frame. The 600 mm states a 16 mm chromed guide rod on a 1.8 mm steel base, with a scoring wheel its record describes as simple to replace. The 900 mm states a 19 mm rod on the same 1.8 mm base and a linear-bearing slide rather than a plain bush, which is where the step up in price sits. The 400 mm takes a 15 x 6 x 1.5 mm replacement cutting wheel, which is the part to ask for when the scores stop being clean.
How a manual cutter works, and when it will not do the job
A manual tile cutter does not cut. The wheel scores one line through the glaze and the foot snaps the tile along it, which is why it is fast, quiet and dust-free, and why it only does straight lines from edge to edge. Three jobs it cannot do:
- A curve, an L-shape or a notch round a pipe. That is a diamond disc on an angle grinder, or the electric cutter below.
- A hole in the middle of a tile. That is a tile drill bit or a diamond hole saw, in drill bits and hole saws.
- A tile already fixed to the wall. Nothing with a bed will reach it.
The electric one: 710 W, and it takes the same disc as a grinder
The 710 W diamond tile and marble cutter, model GDC 140, is 28.700 KD. Its record states 12,000 rpm with no load, a 115 mm disc, an M14 grinding spindle, a weight of 1.7 kg and a lockable switch.
The useful part of those figures is the 115 mm disc on an M14 spindle, because that is the same disc size and the same thread as the common angle grinder, so the consumables are the ones already on the shelf. A 115 mm diamond cutting blade is 0.450 KD, a wet diamond disc 0.650 KD at that size and a dry one 0.750 KD - which disc suits which material is set out in angle grinder prices and which disc fits which grinder, and the full range is in cutting discs, blades and hole saws.
So the choice between 27.000 KD of manual cutter and 28.700 KD of electric one is not about money. It is about whether every cut you have is a straight line.
Lifting the tile and setting it
| Tool | What its record states | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Suction lifter, single head | 118 mm cup | 0.750 KD |
| Suction lifter, double head | 118 mm cups | 1.250 KD |
| Suction lifter, triple head | 118 mm cups | 2.500 KD |
| Cordless suction lifter | Battery powered; its title and its spec sheet give two different capacities, so neither is printed here | 7.500 KD |
| Cordless tile and paver vibrating machine | 20 V, supplied with two batteries | 13.500 KD |
| Chalk line reel, 30 m | 30 metre line | 0.950 KD |
The hand suction lifters go up by head count rather than by cup size — all three state a 118 mm cup, and the second and third head are what let you carry a large-format tile flat instead of bending it. The vibrating machine at 13.500 KD is for bedding a laid tile or paver down into the mortar evenly, and the 0.950 KD chalk line is how you get the first row straight, which for under a dinar is the item on this page that does most for how the finished floor looks.
Questions people actually ask
How much is a tile cutter machine in Kuwait?
6.750 KD for a 400 mm manual cutter that states a 10 mm maximum thickness, 8.950 KD for 600 mm at up to 12 mm, 27.000 KD for 900 mm at 4 to 14 mm, 32.450 KD for 1200 mm and 50.000 KD for 1600 mm. The 710 W electric diamond cutter is 28.700 KD.
What length tile cutter do I need for 60 x 60 cm tiles?
For a straight cut across a 60 cm tile, the 600 mm cutter at 8.950 KD is the smallest bed that takes it. For a diagonal across the same tile the cut is about 85 cm — the diagonal of a 60 cm square is roughly 85 cm — so you need the 900 mm bed at 27.000 KD. Buy for the longest cut on the job, not the average one.
Which disc cuts tile?
A diamond disc, not an abrasive metal disc. At 115 mm, a diamond cutting blade is 0.450 KD, a wet diamond disc 0.650 KD and a dry one 0.750 KD. The 710 W tile cutter and the common 115 mm angle grinder both take that size on an M14 spindle, so one disc fits both.
Can the same machine cut marble?
The 710 W electric cutter is listed as a diamond tile and marble cutter and takes 115 mm diamond discs, which are the discs for stone as well as for tile. A manual bed cutter scores a glaze and snaps it, so it is a tile tool rather than a stone one.
How do I drill a hole in a tile?
With a tile bit or a diamond hole saw rather than a masonry bit, and slowly. The bits are in drill bits and hole saws, and which bit suits which material is set out in how much a cordless drill costs in Kuwait, which prices eight categories of bit from 0.150 KD.
What do I replace when a tile cutter stops scoring cleanly?
The scoring wheel. On the 400 mm cutter the replacement is 15 x 6 x 1.5 mm, and the 600 mm cutter's record says the wheel is meant to be changed without tools. Bring the machine or the old wheel to the counter and we will match it.
Can I cut tile with an angle grinder instead?
Yes, with a diamond disc rather than an abrasive metal disc, and it is the only way to take a curve or a notch. A 115 mm grinder starts at 6.000 KD and the disc at 0.450 KD, so the pair is cheaper than any bed cutter here - but a grinder does not give you the straight snapped edge a manual cutter does, and it makes dust where the cutter makes none. The machines and the discs are in angle grinder prices and which disc fits which grinder.
Also useful: tile cutters and suction lifters for the whole range, cutting discs, blades and hole saws for the diamond discs, drill bits and hole saws for the tile bits, and which pliers do you need, and which cutter if the word cutter brought you here and you meant a knife, a cable cutter or a bolt cutter instead. The showroom is at Shuwaikh Plaza on Khalifa Al-Jassim Street in Shuwaikh Industrial, with cash on delivery, card and Deema instalments.
