IQ Power Tools: Smarter By Design

Safety, Convenience, and Productivity Intersect with IQ Power Tools

We’re teaming up with IQ Power Tools to show you how their approach to tool design completely changes the game for concrete, masonry, tile, and hardscape applications. Using their innovative products, our team has experienced how switching from traditional cutting tools to IQ’s solutions can save time and money without compromising performance and safety.

With IQ Power Tools, Safety and Convenience Aren’t Mutually Exclusive

Will You Choose Safety or Convenience?

If you take a drive around the area where I live, it doesn’t take long to find active jobsites where workers give in to the temptation of dry cutting concrete and masonry materials. Unfortunately, that convenience comes at a cost considering they usually aren’t wearing proper PPE to avoid inhaling silica dust. In the short term, they’ve decided the convenience of dry cutting is worth the risk of silicosis down the road.

In order to meet OSHA regulations, they’d have to bring in a water source and wet cut to prevent silica dust from becoming airborne. Even with proper respirators for the tool operators, they don’t prevent bystanders from inhaling the dangerous dust if it gets airborne. So, wet cutting tends to be the method Pros prefer, even though it’s more time-consuming, messy, and costly. That’s the price they pay to get the job done while staying in step with health and safety regulations.

IQ Power Tools believes there is a better way, and their talented team is designing the tools to make it happen.

You Can Have Both Safety and Convenience

One of the reasons it’s so easy for silica dust to become airborne is because it’s so light. That means it’s highly influenced by airflow, making vacuum forces a viable way to capture it. The challenge is capturing enough of it to allow cutting tools to operate without water while eliminating the need for respirators.

IQ Power Tools developed its OSHA-compliant solution in the form of multi-stage cyclonic vacuum technology. As air and dust flow through the system, the cyclones capture nearly all the dust and drop it into a collection tray while a filter on the back end takes care of the rest. The design is so effective that it earns a HEPA 14 rating—the highest HEPA rating you can achieve with a capture rate of 99.995%.

Think about that for a moment: only 1 particle out of 20,000 can make it through a system rated this high. Most HEPA systems we see on jobsites have a 99.97% rating, or 6 out of every 20,000. So, even though standard jobsite HEPA collection is good, IQ Power Tools is literally on another level.

Sound too good to be true? It gets even better.

More Than OSHA Compliance

The cyclonic design also aids in the overall convenience beyond particle capture. Because the cyclones are pulling out so much debris on the front end, only a small percentage makes it to the filter. That means the airflow remains high much longer than non-cyclonic systems.

Even when you need to stop for filter cleaning or emptying, it’s easy and quick. Just give the filter cleaner a quick spin and empty the containment tray at the recommended intervals to get back to work in less than two minutes.

IQ Power Tools integrates its vacuum system into its tools—there’s no need to buy a tool and vacuum separately. Plus, each tool is carefully designed to meet the needs of Pros in the field, giving you premium design and performance with premium dust collection in one.

Since you don’t have any water to deal with, you don’t have to worry about the mess that typically comes with wet cutting. For jobs like tile work and interior brickwork, you can bring the tool to the room you’re working in without having to manage containment. There’s no more debate about time-consuming prep and cleanup vs time-consuming trips outside and back. Just set up the tool and get to work.

If you like the idea of IQ Power Tools’ dust collection technique and wish you could use it with some of your other tools, you’re in luck. IQ has a dedicated dust extractor with the same HEPA 14 rating as its other tools.

IQ Power Tools Cost and ROI

IQ Power Tools have a higher initial cost than other tools in the same classes. That doesn’t mean it they aren’t a smart investment, though. The time savings add up quickly, making for a short return on investment. Consider a quick case study using the TS244 Tile Saw on an interior job.

Taking the tool to the room you’re working in, you don’t have to fill the water tray, lay down tarps and drop cloths, tape up wall protection, or set up containment barriers across entryways. At the end of the day, you don’t have to clean all that up.

If you’re setting up outside, you don’t have to fill the water tray or walk back and forth (potentially up and down the stairs) after making each cut. At the end of the day, your cleanup of the tool is much more minimal.

For either scenario, it’s reasonable to assume the IQ Power Tools Dry Cut Tile Saw can save as much as an hour and a half each day. If you’re paying your tile guy $20 an hour, that’s $30 a day in savings. Each week, you’re saving $150 and it adds up to $7500 in a year if you give your crew two weeks off.

The saw comes ready to work for $1999, meaning you’ve recouped the entire cost in a little over 3 months and gained more than $5000 in annual profit with just one tool. The deal gets even sweeter when you add in the cost savings from not needing containment materials.

Final Thoughts

When you add IQ Power Tools to your workflow, everyone’s happy. Your crew is happy because they have tools with zero compromise in performance that are extremely convenient to use and deliver quality results. Management is happy because your crew is OSHA-compliant, more productive, and more profitable. Your clients are happy because they’re getting the results they were hoping for in less time with less mess. Switching from traditional cutting tools to innovative dry-cutting tools from IQ Power Tools is a win-win across the board.

What Can IQ Power Tools Do For You?

iQ252 10-Inch Dry Cut Rail Saw

The iQ252 10-inch rail saw is capable of making cuts on large tiles that are becoming more popular on higher-end building projects. It’s portable yet stable once set up, ensuring you have a solid foundation to make precise cuts up to 52 inches long and ensure high-end projects finish with perfect results.

OSHA-compliant for dry cutting
Integrated HEPA 14 cyclonic dust collection
Makes rip cuts up to 52 inches
Makes diagonal cuts up to 36 inches
11-pound dust collection capacity
175 pounds

Price: $4499

Coming Soon!

iQ360XT 14-Inch Masonry Saw

When it comes to paver and brickwork jobs, the iQ360XT offers a balance of power, precision, and portability that’s tough to beat. Its 1.5 HP motor can confidently cut material up to 4.5 inches thick, and it has a robust, heavy-duty build. At the same time, it’s light enough for one person to carry and set up conveniently where you’re working.

OSHA-compliant for dry cutting
Integrated HEPA 14 cyclonic dust collection
4.5-inch cutting depth
Makes cuts up to 24 inches
65 pounds

Price: $1600

Buy at Acme Tools

iQMS362i 16.5-Inch Masonry Saw

Stepping up in size and power, the iQMS362i is a powerhouse that can cut material up to 5.5 inches thick. Set on a gas-shock rolling stand that assists in raising and lowering, this beefy 20A masonry saw is the fastest cutting in its class.

OSHA-compliant for dry cutting
Integrated HEPA 14 cyclonic dust collection
5.5-inch cutting depth
Makes cuts up to 24 inches
45-pound dust collection capacity
150 pounds

Price: $2999

Buy at Acme Tools

iQ1550 21.5-Inch Masonry Saw

When you’re working with the thickest masonry materials, you need a saw on a completely different level, and that’s exactly what the iQ1550 is. Designated “The King Cutter”, it’s the world’s first 21.5-inch masonry saw to feature integrated dust collection and can make cuts in material up to 8 inches thick.

OSHA-compliant for dry cutting
Integrated HEPA 14 cyclonic dust collection
8-inch cutting depth
Makes cuts up to 20 inches
75-pound dust collection capacity
380 pounds

Price: $12,999

Buy at Acme Tools

iQ228 7-Inch Dry Cut Tile Saw

The most affordable way to take your tile-cutting to a clean, dry-cutting level is with the iQ228. Strong performance is built into a compact, lightweight tool with all the advantages of IQ Power Tools’ integrated dust control system. It’s a great fit for both Pros and serious DIYers who need to cut tile, mosaic, and other thin materials.

OSHA-compliant for dry cutting
Integrated HEPA 14 cyclonic dust collection
1.25-inch cutting depth
Makes cuts up to 18 inches with the rolling table or 24 inches without
36 pounds

Price: $499

Buy at Acme Tools

iQTS244 10-Inch Dry Cut Tile Saw

When you’re looking for a saw that can handle cutting larger tiles, the iQTS244 is your dry-cutting solution for a 10-inch tile saw. Making rip cuts up to 24 inches and diagonal cuts up to 18 inches, it’s right at home working with all but the largest tiles that have become more popular on new construction and remodels in recent years.

OSHA-compliant for dry cutting
Integrated HEPA 14 cyclonic dust collection
1-inch cutting depth
Makes rip cuts up to 24 inches
Makes diagonal cuts up to 18 inches
11-pound dust collection capacity
93 pounds

Price: $1999

Buy at Acme Tools

iQ426HEPA Dust Extractor

From concrete surfacing to mortar removal, you need an OSHA-compliant vacuum system if you’re going to cut dry. With the iQ426HEPA dust extractor, you can maintain compliance and benefit from the performance and efficiency of IQ Power Tools’ cyclonic dust collection technology while using the tools you’re already used to.