Zephyr Ring Saw

I love doing glass work, but with arthritis, cutting glass, and then grinding it, is difficult. I looked carefully into ring saws, and got the Gryphon Zephyr, in no small part because I've also been very pleased with my two Gryphon grinders.What surprised me the most was that it cut through my glass *so* easily that I had to learn to dot try to do the cutter's work for it, so to speak - it only takes a light touch.One thing to not is that it does put out a lot of water to keep the blade cool, so you definitely will need Mark-Stay or some similar product to keep your lines from washing away - I haven't yet tried petroleum jelly, so I have no idea whether it works, so I stick with Mark-Stay, since I know it's made specifically to be used with glass-working equipment. I also use only distilled water in it (which I do for all equipment, from the grinders to my iron and so on), but a gallon of distilled water is only about $0.85 to $0.89 where I get it, and a gallon cools a lot of cutting.It's also surprisingly quiet *for what it is* - it's by no means "whisper-quiet", but I can certainly listen to music or TV or whatever while using it; it's not very heavy at all, so I set it up on a low table with something soft under it (to dampen vibration/noise) and use it while seated - which is also good because I have arthritis in my lower back. If I want to change position and stand, I can just pick it up and move it to a higher table.Additionally, the replacement blades are more reasonably priced. Oh yeah, and it arrived from the vendor quickly, and in excellent shape. I found it very easy to put together.Oh, and just as a tip, which may seem obvious but isn't necessarily so: never, and I mean NEVER, physically wipe the vision-guards on *any* glass-working equipment, because it *will* scratch. Just rinse it gently under running water; if necessary, drop a little liquid dish detergent onto it, but NEVER rub it. Just let the detergent slosh around over the surface(s). The shake it dry, and reposition onto the machine.All in all, I would definitely recommend this (and other Gryphon items) to friends.

Without a way of cutting really odd and difficult shapes of stained glass I was limited to the projects I could do. After reading all the reviews, I ordered this ring saw anyway. I'm glad I did. I think one of the most common complaints was the water splashing out all over the place. This happened to me as well, but I realized it was because I had the water level too high. Once I lowered it to the "recommended" level (LOL) I no longer had that problem. This saw takes some time to learn, I won't kid anyone about that. One thing I've learned is to top my cutting line with Vaseline or something similar so the water doesn't wash the line away. Just a thin coat will do. The other thing I've learned is to go really, really, slow. Take my time and totally focus while cutting. After a little experience with this saw I'm confident I can take on the difficult cuts that were next to impossible before.

The water stream seems excessive, but that keeps your diamonds from burning up, so it is doing it's job. I may try to make a mod to give some control over the water, this isn't my first water cooled diamond tool.Behind the blade the table is split so you can put the table on around the blade. This is a problem if your glass is catching the edge, while making delicate cuts. The solution to this is to cover the split and workspace for your piece with some tape, that allows you to push an edge over the crack without catching. Ruined my first cut because of this isssue, but you learn and do better the next time... If you don't want tape on your table, another way to deal with this is to bevel the edge so it doesn't catch on the edge. Tape was faster. I used a 3m medical tape transpore, and removed it as soon as the cut was done so the adhesive wouldn't transfer.The saw itself is quite nice. It cuts well. I like it to augment what I can do with my tile saw. It allows fine cuts, and slender results, so you can make your fancy cutouts like sport team logos, or other detailed work.Overall it is a very cheap build, it just doesn't seem right at this price. On the other hand, this is a saw that holds water in a basin, so a plastic tank body isn't inappropriate.My tile saw cost $70 new, and it is cheap, but better made than this.

This ring saw is a piece of JUNK! I have owned it for 2 months and have broken 5 blades while applying No Pressure whatsoever. I would like to return this item. I purchased another wet saw with a glass cutting blade for $100.00for blade and $150.00 for wet saw from Home Dept. It’s like night and day. Gryphon Corp products are the worst. I brought a grinder that never worked. I contacted Gryphon directly. Followed advice. Ended up purchasing an upgraded model which works okay. I do fused glass and mosaics. The ring saw cannot cut a sheet of 3mm glass without snapping the blade. The blades are $50-$60 each. I refuse to spend another dime on inferior products from Gryphon. The cost is so excessive. I may have used the saw for a total of 20 hours Max. Save your money and time and buy a real wet saw. Ridiculous. I had to go onto YouTube to find directions for changing out the blade. Last week I purchased another $50 blade. Worked for 10 minutes at most and it broke. Not throwing away any more money on this worthless junk. Beware!

Overall this is a very good saw for cutting intricate shapes for fusing glass. I don't like the way the motor is attached because water can easily get into motor area. Other than the blade and the motor it appears that the rest is plastic so I m doubtful that it will hold up for a long time. With all that said, it works for the glass that I use.