Tuesday Tool Talk: RotoZip Accessories

A very special package arrived on my birthday last month. I’m slowly starting to use pieces of it. When Bosch saw how much I loved my RotoZip, they sent me some accessories to try. (Full disclosure: I received these products unsolicited and free of charge.)

Around Thanksgiving last year, I bought the RotoZip with its ZipMate wheel specifically to do the porch and walkway project. For the porch cuts, I used the mortar wheels that come in a two-pack for $5-$6. They work, and work well. But once you try the Dry Diamond Wheel blade (roughly $20 retail) there’s no going back. One of those was among the booty inside this special package from Bosch.

The diamond blade is specifically designed to cut floor tile, concrete, stone, and ceramics. And this accessory alone has proven to be an incredible addition to my arsenal on the porch/walkway construction front. They make pretty quick work of those bricks. This blade also makes it much easier to navigate a cut with a curved end. (If you've been following the walkway progress, you know I'm making a BUNCH of those kinds of cuts.)

They also sent along a tile-cutting wheel and an X-wheel, both of which offer up a bunch of new possibilities to me. (I actually looked at clearance tile – and even some not clearance tile – for our bathroom. Having something to cut it with was always the chief drawback since it is such a tiny room and would be a pretty limited expense otherwise.)

The X-shield makes it possible to do a flush cut at a 90-degree angle. It came with a wood-cutting wheel. (I haven’t tried that yet. I’m wondering where that baby was when I put my floor in last year! It’s the ideal thing for cutting baseboard when you’re installing laminate, wood or tile flooring.)

And until this pack arrived, I hadn’t used any X-bits. That changed last week. When Lawrence roughed out the location for the new outlet in the hallway, I ran out and grabbed my RotoZip, pulled off the ZipMate (which enables the cutting wheels) and jammed in a multi-purpose bit. Snap! The hole was cut for the outlet.

I knew this tool came with a soft-sider bag with good reason. There are all kind of accessories you can get for it! I’ve already invested in a spare diamond wheel (just in case) as the ZipMate attachment has been the thing I’ve used most thus far. And I’ve still got a third of the walkway to finish.

There are all kinds of variations of the RotoZip to be had. I’ve even seen one just like mine (only a refurbished one) online for about $60. If you do a lot of cutting or are planning to, this is an affordable, versatile, and lightweight tool you can’t do without.

Bane of the Neighborhood

The last full row is in place, though not yet mortared. I have started cutting the half bricks for the final row and I still have to dig out the front edge. Being done with the larger portion of the front porch is in the home stretch! (I'll take pictures tonight regardless of what isn't done.)

Still lovin’ the RotoZip even though 10 bricks later, I got a hand cramp. I do feel the need though to apologize to both the robins who gather at dusk to feast upon the lightning bugs and to my neighbors for the constant NNNEEEEEEENNNEEEENNNENUHHHHHHNEEEEEEENUHHHH that broke the relative peace of the evening. (Or at least at much peace as a four-lane roadway offers.)

My neighbor across the alley has an immaculate yard. She is ALWAYS out there doing something. ALWAYS. Tonight, she was watering. Many nights she sits outside either in a chair on the lawn or on her very quaint brick patio. She is far enough removed from the four lanes of traffic to have some peace. (Or as much peace as one can have living with an obnoxious teen daughter who produced a baby a few years back, and said baby, now a rambunctious, and adorable toddler.) Usually, she waves. Last night, she did not. She just looked disgusted.

My neighbor, with whom I share the vacant lot between us, hurriedly watered his tomatoes and left. He moved pretty quickly, too, a rarity for him.

So, they will really love me tonight when I resume working with the dronish tool. They’ll be relieved to know that, via Mother Nature’s intervention, they’ll likely get a break on Thursday and Friday.

But I'll be back. You'll no doubt hear me. NEEENEEEEENUHHHHHH.

Zippity Doo-Dad, Zippity YAY!

I previously mentioned that I finally unboxed my RotoZip on Saturday and put it to the test. Or, to be more precise, I unboxed my Bosch RotoZip RZ10-2100 Pro Cutoff 5.5 Amp 15,000 to 30,000 RPM Variable Speed Spiral Saw with a ZipMate attachment.

I couldn't remember how much I paid for it, but I had at least opened the package when I bought it last November at Ace.com. There, tucked inside, was my receipt: $79.99. I made out like a bandit!

Cheapest I can find it for now: $99 at Lowes.com. (You can get a reconditioned kit for $69.99 at one or two places. There's also a newer model, the 2300, out there to be had for about $100, but I can't speak for it.)

I'll admit, I was skeptical watching the ad for this thing on TV last year. But, watching it cut through bricks, courtesy of the special little attachment arm that allows you to use round blades for cutting mortar and steel, was impressive. Even then, it seemed like just the thing for this porch/sidewalk project. When I found it cheaper online than TV, I jumped. And I'm glad I did.

Granted, I've only used it a few times so far. But each time, this little gadget worked like a charm. I'm sure I won't be able to cut too many more bricks with the masonry wheel that came with it, but that's OK. I think another pair of them is only $5 or $6. I was still skeptical taking it out and putting it together. (Which I should have done the night before. Very easy to do AFTER you read through the instructions and get a lay of the land by figuring out what is what. Or, at least if you're me, you need to do that first!) It's pretty light weight -- just over 3 pounds and the Zipmate adds another pound -- and not hard to handle at all. I was worried that the bricks might jump a little during cutting, but they're heavy enough that they don't. I also thought it might take an hour to cut through the bricks, but a single cut took maybe 5 minutes max.

I'm wondering if while I have it out, I can either use the mortar wheel, or the steel one, or maybe I can just use one of the bits, to cut the posts off of the spindle rails that I removed from around the porch. (These are going to be replaced, but Carole wants to salvage the posts. I don't want to know why. It will involve work.) That will be the subject of my next Internet search: blades for the RotoZippy's special attachment. Another good thing, it comes with its own soft-side carrying bag, big enough to house it, the cutter attachment, the little wrench and bits, extra cutting wheels, and probably a few other accessories you might have a mind to buy. Convenient, huh?

Conclusions: 1) I got a good deal on this. 2) I can see using it for a variety of other jobs, though it will probably pay for itself just on the porch project. Internet research will likely add to the number of things I can potentially use it to do. 3) This product does what it advertises it will. Shocking, I know, but true. I highly recommend it.