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Market Report: Sawing & Cutting JCB’s giant step Phil Mist tests the JCB 680 disc cutter and is impressed by its cutting performance in a variety of materials. Hands-on testing of recently-launched tools and equipment that really matter to the hire industry has always been part of EHN’s publishing philosophy and, to tie in with our annual Sawing & Cutting Market Report, I took the opportunity to investigate the claims made by JCB in respect of its petrol-powered disc cutter. Whilst JCB is renowned throughout the world for its earthmoving plant, it does not yet enjoy such a lofty position in the power tool market. The recent launch of a petrol-powered disc cutter is, undoubtedly, a giant step for the company, taking it into uncharted waters. To determine whether the JCB 680 disc cutter is able to play a part in this market, I carried out a number of stringent hands-on cutting tests and compared the results with those from a number of other already well-known rivals. Comparative tests The 300mm disc cutter market has been dominated by three brand names in the last few years – Partner, Stihl and Makita. Whilst the new JCB machine has a maximum blade capacity of 350mm, it was deemed important to carry out a number of comparative tests using 300mm diameter blades, and, in addition, to use a number of diamond blades intended for a variety of different products as well as several of the multi-purpose blades that have recently been introduced in the UK. The JCB 680, unlike the majority of its competitors, does not have a low compression starting system, and, with its 66.7cc engine, is a little more difficult to pull-start. However, the action of the recoil starter mechanism on the new machine is smooth enough to enable any normal operator to start the engine without it resulting in a hernia operation. Since low compression starting systems on petrol-powered disc cutters are a very recent phenomenon, perhaps this slight carp is not really justified. JCB claims that the 680 produces 3kW of cutting power, and yet weighing only 11.5kg, is well within the acceptable weight range for both 300mm and 350mm diameter machines. During testing, it soon became obvious that the engine on the JCB 680 is powerful enough to enable any of the diamond blades fitted to the machine to cut a wide variety of materials with comparative ease. Blade choice affects performance What also quickly became apparent was that the performance of all the machines used during the cutting tests, including the new JCB unit, varied widely as various blades were used. Each machine’s performance was substantially affected by the ability of the diamond blade selected to cope with the demands placed on it. This was particularly true of the JCB machine. Simple comparison tests showed that, whilst the 680 cutter more than held its own against its competitors with almost any blade, when selecting a top class diamond blade, the performance became exceptional. The front and rear handles on the JCB 680 are far enough apart to suit most individual operators, and were comfortable when the machine was used whilst cutting for long periods. The vibration emissions for the new JCB machine compared favourably with even the best of the competitive machines, although the level of vibration did vary enormously depending on which blade was fitted. Low quality diamond blades often result in higher vibration emissions, although the actual design of some inexpensive blades ensured better then average vibration figures. With the reduction in permitted noise levels, it is essential that every operator should wear ear defenders and this must be extended to fellow workers who are in close proximity to the cutting site. Every disc cutter available in the UK exceeds the second action level for noise in the work place, and although disc cutters should only ever be used outdoors, where the noise is usually far less, hearing protection is mandatory, although this rule is, of course, often ignored by many operators. JCB is promoting its 680 by including MUT all-purpose top-quality diamond blades in the end user price. When fitted with one of these blades, the performance of the 680 improved by 30%, which only serves to highlight that fitting the best available blade to a disc cutter may cost more initially, but can ultimately save money. 300mm-diameter test blades In my comparison tests, all four machines were fitted with each of the 300mm-diameter test blades. Whilst somewhat long-winded, this process does ensure that the findings from the tests can be compared. Cutting was carried out on a range of materials and, without doubt, the JCB disc cutter and MUT blade combination gave a higher than average performance. This blade was also fitted to the other machines and, whilst the performance of each tool was improved, they were still not as good as the JCB unit. A succession of cutting tests was carried out on hard concrete and much softer, yet abrasive, cement blocks, a variety of red bricks, block paviors, steel, aluminium and a combination of wood and concrete. The potential performance of any petrol-powered disc cutter, not just the JCB 680, is substantially increased by the launch of genuine general-purpose diamond blades. In addition to the vast saving in ‘down time’ required when changing blades in order to cut a wide variety of materials, there is also the small matter of the savings enjoyed by users not having to purchase up to four or five types of blade. This latter point would seem to be the answer to every hire company’s age-old problem of trying to find out what the operator intends doing with the disc cutter. • Executive Hire News › Archives › June 2006 › Market Report › JCB’s giant step
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