Third time using that new concrete saw and the blade guard just snapped clean off

Was on a job out in Arlington yesterday, cutting expansion joints on a parking lot repour. About halfway through the second cut, heard this loud crack and saw the guard fly off into the dirt. No warning, no weird vibration before it happened. The saw is only 2 months old. Called the rental place and they said it's a known issue with that model but didn't tell me upfront. Now I'm out half a day waiting for a replacement. Anyone else run into guard failures on those newer St*** models?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_sanchez752mo ago

Knew it was coming, those guards feel flimsier every year.

gavina732mo ago

You ever try to bend one of those thin metal guard rails with your hands? I did once at a rest stop and it barely flexed. But my buddy's fence snapped clean off his truck when a shopping cart rolled into it last month. Maybe the new ones are just painted to look sturdy.

the_rose1mo ago

My buddy had the same thing happen with a St model last spring in Gainesville... that guard just flew off on the third cut too, no warning at all. He said the metal felt thinner than the ones from a few years back, like they skimped on the thickness. @gavina73's point about the rest stop rail makes me wonder if these companies are just using cheaper materials across the board now. Holly's right that they feel flimsier every year, it's like they're designed to break after the warranty runs out.