• Soak a sponge in water.
• Hold under the rotating diamond crown.
• Catch the spoil. Squeeze out contents into a bucket...

Simple, Cost Effective, No mess, No water spills, No fuss........

Avoid excessive heat build up... Cool drills last longer !

A sponge soaked in water eliminates dust exposure for the installer and increases the lifespan of the holesaw by cooling the drilling operation leading in turn to faster drilling. This product is specified to retain superior amounts of water and ideally shaped not to obstruct your drilling. Using a dedicated drilling sponge saves contaminating your clean sponges with grit, dirt and diamonds. A great aid reasonably priced and with a free shipping code!

Tell me more about water cooling and dust reduction

What's so SPECIAL about this sponge then?

Short Answer - There's nothing "special" about our sponge so we encourage you to use what's around and save some money if you choose to do so in these credit crunch times....

But take a look at why our sponge was developed.

Question: How do you plan to cool your diamond holesaw?

Above is a traditional set of sponges. At the back is your car washing sponge, then you have the tiling sponge, next is our white sponge and to the right is a washing up sponge. All of these are perfectly capable of being used but there are some disadvantages.

First of all look at how thick the tiling sponge and the car wash sponge are compared to the depth of the drill bit. These would swamp the drill bit and push back against the actual drill power unit causing friction on the rotating chuck holding the diamond core or holesaw

.

Above is a standard tilers grouting sponge with the diamond holesaw or core resting on the edge ready for use. To drill holes into hard porcelain (or ceramic) tile you would have to push the chuck of the drill deep into the sponge.

To solve this our sponge is shallower with a depth of 30mm so its easier to use with our core drills.

You can see there is less foam to snag against the chuck of the drill. The holesaw gets enough water.

The core drill is pressed against the tile. The sponge delivers water to the diamond core and then collects tile dust so it is obvious that it is the perfect size!

If you look closely at the edge of the white sponge you can see air bubbles. The edge of the sponge has not been sealed. Some sponges have a seal or skin around the edge. Our sponges are open to allow the movement of water to and from the rotating diamond core bit and also to allow tile dust to be drawn down into the sponge until you squeeze it out into a bucket. With no dust or water on the floor Thats neater for you! - And your client....

Thicker sponges are not as efficient to use. Of course you can cut or modify or put up with a sponge if that's easier for you. As we have said before we don't want to sell you anything you don't really need we just make these available.

You could of course consider the small washing up sponge with the green scouring pad (see above right) but the scouring pad will push against your drill chuck and slowly scour it. OK it wont harm it that much but it will scour it. Hey it may even clean your drill chuck.... The other thing to note is those indents. These are for your fingers to grip and hold it while washing up. But if you place it under a rotating diamond holesaw you actually put less material against the core so the water delivery is not as efficient. And a smaller size means more frequent stops to top up in water.

If you choose your trusty old car wash sponge then that's fine, it'll work perfectly - just be careful NOT to use that sponge again on your car until its been washed out. Why? Tile dust, (especially diamond ground porcelain dust) is quite abrasive. You only have to have minute bits of dust left in your sponge and it will scratch paintwork. Don't confuse tile dust with common mud. If you have mud in your sponge its actually quite soft and will be fine on your car. But tile dust is very hard.

When your sponge arrives it will look like a beer mat. Pop it into water.

In 3 seconds you have your sponge..... This makes is easier for us to pick and pack, easier to send and cheaper on postage for you. Once activated the sponge cannot be reduced back down to its beer mat size.

Q: I see other systems cool their drills with pressurized water containers, hosepipes, water delivery systems like arbors, plus hi-tec water jets and delivery pumps.

So where is your equipment? Do I have to buy extra things?

A: Why bother to buy expensive and cumbersome pressurized bottles, water sprays, jets, pumps, feed lines when you already have a bucket of water and a sponge to hand.

Secondary water systems waste your time filling tanks with fresh water, setting them up, storage and of course cost money.. If you love gadgets and gizmos - fine. Remember you are drilling a hole not performing major heart surgery. Don't forget the more water you stream onto a site equals the more mess you make and need to clear up ! Water damage during construction is harmful and wasteful.

Q: Do I need any water?

A: Yes you need SOME but will be surprised how little is actually required. Just a splash per hole is enough. :

1.You need water to: Remove the heat that will build up in the diamond crown. Cold diamond crowns work better to a maximum of luke warm. Hot drilling is bad news for its lifespan... however holding a wet sponge under the crown delivers enough water to keep it cool. Its that easy!

2. You need water to: Reduce dust. When you drill the hole (actually you grind the hole) fine particles of porcelain form. With water jet systems the dust is forced to stream down the wall over a large surface area. If the floor or work area is not yet water tight this mix of water and spoil can be difficult and time consuming to collect. In any case collection of the water is an additional step. Porcelain dust is so fine it gets caught in wooden floors, plasterboard, floor joists and makes a general mess over a wide area.

However if you hold a wet sponge directly under the diamond crown as you drill then not only do you lubricate and cool the crown, but the spoil actually collects in the sponge. You gain total control of the drill site. To manage the spoil simply stop drilling, drop the sponge into your water bucket and squeeze it out!

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE:

The point is magnified the higher up the wall you drill. Example: Imagine you are fitting a window blind to a tiled wall and need to drill four holes. To reach you stand on your stepladder with the drill slightly above your head.

Think about the water jet example. You have the initial burden of raising all the equipment to the correct level to reach the drill site. Things like water delivery hose pipes, heavy water pressurized container, the water jets, heavy drills, arbors as well as other stuff like mops and buckets just to drill a hole. And don't forget you have to pump the handle to pressurize the container as you drill... But imagine also the water stream coming down the wall, down your arms or over your head as you drill. Its messy. And uncomfortable.

In contrast standing on a stepladder with a lightweight battery drill and a small wet sponge with total control over water loss is much much more comfortable and simple.

Q: Why do other systems spray a continuous jet of water?

A: Those systems rely on a pilot drill or central "carbide steel pilot" to guide the core. PROBLEM! The pilot is made of carbide so burns out quickly if heated. The pilot will blunt if it gets hot. To prevent burnout a water jet must be used continuously. This requires a pressurized container full of fresh water. A pipe feed control system. A water delivery jet.

• Very low water use. Water is precious so save it. Reuse water from the bucket!
• A sponge collects dust as you drill to eliminate mess and clean up.
• No set up time so you work a lot quicker. Go home earlier !
• Diamond drills recover from accidental overheating. Carbide wont.
• Save the expense of buying a pump and water jet.
• Save the cost of buying an arbor attachment.
• Avoid hassle clutter with water pipes, attachment and mechanical devices.
• You wont flood areas not yet water tight.
• Why bring more equipment that necessary? Its already there !