The right RUBI tile cutter pays for itself in clean cuts, fewer broken tiles and faster days on site. With several RUBI lines on the market, here's how working tile contractors actually choose.
Manual or electric?
For straight cuts in ceramic and most porcelain, a quality manual tile cutter (score-and-snap) is faster, cleaner and far more portable than a wet saw — no water, no cord, no mess. Reach for a wet saw when you need notches, L-cuts, miters, or you're cutting dense large-format porcelain and natural stone all day. Most pros carry both; the manual cutter does 80% of the work.
RUBI's manual cutter lines, explained
- RUBI SPEED / SPEED-MAGNET — fast, single-handle scoring; a great everyday cutter for ceramic and standard porcelain.
- RUBI TX / TX-MAX — built for hard porcelain and large-format tile, with a separable cutting head and extra-long rails.
- RUBI TR / TR-MAGNET — the contractor workhorse: rigid chassis, repeatable cuts, sizes for everything from backsplashes to floors.
- RUBI TZ — RUBI's most powerful manual line for the densest porcelain and the longest cuts.
- RUBI STAR — a value line that still delivers RUBI's signature clean snap for ceramic and soft porcelain.
What cutting length do you need?
Match the cutter's rated length to your largest tile plus a margin for diagonal cuts. A 24-inch tile cut on the diagonal needs roughly a 34-inch capacity. Running 24x48 large-format? Size up to a 40-inch-plus cutter or a wet saw with a large table. Undersizing the cutter is the #1 reason pros fight cracked tiles.
Scoring wheels matter more than the rail
A dull or wrong-diameter scoring wheel causes more bad cuts than any other factor. Match wheel diameter to tile hardness and thickness, and swap worn wheels early — a $15 wheel saves a box of tile. Keep spares in the truck.
Our pick for most pros
If you install a range of ceramic and porcelain, a mid-size TR or TX cutter covers the vast majority of residential and light-commercial work. Add a wet saw for stone and complex cuts. Browse the full lineup in our tiling tools collection.
FAQ
Can a RUBI manual cutter handle porcelain? Yes — choose a TX, TR or TZ line and a porcelain-rated scoring wheel for clean snaps on dense porcelain.
What size RUBI cutter for 24-inch tile? A 34-inch-plus capacity so you can also make diagonal cuts without running out of rail.
Why are my cuts chipping? Usually a worn scoring wheel, too little snap pressure, or a wheel that's the wrong size for the tile — replace the wheel first.
Buying for a crew? Contractors get bulk pricing and earn points on every order through the PlaceForPros Pro Program. Shop RUBI tile cutters →