Marble Institute of America

Management Tool Kit

Customer & Sales Forms.

At first I was hesitant about spending $69.00 on a CD that had sales forms on it when I already have all the necessary sales form that I need. I had a credit with the MIA and decided to use it up on an item I would normally not purchase. I just got done reading all the materials that came with it and I am glad I bought it. It comes in a 3 ring binder and a CD (so that you can customize the forms), and it is packed full of great sales tools. I will definitely be implementing some of these new forms into my sales and after sales procedures. I will also be buying the rest of their Management Tool Kits.

I definitely give this product 5 Diamonds. (our of five)

Brian Briggs

Granite Guys, Inc.

If you have any questions, post them on the forum and Brian will answer them.

LINK

http://www.marble-institute.com

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

The Imer Combi 250 is an outstanding saw, we own 3 of em. Our company installs tile and slab. The tiles guys like it because it is light and allows you to cut the stone with out moving the material being cut. They are very accurate. They plunge cut and miter.

In the slab shop, we use it to make lamination cuts, backsplash cuts and other basic functions. It come in handy. The fact that is has no tray make it great for cuting slab because you don't have to move the stone to make the rip.

Street Price with stand & blade is about $1100

link:http://imerusa.com/cc250_parts.htm

Pros: Light, accurate, versitile and runs on 110v current (not 220)

Cons: The water tray leaks over time. They can take about 18mos of very heavy use.

I give this saw 4 DIAMONDS (out of five) great product, few flaws

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

Not much you can say about a popcycle stick.

Diarex (granquartz) is on the stick! Notice that one end is square.

Think about that for a minute….nice work GQ these are so much nicer for mixing and spreading glue.

I give this product 5 DIAMONDS (out of five)

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

We started using the touchstone edge system for laminating about 4 years ago. As much as we have grown to hate laminating (we are having a love affair with 3CM that is not going to end anytime soon) when we do laminate this is our epoxy of choice. Some shops prefer knife grade…we never use it. We have NEVER had a failure of any sort with this product. It is easy to mix, use and tint. What else can one say about epoxy?

We started using the heated epoxy pump about 2 years ago. It was kinda expensive…$360 or so. Money well spent, the thing pays for itself in the cold months and prevents incorrect mixing ratios. We mosly use it to mix epoxy for rodding now. (we are starting to laminate 3CM..can you believe it?

It does look amazing! I digress….

We will be posting an Tips for the Trade article on how we laminate very soon (next time a job comes up ARGH!)

I give this product 5 diamonds (out of five)

You can visit bonstone at: http://www.bonstone.com/

note: I am reviewing stuff we use and love, I will post a few reviews of some crap we purchased over the last couple of years…it'll be good for a laugh!

Hey! don't forget to send in a review of something you love or hate…I will post it and give you the credit for the review.

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

We were at STONE EXPO in LA last fall. We were at the GranQuartz booth and whining about chattering bowl wheels (sink truing wheels). One of the head guys there said:

"Mark, you have got to try this bowl wheel!"

I said "How much does it cost?"

He said: "Almost $400"

I said: 'Are you on crack????"

He said: "Try it if you don't like it, send it back I will refund your money!"

I said: "What the hell!

Six months later we are still using the same wheel!!! We have done at least 100 3CM undermounts with it. It does not chatter, its aggresive and it is center water feed.

(for $200 they will replate it) This thing has more diamonds in it than anything I have ever seen. It is a premium tool! Worth every penny!

Note: The cheap ones that look like this one suck!

I give this product 5 DIAMONDS (out of five) this is a must have tool!

Call my friend Mike Moore at 1 800 458 6222 he will hook you up!

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

Like many of the things I have reviewed this tool is a winner! We don't use cheap tools in our shop. If you have never used one of these polishers…stop what your doing and order one. They are the backbone of our shop. We run warm water and inline air oilers…these polishers last forever, are easy to use and simply perform as one would expect a quality tool to perform.

I give this product 4 DIAMONDS (out of five)

CONS: expensive and use alot of air (get an airscrew)

PROS: Best polisher we have ever used..period!

You can visit alpha at: http://www.alpha-tools.com/products/wet/

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

Okay…Convex Polishing Pads are a joke! NO! They are a scam! They do not work! If someone has figured out how to use these turds let me know.

DO NOT BUY THEM!

Pros: They look cool

Cons: Fly off polisher and blinds employees, They dont work, expensive considering they have no value.

Save Your Money

I give this product 0 DIAMONDS (out of five) SCAM! Shame on whoever brought these to market!

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

What can I say? For a solid, no BS, basic bridge saw this thing is the ticket. We paid around 40k for ours new. We have been running it everyday since it was installed a year ago. It performs as advertised. We have the 10hp version and I am happy to tell you that it rips through 3CM black absolute with no problems.

The downside: It is expensive for a basic machine…and we did not like the way the control panel was mounted, so we moved it (great mod) also the factory does not include an automatic shutoff for the water. (we cajoled them into installing one for 3 or 4 hundred bucks.)

The upside: Park customer service is legendary, the installation went smooth, the saw is so simple to run….everyone in the shop (including my sales guy) can run it.

It also bridge miters…nice bonus!

I give this product 4 DIAMONDS (out of five)

If the price was around 35k and they moved the control panel I'd give it a 5!

You can visit park at: http://www.parkindustries.com/products/sierra.htm

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

The Ingersol Rand Airscrew (rotary compressor) model EP15

Sometimes you get lucky…we purchased (around 5k) this amazing machine when we opened our new shop. We bought the 15hp model. It will run 4 alpha polishers (or more?) at a time. It simply keeps up. Almost no maintenance you change the oil every 8000 hours and umm thats it…how cool is that?

The picture below shows the air dryer that we bought to suck the moisture out of the air…..tons of clean dry air…what could be better than that?

I give this product 5 DIAMONDS (out of five) ya…its that good!

You can visit em at: http://www.irgaragesolutions.com/7-5HP_15HP_Rotary_SSR.asp

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc

Our reviews are based on our direct experience with tools that we use every day. We don't get free tools to test, we're just simply telling you what we have found to work well for us. You may have something better….If so, Let us know. Write a review, send a few pictures and we will post your article here and give you the credit.

The Metabo Quick 125

This simply is the best electric variable speed polisher we have found to date. It is confortable to hold. It lasts forever. I top polish seams everyday with this tool. It gets so hot you can not hold on to it and it just keeps running. I have burned up tons of polishers. (including a few metabos) This is simply best running and most confortable polisher we have ever used.

I give this product 5 DIAMONDS (out of five)

If you have specfic questions, post them in the forum and I will try to answer them.

Mark Lauzon

Stone Cutter

You can visit my company at: http://www.stoneworks.cc