The HBS was born after an approach by the Brick Specials Manager of a leading brick manufacturer to Red Band who required a more heavy-duty and reliable brick saw compared to others available on the market, which required substantial and regular maintenance. In fairness, such saws may be lighter, more agile, more responsive, but were simply never intended for constant and/or production use and were designed and built accordingly. This meant that such saws were not capable to cope with the demands of more continuous and rigorous use, and require regular downtime and maintenance – not an ideal combination for a production environment which is reliant on a throughput of work.

The HBS features a 7.5Hp motor, as opposed to a typical 5.5Hp motor on most other masonry saws and a 4-belt drive transmission as opposed to the usual 2-belt drive. This produces a higher and more consistent delivery of power.

Increasing the power and transmission of a saw is only one part of the equation. The saw must be designed and suitably constructed to cope with the extra torsion, stresses and physical demands that increasing these elements brings. The HBS is circa 50% heavier than many other masonry saws to provide it with a strong, dependable and rigid chassis/platform, an essential requirement for accurate and precise cutting.

The majority of components used in the construction of the HBS are bespoke, custom made and designed specifically to cope with the demands of the saw and frequency of use. Many parts are simply over-engineered to give them greater longevity in service, meaning less downtime and greater reliability and cutting performance. All components are made from high-grade, high quality materials, like for instance the cart sheaves of the conveyor cart which are made from a hardened durable polymer and turned down on a lathe and are considerably more resilient to wear than other wheels used by others.

The spring-loaded cutting head of the HBS can be locked into a fixed position for those who prefer this method of fixed, rather than step cutting. The ability to lock the head into a fixed position also eliminates the blade rising out of the cut and not cutting all the way through a material, which is common on other saws. The saw also has a foot pedal for those who wish to alternatively step cut materials.

The cutting length of the HBS has been specifically shortened to 450mm, which is more conducive and faster for cutting smaller materials, and less strenuous for the operator too.

The HBS can be supplied with an optional recirculating water pump or simply connected to either a mains water supply or an in-house recirculated water supply, commonplace in professional brick cutting operations.