Professional tile work demands more than one tool. You need to cut, drill, grind, and polish — often on the same job, sometimes in the same hour. The Proxxon + Distar system is built around a single 10.8V MICROMOT battery platform that powers four specialized cordless tools, each paired with purpose-built Distar accessories. One charger. One battery. Every operation covered.
This guide covers the complete system: what each tool does, which Distar accessories pair with it, and how they work together on a professional tile installation.
The Four Tools
1. Proxxon LHW/A — Cutting & Grinding
The Proxxon LHW/A is the workhorse of the system — a cordless long-neck angle grinder that runs at 5,000–16,000 RPM and accepts 50mm cutting and grinding discs. Its extended neck reaches inside shower niches, behind cabinets, and flush against walls where a standard 4.5" grinder simply won't fit.
What it does: Straight cuts, 45° miter cuts, precision cutouts for flush plates and outlets, edge grinding, wet cutting with the Water Guard Kit.
Primary Distar pairings:
- Distar Butterfly 2" Blade — ultra-thin precision cutouts in porcelain; your #1 blade for flush plates and outlet holes
- Distar Esthete 2.0 — ultra-thin straight cuts on porcelain and ceramic, optimized for cordless grinders
- Distar PRO Gres — 2-in-1 cut-and-grind blade for 45° miter edges
- Distar Water Guard Kit — enables wet cutting for the cleanest chip-free edges on polished porcelain
For a full step-by-step cutting guide, see How to Cut Porcelain Tile with a Cordless Angle Grinder — Proxxon LHW/A + Distar Butterfly. For blade selection help, see Chip-Free Tile Cutting: Choosing the Right Distar Blade for Your Proxxon Grinder.
2. Proxxon IBS/A — Drilling & Detail Work
The Proxxon IBS/A is a cordless rotary tool running at 7,000–23,000 RPM with a MICROMOT collet system (1.0–3.2mm). It's the drilling and detail specialist in the system — the tool you reach for when you need a clean hole in porcelain, granite, or glass.
What it does: Precision drilling in tile and stone, milling, engraving, grinding with small accessories.
Primary Distar pairings:
- Distar Rocket Diamond Core Drill Bit — 300+ holes in 10mm porcelain; available in multiple sizes for every fixture from pipe penetrations to shower drains
- Mechanic DrillDUSTER 82 — dust collection collar for clean drilling on installed tile
For a complete drilling guide, see How to Drill Clean Holes in Porcelain Tile Without Cracking It — Proxxon IBS/A + Distar Rocket.
3. Proxxon WP/A — Polishing & Edge Finishing
The Proxxon WP/A is a cordless angle polisher running at 1,100–2,800 RPM — the low-speed, high-control finishing tool in the system. It takes cut tile edges from rough to mirror-smooth using the Distar CoolPAD 4-step diamond pad system.
What it does: Edge polishing after cutting, surface restoration on installed tile, 4-step progression from coarse to mirror finish.
Primary Distar pairings:
- Distar CoolPAD Steps 1–4 — progressive diamond polishing pads; go from rough-cut to mirror finish in four steps without skipping
For a complete polishing guide, see How to Polish Porcelain Tile Edges with the Proxxon WP/A + Distar CoolPAD.
4. Proxxon LWB/A — Precision Rotary Work
The Proxxon LWB/A is a cordless long-neck rotary tool with a MICROMOT collet system (1.0–3.2mm) running at 5,000–16,000 RPM. It's the versatility tool — drilling, milling, engraving, and polishing in tight spaces where even the IBS/A's form factor is too large.
What it does: Precision drilling and milling in confined spaces, detail engraving, polishing with small accessories, precision cutouts via the Butterfly blade with adapter.
Primary Distar pairings:
- Distar Butterfly 45mm Blade — precision cutouts via spindle adapter
- Distar Water Guard Kit for LWB/A — wet cutting capability
Not sure whether you need the LWB/A or LHW/A? See Proxxon LWB/A vs LHW/A: Which Cordless Tool Is Right for Your Tile Work?
The Shared Battery Platform
All four tools run on the same Proxxon Li/A2 10.8V 2.5Ah battery, charged by the Proxxon LG/A2 Rapid Charger (1-hour charge). This means:
- One charger on the job site — not four
- Batteries are interchangeable — a spare battery powers any tool in the system
- 30+ minutes runtime per charge — enough for most tile cutting and drilling tasks
- Temperature-controlled charging — protects battery life in hot or cold conditions
The Complete Job Site Workflow
- Layout & marking — Mechanic TileTEMPLATE for precise tile layout before any cuts
- Straight cuts — LHW/A + Esthete 2.0 (dry) or Water Guard Kit (wet) for field tile
- 45° miter cuts — LHW/A + PRO Gres + SLIDER 2.0 guide for seamless corners
- Precision cutouts — LHW/A + Butterfly blade for flush plates, outlets, and access panels
- Hole drilling — IBS/A + Rocket bit for pipe penetrations, drains, and fixture holes
- Edge polishing — WP/A + CoolPAD Steps 1–4 for mirror-finish edges on exposed cuts
- Dust control — Mechanic TileDUSTER for dry cutting, DrillDUSTER 82 for drilling
Choosing Your Entry Point
- Start with the LHW/A Kit — it's the highest-volume tool and covers 80% of tile cutting tasks. The complete kit includes battery and charger.
- Add the IBS/A — when you need clean holes in porcelain or granite. Shares the battery from your LHW/A kit.
- Add the WP/A — when edge finish quality matters (high-end residential, exposed miter corners). Shares the same battery.
- Add the LWB/A — when you need precision rotary work in tight spaces the LHW/A can't reach.
Complete System at a Glance
| Tool | Primary Job | Key Distar Accessory | RPM Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| LHW/A | Cutting & grinding | Butterfly Blade | 5,000–16,000 |
| IBS/A | Drilling & detail | Rocket Core Bit | 7,000–23,000 |
| WP/A | Edge polishing | CoolPAD Steps 1–4 | 1,100–2,800 |
| LWB/A | Precision rotary | Butterfly 45mm | 5,000–16,000 |
Further Reading
- How to Cut Porcelain Tile with a Cordless Angle Grinder — Proxxon LHW/A + Distar Butterfly
- How to Drill Clean Holes in Porcelain Tile Without Cracking It — Proxxon IBS/A + Distar Rocket
- How to Polish Porcelain Tile Edges with the Proxxon WP/A + Distar CoolPAD
- Proxxon LWB/A vs LHW/A: Which Cordless Tool Is Right for Your Tile Work?
- Chip-Free Tile Cutting: Choosing the Right Distar Blade for Your Proxxon Grinder
- Wet vs. Dry Diamond Blade Cutting: Which Should You Use?
- Best Diamond Blade for Porcelain Tile: A Pro's Buying Guide
Questions about building the right system for your crew? Contact the Distar USA team — we're here to help.
Buying for a crew? Ask about contractor pricing →
