Evolution Cold saw

[benny365]

I'm thinking about getting an Evolution Rage 2 cold saw... What do you all think

http://www.evolutiononlineshop.com/s...%202%20%20Saw/


250.00 at Airgas with a general purpase blade

[fabricator]

Not technically a cold saw.

[ace4059]

the rage 2 is an old saw, I would get the newer rage 3 if I was going to buy evolution brand saw.( but I think these saws are cheaper made and for a little more you can get alot better quality)

But if I was going to buy a dry cut saw, my first choice would be the 12" makita (it is the sturdest made, best design, and heavy duty) the only draw back is the 12" blade but is is better made. and If I had to have the 14" blade them I would get the Milwaukee (it is still a very good saw, just the makita has a little better vise and handle) . But stay away from the dewalt multicutter. It is cheap made and is a POS.
The blade on the makita is the best.

[uhohjim]

I've got an Eviolution Raptor and lemme tell yuh It works awesome ........using it to cut square tubing and it goes through almost like butter..........I've heard a ton of pros & cons about these saws but from my experience it works awesome.. Just my 2cents Jim

[monte55]

the rage 2 is an old saw, I would get the newer rage 3 if I was going to buy evolution brand saw.( but I think these saws are cheaper made and for a little more you can get alot better quality)

But if I was going to buy a dry cut saw, my first choice would be the 12" makita (it is the sturdest made, best design, and heavy duty) the only draw back is the 12" blade but is is better made. and If I had to have the 14" blade them I would get the Milwaukee (it is still a very good saw, just the makita has a little better vise and handle) . But stay away from the dewalt multicutter. It is cheap made and is a POS.
The blade on the makita is the best.

Why do you call the Dewalt a POS. I have one and it seems to work fine.
What do you base your statement on?

[ace4059]

Why do you call the Dewalt a POS. I have one and it seems to work fine.
What do you base your statement on?

It is very cheap built. The base is stamped steel not the heavy cast. The guard is plastic and the motor is over rated and needs to be built better. the swivel vise needs to tighten up better because it you are cutting and the piece gets loose then, you will be sweeping up broken teeth. The blade is also not the best, but it works ok. On the dewalt and milwaukee, the blades are for cutting metal but the design (teeth shape) is based on a regular blade. Look and the design of the makita blades and the freud diablo blades. They are better designed and will last longer.

Yes all these saws will work but from all the research that I have done, comparisons, use, and demos that I have seen, the makita is my first choice, followed by the milwaukee.

[DDA52]

Strange...my DeWalt has been flawless except for operator error for the last several years. I would say my 10,000 or so cuts would disagree with your research. Could it be better? Yes. Is it a POS? **** NO.

[TMG]

I have the evolution 230HDX and love it. I use a bandsaw for most stick materials in my shop, but the circ is great for plate and large angle or channel. For field work the circ is hard to beat. As long as I keep a slow steady feed rate blades last pretty darn long. The blades do get trashed eventually, but the time saved is well worth it to me. I am trying to find a way to afford the 14" chop saw version.

[MTBob]

I purchased a Evolution 355 about two years ago, 14" blade. Love it. It does what I expect of it, cuts stuff very well. The fence is fairly tough and adjustable. Even tough the base is pressed metal, the saw seems to be well built. I have no idea whether it's built better than other machines, but it's good enough for my hobby shop use.

Here's my bottom line:
Pro's: cuts great when blade is sharp, fast, convenient, handles fairly large stock (I've cut up to 4" pipe)

Con's: eats blades (I'm on my 3rd blade about $100-120 each, 72 tooth), really really noisy, got to be very careful about pushing the blade too hard, or hitting the teeth inadvertently, cutting hard materials (1144) will wreck the blade quickly.

I'd like to have a good quality horizontal bandsaw, but don't want to give up shop floor space. I'll stay with the Evolution, though I'd say, due to blade consumption, it's not the least cost cutoff solution.

[captain bondo]

I have the Makita LC-1230 and I absolutely love it. It is a beast.

I cut lots and lots of stainless tube and it is FAST and ACCURATE. The only downside is it is LOUD.

I have tried a few different blades, and the new ones my by Lenox are the best I have tried, even compared to the Makita blade which is quite good.

If you have one of these saws and are looking at blades in person, you cna tell almost right away if the blade is good or not based on how big the carbides are.

Big carbides means more sharpenings and more heat resistance which is very important.

The other thing to keep in mind if that these saws want to cut fast, you need to push them a bit or you will just cook the blade, they need to be making chips as the chips are what evacuate the heat in the cut. It takes some practice but man these saws are excellent.

I only ever use my bandsaw for really awkward stuff now. The Makita is easily 4x faster on average.

EDIT: here is a video I made of me cutting a stainless steel pipe for a header collector- I actually went a little too slow in this video, for reference.