A reader wrote in yesterday asking about Evolution Tools. There were two Evolution circular saws on sale at Woot’s Tools section, and the reader asked for our general thoughts about the company.
Woot has two Evolution circular saws on special – one is a 9″ which is actually pretty appealing from a cut perspective.
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What are your thoughts on this brand? (whose brand is it?) what are your thoughts or potential pitfalls for a 9″ circular saw (blade availability?) – Mike
Evolution is not a very well known company, so here are a few of my general thoughts about the brand. Keep in mind that my opinion is not as well developed as with Bosch or other brands that I have much more experience with.
Primer
Evolution Tools is an independent company that makes specialty circular saws and metal-cutting chop saws that seem to be designed around their multi-material-cutting blades. These saw blades are designed for cutting steel, aluminum, plastic, and wood materials. Need to cut through a wood board what is full of nails? That’s the kind of application these saws and saw blades excel at.
One of the main selling points of Evolution blades and saws is that they cut dry without abrasives. You can cut steel without abrasive debris or sparks flying everywhere.
Personal Experience
I own an Evolution Rage 7-1/4″ chop saw and have used it lightly for a couple of years now. I originally purchased it for cutting through aluminum profiles in cases where a 10″ miter saw with non-ferrous blade would have been too bulky or inconvenient to set up.
The machine quality is reasonably good, but nothing to write songs about. Based on my experiences with the saw, I would purchase it again.
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What I Wouldn’t Buy
I don’t think I would trust Evolution’s miter saws. A chop saw is hard to get wrong, but a miter saw can be hard to get right. I see Evolution as more of a blade manufacturer that builds basic tools to fit their blades. Maybe this is an unfair way of looking at it, but not much can be done about that.
Amazon user reviews for the Rage 10″ miter saw have also soured my feelings towards Rage’s miter saws. Besides, one could always add a non-ferrous blade to a 10″ saw for cutting aluminum or plastic, and there are plenty of affordable dry-cutting and abrasive chop saws in the 8″ to 14″ range.
Circular Saws
Just going by product images, I would think that Evolution’s circular saw blades are reasonably well designed and presumably well built. The large knobs and thick shoes are typically the first things I look at on a circular saw.
9″ Multi-Material Saw?
The Rage230 has a 9″ multi-material cutting blade that can make vertical cuts of up to 3-1/4″ deep. This seems impressive, and huge cut capacity is the only reason I would consider this 9″ circular saw.
The downside is that 9″ blades are hard to find. There are a couple of 9″ saw blades available via Amazon, but I have a feeling these blades are designed for older 9″ table saws and possibly underpowered 10″ saws. So if you buy the Rage230, you’re limited to only using Evolution’s 9″ multi-material blade for general construction materials, or their 9″ diamond blade for masonry materials.
3rd party blades might fit, but one would have to be careful to match the arbor size and maximum speed.
If I needed a multi-material or light metal-cutting circular saw with large cut capacity, the Rage230 might be at the top of my list, but only if the limited replacement blade selection wasn’t too much of a potential issue.
Alternatives
MK Morse would probably be one of my top choices for multi-material or metal-cutting hand held saws. Makita would also be at the top of my list, but don’t ask me why. I can’t explain it, but Makita is the brand that sticks out in my mind as a top choice for metal-cutting saws.
Do you have any questions, experience or feedback about the brand, or additional points to comment on? Please share!
fred
I bought a Hitech – Evoultion X230 9 inch saw back in 2007 specifically for cutting corrugated metal decking. We had been using a Milwaukee 6370-20 (8 inch saw) that had gone “missing” (must have been bad steel since it evaporated into thin air one day). We thought that the extra inch blade diameter made it worth giving it a try. At that time Morse was also selling the saw under its brand name – and the Evolution saw came with a Morse blade. The saw did its job – but the crew thought it had an amateurish look and feel to it – even though it was pretty heavy. At that time the saw came from Taiwan – the Morse (CSM948SC) blade from the USA – but other Morse (CSM968TSC) blades we bought for it came from Japan. Since then we’ve bought another Milwaukee 6370-20 – and I believe that it gets more use than the Evolution saw.
fred
Sorry for the double-post – but I forgot to say that MK Morse still seems to market several different 9 inch metal cutting blades – and a saw that looks an awful lot like the Evolution x230
Bill Kirksey
What’s the connection if any between the Evolution Tool product line and the Evolution and Evolv branded tools sold by Sears?
Stuart
There is no connection.
Sears’ Evolv line, or Craftsman Evolv as it’s now called, is Sears/Craftsman’s entry-level homeowner brand.
John S
Thanks for this quite writeup… I was wondering about evolution tools as well
Jeth
For me the best tool for cutting metal, wood, plastic ect. is a band saw but i agree that Makita have some great metal cutting saw , i have the 18v lxt metal cutting saw and it work great. I have no experience with evolution but i like the concept but in my experience most multi application tool/blade are not as good as one tool and/or blade for the task it is made for, it cost a lot more but you have the best result
fred
We too have the Makita 18V BCS550 saws and while I agree that it is a nice tool it is geared for light duty cutting the odd piece of sheet or light plate.
In the shop where I used to hang out we had a big Marvel band saw for heavy plate – which along with plasma cutters took care of most of our needs. If we were tooling up today – maybe we would also look at a water jet cutter.
On the job site, the advantage of the Evolution x230 and the slightly smaller Milwaukee 6370-20 comes from both its AC power and the blades that they use. (I imagine that the same could be said for the Makita 4131 8 inch saw – although I have no experience with this tool.) This was particularly apparent when cutting steel decking where showering sparks down on the folks below you is not appreciated. The Milwaukee Cermet saw blades and the Morse Metal-Devil saw blades combined with the “arc-chute” geometry of the respective saws – did a pretty good job of controlling sparks on cuts where bandsaws would not work and nibblers would be too slow.
BTW – for cutting metal shapes like Unistrut on-site – my favorite tool is a portable bandsaw (have used corded Milwaukee varieties – and cordless Makita ones). For cutting up old oil tanks and the like – nothing beats a nibbler (we’ve had good luck with the Kett brand) – but beware of those little discs of metal that it tends to throw around
Stuart
Thanks for sharing! As always, you’re a fountain of practical information.
I appreciate the benefits of band saws for on-site cutting of Unitstrut and such for construction purposes, but the cuts tend to be a little imprecise for things like cutting 80/20 extrusions or aluminum angles.
I mentioned the MK Morse 9″ saw in my email response to the reader, but it can be quite pricey compared to a lot of the other spark-free-cutting saws on the market. Once could pick up an 8″ handheld saw and 14″ multi-cutter saw for less. I suppose that doesn’t help if one really needs the cut capacity provioded by the 9″ saw.
fred
Of course handheld tools like portable band saws can be a bit imprecise – but as you say convenient. A metal cutting chop saw does better – and on big long-term jobs – we’d bring one out and set up a station. If we had to cut larger shapes – we might even truck out a Do-All saw – or prefabricate pieces in our shop. As I said having a big Marvel band saw and a Baleigh plasma table in the shop – helped take care of the really heavy work.
Mr Michael L. Veach
I have used one of there blades on a PC saw. You do have to get a bushing because the Evolution blades are a metric bore. I probably cut 50 ft of 1/8″ diamond plate with it. It made a nice smooth cut
Alicia Browder
I hope it can be more specific to what evolution tools it is, but anyhow you did a very nice article and did share a great opinion on this.
Ken Harvey
Last year I brought the Evolution 210mm Multipurpose Compound Mitre Saw to replace the need of manual sawing while building a poly tunnel (I am a novice and did not want to trust my cutting skills on precision cuts)
I have also used the Evolution Fury 5 table saw. Both of them feel pretty heavy and nice and for low traffic use they are brilliant. How ever having also used the other end of the spectrum of tools, using my friends Dewalt and Makita tools, it puts their quality into perspective.
I cant really speak for their professional line, but as for their lower ranges of products, I would honestly recommend them to a DIY’er like my self. How ever for a hobbyist, light professional or more I would suggest leaving this brand behind.
They kind of feel like a slightly better Draper.
Mickthebrick
I have just bought the evolution 185mm circular saw, this is the best saw for the price I have used and beats a lot of the more expensive ones, I for one will be sticking with evolution 10 out of 10.
Don
Although this thread is old and spans a few years, I thought I’d make a comment on the more recent Evolution saws that have emerged since this Op Ed was written. Admittedly, I have no experience with the older models but, hopefully this information will help others who might be looking at this article for data on Evolution blades and saws.
After using several saw types (reciprocating, circular, abrasive, diamond, band, etc) and methods (eg – non-ferrous blades in miter saws) for cutting steel and aluminum, I have finally settled on the 14″ Evolution Rage2 circular metal cutting saw. It has the capacity and power to slice through thick steel bar, plate, tubing and angle while leaving a very smooth cut which practically eliminates the need for cleanup with a grinder. It performs equally as well with aluminum and even wood! The base is not the heaviest I’ve seen and the vise has limited adjustability (90deg in one axis) but it is light enough to move without breaking your back and, with a few homemade jigs for the occasional bevel cut, it will handle most of your cutting needs. I mentioned that it has plenty of power but, unfortunately, it also makes plenty of noise. So make sure you always wear hearing protection. Other than that, I see nothing to indicate that this saw won’t last me for many years. Price? There are no doubt some nicer saws out there but, if money were no object, you probably wouldn’t be researching the Evolution brand. Good luck!
Note: since purchasing the 14″ Rage2 saw I believe they have also introduced a 15″ version and also the newer Rage3 compound sliding miter saw. Either is a better choice for cutting metal than (confession!) ruining an expensive compound sliding miter saw, that was designed for use on wood.
Diplomatic Immunity
Have you used their compound sliding miter saw? Was looking at them a while back and they seemed like an interesting alternative to the other miter saws in that price range in the fact they they can also very easily cut through metal and other materials if need be.
Bob
I have the Rage Evolution 10″ double miter saw, and bought it knowing it wasn’t perfect. A friend brought one in to the shop for a few days, and accidentally dropped it off a work bench – and it was so handy for the short time it was there, I bought a new one the same day.
It is more accurate, faster and more pleasant to use than any abrasive saw. (We had one running at the other end of the bench for comparison)
It is not accurate enough to use for finish carpentry. Get a dedicated wood cutting chop saw for that.
What it is amazing for – is cutting whatever we throw at it accurately enough for most welding and fabrication work quickly and cheaply (compared to other options).
Definitely give it the ‘harbor freight’ treatment. I bought it expecting to take it a part, clean up any rough edges, lubricate any moving/sliding parts, etc – and had to make some adjustments to get the ‘degree’ indicator working accurately enough for most stuff.
If you need something perfect – pretend you’re using an old/cheap saw and set the cut up accordingly. It takes longer, but it’s possible to get fairly accurate cuts. Still better than a cut off saw for miter cuts.
I initially bought the saw for on-site work because it’s more portable than a band saw or cold cut saw running coolant – and have since ended up using it for just about everything.
I keep 3 blades on hand. One for aluminum (balls up less with a fresh edge and edge lube). One for steel (after it’s demoted from cutting aluminum) and one spare.
The provided clamp is ok… for quick and easy stuff. For anything oddly shaped, over sized or where precision is imperative – I have an adjustable C-clamp and an adjustable bar clamp hanging under the cart that the saw lives on.
If I had to cut steel on a continuous basis, I’d invest in a bigger saw running coolant. For a shop that uses Aluminum 80% of the time – this works great.
I would like to know if anyone has used their dedicated aluminum blades. (Tempted to order one to play with for comparison.)
Only warning – don’t let idiot friends or employees the saw. It’s built for light duty – so if you beat on it you’ll turn it into hot garbage in no time. (I haven’t let anyone else touch the current saw – and miraculously, it hasn’t had a single problem.)
Same goes for the blades. They can be resharpened – unless your idiot friend runs them dull though heavy steel until there’s nothing worth saving.
Aaron s
An evolution thanks saw popped up in one of my feeds. I’ve been casually looking for a homeowner grade take saw with sliding table but with a solid fence ideally rack and pinion, so their saw caught my eye. I’m assuming they don’t actually build their own stuff, any idea whose building it at this point?
Will Holt
Hi
I work in product development for Evolution and have for the last decade. We design and engineer the majority of our new products from the ground up in the UK and using direct customer feedback from user groups in every territory we opperate in. Anything with R…. or S…..in the product name has been design directly by us. IE R255SMS is our 10″ sliding mitre saw
Most of the RAGE products were products we sourced many years ago which are now being phased out by new models we developed ourselves.
We work with manufacturers in the far east to produce the products but we have a massive amount of control during the entire process. Our own dedicated buildings, production workers, production lines, work instuction ect is all closely controller by us. We specify everything at every stage, all the testing protocols, assembly line design, all tolerances and machining proceddures. We have a dedicated QA team on the ground.
As an example all our miter saws are tested to 40,000 cuts in a variety of materials, this is typically 3 times more than major manufacturers who also use the same suppliers. Think the large German and US brands in the industry who are typically double if not triple the price
Hope this helps