Mitre saw options between £150 and £250

[alex4564]

I was checking some models online and today I decided to head to B&Q to see some models in person and here are my findings

1. Scheppach HM254 £120 in store, feels like a piece of S....
2. Erbauer EMIS216S much better build, £165 in store but screw fix sell it for £150.

I came back to research a bit more, of course there are the Makitas and Dewalts at £300, but it could be such an old model without any improvement for the last 10 years, but I could be wrong. I ended up coming across the EvolutionR255SMS+ for £169, it can sort of fold in a compact footprint which is a bonus, plus the 255mm blade. What put me off is the possibility of non-standard blade size at 25.4mm centre and I ended up having to pay a lot more for blades in the future. I'm going to use the mitre saw for weekend DYI at home, not heavy use, but also not once a year type of use.

What do you guys think? I'm a newbie but looking forward to spending a lot more time in woodwork going forward.

 

[alex4564]

I was checking some pricing for the evolution 25mm blades and found the following:

1. FW255TCT-60 255mm 60T Fine Wood £35
2. GW255TCT GENERAL WOOD 40T £34

 

[AESamuel]

IIRC the evolution saws are often for cutting lots of different materials and so runs at a slower speed then most woodworking mitre saws. I don't know how much difference it makes but something to keep in mind.

 

[Spectric]

I think one of the variables with buying a mitre saw is variability, you dont just want a decent cut but all cuts to be the same and this is very important for mitres. What you need is a saw where there is no wobble in the sliding mechanism, any play or sloppyness here can give inconsistant results and joints that have gaps. I think you will find if you extend the budget you will have a much better choice, many retailers also offer payment plans over several months to spread the cost which I tend to use just to make it seem cheaper!

I will add that once you get to Bosch, Makita and Dewalt they are all essentially on the same playing field and the final choice is often down to personal preference. Also look at Hikoki (Hitachi) .

 

[Jameshow]

Screwfix had the DeWalt 216mm for £160 a while back..

Looked a good deal...

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-...1SlvUwIpDK3FNMf2tMQaAqPLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[CMax]

Are you open to a hand-tool approach at all? If you really do prefer the powered route, I would definitely go with something with a standard blade format. Once you find a saw that, as others have said, can produce a cut without variability, the next most important thing is the blade, so you want as many options as possible.

Also, consider the kinds of things you'll be cutting. Do you need a sliding saw, or a simple chop saw? Straight or compound mitres? Simpler the better when it comes to the more budget saws, but your capacity requirements are something to keep in mind and may affect your budget.

Screwfix had the DeWalt 216mm for £160 a while back..

Looked a good deal...

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-...1SlvUwIpDK3FNMf2tMQaAqPLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

That really does seem a good price.

 

[Spectric]

If you search these forums you will find much information with regards to blades and suppliers, good blades remain sharp and cut cleaner.

 

[MikeH]

I have the evolution saw, pretty certain it is that same model. I got it for a couple of specific jobs which my existing small bosch was not man enough for, some decking and my workshop rebuild, and at the time I was on a bit of a budget. It isn't too bad, seems to cut OK, and mine will bevel and mitre cut both ways which is useful.
BUT....
1. It doesn't really fold down much, it is a bit of a pain to store and carry, but I assume most sliding saws are like that.
2. Although i have only had it for about two years, one of the fences has clearly deformed or something as it no longer slides without use of a hammer to encourage it, which is a bit of a pain. May contact evolution about it but haven't yet.
3. Dust extraction is pants, but again that seems par for the course with mitre saws.

Overall, would I buy again or recommend? Yes for rough DIY work. No for a workshop, I would pay more and get a better model.
You are unlikely to do any precision work with this.
I haven't used it for multi material at all so can't comment on that aspect, and maybe that is one of it's best tricks.

 

[Johnwa]

I have the Evolution compound sliding mitre saw and have not experienced any problems cutting. It has been used to cut oak, mahogany?, pine, ply, mdf and even plastic and never a problem. What I will say is accuracy, I've had this tool for over 2 years and have never been able to get a perfectly straight cut, vertically or horizontally even after many attempts at fettling with squares and straight edges. Just off by a tiny fraction but enough to make me swear at it when I want real accuracy. So its fine if you're going to finish off the cuts with a plane or sanding, but not for fine woodworking straight off the saw. You pays your money.

 

[MikeH]

If you do decide on the Evolution they are doing 10% off until end of August by the looks of it, code is TENOFFSUMMER entered at checkout.

 

[alex4564]

I ended up getting the Evolution R255SMS+, 40T and 80T Saxton blades for £170 all in on amazon as I managed to get a £35 discount code, once I get more skilled I guess I can sell it off for half that or a bit more and then invest into something else, maybe that crazy box articulated arm model that is £700+

 

[sams93]

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-...V-oBQBh0j-wnfEAQYASABEgIMGfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


I have this and I really like the shadow line indicator system. I also like that the saw slides along the fixed rail so you don’t need room behind the saw for the rail to protrude like you do with most others (I think only this and the kapex work like that). That is of benefit to me as mine is mounted in a small workshop so space behind the saw is not really possible.

If I were to comment on areas it could be made better it would be the Dust collection which is 4/10, and I would love it to have a trenching function.

 

[Stevebod]

..for me a trenching function is a must, and so easy to add to a saw I simply can't understand why some saws don't have on??

 

[Superduner]

One of the advantages of living in a 300 year old stone house is that you can point to not quite fitting woodwork and say "well of course back then they only had blunt hand tools to work with", even if you did the work yourself the week before using the best that modern technology has to offer.
And yes, I too use the Evolution mitre saw with a Saxon blade (and the Evolution table saw) reasonably successfully.