I bought the same saw and the same track pack and I've had no problem with either. I made a complete set of 20 kitchen cabinet doors using it (admittedly with a finer toothed blade)and I am very happy with the result. So much so that I will be buying the Evolution 255 Mitre saw the next time its on sale. I think for the price it's good value for money.
As far as removing the play when the saw is on the rail you should start by turning the orange knobs to remove play then (and this is the important part) you must use an Allen key and tighten the central bolt to 'lock' the knob into position, this will not allow the adjuster to move and will create a much better experience when using the saw. I do agree with you on the so called 'dust collection' and the depth adjustment but I was well aware of these limitations before I bought this saw and so far, I have found it to be a most useful and accurate tool.
@@DIYTinkerer I actually wanted to buy this saw, but after your review I have now considered the EINHELL TE-PS 165. It actually has good reviews and costs just 150 euros with the guide rail.
Dear Simon, thanks for your honest appraisal. I was considering this saw because of its alleged hybrid function of slicing steel sheets and nicely cutting panels using the track. I need to separate the tacks and get a dedicated track saw and a dedicated metal cutting saw. Thanks.
Fair review. I'm lucky enough to buy Dewalt. I'm looking at Evolution for a cheap, lightweight mitre saw, and having watched related videos, thought I'd expand my knowledge of their tools. I'm still going ahead with my purchase as it really is inexpensive, but I appreciate most diyers may not have 'deep pockets'. Having to constantly check the angles though would be a deal breaker. Hope it gets sorted.
I own an evolution miter saw. I absolutely LOVE it! Is it perfect? No. No tool is perfect even if they charge 10x more than the competition. Is it worth it? It’s worth every single penny I spent for it, particularly since it was also affordable! After seeing this view, I feel the same way about this saw which I am about to buy. Even after seeing this somewhat negative review, I’m still going to buy it because it will give me simply the best capability for the money. Per the review I know if will not be perfect. But I already knew that, because that is just reality. But now with this review I will know what to be on guard for, and most of the things mentioned can be easily remedied, particularly since we now know about them (therefore thanks for the review!). But I’m not going to buy a Festool any time soon, and even if I did I still could not cut steel. So if my use case includes steel and metal cutting, why would I want to buy a Festool in the first place? If my use case is wood and precision wood only, we’ll then if I have deep pockets the choice might be Festool. But absent that, this appears to be one of the best values out there. If I was not interested in cutting AL, STEEL and stainless steel, then the Wen track saw is compelling. The 7 1/4 version even had variable speed which might allow you to use a steel or combination blade. But then you are guessing and fiddling with feeds and speeds which is not something I care to do if someone has already figured it out, as has Evolution. Therefore, absent some serious or catastrophic flaw, which was not revealed in this review, I think the Evolution track saw with the long tracks is likely the best value proposition on the market. IMHO of course ;-)
For the depth of cut: when using the track you need to allow for the thickness of the track and take this into consideration. E.g the track is 7mm thick, so for an 18mm, set the saw depth to 25mm. Thiis is the same with all tools; the same applies for routers: you measure below the plate. I have decided to sell my evolution track saw. It is not a track saw in the sense of it it is just a circular saw on a track. Proper track saws, even low end of market ones have plunge features and a dust guard which ensures that the dust is collected. There is no suction when using the Evolution track saw. R185CCSX + Evolution, need to up.their game and make their saw a proper track saw.
Yes I agree they are lagging behind quite a bit, using their 'cuts metal' as pretty much the only selling point and that blade is so aggressive you can't get a decent cut, so even that is compromised.
First thing I did was replace the general purpose blade. Then my first cut was just to trim up the splinter guard on the track which I now use as my guide for straight cuts. I wasn't expecting quality finished cuts from this saw, just cuts good enough for sizing purposes and its fine for that. Its also perfectly adequate for anything not requiring furniture quality finished cuts in my opinion. Its a cheap saw so realistically, we have to temper our expectations.
Seems it is definitely a rough work track saw, good for floor board fitting or landscape type work maybe but not up to the standard needed for kitchen fitting or making any kind of fitted furniture. I have the Parkside track saw, I believe the first version they sold. It was £60 and I have upgraded the blade and purchased a festool track as my main track though the supplied tracks are not bad. I have found the saw to be excellent and perfectly capable of producing work much higher quality than I my skills allow that's for certain.
Agree 100%. I bought it and used bauker hand held mini saw instead to cut long melamine boards as it was easier. I wish I hadn't bought, a straight edge and better saw should work so track is just extra tool taking up space
Thanks for the review. Am wishing I had watched before buying :( that said it's still in the box and I'm interested to know if you were in the same position what would you buy for a similar budget?
I think it taught me that if you are on a budget it is best to save up, that said, for rough work it is fine. Try to stick to a brand if you can afford it.
Fair review of a budget tool. I bought their so called top of the range double bevel mitre saw, the first one was returned, kept the second one but only use it as a last resort as it has accuracy issues / poor quality of manufacturing.
Thanks for the review Simon,i was looking at this saw comparing it to the Erbauer ,i also thought the open blade would be an issue with dust when you look at most other track saws the blade is enclosed I also use Saxon blades you cant beat them for the the average diyer
Does this saw have a 20mm arbor bore? So none of my Diablo 5/8" bore 7-1/4" or other saw blades will work? Am I stuck only using Evolution saw blades ?
Paul, no need to post the same question on multiple videos, I'm a small youtube channel so read & almost always reply to all comments - it's what keeps me producing videos:-) anyway here is a copy of my answer for others reading the comments. I think Evolution want you to think that. However you can get 20mm bore blades from Saxxon Blades www.saxtonblades.co.uk/tct-circular-saw-blades/evolution-saw-blades I replaced my mitresaw blade with one of these and it made a massive difference in cut quality/ tearout.
To be fair the splinter gaurd was your own fault . And as for the 90 degree loss . Really you should true your saw every time you use it . For a budget saw (and thats what it is ) it does a good job . If you want more precise and reliable cuts you would buy something better but for general diy its ok
Yea, it is a budget saw with all the problems you associate with cheap tools. I've now got a cabinet saw and leave the evolution for rough cutting sheet goods down to a size I can use on that. I've learnt my lesson 🙂
I'm glad other comments have had a similar experience with this saw I thought I was going mad, I purchased the one with the 3 small tracks what was a mistake as they are a nightmare to align truly. My only other experience with a track saw was the Makita plunge saw they have at work I wrongly thought the evolution would perform similar but the track dosnt stay in alignment like the Makita and the saw moves too much and the splinter guard what should be zero clearance isn't acute like the publisher of this video found where as we use the Makita at work not clamped down and it doesn't wonder when cutting at all In all Honesty I would recommend buying the standard circular saw from evolution what this one is based on and then running the base against a level claimed to the wood as you will get better results As it's not a plunge saw I also had issues with the depth you have to had the height of the track on haha that is also because the track saw element.is an after thought with this saw being the same as another In the evolution ranger Has anyone tried using a Makita splinter strip on the evolution track? I also see 3d printed track square devices for sale has anyone used one of those
@@DIYTinkerer I have managed to get hold of a spare Makita rail an the saw runs alot better on that, the Rib the saw base runs along isn't as high an also has a rounded edge so dose not bind also on the Makita the low friction strip is exactly that no need for mr sheen 😃,, the blade is 5mm from the edge of the rail so I'll need to get a new zero clearance strip. So if you get chance to get hold of a Makita rail
Damn. I just ordered this. Ive already bought a fine finish diablo blade. Make my fist set of cabinets and tired of borrowing the nieghbors makita track saw. I have an evolution chop saw for metal thats been great. Had high hopes for this, but you killed that. Shoukd i return? Im not a furniture maker. I making these cabinets out of necessity because im poor and cant afford to buy them.
I think use it, and make the comparison with your neighbours Makita, personally I wouldn't use for accurate work, but you might have a different experience.
they do it now, i just got one and all the issues are done with from the factory-alignment with guard, track smooth no entry bump, rails need 1 mm gap though clearly in manual, etc
I'm in process of buying a circular saw and of course I'm doing the usual internet research. On other bigger channels (especially the german ones) they did tests between low budget saws, under 150 euros. In this range even the serious brands have at least the same problems as this tool. This tool hower gets almost all the positives of the one tested by them. 90% of the problems you exposed on your tool are user mistakes. You personally would find problems even on a 800€ festool... learn to use your tools.
Thanks for watching and commenting 👍🏻 with your perspective on it. The biggest issues from my perspective are the splinter guard that keeps falling off and the inability for the tool to stay square between cuts, despite how tight you try to lock it down, these may be beginner problems, but it doesnt seam unreasonable to me for splinter guards to stay on and the saw to stay square between cuts. After 3 years of use I still think it's a very budget tool and I think it really shows. I certainly would not recommend it to anyone.
My biggest complaint about this saw is how the track comes in a bunch of little pieces and once you put it together it kind of defeats the purpose of a track saw when you have to pull a line and screw it to a piece of plywood in order to make the track straight. I should have just bought a piece of plywood instead of spending over $200 on this piece of garbage
@@DIYTinkerer I haven't used the track yet, I just made a small cut on a drop to see how awful the 16 tooth blade was. I immediately ripped the guard off because it wouldn't make it more than 3 in into the wood without binding.
@@DIYTinkerer I also wish I would have watched this video before I bought it, I didn't notice that it had a 20 mm Arbor. Have you found a good finish cut blade for less than $50?
If you’re using it to make finished cuts, you’re going to be disappointed, but to breakdown sheets, it’s fine. And for the price, you probably shouldn’t expect it to do much more than breakdown larger pieces to be more manageable on a table or mitre saw….IMO Spring for a higher end saw like a DeWalt or Bosh if you’re going to need better quality. DIYers shouldn’t expect to get steak for the price of hamburger!
You are of course completely right, you will however find plenty of reviews on youtube saying how amazing the saw is, some even comparing it to Festool, I wanted to provide a more honest review of what you will get. I do now only use it as you suggest as a tool for breaking down sheet goods. You do indeed get the cheapest of greasy burgers 😀
Man you're old enough that in life you get what you pay for. There's a reason why some tools work better than other...it's called price...so stop winning.
It is a good tool but not for fine work. Is made for cuts that are not very visible , or for little jobs around the house that doesn't need perfect precision and for the price , come on , lets be honest , does the job.