mobiledynamics
Well-known member
Looking at a cold saw. Whaddya say gents. Fein or Makita. I've used the Makita in the past but the Orange seems to have it's own following
Cold Saw - Blue or Orange
- Thread starter mobiledynamics
- Start date
Orange has my vote. Been very happy with it. Used to have a dewalt and wasn’t crazy about it, cut fine but lots of little issues. Fein has been dead on since day one.
No matter which you decide on, one of those magnetic floor sweepers will make your life a whole lot easier.
No matter which you decide on, one of those magnetic floor sweepers will make your life a whole lot easier.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
These are not cold saws. Those cost close to $10,000. These are dry cut saws and the answer is: Fein or M. K. Morse which appear to be made in the same factory. Reason: Heavy duty vises which are crucial on these types of tools.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
Love the Haberle HL4 cold saw I bought. Just waiting on a VFD to put it in operation.
Terra Nova
Well-known member
Only had it a few months but so far have been very happy with the Evolution S355CPSL. The clamp/vise is solid and easily adjusted. At this price point that's important and one area some manufacturers cut costs.
Still surprises me how fast and cleanly it cuts stock, makes projects go so much faster.
Still surprises me how fast and cleanly it cuts stock, makes projects go so much faster.
txvwnut
Well-known member
I'll second a Rage, I've got an Evolution 3 and have been very happy with it.
Ilikeike
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The guys have been beating the **** out of our DeWalt for a couple of years now.
1cargarage
Well-known member
IMHO
The critical feature that most dry-cut saws lack (regardless of brand) is a VERY rigid base & workholding. Some are worse, but none are even close to ideal.
The "secret" to making the new(er) carbide blades last (cutting steel) and make the highest quality cut possible is proper/stout workholding.
The carbide teeth on any of the dry cut blades will cut steel all day no problem.
The blades become unusable (generally speaking) when they get chipped.
They get chipped from
If you look at a bona fide cold saw (Scotchman etc). The base is generally a HEAVY machined casting rather than a die stamped piece of 16/14 ga sheet metal and the clamp(s) hold the material on both sides of the cut even though most industrial cold saws use HSS blades that are ~3/16" thick.
That said, I've been in the market for a dry cut saw and the 14" Fein leads the pack for me at the moment.
Whatever I end up doing, I will likely choose to modify the setup by mounting to a thick plate and adding a work clamp to the right side to hold the drop.
The critical feature that most dry-cut saws lack (regardless of brand) is a VERY rigid base & workholding. Some are worse, but none are even close to ideal.
The "secret" to making the new(er) carbide blades last (cutting steel) and make the highest quality cut possible is proper/stout workholding.
The carbide teeth on any of the dry cut blades will cut steel all day no problem.
The blades become unusable (generally speaking) when they get chipped.
They get chipped from
- Sideloading and loose material skipping around during the cut
- When the drop (unclamped cutoff side of workpiece) is free to fall after its cut and makes impact with teeth on the spinning blade
- Bringing the saw back to upright after the cut, but before the blade has stopped spinning
If you look at a bona fide cold saw (Scotchman etc). The base is generally a HEAVY machined casting rather than a die stamped piece of 16/14 ga sheet metal and the clamp(s) hold the material on both sides of the cut even though most industrial cold saws use HSS blades that are ~3/16" thick.
That said, I've been in the market for a dry cut saw and the 14" Fein leads the pack for me at the moment.
Whatever I end up doing, I will likely choose to modify the setup by mounting to a thick plate and adding a work clamp to the right side to hold the drop.
1cargarage
Well-known member
Yes indeedy. As stated above, a true "cold saw" as known in industry is something completely different from a dry cut chop saw like the slugger or evo.
The biggest difference imho that the average guy can most easily improve is the stoutness of the dry saw's base & its vise(s).
The biggest difference imho that the average guy can most easily improve is the stoutness of the dry saw's base & its vise(s).
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
In you want a real cold saw for home use, find a used MEP Willy 225 cold saw. Wilton also sold them. I have seen them for $500 on the used market.
Specs:
Motor: 1 HP
Blade Speed (RPM): 50
Blade Size (mm): 225 x 32 x 2
Maximum Blade Size: 9"
Vise Opening Max.: 2-3/4"
Weight (lbs.): 84
Cutting Capacity:
90 Degree
Round 2-1/2"
Square 2-5/16"
45 Degree left
Left 2-1/8" 2"
Square 2"
Specs:
Motor: 1 HP
Blade Speed (RPM): 50
Blade Size (mm): 225 x 32 x 2
Maximum Blade Size: 9"
Vise Opening Max.: 2-3/4"
Weight (lbs.): 84
Cutting Capacity:
90 Degree
Round 2-1/2"
Square 2-5/16"
45 Degree left
Left 2-1/8" 2"
Square 2"
Attachments
I've been about as happy with my EVSAW380 as this guy was
www.protoolreviews.com
The base is cast aluminum, but the vise area has a steel plate and cast iron parts, a quick vise (think flippable half-nut) and the saw comes with a reversible V block if you're doing straight cuts and want max blade life on square tube.
I also have 3 metal cutting bandsaws not including the Milwaukee portaband and 2 wood cutting bandsaws, a PM45 plasma, various cutoff disks'grinders, a cheap HF skil saw with metal cutting blade, jig saws, recips, etc, and each has its good/bad points that vary with whatever job at hand. The cheap HF skil saw with their metal cutting blade (and all the PPE you can wear :=) actually makes easier to clean up cuts on 14-16 ga. sheet than my PM45 does - for straight cuts they BOTH need a guide, the plaz is quicker cutting (hafta turn the power down to keep up) but cleanup on the cheap saw is how fast you can run a debur tool along the cut.
Bottom line to me: there's no such thing as a single "best tool" for ALL jobs, REGARDLESS of what operations you need to do, so I just try to get the best of whatever category I need and can afford. At less than $400, the EVOSAW 380 doesn't piss me off - and these days, that's no easy job... Steve
Evolution EVOSAW380 Review
If you need serious capacity in a dry cut metal saw, look no further than the Evolution EVOSAW380. It can cut bigger steel than any other saw in this class.
www.protoolreviews.com
The base is cast aluminum, but the vise area has a steel plate and cast iron parts, a quick vise (think flippable half-nut) and the saw comes with a reversible V block if you're doing straight cuts and want max blade life on square tube.
I also have 3 metal cutting bandsaws not including the Milwaukee portaband and 2 wood cutting bandsaws, a PM45 plasma, various cutoff disks'grinders, a cheap HF skil saw with metal cutting blade, jig saws, recips, etc, and each has its good/bad points that vary with whatever job at hand. The cheap HF skil saw with their metal cutting blade (and all the PPE you can wear :=) actually makes easier to clean up cuts on 14-16 ga. sheet than my PM45 does - for straight cuts they BOTH need a guide, the plaz is quicker cutting (hafta turn the power down to keep up) but cleanup on the cheap saw is how fast you can run a debur tool along the cut.
Bottom line to me: there's no such thing as a single "best tool" for ALL jobs, REGARDLESS of what operations you need to do, so I just try to get the best of whatever category I need and can afford. At less than $400, the EVOSAW 380 doesn't piss me off - and these days, that's no easy job... Steve
Last edited:
Lots of threads on this that always have the same answers. They all start with a lesson on cold vs dry cut 
I have the Morse. From my research 3? years ago it's the same as the Fein. And I love mine. At that time, it had the best base, vise, and lowest RPM of anything under $600. As others have said, you do not want a cheap stamped steel base or crappy vise. that is why I didn't get the Evo. Not sure what the Evo has now, but then it was a stamped steel base, which was the main review complaint; this was probably mostly why it was cheaper than Morse/Fein. Plus the Evo motor speed was higher.
The blades are expensive so you need to securely clamp the workpiece, as others have said; this is very important. If you get the Morse/Fein, they sell a vise attachment to cut square tubing and you'll want that.
I have the Morse. From my research 3? years ago it's the same as the Fein. And I love mine. At that time, it had the best base, vise, and lowest RPM of anything under $600. As others have said, you do not want a cheap stamped steel base or crappy vise. that is why I didn't get the Evo. Not sure what the Evo has now, but then it was a stamped steel base, which was the main review complaint; this was probably mostly why it was cheaper than Morse/Fein. Plus the Evo motor speed was higher.
The blades are expensive so you need to securely clamp the workpiece, as others have said; this is very important. If you get the Morse/Fein, they sell a vise attachment to cut square tubing and you'll want that.
Steve, yeah most of the Evolution line seem to be too "homeownerish" that way, but NOT the one I have. Plus, that square tube adapter the others SELL is INCLUDED with the Evo380.
The review (linked above, post# 13) catches most of my reasons for going with the 380... Steve
The review (linked above, post# 13) catches most of my reasons for going with the 380... Steve
fein slugger is a brute. cast base. good strong clamping system. powerful motor. ive cut quit a bit of different tubing and angle iron and plate,. original blade still going strong. one complaint and disappointment is i thought it was european made but its not. motor is taiwan. base and arm im unsure of coo. likely taiwan i suppose.
evo ive never used but online reviews say their china made so i would have zero interest
evo ive never used but online reviews say their china made so i would have zero interest
The Morse I have was made in Taiwan. It's a few years old so this could have changed since then. The only thing I don't like about it is it uses a chain to lock the motor assembly down if you want to carry it. It works, but it's just terribly crude for such an otherwise nice saw. Even my old POS B&D chop saw uses a better system
I would go with the Makita. Most rigid base on the ones I looked at. 12" blade isn't an issue for me as anything really large,( over 4") has no place on a dry cut saw as the larger sections and thickness is hell on blades. If you intend on cutting over 1/4" thick or solid material a band saw is a much better choice.