best chop saw??????

756puller · Mar 23, 2013

I am sure this subject has been beat to death but who makes the best chop saw? had a dewalt that lasted about 5 years with not to heavy of use and burned up a black and decker before that.

jon f mn · Mar 23, 2013

Anything with a case base is better that anything with a pressed steel base. I have a DeWalt that has a great motor but cuts terrible because the base flexes to easy.

4020guy · Mar 23, 2013

My old '75 orange and grey Makita died last fall after 37 years and a ton of 12 inch blades. Took it to my power tool guy who has a repair depot for almost every saw made. He does repair/warranty for Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid and Bosch. He also sells them all and said the Bosch stands up the best of them all. I bought a 14 inch and it works OK. He also said that any of them would not hold a candle to the old Makita as far as durability. Surprise surprise....Ron

notjustair · Mar 23, 2013

I have my dad's old Craftsman. I think it is at least 20 years old and heavier than all get out. It is back when they made things good.

Honestly, I think the best one you will find is an old one with low hours at an estate sale or something. New stuff is junky, IMHO.

XRogerX · Mar 23, 2013

Oddly enough, the Milwaukee chop saw we had at work was a complete POS. I"d avoid Milwaukee in this instance.

Geo-TH,In · Mar 23, 2013

I have a dewalt. Only use it to cut hardened steel, which isn't that often. I like my metal band saw. It makes a clean straight clean cut, cuts bigger material, blade lasts longer, doesn't stink, and no sparks. If I need to remove a small amount of metal, say 1/8 inch, it's next to impossible with a chop saw.

GlenIdaho · Mar 23, 2013

For metal I use a Rigid with a 12 inch abrasive wheel. For wood I use a Dewalt 10 inch. Both have served me well.

S.D.L. · Mar 24, 2013

I've not read the other posts to see if it was mentioned, but Milwaukee makes a "cold cut technolgy" cop saw that uses blades with what I believe are carbide tips. I think it's like $300 or more, but you can check it out at Northern Tool.

woodbutcher · Mar 24, 2013

I still have my old orange and gray 14" Makita. After 33 years of pretty steady use, it still gets the job done.
Butch

Chris(WA) · Mar 24, 2013

Are you cutting metal or wood?

Geo-TH,In · Mar 24, 2013

My dewalt, the blade flexes and I can't cut just a small amount off. Need to cut a full blade plus.

I'm really not a fan of chop saws, especially if you want to make a large angle cut.

Mel in SW Iowa · Mar 24, 2013

I bought a 7 1/2" carbide cold cut saw at TSC about 5 years ago for $99.00. One project I did with it was starting with a new blade and splitting the 1/4" web of an 8" I beam that was 21' long!! The blade was done after a 21' cut, but I was surprised and pleased with it. The blades are $19.00 - 29.00 depending if on sale or not. The negatives are that they create as many chips as a chop saw does, but they have a shield that catches more but not all. I don't think anything will shave small cuts off steel as well as an O/A torch or a plasma cutter.

Bob - MI · Mar 24, 2013

Are you talking about a wood cutting saw or a metal one?

If you are talking about wood I will be interested in the answer as I am in the market for a new miter saw. I have been thinking about a sliding compound in either 10" or 12". I am not going with Dewalt because I bought a 1/2" hammer drill about a year ago and the 2nd time it was used it caught fire. Naturally it's out of warranty.

If this is a metal saw, I just bought a Hitachi for the shop and everyone likes it.

JGayman · Mar 24, 2013

If you are looking for a cold-cut metal chop saw I bought one of these from Northern Tool and it is a beast!

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200326857_200326857

So far it has gone through 1/2" steel and everything else I've thrown at it like butter. It does create the little bits as others have mentioned but I don't really consider that a negative.

old · Mar 24, 2013

I have 2 of the cheap Harbor Fright saws and have found that if you keep the brushes clean and blow out that area of the saw from time to time they will last a very long time. One of them I have replaced the brushes one time and the other I have not. Keeping the iron filings out of the brush area help a whole lot as to how long one will last

JMS/.MN · Mar 24, 2013

My 14 inch Makita is over ten years old, no repairs of any kind.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 24, 2013

Just last week we got an Evolution Rage 2, I think that is what it is, from our local Ace Hardware. It has a carbide tipped saw blade, similar to a wood cutting blade, and it is doing a fantastic job so far. We are building a project which will have hundreds of cuts and our old chop saw, 25-30 years old (grey and orange Makita!!) probably wasn't going to be able to handle it. Seems to make a nicer cut than the abrasive blades and you can make a trim cut of 1/16 or 1/8" and still get a straight cut. We are cutting 3 1/2" X 1/2 flat steel and 3" round tubing (1/4" wall maybe), and it seems to be going through it quite well. Probably have made a couple hundred cuts, and the blade seems to be holding up well. The blade is supposed to last 14 times longer than the abrasive wheel on an ordinary chop saw. I doubt if the saw will be going in 30 more years like the Makita did though. At least I won't be using it in 30 years anyway!

Anonymous-0 · Mar 24, 2013

for cutting steel i perferr oxy acetolen saw.or a flame wrench.

sflem849 · Mar 24, 2013

The cheapest one you can get because they all suck.

Butch(OH) · Mar 25, 2013

I am also a fan of the cold saws. We have the Rage 2 also and love it. We also have an 8" Milwaulkee hand held. There is a learning curve to using a cold saw as slamming the blade into a cut will trash the teeth about as fast as you care to change them as my son found out when he tried to use it like he was cutting pine 2x4s. You must learn how to use one or you will soon hate it for blade cost. I stocked up on cheap blades when Lowes quit selling them and gave away their stocks.

JRSutton · Mar 25, 2013

If you're talking wood - Makita's 10" dual slide saw is pretty nice.

I've had mine for a few years now, got no complaints.

Does everything a $500 saw should do, and does it as well as it should.

not that I'd ever buy a saw because of the blade it comes with - but the blade it comes with is worth keeping.

I was never a big fan of lasers on saws, but wasn't going to NOT buy this one because it has one - I've come to rely on it much more than I expected.

Been a few years since I shopped around - but this one had the advantage of greater capacity and flexibility.

Competition has probably caught up by now, but worth considering when shopping.

SDE · Mar 25, 2013

I used up the brushes on my 14" Jet chop saw. I could not get any new brushes from Jet or their suppliers. I went to an electrical repair shop and for less than $4,I was on my way. The saw works,but I don"t think it is a really good saw.
SDE

best chop saw??????

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