Hot or Not? Evolution Rage Circ Saws
By Chuck Cage
A couple of different Toolmonger readers have written in to ask us what we think of the Evolution Rage circ saws. If you haven’t heard of them, here’s their elevator speech: they claim their saws can cut through steel, aluminum, and wood — even wood with nails in it — with “virtually no burr or sparks.” They also say that their saws don’t heat up steel, which means you can handle the cut right afterward.
Besides these claims, they’re pretty much standard circ saws. The 7-1/4″ model (pictured) cuts 2-1/8″ at 90 degrees or 1-3/8″ at 45. The interesting part is that it spins at 3,500 rpm. Also of note: Evolution claims this model has a “30 minute maximum duty cycle.”
Sadly, we haven’t tried one of these out. Until we can rectify that, do any of you have experience with ‘em? Let us know in comments.
Rage Circ Saw [Evolution]
August 17th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Ok.. wait a second..
What claims do they make about cutting steel cold? I mean how do they say they’re doing it? Anytime I’ve seen any ferrous metal being cut or severed there’s always some amount of heat generated. What are these guys doing? Suspending the laws of physics?
August 17th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
This could get interesting. Let’s say someone says the steel won’t get hot. Does that make the tool hot? No, but it is still a hot tool. A hot cold tool. Or a hot, cold cutting tool. More likely though it’s a cold, hot cutting tool which doesn’t do what it claims.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Agreed that the specs are fairly consistent with other 7 1/4″ circ saws and that the RPM rate is much lower, but that would not, alone, allow for the “saw” to cut through metal.
Actually, it is the blade that is the single largest determining factor if the saw will make a successful through all of the materials they claim.
I have never seen that particular tooth configuration and their site didn’t provide any additional information. Of note, the arbor is 3/4″ versus standard 5/8″. So, you are limited to their blades.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
It would be a lot simpler if they stuck to simpler marketing pitches like “cuts like a hot knife through butter”, or in this case they could maybe even say “cuts like a hot knife through butter virtually no burr or sparks.”
August 17th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
The Evolution saws seem to be similar - if not identical to the MK Morse saws.
MK Morse markets them as Metal Devils - CSM7 MB @7inch and CSM9MB @9 inch. Morse also sells several different saw blades - one for mild steel, another for stainless and a third for aluminum. I’ve used it to cut mild steel plate - and it works well with a fresh blade. It works even better on roof decking which is thinner and hard to cut easily with any other tool - this saw is good for that application.
I’m not sure how these compare to the Milwaukee saw (6370-21) - but when I purchased the 9 inch Morse (paid about $470 at a supply house in NJ) I was warned-off the Milwaukee (8 inch - $290) - so I’m not sure if I was being directed to the Morse because of its higher price or better performance (it does have a bevel and laser guide feature - which I don’t think are very important).
I’ve heard that the secret to it working - is a tooth geometry and material (cermet?) that results in much cooler running.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Yet to have anyone comment who has actually used their saws! Probably need someone from the UK to look at this site…I wonder how the saws (esp the miter) works on wood as compared to a traditional saw with a wood blade.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Golly gosh. Excuse me if I’m missing something, but doesn’t the saw blade do the actual cutting, heating and sparking? Doesn’t the rest of the saw serve to make the blade go roundandround and give you a way to point and push it? Seems to me if the claims are true, it’s the saw blade that would be interesting, not the saw.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
If it works the blade is hot if it ever comes available in a 5/8″ arbor. The saw- very cold for it’s non-standard arbor. But I’m very skeptical as to how it could work. Cutting metal produces heat. Even the sharpest cutter still get itself and the material hot though to varying degrees depending on material and cutter geometry. A sharp mill bit can cut many metals without coolant but it still gets really hot just not failure hot. Atleast that’s been my experience and I can’t think of an exception to that. Thin sheet and thin-walled tubing cool off fast enough that you’d be hard pressed to notice the heat but it’s still there. I’ve cut EMT with a Dewalt metal circular saw (geared lower than their wood saw I think) and you can handle it almost immediately but it’s still really warm.
August 18th, 2007 at 3:08 am
Looking at the configuration of the blade, it appears that the guide tooth would only allow the cutter tooth to cut into the material a very small amount, say less than a 1/16″ That would prevent the blade from advancing too fast, keeping the heat down. The softer the material, the faster the exposed part of the cutter tooth is going to cut into the material.
August 20th, 2007 at 3:39 am
Whatch demo videos of these saws and see for yourselfs @ http://www.tradecountercirect.com
http://www.tradecounterdirect.com/listproducts.php?cid=144
August 20th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
I’ve used the 9 inch Morse Saw on roof decking (corrugated sheet steel). It has a chip collection chamber (needs to be emptied regularly) - but other than that there are very few sparke flying about and landing on folks beneath the work. This was never the case with abrasive wheel cutting - and nibbling was never a practical option.
By the way - my saw has a 1 inch arbor - not 5/8 inch.
Except for its red and black color scheme it looks muck like the Evolution.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Hello everyone
I guess I’m the inventor of the Evolution sawing system - based in Sheffield, UK (the Steel City).
I just happened acroos this site & everyone seems sceptical - I can assure you our products do exactly what we say. They cut lots of steel cold & the same blade can handle wood, Aluminum or plastic.
The process IS a combination of machine & blade as we need a high torgue gearbox, better safety guarding & a tremenmdous blade that is inexpensive yet lasts a long time
The blade “mills” the steel into small chips and the heat dissapates almost immediately - any heat in the chips is okay becaus ethe machine collect them in the side compartment keeping the work area tidy.
We also make the machine / blades for MK Morse so please don’t be confused.
Please check our website for more details or call our US office in Davenport Iowa.
Good luck & look out for more new product that will blow your mind from Evolution.
Matthew Gavins
August 24th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
[...] Hot or Not? Evolution Rage Circ Saws These are some mean-ass British circ saw, which the manufacturer claims will plow through steel, wood, and lots of other things — all with the same blade and zero heat. Yeah, we wonder about that, too. Check out comments, though, where the saw’s inventor checked in all the way from the UK to give readers some details about how it works. [...]
August 28th, 2007 at 8:43 am
I used one of the first metal cutting portable circ saws 10 years ago - the Japanese tool manufacturers came out with theses saws that had both the depth limiting blade tooth shape and the chip collecting canisters. I think the big “invention” here is making the blade cheap enough that regular people can afford the saw. Wood cutting is usually quite a bit slower than you are used to with a dedicated wood blade at 5000 to 6000rpm.
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:50 pm
i have the miter saw,it does exactly what they claim ,i cut a 3×3 .120 square tube,a pretty as you please,straight with no blade flex like you get with a chop saw.i am very please ,i have cut alot of 1in tubing the metel is not hot at all,wear safty glasses it does throw small metal chips ,a magnet is handy for clean-up,no sparks.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I work in Ireland as a scaffolder we use these saws in our yard to cut scaffold tube to length we just line them up side by side and cut through 6-8 at a time it gives a good cut though the tube, ends are very sharp with a new blade. The tubes (and blade) do get warm but not enough to distemper the steel. It is slow but far faster than a reciprocating saw and as a bonus you can cut next to glass unlike abrasive wheel cutters.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I have the rage Evo 3 chop saw. Awesome tool. Cold saws are gaining in popularity for good reason. Quick, good cut quality and clean air compared to abrasive saws. Watch out for hot chips though!
February 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I continue to be impressed using my Morse (aka Evolution Saw). I was abit worried about life expectancy - based on the warnings in the instruction manual - but I think thay are conservative - or are based on very severe use. I use mine for metal roof decking - not plate steel.