Evolution R210SMS+ Pro Multi-Material Sliding Mitre Saw 210mm 1500W 240V

This is a great improvement on my old Rage 3s which gave up the ghost just before Christmas. The action is lighter and easier to control. Hopefully tired fingers and aching shoulders will be a thing of the past. The visibility for lining the saw blade up to a marked line is excellent and I do like the plastic baffle at the end of the saw run which prevents sawdust being thrown into the slide support.. The motor runs smoothly and easily gets up to full power before the blade engages the wood.. Replacing the saw blade is easier. There's no butterfly catch to fiddle with and lose. I did not manage to get the orange trigger to engage with the end of the bottom guard but that can be held up by hand while the new blade is fitted. Although I only had half an hour to try it ... MoreThis is a great improvement on my old Rage 3s which gave up the ghost just before Christmas. The action is lighter and easier to control. Hopefully tired fingers and aching shoulders will be a thing of the past. The visibility for lining the saw blade up to a marked line is excellent and I do like the plastic baffle at the end of the saw run which prevents sawdust being thrown into the slide support.. The motor runs smoothly and easily gets up to full power before the blade engages the wood.. Replacing the saw blade is easier. There's no butterfly catch to fiddle with and lose. I did not manage to get the orange trigger to engage with the end of the bottom guard but that can be held up by hand while the new blade is fitted. Although I only had half an hour to try it out. I did try the trenching adjustorl and that seems much easier to use too. The blade seem to be very slightly out of the vertical, but I trust that the manual will tell me how to fix that. The cable storage feature is much better than having to wind it round the top of the machine and I will no longer have to hunt for the hexagon key.All in all, though it had been a good friend, I'm glad the old Rage 3 broke beyond repair!On top of this you get a good deal and speedy delivery from FFX

2 years later realised it was this machine

For 2 years since I started taking DIY a bit more serious, I gave myself a hard time for the unsightly gaps in mitred corners for various projects I worked on. Days of frustration recalibrating the machine, buying different blades, all to fail and see huge gaps in mitred cuts. As the saying goes, a bad worker always blames the tools, so I spent 2/3 years blaming myself. Just borrowed someone's DEWALT DWS773-GB and I can cut beautiful perfect mitre joints. Feel so let down but relieved at the same time. Trust me when I say this, spend the extra £100 and get something that won't give you more work to do trying to square up frames and give you an ugly finish. It makes a huge difference when your joins square up. This machine was a waste of time and resources. I know a ... MoreFor 2 years since I started taking DIY a bit more serious, I gave myself a hard time for the unsightly gaps in mitred corners for various projects I worked on. Days of frustration recalibrating the machine, buying different blades, all to fail and see huge gaps in mitred cuts. As the saying goes, a bad worker always blames the tools, so I spent 2/3 years blaming myself. Just borrowed someone's DEWALT DWS773-GB and I can cut beautiful perfect mitre joints. Feel so let down but relieved at the same time. Trust me when I say this, spend the extra £100 and get something that won't give you more work to do trying to square up frames and give you an ugly finish. It makes a huge difference when your joins square up. This machine was a waste of time and resources. I know a handful of people are getting decent cuts but my machine has been to the manafacturers twice, 1 week later after doing whatever they did, I was plagued with the same issue. It's the tolerances in the machine, the type of blades they use and have available and the somewhat flimsy build that give too much play for accuracy

Almost Excellent but definitely NOT for metal!

I bought this saw as the video shows it cutting mild steel, which is what i needed it for. I did a couple of test cuts on wood, which came out fantastic. I then turned to some 25mm mild steel box section. The first four cuts were great but by cut 5 the blade was dulling rapidly! By cut 6 it was useless - it didn't make it through so I aborted.I now have a completely useless saw as it can barely burn its way through a 2x1!If you want a saw for wood with the occasional nail, then this is probably a good choice, but I wouldn't even try cutting mild steel with it.Personally, I don't think it's fit for purpose as it is clearly advertised as being able to cut steel, so I will be returning it.I've given it two stars as it did seem pretty good with the wood test ... MoreI bought this saw as the video shows it cutting mild steel, which is what i needed it for. I did a couple of test cuts on wood, which came out fantastic. I then turned to some 25mm mild steel box section. The first four cuts were great but by cut 5 the blade was dulling rapidly! By cut 6 it was useless - it didn't make it through so I aborted.I now have a completely useless saw as it can barely burn its way through a 2x1!If you want a saw for wood with the occasional nail, then this is probably a good choice, but I wouldn't even try cutting mild steel with it.Personally, I don't think it's fit for purpose as it is clearly advertised as being able to cut steel, so I will be returning it.I've given it two stars as it did seem pretty good with the wood test pieces I tried.

Do not buy.

Do not buy. This is manufactured in China and poorly designed. The laser sight is not reliable and the adjustment mechanism for it is extremely janky. The adjustment mechanism for the blade is poorly implemented, siting the nut to loosen the adjustment screw so close to each other it’s extremely awkward. Everything about this saw is cheap. Apparently designed in Sheffield by a guy who calls himself an “inventor”. I’d call him a chancer. Spend more and get a quality make like Makita that will last and make reliably precise cuts.

Evolution R210SMS+ 210mm Sliding Compound Mitre Saw With TCT Multi-Material Cutting Blade 230V / Item As Listed

Brilliant saw, had the 185mm before it, and also have the F255.Pros:+ Value laden package, including two decent clamps (Dewalt GWS777 clamp is awful)+ Robust, solid construction+ Cuts pretty much any common material+ Easy setup & adjustment+ Pre-drilled holes in fence (wonderful!)Cons:- Annoying it is 210 not 216mm- Front bolt positions mean you can't tighten wing nuts from the top. Used 40mm bolts and not the ones included with the stand- Rubber stops are way too accentuated and reduces the cut travel somewhat - got to be rather careful you don't start the saw in contact with material!

Evolution R210SMS+ 210mm Sliding Mitre Saw With TCT Blade 240v

I purchased this saw for use on a balustrading project that required cutting of recycled composite rails with steel strengthening inserts and aluminium balusters. To be honest a simple chop saw would have done the job but I'd always wanted a mitre saw and this seemed a good excuse.I found the saw pretty easy to assemble and I was pleasantly pleased with the quality, which seems good for the money. In general the saw performed well and made the job far easier.I do have a few criticisms. I didn't find the laser particularly useful and for simple cross cutting I found it better just to lower the stationary blade down to my pencil mark to find the correct cutting position.I found the dust collection bag to be completely useless, at least for the materials I was ... MoreI purchased this saw for use on a balustrading project that required cutting of recycled composite rails with steel strengthening inserts and aluminium balusters. To be honest a simple chop saw would have done the job but I'd always wanted a mitre saw and this seemed a good excuse.I found the saw pretty easy to assemble and I was pleasantly pleased with the quality, which seems good for the money. In general the saw performed well and made the job far easier.I do have a few criticisms. I didn't find the laser particularly useful and for simple cross cutting I found it better just to lower the stationary blade down to my pencil mark to find the correct cutting position.I found the dust collection bag to be completely useless, at least for the materials I was cutting. Maybe it will work better with finer wood dust, but I doubt it. I wouldn't pay extra for the '+' version of the saw just to get the dust bag, however I did find the extra clamps that come with the '+' package very useful.The saw is very noisy and ear defenders are a must. It does sound rather like a noisy bearing or gearbox rather than motor sound and I noticed slight play in the blade bearings by the end of the job, which doesn't bode well for the future.To end on a positive note, I found the multi material cutting ability of the TCT extremely useful and it saved a lot of time. Overall it is quite a lot of saw for the money and decent value for money.

Just what I needed- better than expected!

Just what I needed - better than expected "except" - initially - the assembly instructions... *A3 size diagrammatic sheet: Do Not Go By Them, READ the instructions in the manual for proper step by step assembly. The A3 sheet shows large numbers which can be taken as assembly stages - mistake. Also is more for the R210SMS and NOT the Plus version.After assembly and initial checks for 90° blade set vertical and fence etc., no adjustments required. Really nice smooth vlean cut with the 24T multipurpose blade - yet to check cutting metal but have no nèd at this time.Offer price of £30 off was the bonus although having to wait for next day to store delivery and a local competitor had stock.

Poor Quality and Aftersales

Purchased 6 weeks ago for cutting skirting boards. Didn't start the job until a week after purchase. On attempting to set up the saw one of the bolts that needed to be removed to attach the cutting blade had seized. Returned to Screwfix. Guys there tried and couldn't budge it so replaced with a new saw. Annoying but resolved. Used the saw for one day. Average quality. Laser line not very accurate. Three weeks later go to use the tool and there is no power to the blade. Power to the unit is fine. Returned again to Screwfix to be told there is nothing they can do as it had just gone over 30 days since purchase. Explained that the tool had been used once and it was in fact only 3 weeks since they replaced the brand new original tool. Still tool nothing could be done ... MorePurchased 6 weeks ago for cutting skirting boards. Didn't start the job until a week after purchase. On attempting to set up the saw one of the bolts that needed to be removed to attach the cutting blade had seized. Returned to Screwfix. Guys there tried and couldn't budge it so replaced with a new saw. Annoying but resolved. Used the saw for one day. Average quality. Laser line not very accurate. Three weeks later go to use the tool and there is no power to the blade. Power to the unit is fine. Returned again to Screwfix to be told there is nothing they can do as it had just gone over 30 days since purchase. Explained that the tool had been used once and it was in fact only 3 weeks since they replaced the brand new original tool. Still tool nothing could be done and I'd need to contact the manufacturer directly myself. This i have done and now have to wait weeks for the tool to be collected, sent for inspection and repaired. Job completely on hold unless I buy another tool. Really unimpressed with both quality and the fact I was fobbed off completely by Screwfix when I purchased the item from them not the manufacturer.

Value but not quality

I've had this saw and stand for 4 years now. I've worked it hard and changed the blade once. It's reasonable but the back fence is not straight. I've had to adjust it by taping washers to the fence in order to get a 90 degree cut. I've rarely achieved a clean, 90 degree angle in all these years. I've kept the saw because a lot of my woodwork is outdoor structures which don't need to be perfectly square. If you're crafting replacement parts for antique furniture that's another matter. Ultimately, a saw only has one main job and that's to cut precisely. This one doesn't. I would have replaced it sooner but I don't have the money for a professional Bosch or De Walt saw right now. The saw occasionally cuts out and has to be re-booted by unplugging at the mains. The ... MoreI've had this saw and stand for 4 years now. I've worked it hard and changed the blade once. It's reasonable but the back fence is not straight. I've had to adjust it by taping washers to the fence in order to get a 90 degree cut. I've rarely achieved a clean, 90 degree angle in all these years. I've kept the saw because a lot of my woodwork is outdoor structures which don't need to be perfectly square. If you're crafting replacement parts for antique furniture that's another matter. Ultimately, a saw only has one main job and that's to cut precisely. This one doesn't. I would have replaced it sooner but I don't have the money for a professional Bosch or De Walt saw right now. The saw occasionally cuts out and has to be re-booted by unplugging at the mains. The power cable is too short. I bought a dust bag but it is of limited use. Overall this is the sort of secondary saw you might use for cutting firewood or pallets with nails in, which it can cope with. It also cuts plastic but then so does a junior hacksaw. My conscience won't allow me to sell it on an auction site because it doesn't do its job properly. The stand is also a bit wobbly and doesn't stay tight for repeat length cuts. It's a starter saw but I'm saving up for a quality saw which will last me much longer.

Well designed and constructed sliding mitre saw.

A previous sliding mitre saw, a different brand and a bit cheaper, had decided to give up after only four years and was beyond repair. I researched on the net for quite a while and settled on the Evolution from Toolstation. Fairly straightforward to assemble, albeit the manual does not mention that the bolt that secures the saw blade has a lefthand thread. It may be logical, but it wouldn't budge either way. I confirmed it from YouTube before forcing the bolt to come undone to allow me to fit the blade. But once in use, it was soon apparent that this is a competent, well designed and constructed piece of kit. I really can't fault it.....just the commission from the handbook build instructions.