Price at time of Review: £169.99 (Amazon)
- Powerful: 2000 W optimised gearbox and blade system, increases motor and blade life to cut through a variety of materials with ease
- Accurate: Precision cutting with laser guidance, trench cut facility, 300 mm slide, 0 degrees to 45 degrees bevel and 50 degrees to 50 degrees mitre settings, covers all common cutting angles
- R255-TCT multi-material blade (28 teeth) included; Japanese tungsten carbide tipped (TCT) blade cuts steel, aluminium, wood with embedded nails, plastic and more
- 3 years limited warranty (only valid if purchased in the UK)
First thoughts
Looking to upgrade my old DeWalt mitre saw that had provided a good few years of service, I opted for something a bit more ‘budget’ this time. The Evolution mitre saws generally get great reviews, and after watching plenty of Youtube video reviews I opted for the R255SMS+ from Amazon
As with most things Amazon (and having Prime) it arrived next day in a fairly hefty box. Set up was relatively easy but it didn’t run square out the box, something to bear in mind. Ten minutes or so is all it takes to set up the blade for accurate cutting.
Construction is ok, obviously not on a par with the old DeWalt, and with mostly plastic construction, but it should last a few years of constant use and abuse.
Features
- The Evolution Power Tools R255SMS+ Mitre Saw boasts the following features:
- Laser guide
- Adjustable depth stop
- 0-45 degree bevel (note, it was advertised on Amazon as being the dual bevel model, which it isn’t!)
- 50 – 50 degree mitre with stops
- Large cutting capacity: maximum cutting capacity of 80 x 300 mm, at 45° bevel and 45° mitre a 45 x 210 mm
- Multi material cutting blade
- Carry Handle
Real Life Use
The Evolution mitre saw performs fairly well most days. The multi-use blade is convenient, if not the best quality, and quickly dulls when cutting steel. You would be best avoiding cutting steel and using a dedicated chop saw, but for times on site when you quickly need to cut steel it’ll do the job.
When using for bevel cuts, make sure you move the guide rail out the way. Not something I’ve ever had to do before, and chopped a 45degree piece off! An improvement in my eyes though, as I don’t need to mess about moving the rail now. Every other mitre saw I’ve owned has had room to allow for the bevel without it getting in the way of the blade.
Optional Mitre Saw Stand (Amazon)
I use the mitre saw with the optional Evolution Mitre Saw Stand (although mitre saw stands are really generic, and most saws will fit any stand). The stand is decent quality and holds up well, the extending arms easily support one or two scaffold boards at full length. The bolts provided (wing nuts) are poor, and fell off within a week or so, if you intend to leave on the saw stand, switch those out for nyloc nuts.
