10.1.2016

I bought this about 2 weeks ago, because I'm doing up my house, and 100mm masonry bricks and blocks need cutting from both sides using my usual angle grinder. It took ages and the cuts never aligned. I'd hired a Husquevarna ("Stihl Saw") 400mm concrete cutter ages ago before and thought that a 300mm cutter would be better, but I wanted electric for indoor use and convenience, not petrol (no fumes, no fuel to run out). The Evolution was the cheapest 300mm electric saw I could find. I did have some concerns - power, lack of water-outlet for dust suppression, and whether it would make enough difference to be worthwhile. But I couldn't find anything better under £450-£480, more than twice the cost.How has it performed?Do I like it? The answer is an almost-unqualified YES.GENERAL PERFORMANCE/HANDLING: It's a hell of a lot easier than an angle grinder for cutting serious masonry (blocks, bricks, reinforced concrete, lintels etc). If you've used a HusqueVarna or Stihl Saw, it handles just the same, its weight does the job and you just ease it in or down, hold it at any angle, etc. The handle is nicely balanced and pivots smoothly as you change grip, but doesn't wobble when cutting. Very smooth in use. Much easier to cut cleanly. It has saved a huge amount of time and made cutting blocks and bricks a pleasure and a "quick detour" rather than a burden (with the angle grinder I had to mark both sides, turn over to cut from both sides, smooth the join: no need for than now as this cuts to over 100mm). No issues at all, very nice. Probably good enough for a serious hobbyist or semi-pro if fuel, or indoor use are issues.POWER/MOTOR: As it's electric powered, there isn't any fuel. It just plugs in and turns on. The motor is slow start and takes a couple of seconds to build up to speed - slower than many tools, not slow enough to be a problem or annoyance, so it's fine.BLADE/DUST/CUTTING: The blade supplied is for dry use (electric+water not so great) and looks decent quality (used it a lot the last 2 weeks and no sign of issues). The guard has a dust vacuum port at the correct place (tangent to blade at the rim) for dust suppression although I haven't tried using it yet. Like any grinder, a decent dust mask is ***essential***. Cement/concrete/masonry dust is a severe health hazard and this cutter can kick up a lot of it. But oddly, a little less dusty if anything than my usual 180mm Makita angle grinder, or at least no worse. No complaints from me. Dust is inevitable, and this cutter is not bad at all with it. I Haven't tested the suppression yet but should help a lot. Wear a mask even if using any suppression though.I did try using water with it anyway via a fixed-nozzle hose and small jet of water, because I figured that the guard and motion of the blade will keep it off the electrics, and it was fine for me, but I ended up just using a mask and letting dust go where it would. (Any experimenting on this is obviously at your own risk, don't come back to me if it goes wrong!)GUARD/BUILD QUALITY: The guard is a serious solid one, reassuring. It swivels as usual as you cut, and moves out of the way (mostly). It covers a full half of the blade. The build quality seems quite rugged, it's had no issues coping with usual site handling and conditions.ISSUES: None of the issues are bad enough to lose a "star" but you should be aware of them.The first is NOISE. This thing is ear-biting. It has a piercing pitch as it goes. Buy ear-protectors. You'll need them. And be aware your neighbours will hear it. That said, note that I am comparing the noise with that from my Makita electric angle grinder rather than a 2-stroke petrol motor cutter. If you're used to those cutters, then quite possibly the Evolution might seem quieter not noisier, at least according to someone else's review. I can't be sure.The second is that when the blade "seizes" hard in a block. It does seem to disengage the motor and has not tried to "kick back" hard (which is GOOD for safety)... but on a couple of occasions early on, the sudden change in motor speed seems to have caused some electric feedback, or blown the electric fuse in the plug, and it wouldn't restart immediately or until the 13 amp fuse was replaced. This happened twice in the first day or so, but hasn't happened since. I figure maybe I was pushing it too hard. As I said, it hasn't happened since. Not sure what to make of it.Last, perhaps connected with this, a couple of times after it jammed, it wouldn't start immediately. I couldn't find a reason why. Maybe thermal or needed to cool down. It did restart and was fine a while later. But the "safety button" is depressed and small, although it's decently positioned, so if I'm wearing gloves, sometimes I think I'm pressing it and actually I'm not pressing it in properly. This hasn't been much of an issue, once I got used to pressing firmly.OVERALL: It has saved me a huge amount of time and effort, and cuts nicely, turning heavy masonry cutting from a groan to a pleasure. If you need that kind of job done, but don't need a £450-£500 pro model, and want electric, this is pretty good and shouldn't disappoint you.**UPDATE** 6 months + 15 months after purchase (18 June 2016 + 22 March 2017) - this product has been a thorough work-horse. It has been in use since purchase and performed consistently well in continual use and rough conditions. The blade supplied lasts well (not "cheap rubbish") the original blade is still fine on mine after 15 months of reasonably heavy use. Suitable for a professional/semi-pro/heavy duty DIY use, who doesn't want the £400+ Husqvarna/Stihl-saw brands. The only criticism is the same one mentioned above. If the blade "sticks", it *will* pop the 13amp fuse in the plug. But that's really quick to fix (the fuse is accessible without a screwdriver). Keep a £2 pack of 10 spare fuses close to hand, especially for thick concrete cuts, and it's all good.

10.5.2019

purchased this item as I have been doing up an old property through the winter months and have finally managed to get in to the garden. I basically got this because the garden in its current state has narrow concrete steps that are barely wide enough for my feet and I keep slipping down them.. so rather than smash them out I decided to buy a diamond disk cutter, and although I realised that the Job needed a powerful product it was a no brainer with the price of this machine and also that its power comes from an electric power cord. originally I was looking at a petrol cutter that was in the region of nearly 600 quid. this little beauty was well under 200 quid.

13.12.2013

There is a very small field of 305mm electric disc cutters - of one as far as I can work out. Now as anyone who has done much DIY or building will know the standard electric disc cutters with a 9" blade won't quite go through a full brick, making it a real pain when cutting a hole or access. Of course there are plenty of petrol ones around but A. They are very expensive, and B. They are pretty nasty to use indoors if you are doing some renovation work.Over the last three years I've gutted a house and added another level below the existing one as the house was on the side of a slope. During that time I've made use of a standard 9" cutter with the finishing done with a bolster. Slow and painful.

13.10.2020

The big question. is this any better than a petrol cut off saw? both have pros and cons.The evolution saw has an unusual bore size so is not cross compatible with other blades meaning I can not use my specialised porcelain or natural stone blades also if your in a pinch and you need a new blade that day you may not be able to get it. Petrol saw has a normal bores size so you can get a blade anywhere and use may types of blades.The evolution saw weights the same as my petrol saw but when you take into consideration that 99% of jobs I do need dust suppression, you need to carry a dust collection system with a powerful vacuum and extension lead the petrol saw only needs a hose and petrol can,

7.6.2015

I'll be straight here, I bought this saw because but I didn't want to spend £400 on a petrol one.I felt that £200 was a much better price considering I only needed it for one particular job really and renting one of these costs almost as much anyway.I'm glad I bought this saw as it is really good! I've used it for many jobs now and I can comfortably say that it cuts through stone happily.I feel I should mention that it cuts granite. Maybe this seems like a silly thing to mention because granite is obviously stone but those people who have had to cut into granite will understand why I've mentioned this. I've cut through granite and quite a lot of it, I haven't had to change the blade yet.It also cuts stainless steel mesh,

22.1.2019

Bought this some 41/2 years ago for an extensive build project, cutting brick, concrete and soft and hard blocks. Only ran 240V on the site so it complemented my range of power tools such that it was there for whenever the need arose. Much cheaper than hiring and of course it is then maintained to your own standard and has never let me down. While it spent most of its work life running dry, I had occasion to cut some man made pavers that were harder than nails (cut enough of those anyway and Tata insulated steel roof panels too!) with the same standard blade that comes with it but I took pity on it and cooled it with a trickle of water without it ever wetting the tool or risking the electrics within.

27.10.2019

I bought this to cut block pavers as the block splitter I hired didn't give me a nice and even cut. I have now cut about 150 block pavers and 4 gravel boards and this cutter went through them with ease. I was cutting some of the block pavers at a depth on 10cm and had no issues, the large handle makes this tool nice and easy to grip and easy to control. It was easy to hold meaning the cuts were straigh vertically and no issues with steel reinforced gravel boards.The adjustable guards works well and the option to connector to a shop vac was useful....although i'm not sure how much dust creation you actually save on.Bought this for a big first project and blade is doing well so far so doubt it will need replacing anytime soon.

10.1.2021

Love this cutterIt’s the second one I’ve ownedMy first one lasted 3 years and was perfect till I loaned it to a mate and he used a disc with the slightly larger boreAs he hadn’t used it before he didn’t notice the extra shaking and vibration due to the wrong size discIt shook the bolts loose on the gear housing after two days use which let dust in which ruined the gearsWas cheaper to replace than repairWould of been cheaper if he had hired a cutter from a companyLive an learn even after 40 years as a builderCan’t praise this product enoughIt easily rivals stil petrol cutter without all the maintenance dramas of a petrol cutterLove the evolution rage skill saw tooAnother excellent tool that

6.6.2018

Great saw, doing a sandstone project and it cuts like butter, came with a good blade and love it has a three year warranty. Suggest hooking it up to festool extractor as cut down the bad dust a lot. The saw doesn't do the best of jobs get rid of all dust, a lot escapes at the bottom. But ware a good mask and ear protection as loud when cutting. Its got real power, you can feel this when cutting. Nice weight and slow start good. Adjustable guard thats good. Better than other petrol versions out there. Good cut and doesnt vibrate like petrol ones and better than hiring one. Well done Evolution for another great product. Love your products.

16.7.2015

Picked one up in the Prime sale, delivered and in-use next day. I've found it much to be preferred over my Stihl petrol saw, which I'll now sell PDQ.Pros -Cutting ability in slate and poured concrete just as good as petrol sawLighter which in use meant far less back acheQuieter (slightly)Instant-on without having to coax a hot engine to restart (hurrah!)No faffing with petrol and oil mixesReduced maintenance over petrol sawCons -Needs a 240V power line to jobCan't water-cool blade so need to go easier on cutting rateProbably more dust than using water over bladePossibly less choice of blades?

26.1.2016

Bought this instead of a petrol wizzer, saves all that flapping about trying to start the dam thing ,ie taking filter off, taking sparkplug off running out of petrol and best of all, pull cord snaps with only a few cuts left to finish job. Flagged 2 driveways and some other jobs with this cant fault it, been used and abused just as good as all the petrol wizzers ive used and a press of the trigger away you go.No more getting out of breath just trying to start the thing.3 work mates have bought them now after seeing mine. Blade is really good lasts ages will buy another blade

3.5.2015

Much better than expected, although I own a petrol stihl ts410 saw I thought I'd get this for the tones I've no petrol. I've used it for cut outs for patio doors and windows, paving slabs, block paving, render work etc.... Still on the first blade. I've even cut a couple of concrete and steel lintels with it. Only slight gripe is it has a slightly smaller blade than the petrol counterpart so doesn't cut as deep but does cut about 100mm.Comes with 1 blade, instructions, spanner to remove blade. A carry case would have been a nice touch.

31.8.2015

I am an experienced DIY enthusiast / builder. I have had my 'Evo 305mm' electric disc cutter for over 2 years so I feel that I have now had enough experience with it to write a fair review. I have to say that it makes my Makita 9" almost redundant. The Evo is much safer to use as long as there is the space for it. I use the Evo with confidence, I could not say that about the Makita.The weight of the Evo gives it stability and I would award it 5 stars.I always blow the dust out of it after use, hoping this will give it longevity.

11.9.2020

Brilliant saw, easy to handle, plenty of power, no need to keep the revs up, works well with the hoover, no fumes, no petrol mix and no pulling on a starter cord!I put water suppression and an rcd trip on it and it works very well, it keeps all the spray in the gaurd and the motor fan blows towards the blade, there are even two holes pre-drilled on the disk guard under the the stickers for the water hoses which is convenient. Of course I'm not recommending anyone else do this ?

27.6.2020

Very happy with this. I just needed to cut some slabs for a patio and the choice was hire or buy. Rather than be constrained by time and maybe repeat hiring for other jobs, I figured a purchase of this made more sense.In use, the tool feels stable and competent, easily cutting through concrete slabs with just the weight of the tool being more than sufficient to provide cutting pressure.The supplied blade gave no problems whatsoever.Definitely recommended.

Evolution EVOEDC 008-0001 - Reviews

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