Evolution S380CPS: Metal Cutting Chop Saw With 14 In. Mild Steel Blade

I was working on a project for my daughter Angela that required me to cut a bunch of steel so I bought a saw that could cut a variety of metals. The saw is made by a company called Evolution and after looking at a bunch of reviews, the Evolution S380CPS stood out from the rest.

Here are the machine specs:

Motor: 120V, 15A
Speed: 1450 rpm
Max. Bevel (Left): 45°
Electrical Cord Length: 10 ft
Blade Diameter: 14 In. (Supplied with a 14” blade. Capable of fitting a 15” mild steel cutting blade)
No. of Teeth: 66
Kerf: .094 In.

Cutting Capacities
Mild Steel Plate (Max Thickness): 1/2 In.
Stainless Steel Plate (Max Thickness): 13/64 In.
Square Tube at 90° (Mild Steel): 5 x 5 In.
Square Tube at 45° (Mild Steel): 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 In.
Rectangle Tube at 90° (Mild Steel): 3-3/4 x 7-1/8 In.
Rectangle Tube at 45° (Mild Steel): 3-1/8 x 4-3/8 In.
Round Tube at 90° (Mild Steel): 5-1/8 In.
Round Tube at 45° (Mild Steel): 4-1/8 In.
Minimum Cut Off Piece Length: 1/8 In.
 

The saw locks in a downward position (by moving the silver pin at the lower left) just like most miter saws does. And this one has a nice handle to carry it with that works well for this purpose.
 

This is a chop-saw style of machine that hinges on a large pin that's spring loaded. This is fine by me because it makes the unit more stable this way, in place of being a sliding style like me wood cutting saw. And with the 15 amp motor it cuts through just about anything you can throw at it.

It also has an ambidextrous trigger with a very comfortable grip that's nice easy to use with either hand. In fact you can use one hand to start your cut and switch to the other hand without the saw stopping.
 

This saw has a heavy-duty cast aluminum base with an integrated wear plate (silver area) and holes to mount it if you want.
 

Here's a big reason why I bought is model, the Acme thread. This style of thread is far superior to a normal 60 degree V style thread. It also has a quick release half-nut making it very easy to slide the movable jaw in or out. Then you flip the half-nut back over when you're ready to tighten it.
 

This 14" carbide tipped blade has 60 teeth and looks very much like any other miter saw blade. However, Evolution claims this blade is best used for mild steel. They also have others rated for different metals like a 90 tooth blade for stainless steel and a different 90 tooth blade for thin material and other ferrous metals. The only difference being the tooth geometry.
 

This style of handle works great and is very comfortable. I also added a few drops of oil on the thread to help it turn smoothly and so it doesn't gall. That hex key comes with the machine and is held in place by a rubber grommet.
 

Here I'm cutting some 2" X 3" X 1/8" wall steel tubing like it was nothing. However, after using it for the day, I didn't like how I had it setup by using my welding bench. I mean it worked, but I know of something that would work much better.
 

Tada!!

I bought a Dewalt miter saw stand to mount it on and now it works so much better. Notice in the background I have another one that holds my duel compound sliding miter saw. This is the reason I bought this new one because they work really well.

This new mobile stand solves a few things: first it's easy to move around now. Second, it's now mounted permanently. Third, this stand has moveable support stands for your material to rest on, which means I won't be using anymore saw horses to rest material on. And fourth, this stand has a work-stop if I need multiple pieces cut to the same length.

One other thing, this saw also has a chip-tray to catch most of the chips that fly off the blade. It's removable and slides in from the back of the saw. After I'm through cutting stuff for the day, you slide it out and dump it.

So far I've used this saw on a bunch of tubing and some solid pieces of mild steel without any problems of any kind. This is going to open up a whole new world for me because using a hacksaw or cutoff wheel on my grinder does indeed work, but it's really no fun compared to this machine.