Evolution R255SMS
Pros
- Price
- Cold Cut
- Compound Miter Capabilities
- Cut Quality
Cons
- Multi-Purpose Blade Life
- Noise Level
- Capacity
Disclaimer: This is a complete unbiased opinion of the Evolution R255SMS. I have not received any compensation of any kind from Evolution.
The Evolution R255SMS is a miter saw advertised as being able to cut through almost anything. Wood, wood with nails, steel tubing, PVC, etc. My purpose however, was purely metal cutting.
It’s a cold cut saw meaning it runs blades more similar to a typical wood chop saw. No abrasive wheels, no burning to the touch cuts, no fine tooth band saw blades. The saw comes with your typical wood sliding miter fixtures. This makes it much more friendly to set up miter cuts than some of the pure metal cutting cold cuts, such as the ones from Makita and DeWalt.
The key advantages for cold cut saws are:
- Clean ready-to-weld edges
- Cold to the touch after cutting
- Quick cut times
- Reasonable cost per cut
The evolution R255SMS adds on top of this:
- Easy miter and even compound miter cuts
- Sliding blade capabilities
- Possible to cut through multiple material types
In terms of price – this is the cheapest cold cut you’ll find. I got mine for $200 (Canadian!) at the local CT.
Setup
Starting with the set up, this was incredibly easy. There were only 3 major pieces to attach (the base, the saw head and the sliding attachment). On top of this there were small things like the blade, base extensions, clamp, etc. which all only took a couple of screws max to install.
It’s nice it comes with and has a spot to hold a dual sided Allen key – the only tool you should need to make adjustments on the saw. The installation guide was clear and simple.
The one thing that wasn’t clear in the instructions is that the screw holding the blade in on the arbor is reverse threaded. This means you need to rotate clockwise to loosen. Keep this in mind when installing the blade before you wrench on it too hard!
Little Known Fact
I did a lot of reading and watching (and always do!) before I decide to put my hard earned money into anything. One of the main things I came across is that the 1” arbor is not popular and hard to find replacement blades for outside of Evolution’s own. However, contrary to popular believe, the sleeve is reversible to accept a standard ⅝” arbor blade.
This means that you can use all of the standard blade manufacturer’s, including Diablo. For instance, the Diablo Steel Demon 10” blade could be used. The max no load speed of the R255SMS is 2500rpm whereas the Diablo blade is rated to 3000rpm. This gives a lot of additional flexibility when searching for replacement blades.
Cutting
My first impressions have been awesome. I’ve only done a handful of cuts on it so far, but the results have been fantastic. Everything looks perfectly square out of the box the cuts are flawless, cold to the touch and basically welding ready.
This will drastically speed up my projects from the abrasive blade. The cuts were never precise and they required significant grinding after to square them up and prep for welding.
Update: The mulit-purpose blade that comes with these saws did not last too long when cutting mild steel. I found the Evoluation Steel blade also fairly useless. Upgrade to a Diablo or something similar and you’ll get significant life out of the blade.
Summary
Probably the best non-abrasive metal cutting saw on the market for the money. Clean and precise cuts every time is sure to speed up fabrication time in any hobbyist workshop or small manufacturing facility.
