First mitre saw, EVO SMS255+ or Bosch GCM8?

[Dan James]

Looking to pick up my first mitre saw today/tomorrow. I need something which can make perfect crosscuts & mitres and feel a powered saw would be better than a mitre box. Fast, easy, theoretically accure when calibrated. Also useful when I build a new shed in months to come and for renovations when I buy my first house in next few yrs.

Right now it will be used to make furniture, trays, etc to learn the skills and as a hobby, so accurate cuts for joints are important

I've been looking at two:
Evo SMS255+ at £180
Bosch GCM8 at £330

Evo is the best recommended saw at the entry level and has plenty of features, a big 255mm multimaterial blade and 2kw - lots of cutting power.

Bosch is actually part of their 'trade and professional' lineup. Less power, smaller blade, but it's a Bosch and more importantly is trade rated, apparently.

Considering this is my first mitre saw for doing some hobby crafts at this moment in time, do I save £170, a decent chunk of change, or spend double the money as a total beginner wanting to learn joinery?

 

[Spectric]

My last three mitre saws have all been Bosch and all have been fine and given great results, currently looking / thinking and uming about going for the GCM12 axial glide, it has the big advantage of no rails sticking out to the rear which means my saw station can sit closer to the wall.

do I save £170,

Often it is not a long term saving, you save it today and in three months time you realise the limits of your purchase and have to buy something else so a compund cost. The best is try to buy once even if it cost that bit more because there is nothing worse than struggling with something that only just meets your needs. As you mention sheds, this involves heavier section timber and maybe you need to look at a 10 inch saw, for me I have stuck with 12 inch saws because if you reach the limits of that then you need to look at alternative cutting methods as you cannot buy a 14 inch mitre saw as far as I know and maybe then need a radial arm saw.

 

[Jorny]

I have a GCM 8 SJL. It has mostly seen use for renovations. I have been very pleased with it.

 

[SLM]

I too would be thinking of something larger, if my intention were to use it for construction. And I’d agree that you’ll find the limits of a small, budget saw, pretty quickly.

 

[Jameshow]

Buy cheap buy twice.

 

[Wilson joinery]

Hi Dan I had the Bosch saw you mentioned and for the money it was ok. I since sold that and bought a big second hand dewalt (778xps I think it is). So much better. Would you consider second hand? Youll likely get a 10 or 12 inch saw for the same money you’d spend on the new Bosch.

 

[Dan James]

I would consider second hand and have been looking periodically. It's certainly an option if I can find something which is tidy and well looked after

 

[Dan James]

Realistically the construction aspect would be little and far between.. chop some 2x4 frame for a new shed, to build studwork when I buy my gaff. Aside from that, mostly just chopping up bits of softwood for arts and crafts.


Could I justify spending an extra £150 on the Bosch/good s/h offering or even a little more? Yes the money is there, I got savings, it's not going to break the bank and it's a brand I know which is well regarded and £330 doesn't sound crazy for a professional level tool.



Would I get that much use out of it? Debatable. I'll have fun making stuff so probably if I keep it up, if I can turn my crafts into a little side gig for my spare time, then definitely, but is it a case of don't jump in deep before you know if you can swim?

 

[Johnwa]

I have an Evolution mitre saw. What I can say about it is that it works, but I don't trust its accuracy. I check for square every time I use it, bit of pita. I bought it before I knew a bit about what I was doing. If I was buying now I would buy a 12" saw, I like DeWalt saws others prefer Bosch or Makita or Metabo. Personally I would look at used gear but be careful there are some silly prices on the bay and slso some "well used" stuff too. Good luck

 

[Droogs]

+1 for the Bosch

 

[Dan James]

So I went down to the shops today and had a look at a few options in person. Even to my untrained eye it is clear that the Bosch is a better quality item.

Was messing about with the Evo in B&Q, having a good tug on any part that moves. So I lock the table into one of the angle stops and tighten the clamp. Noticed there's a couple of degrees play on the x-axis of the table. Clamp it so tight that it feels like I'm about to break the thing - same. Very large too. If thats out on just the unused display unit then what other gremlins does it have? some people complain of both sides of the table not being flat/square to eachother.

Over to Axminster Tools and look at the Bosch and a Makita. Both just look and feel better. No play which I guess owes to tighter tolerances. Feels sturdier overall. Industry-standard spindle for blades unlike the Evo. Smaller footprint.

Yes, I think it will have to be the Bosch. I'm sure the Evo is ok for simple DIY but it does seem a tad 'crude'.

 

[Molynoox]

I have the gcm8, it's a good saw.
Having a bigger saw would be a nice luxury but I would say for only about 5% of the time with my use, which is mainly construction and some hobby.

With construction, it is all 50mm thick material pretty much.... 3x2, 4x2, 6x2 etc all you need is an 8 inch saw. Every now and again I need to chop a 100mm fence post and then I just cut one side and rotate it round and cut the other.

The bigger saws are bulkier and harder to move around. On occasion I use a very basic DeWalt saw which costs about £200 brand new, its perfectly accurate on the 90 but lacks the features and smooth operation of the Bosch such as the trench cut feature, which I use a lot.

finally, think about how you will support the saw, I have the large dewalt mitre saw stand and it's brilliant. If you don't have anything to support it then a mitre saw is a pain to use so plan ahead.

 martin

 

[Adam W.]

I'm using a tiny Makita at work at the moment and it's a really great saw. So I would take a look at one of them if you can find one secondhand. They are also surprisingly easy to repair and the parts are readily available.

 

[Dan James]

Yes was also looking at a Makita for a similar price to the Bosch. Very similar specs, bit lighter, but the Bosch has a better extending table and decent carry handle also dual intake dust collection which moves with the blade. Both seem good though. Lots of nice tools in that Axminster, I get the impression they don't sell any rubbish so confident that whatever I buy there should be half decent.

Still keeping my eyes peeling for secondhand.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I picked up a superb clean 110v 250mm Hitachi for £100 .......................... including the transformer. Bargains are around.

 

[TheUnicorn]

you can make a shed with a £10 hand saw, its all 90 degree cuts, in fact I build a couple of stud framework walls and clad them last month all with a (pretty knackered) handsaw, very doable. my point is not that you don't need a mitre saw, but that you might not need one right now, if you can't justify the cost of a quality new saw, wait it out and keep an eye out for a good quality second hand saw, they do come up, I saw a makita saw for £135 on gumtree a mile away from me last week. I have a non sliding evolution mitre saw, and should have waited for a better quality (and sliding) saw, I realised that pretty quickly

 

[Johnwa]

To manufacture a quality product costs money. Good quality engineering isn't cheap. The difference between the Evolution and Bosch saws is the quality of the manufacture, hence the Bosch GCM8 costing almost double the price of the Evolution SMS255. You get what you pay for when buying tools but be careful, there is always someone willing to charge a lot more for the same product. Shop around, always check delivery costs and check Trustpilot for reviews of a supplier, not completely reliable but better than going in blindly. Caveat emptor!

 

[Dan James]

Also found a S/H Bosch GCM 10 SD & transformer included for under £200. Going to go take a look at it. Yeah not new but it's a definite upgrade over the gcm8 I was looking at so could be worth a punt if it's tidy and in good order.

 

[Spectric]

Also found a S/H Bosch GCM 10 SD & transformer included for under £200.

Give it a good checkover as odds on it could have had a hard life on site.

 

[Dan James]

yes being 110v is the one thing that puts me off because it's definitely been on a site and possibly worked damn hard. Have asked the seller how old it is/condition/if it's all still tight.