Plunge saw buying recommendations £150-250 budget

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Lots of input above.
I'd just add something that often pops up. If you bought a good tool, its resale value will be pretty good in a years time. Lets say you make your cupboards using the makita, then decide to sell it..... you'll get a fair bit back. The macallister? Probably not as much back pro rata. The festool? Almost all the money back. ( I'm trade and i dont use festool yet , makita and dewalt are my usual purchases )
 
Not picking a fight with you Peter :LOL: but your vids seem to favour the Festool saw
Well, I do favour the Festool saw; it was the first plunge/track saw I bought and it enabled me to produce work that was on par with that produced in much bigger workshops with far more gear, so I have a soft spot for them. There’s also the best part of 20 years of muscle-memory in using them, which makes it harder on a personal level, to swap between them.

That said I use the MacAllister in the current video (a ‘basic build’ so minimal toolset) and it did an excellent job in Birch ply and Fibracolor, straight cuts and bevel cuts, with bevel cuts being something of a challenge for any tracksaw. 👍
 
I'd like to make you aware of the importance and need for you to own 2 blades for whatever plunge saw you buy.

I own the lorded Festool ts55.
It's good but recently couldn't cut some ply.
I was cutting a 45 degree angle on 25mm wbp ply. The Festool just kept stopping and couldn't make the cut.
I switched to my Panther Rip blade and whizzed through it.

So my tip is to invest in a rip blade to compliment your general blade that comes with the saw and switch them about as required.

🤫😉
 
Worx make a decent one, both DIY & pro versions. I bought the one I have (pro model) 8yrs ago. Fair to say I haven’t used it that much, but the price difference between the two versions wasn’t that great so I went pro.

The one I have is no-longer available but there is a similar one around for £159 from the big river company…
 
I'd like to make you aware of the importance and need for you to own 2 blades for whatever plunge saw you buy.

I own the lorded Festool ts55.
It's good but recently couldn't cut some ply.
I was cutting a 45 degree angle on 25mm wbp ply. The Festool just kept stopping and couldn't make the cut.
I switched to my Panther Rip blade and whizzed through it.

So my tip is to invest in a rip blade to compliment your general blade that comes with the saw and switch them about as required.

🤫😉
Good advice re blade. Same applies to hand saws too.
 
When I brought my corded 110 volt Makita from Toolden for £311 it only came with a 1000mm track but for some reason it was cheaper than the 230 volt version so always check pricing of the options.
 
It might make sense to you, and maybe using it once a month, or a few times a year it woould be fine.
Yes, we agree. That was my point. A hobbyist knocking together a few pieces of furniture each week/month/year isn't going to get their money's worth by buying a pro-rated machine. Unless they have the money and want it of course. The point is, cheap doesn't automatically mean useless or a bad economy, especially considering something basic like a track saw. As long as it's not faulty, there's really not much difference in performance. (See Peter's findings on this)

I worked in a cabinet shop, and the boss had the same rational.

With all due respect, he had a different rationale to what I'm saying. I'm not espousing buying cheap tools for a busy trade environment.
It does really mean how often its going to get used, and the OP is probably more the hobby user, so something cheap would probably do fine. But one thing i found about cheap power tools is build quality is lacking. Motor power is lacking and accuracy, especially on things like routers is well, pretty much non existent.
I see very little difference in build quality between my Festool TS55 and Mac Allister saw. They both have plastic cases over a metal base with a motor. The tracks are identical in quality. The Festool was heavier, and the accuracy is absolutely the same: they're just circular saws running along a track. There's really not much to it. The point is, every tool or machine has different considerations. Blanket statements that 'cheap tools are lacking and don't have power' just isn't true across the board. Nor is 'expensive is always better.' I had a Lie Nielsen block plane that wasn't as good as a dirt-cheap Groz plane. Everything has to be evaluated individually.
Pro tools, even if used occasionally can always be relied upon to work without issues. Not to struggle in use, not to prematurely wear out due to a sudden need to do a short production run.
I generally agree, though machines aren't infallible. Google 'Festool Problems' or 'X problems' X being your preferred brand and you'll find plenty of tradespeople reporting problems with their pro tools. Nothing is ever free of issues, though better brands tend to have better warranties and support, but having recently looked, they are still usually limited to around 3 years, which Erbauer and other cheaper brands offer.

I accept all that you've said except comparing a pro festool or mafell to a macallister tool. The difference is plain, and they cannot be held in the same high esteem. One is not equal to the other.

The difference exists, but it isn't plain, apart from their asking price. I agree that a Mac Allister can't be held in the same 'esteem' as higher brands, but that's a perception issue and not a practical use issue. One ideally would need to use both tools for a given time before knowing how different they are in practice and whether that's worth the price difference. WIth regards to being equal, the OP is a hobbyist, how equal does he need to be to the industry/trade? That's a question each person has to decide for themselves. You and I, I think, are doing a good job of offering two views that the OP can hopefully learn from.

All that said, I'm only debating for the sake of the question. I do agree with you that broadly speaking, more expensive tools 'should' be better and if one can afford the more expensive tool and enjoys owning high-esteem brands, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just personally think that it's a more complex issue than simple cheap = bad and expensive = good.

But I certainly appreciate your experience and point of view :)
 
The difference exists, but it isn't plain, apart from their asking price. I agree that a Mac Allister can't be held in the same 'esteem' as higher brands, but that's a perception issue and not a practical use issue. One ideally would need to use both tools for a given time before knowing how different they are in practice and whether that's worth the price difference. WIth regards to being equal, the OP is a hobbyist, how equal does he need to be to the industry/trade? That's a question each person has to decide for themselves. You and I, I think, are doing a good job of offering two views that the OP can hopefully learn from.
I would imagine that it would be quite difficult to evaluate a Festool TS55 and Mac Allister etc saw. You would have to find people who do not know either name or they would assume that the more expensive saw is the better saw. Its called the placebo effect in medicine.
 
I would imagine that it would be quite difficult to evaluate a Festool TS55 and Mac Allister etc saw. You would have to find people who do not know either name or they would assume that the more expensive saw is the better saw. Its called the placebo effect in medicine.
Indeed, it's not easy. Branding is very powerful.
 
My late father had a similar philosophy towards power and hand tools. He always bought the least expensive tool thinking my mother was not smart enough to keep track of the spending and wouldn't notice the dead tools stashed away in boxes. Although he was a retired military officer, and later a retired division manager at Westinghouse, it was not possible to convince him of the false economy of buying cheap for his hobby tools.

When he died, I helped my brother clear out the two-car garage that had been my father's workshop for nearly 20 years. We took several truckloads to the landfill to clear out the shop because the estate clearing auction houses in the area were not interested in his stuff. There were between five and a dozen each of circular saws, jig saws, drills, random orbital and half-sheet sanders, biscuit joiners, and two tabletop drill presses. Except for the most recent purchases, none of the powered tools worked because either the motors or the internal mechanical components failed.

There were dozens each of 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch socket sets with broken or missing sockets. Rather than buy a single replacement Craftsman socket at Sears, he would buy a new set for about the same price at K-Mart. Over time, he spent much more for the socket sets as he would have spent on a single Craftsman set with unlimited lifetime warranty. When a tool broke, he replaced it with an equally cheap tool...over and over again, rather than spend the money on a better tool that had a decent warranty.

The powered tools he bought might have been good for the infrequent user, but not for the use he subjected them to in the last two decades of his life. The duty comparison is similar to the Axminster Craft and Trade machines. I have no doubt he would have purchased several Craft versions of the same machine rather than cry once and buy the Trade version.

Our mother did not want to know what we removed or where we took it. She wanted to be able to park her car in a garage, which she did for another ten years.
 
If you are going to be serious about any hobby or interest then it is false economy to buy cheap thinking you are getting a bargain, the difference on day one might be minimal and hard to spot but after six months of use the differences start to appear until they are significant, one may still cut perfect whilst the other can no longer be relied on. Think of that advert for Duracell batteries where both toys start out together but one keeps going, that is your better quality tool. Then as has been mentioned before and Mike has pointed out, cheap tools end up in landfill with no resale value, your quality tools will have given good service and can be resold to recoup some of the initial outlay.
 
I bought a scheppach track saw -the large one, I didnt get on with it and ended up getting a festool 2nd hand from here

Ive still got the scheppach sitting in the garage -it works fine but the springs are too stiff.
I must get around to flogging it one day!
 
Google 'Festool Problems'

I just did. Festool even have a forum to report them. Problems reported are minor, and all found a solution.
Heres an example -
" My TS55EQ won't turn on. It worked for the last cut of the day and then wouldn't work the next day. Other tools work fine with dust collector. I tried plugging in direct to wall outlet and that doesn't work either. No previous signs of trouble; no smoke, odd sounds, etc. IT'S 15 YEARS OLD, but only used occasionally for larger projects. Never dropped, always well taken care of. Anything left to try?

OP adds -
Problem solved. It was the older plug-it cord.
" Would it be too much to have the plug-it connections to face the same way?" Shocking :eek:
" I was working on a small box today and the Domino cutter kept grabbing and skating as I plunged."
Reason - Clogged bit.


People asking for advice on Macallister were either told return it or throw it out and buy something better.

Here's some quotes concerning users experiences of MAcallister taken directly from diy forums-
" It's really crappy "
" MacAllister is rubbish and when it falls apart when the warranty runs out you wont be able to get parts for it."
" the macallister tools i have bought have been unreliable"
" cheap n nasty "

These are taken from forums, when people, like minded hobbyists through to professionals reporting on problems theyve had. It would be easy to bring up reviews from Mrs/Mr Tom/Richard/Harry who just bought something and in all honestly hasnt a clue.
 
My 2p to add to the advice already given... I was recently in a similar position (keen DIY, not pro, with a specific project that would be much easier with a track saw - I have a 20yo 'Challenge' circular saw that can't maintain a 90degree cut, so it was time to upgrade!)

I went for the Rutlands saw, primarily because it was on offer as one of their 'daily deals' for £99, and has a 3 year warranty (Plunge Cut Saw with 1.4m Guide Rail | Next Day Delivery ) So far, it seems really good.

I confirmed before I bought it that it should run on standard pattern (Makita?) tracks, and so I also bought the 2800mm Evolution track set (£69 at Screwfix) - I really wanted a single track that could cut 1m, rather than joining the two included 700mm lengths - the Evolution is 2 x 1400mm, and I've now got the added benefit that I have the ability to rip a length from a full 8x4 sheet without moving the track should I need to.

I did buy a Saxton blade for it before I started (I didn't want to cut the splinter guard and then change blades).
 
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