Looking for Good Heavy Duty Cut Off Saw

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I am wondering what everyones opinions are on the best Portable Cut-Off Saw for moderate use (mechanic's shop that does fabrication work).  Certainly not a production environment, but we need something that will cut effectively and not wear out quickly.Thoughts?I'd be willing to spend ~$400, maybe more if justified.Jason
Reply:Ive been happy with my milwaukee, its made plenty of good cuts for me.Miller Dynasty 300dxSpeedglas 9002XMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeLincoln PowerMig 255xtLincoln PowerMig 140cMilwuakee Portaband
Reply:X2 what he said.either their abrasive or the carbide tipped  saws are good rugged dependable workersG
Reply:I have a Dewalt 872 with the abrasive blade and have hat it for 7-8 years. Its been thru several sets of brushes, and still works good. I upgraded to a Makita with the metal cutting blade and I wont hardly use the abrasive blade anymore. At work we have an Evolution with the matal cutting blade and it is good also. I prefer the Makita out of all of them..............................."Look Good Doing It"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply:I have a Milwaukee and a Makita and they both work good, both several years old.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:My Makita is 22 years old and is still cutting. I haven't even changed brushes.
Reply:My Milwaukee is 11 years old, also still on the same brushes, same everything except blades!Miller Dynasty 300dxSpeedglas 9002XMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeLincoln PowerMig 255xtLincoln PowerMig 140cMilwuakee Portaband
Reply:I'm assuming the carbide tipped blades can only be used with a specific type of saw (based on speed?).  Will these blades work well with stainless and aluminum?  What's the maximum material thickness for the carbide tipped blade?  I'm not a huge fan of the abrasive blade either as I end up doing a lot more work deburring the pipe I'm cutting, but as far as I knew the only alternative was an expensive cold saw.Jason
Reply:I'd lean towards the cold saws.  Main reason the blades won't "bend' when your tryin to make a thin cut, when cutting angles it's more accurate than an abrasive saw.  I had an abrasive saw "rigid" for 8 years and finally bought a cold cut saw.  I went with the best one out there according a buddy that has been in the field for over 20 years and he suggested one that is made by Jancy Engineering (jancy.com) called the Slugger, it included the first blade and cost me 480.00.  I've had it about 8 months and I love it.  I've cut alot of 11 gauge 2 1/2" & 4" square tubing and it goes through it like a hot knife through butter.  I've also cut alot of 2" solid round stock also, way faster than the abrasives.  New blades will run ya 180.00, but one will last as long as 18 - 20 abrasive blades.  I got mine through AirGas, anyway theres my story.
Reply:Hey thanks for that info, $480 ain't bad at all.  I can handle that.  Thanks for the info.jason
Reply:Milwaukee 6190-20 uses two different blades for steel and aluminum.   They can be had new for about $400 and refurbished for around half that.  The refurbished can be hit and miss to find.  The 6190-20 utilizes dry (a.k.a. "cold") cut technology which will cut on average three times faster than an abrasive machine and costs 1-1/2 times less to operate. The saw produces little to no sparks when cutting and leaves a virtually burr-free finish. The motor is a 15 amp, 4.8 max H.P. The base is a heavy-duty cast aluminum reinforced with a 1/4 in. steel plate. The vise and back fence is tool free. The horizontal D-handle provides optimum comfort whether the tool is on the ground or sitting on a bench. The 72 tooth bladeThis 14 in. 72 tooth blade is designed to cut a variety of ferrous materials including pipe, angle iron, metal studs and conduit. The blade has vibration damping which reduces heat, sparks and noise for cleaner smoother, burr free cuts. For use with Milwaukee Dry Cut Machine 6190-20.The 90 tooth bladeThis 14 in. 90 tooth blade is designed to cut light gauge ferrous materials and stainless steel. The blade has vibration damping which reduces heat, sparks and noise for cleaner, smoother, burr free cuts. For use with Milwaukee Dry Cut Machine 6190-20The blades can be found for $130 or a little more.I bought a refurbished saw with the Milwaukee guarantee of 1 year.  ALL new Milwuakee tools have a 5-year guarantee.  Good to look at the guarantee on tools for down the road coverage by a manufacturer. After liking the saw so much, I kept an eye on Ebay and bought a new one at a great price over a holiday weekend, when apparently people were not following bidding.   Features    * Powerful 4.8 max HP motor, 15 amp motor (1,500 rpm)    * Tool-free fence and vise system    * Heavy-duty cast base    * Horizontal D-handle for optimum comfort    * Largest cutting capacity in class    * Cuts fast with virtually no sparks or burrsSpecificationsVoltage 120 AC/DCAmps 15.0Wheel Size 14 in.Max HP 4.8Spindle 1 in.No Load Speed 1,500 RPMSpindle Lock YesBevel Capacity 45°Capacity in OD Pipe 5-3/8 in.Capacity in Bar Stock ---Capacity in Square Stock 5 in.Maximum Opening 8 in.Length 16-1/2 in.Tool Weight 50.0 lbs.Shipping Weight 59.0 lbs. Good luck on whatever you buy!
Reply:Checkout the following, they make great metal working tools:Jancy EngineeringGood Luck!
Reply:I found the Jancy Slugger for $411 here in town, ~100/each for the SS & Alu blades.  I think I'll probably go that direction, but I may compare some details to the Makita as I would like to have the best workholding capabilities possible.Which brings up another topic - what are the best ways to construct a fixture to hold tubing bends in a saw like this and get accurate angular cuts that are perpendicular to the tangent point of the radius?  I could figure something out in CAD, but I'd love to see what other people have done first before I overengineer a solution.  My eyeballing skills for building nice turbo exhaust systems aren't up to par as I have less experience than preferable.Jason
Reply:http://www.evolutionpowertools.co.uk...on_raptor.htmlis what i have.  I try and shop cut most everything on the marvel but i got no complaints with the evolution saw or the raptor saw.I will warn you that calling them a "COLD" saw is a tad misleading, the little cuttings come off that saw like superheated fish hooks that will latch onto skin and make you long for that abrasive saw.Last edited by Dualie; 10-03-2009 at 09:43 PM.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.