Evolution Rage5-S 255mm Multi-Material TCT Evolution Table Saw

Second replacement saw – First saw lasted 13 months. under warranty took 3 month then was replaced with a brand new saw. This one as a hobbyist has just failed after 17 months. Very poor saws Show details

It's okay – As an entry-level tablesaw, the Evolution Rage 5S does the job, but it has a few issues. 1. Dust. This tablesaw spews dust everywhere. It doesn't matter how much suction you apply, the 5S has dust coming out of every orifice. I have tried to come up with innovative solutions, but the 5S finds a way. If you use it outside, the 5S is a pretty good… Read more

saw. Inside, you'll spend lots of your time cleaning up. 2. Alignment. The 5S is quite easy to zeroise, but keeping it there is an issue. Every time you touch the saw, it moves. I've taken to only using it as a fixed tablesaw, which defeats the whole purpose of purchasing a portable tablesaw. Also, the extendible mitre guide section of the table is so misaligned and loose that I have had to zeroise and fix in place with hot glue. 3. Fragility. Be careful with the plastic bits (of which there are a few) as they break easily. 4. Aluminium table. It doesn't rust, but you lose the ability to add magnetic tools, of which I have a lot. It also scratches easily. Overall, a good entry-level portable tablesaw, but I wouldn't buy it again, nor would I recommend it to a friend.

Disappointing – Had the saw for a while now and used it regularly. Weak plastic body meant a tooth snapped off the angle adjustment easily. Endless problems with the fence and throat plate means that cuts come out lop sided regardless of how many times i try to zero the table in. Plastic throat plate is a joke and has had to be replaced twice. Emailed the company. No reply. Answer = save up a bit extra and buy yourself a dewalt. Trust me on this one.  Show details

Great Saw for the home user – Only reason not to give 5 stars is because the trolley assembly instructions were not the best but I found a demo on YouTube which saved a lot of pain. Saw works really well and does more than I thought it did. The table is really large. Then there's the multifunction blade ... also cool. Wish I hadn't waited to buy. Had no trouble lining up the… Read more

fence to get repeatable cuts. Remarkably accurate for what it is. Sliding mitre is a little more tricky and I check that every time before use. I've had it for just over 2 years now. It is my favourite power tool. Guys at Total Tools Sunbury were great.

Great for the home handyman – For the price this table saw is great value for money. I've had mine for nearly twelve months and have build many projects on it. The best feature would probably be the wide cutting range you get when you extend the two sides so you can cut down large pieces of plywood etc. The fence clamps down at both ends which is good for getting a straight… Read more

fence alignment for your cut. Only negative points is that the table top surface is made from aluminium, not cast iron so you wont be able to use any magnetic jigs or feather boards etc. I'm also going to look at investing in a decent mitre gauge too. Cord is a bit short but who doesn't have an extension cord? I never bothered putting the stand together, instead I made my own at a custom height so i can use my workbench as an out-feed. The riving knife lines up straight with the blade and is easy to remove. If you want nice clean cuts if cutting out dados etc, maybe invest in a proper wood cutting blade for cleaner cuts. It appears that this model may be discontinued now and is no longer on the Total Tools webiste. It's a bit sad because I looked around for ages to find a table saw and this one ticked all the boxes, more than the Makita, Dewalt etc. Hopefully they'll bring out an equivalent model soon.

Poor support – Evolution website direct you to Total Tools for all support. Total Tools are incapable of providing any post sales support. They tell me to contact Evolution and around and around we go. The arbor size really limits your ability to get quality blades and forget using it for something like a dado etc as you can't buy the blades for this machine. Show details

Value for money – I bought this machine a couple of years ago, and I’m delighted with its performance as I only saw light timber ie maximum of 38mm pine. If you wish to saw thicker than this go for something else as I think this is about the limit of its motor. The fence is a feature, as is the ability to stretch the bench top to accommodate ply sheet, but above… Read more

all I can fold it up and put it aside without it taking up a lot of space. I found the blade will cut steel after cutting a 4mm spike embedded in a stick of timber. To the credit of the Total Tools guy when I bought it he made sure I was aware that it was a light saw. Not sure it would drive a dado.

Excellent value for your money – Hi guys and gals . Im writing to all you Diy people out there i decided to upgrade my ryobi 10" table saw but first i read and watched many reviews before deciding on the evolution rage 5s folding table saw after reading and watching all the reviews i could find no reason why i should not buy this saw . On arrival home with my new toy i promptly… Read more

unpacked and assembled it i could not see why so many had trouble assembling the folding table/trolly you just need to unpack it lay out all the parts look at the diagrams as you read the instructions 20 minutes flat job done. As far as the trouble some reviews had with the saw guard not lifting on thinner timbers other materials the new model has over come this and the multi cutting blade is a real bonus with this saw not sure how long it lasts cutting mild steel but out of the box it handles it well. Also the rip fence is a pleasure to use . Now as for being true and square out of the box dont hold your breath on that one but for value for your money you can't go wrong I'm now in the middle of constructing a rear and left side free stand exstention table using one of my two ozito folding dropsaw tables i have designed it to be completely free standing with just the one stand which gives me room to position my shop vac directly below the outlet and have made up an exstention cord that includes a quick kill switch that has a double power point so i plug the saw and the shop vac so i can stop start both the saw and vac at the same time works a treat.

All in all i would recommend this saw for the features and ease of handling and of course the price.

Graham

A good table saw with a few niggles – When I punted my Ozito table saw (see my review on that product), I was chasing an upgrade that was not only more mobile, but also provided a more accurate cut and was, overall, a quality upgrade. After much deliberating and watching of YouTube reviews (mainly by UK-based reviewers), I settled on the Evolution Rage 5-S from UK based Evolution… Read more

Power Tools. It appears the Total Tools chain has the exclusive rights to sell Evolution Power tools in Australia. I paid $499 for the saw just before Christmas.

The first thing that needs to be said is what has been complained about universally in a wide range of reviews – the assembly instructions for the trolley are rubbish. The trolley isn’t as straight forward as a hand trolley as it has a folding, scissor action making it a bit tricky. There is a good YouTube review by an English chap who put together a far better how-to than the instructions that come with the saw.

Once you’ve got the kerfuffle with the trolley assembly out of the way, you can attach the saw body, its peripherals, and start sawing. It comes with a rather ordinary mitre/crosscut sled, an excellent rip fence that locks at the front and back of the saw and is super accurate, a push stick and a transparent blade guard that has a dust vacuum hose that comes with it. When the hoses are all hooked up properly to a vacuum or dust extractor, it doesn’t leave much of a mess. Perhaps a bit on the table and that’s it.

The best thing about the saw and to be honest, one of the primary selling points for me, was its mobility. That pain-in-the-butt-to-assemble trolley the saw mounts to collapses very easy and you can wheel it around the place like you would a hand trolley. This is a game changer for the home DIY guy like me as it meant I could take the saw to where I wanted to work, not the other way around. It also meant I could store it in an out of the way place, important if your workshop space is at a premium or you have to “share” your workshop with a car.

In use, it has done everything I have asked of it. I have rarely used the multi-purpose blade (I swapped it for a 60T BlueMak blade) because I wanted to preserve it for cutting metal and other materials. And yes, I’ve cut metal with that blade, 5mm flat bar actually, and yes, it did it exactly as advertised. No sparking, no distortion from heat and no dramas.

It struggles a bit with hardwood like Jarrah. I thought with 1800w it wouldn’t carry on as much as it does, so I was a bit perplexed with the moaning and groaning the saw makes when I crosscut some dressed 30x60 Jarrah with it. Maybe the blade I’m using is more a hindrance than a help. I might have to try another. I haven’t used the slide much so can’t really comment on its effectiveness. Same for the left hand table extension.

Even though, generally, it is a well made quality machine it falls down a bit – which, much like its Ozito predecessor I had – is some design cost cutting. For example, the plastic insert plate around the blade doesn’t sit flush with the table surface. It sits about 2mm below the table meaning when I pass a relatively narrow piece of wood through, the level change when it runs over the insert plate stuffs up the accuracy of my cut. If accuracy is important, like it is for me, then this is a problem. I’ve been unable to find an aftermarket insert for it. I’ve gotten around this for the most part by making a crosscut sled which takes out a lot of the vertical accuracy issues, but not all of them.

Another issue I have discovered is that there is about 1-2mm of deflection in the table top. At the right hand side the table top sags, according to my straight edge. So too does the extension when it is open, the extruded alloy arms move up and down on their runners. I’ve put washers behind the rollers inside the runner to stop this which it has done to a point, but it still wobbles. Not good enough. It should be rock solid and level when it is open or closed.

Some other issues which aren’t deal breakers but have me questioning why these things have been done. The EU and UK spec safety switch has been omitted from the Australian version. Why? Is the safety of Australian users not as important as those in the EU and UK? The power cord is too short. The mitre slots aren’t an even width along their length. Why? And so forth. I also note that this exact saw is being sold by another maker with another name in another country which has things like fine adjustment on the rip fence, a router table insert, a metal blade insert and an anti-kickback device fitted behind the riving knife. These things don’t seem to be available nor even a consideration from Evolution Power Tools. Sad face.

However, all of these niggles need to be taken in context. If you want a table saw that doesn’t have any of the above issues and has all the bells and whistles, then you’ll need to pony up another $300 at a minimum for a Bosch or DeWalt and go from there. At the end of the day whilst this isn’t a budget saw, it isn’t a high end saw either. It sort of occupies that middle ground between cheap junk and expensive brand name stuff and that middle ground isn’t populated by any other real players that offer the sort of package the Rage 5-S does…

On balance, for the money and for what capabilities the Rage 5-S brings to your home workshop (or your workplace perhaps) it is definitely worth considering if you’re in the market for a table saw. It’s mobility in and of itself is worth it. It has its flaws like I’ve said and it’s not a 5 star saw…but you can do much, much worse for the same or similar money from some of the household power tool brands.

Best Value – I am a keen DIY. I did a fair bit of research before buying this tool. I don't think you can get another portable table saw with a Trolley and a sliding bench. Sure, if you are a tradie you may want something with a bigger motor and stronger skin. But, hey, you will probably spend more than twice the price. For me, this is as good as it gets. Show details

Amazing for its price – This table saw breaks all the rules of you get what you pay for. I was amazed how good this saw is. Out of the box it was bang on accurate. For its price point it is unheard of to get a saw with a sliding top and such a large rip capacity. I would recommend this to anyone that can't afford to drop a grand on a saw. Show details