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A chop saw is a specific saw type that is meant to make very precise straight cuts in wooden surfaces, cutting accurately every time to make sure that each piece of wood is perfect for its intended purpose. While they are very similar to miter saws and circular saws, a chop saw is purpose-built for cutting in straight lines and creating usable edges or splits at a fast pace, making them incredibly useful for any kind of workshop or hobby area. However, there is plenty of them to choose from, so finding the best chop saw on the market can take a long time.
In the list below are eight of the best chop saws we could find on the market, as well as reasons why they are so good and advice on how to find your own best chop saws during your searches.
View The Best Chop Saw Below
1. Makita LC1230 Metal Cutting Saw
The tool-free adjustment system of this high-quality saw makes it extremely easy to use at multiple angles, letting you adjust it by up to 45 degrees to create miter cuts. The blade has been carbide-tipped to give it fifty times the durability of your standard abrasive design, using a design that improves accuracy while also allowing for easy blade changes and a reduced stress load on the cutting edge.
To help you keep your cuts straight, an anti-vibration feature and noise-reducing design make it easier to concentrate, while the shavings tray makes it easy to dispose of the left-over debris between cuts.
Pros:
+ Durable, long-lasting blade.
+ Produces very accurate cuts.
+ Reduced noise levels.
+ Can cut at up to 45 degree angles.
+ Has a removable dust and shavings tray.
Why We Liked It – This is one of the best chop saws available on the market, combining high accuracy and durability with an excellent level of versatility and user comfort.
2. DEWALT DW872 Metal Cutting Saw
This multi-cutter saw is designed to handle a wide range of materials, including metals, without jamming or wearing out. The carbide-tipped blade gives you a consistent cutting depth for the entire life of the saw blade, slicing through most materials four to eight times faster than a regular saw.
Each of the blades themselves are also supposed to reduce the need for extra preparation or pre-cut grinding, giving you a reliable way to start cutting at any time. The tool also features a horizontal handle that makes it easier to hold the chop saw still without harming your wrist, as well as a 45-degree adjustable fence for creating angled cuts.
Pros:
+ Accurate and reliable blade.
+ Cuts consistently and effectively.
+ Uses an ergonomic handle and stable base.
+ Able to cut at angles.
+ Deflects chips and debris to keep the cutting area clear.
Why We Liked It – The excellent cutting capacity of this chop saw, as well as the fact that it can handle more than just wood, means that it is one of the best for multi-purpose roles.
3. PORTER-CABLE PCE700 Chop Saw
The heavy-duty base connected to the bottom of this chop saw helps you stay stable and make accurate cuts on a wide range of surfaces and materials, using a strong 15-amp motor to improve both cutting power and overall durability.
The adjustable fence lets you make miter cuts up to 45 degrees, and you can easily swap out the blades thanks to the basic spindle lock that makes opening the tool up really easy. A spark deflector allows you to properly handle rougher materials without throwing debris into your face or blocking your line of sight, while you are trying to get work done.
Pros:
+ Stable and easy to use.
+ Allows for easy blade changes.
+ Removes sparks and cuttings.
+ Has a quick-release material clamp.
+ Powerful but consistent motor.
Why We Liked It – When you are looking for the best chop saw for the money you spend, this saw offers a good balance of features and simplicity to make it suitable for all kinds of tasks.
4. DEWALT D28715 Quick-Change Chop Saw
The quick-change blade system used in this chop saw design allows you to easily swap out saw blades as needed, requiring no key or special tools. The powerful 15-amp motor can help you cut through even the toughest materials without overheating or starting to wear out, and you can adjust the fence by up to 45 degrees to create rapid and precise miter cuts.
This saw also features a lock-down carrying pin system, a simple spindle lock, an adjustable spark guard, a comfortable D handle, and a very reliable clamping system to help you cut accurately time and time again.
Pros:
+ Very high cutting capacity of up to 6-1/2 inches.
+ Brush access for easy maintenance.
+ Uses a wide and stable steel base.
+ Designed with ergonomics in mind.
+ Uses a reliable 15 amp motor.
Why We Liked It – This is another great chop saw that can work extremely well for a variety of materials, offering high accuracy and power for better finished results.
5. Evolution Power Tools EVOSAW380 Chop Saw
The 15 amp motor used in this chop saw allows it to easily cut through a range of materials, including wood and steel, without creating excess sparks or heating up too much. The heavy-duty base is suitable for industrial-level cutting while working better than an abrasive chop saw, using a ‘cold cut’ system to avoid leaving burns behind or damaging the finish.
Each 14-inch blade is capable of performing at least 1000 cuts in a single lifetime, and can easily be swapped out without requiring any special tools. Not only that, but it can be used almost immediately with minimal preparation needed.
Pros:
+ Suitable for cutting metal.
+ Produces fewer sparks and burrs.
+ Doesn’t heat up as fast as other saws.
+ No coolant required.
+ Compatible with specialty blades.
Why We Liked It – This chop saw works best for dealing with mixed materials, cutting through both metal and wood far more reliably than standard chop saws can.
6. Bosch 3814 Abrasive Cut-Off Machine
This abrasive chop saw uses a 15 amp motor and a reliable blade design to slice through a variety of materials with ease, offering a fence that can bevel by up to 45 degrees for angled cuts. You also have the option of adjusting the depth to get greater control over the cut you create, as well as a spindle lock system that makes it easy to perform maintenance between uses.
The trigger can be locked to an “on” position for major sawing jobs, removing the need to constantly hold it down, and the built-in overload protection ensures that the motor won’t harm you if you are putting the saw up against difficult surfaces.
Pros:
+ Adjustable depth feature.
+ Built-in storage.
+ Can be mounted to surfaces easily.
+ Uses a lockable trigger.
+ Excellent cutting capacity.
Why We Liked It – This is an excellent saw for general use in almost any situation, working best when you need to deal with multiple items or surfaces one after the other.
7. MILWAUKEE ELEC TOOL 6177-20
This saw is made with a mixture of metal and plastic to improve its portability and durability, allowing for precision cutting in a wide range of situations due to the improved cut capacity. The 45 degree miter cuts mean that you can easily cut into a surface from an angle, while the lock button makes it easy to swap out the blade as needed.
You can also use the clamp system to attach the saw to the surface you are cutting for extra stability. Thanks to the lightweight design, it is much easier to move around across a larger job site, meaning that you are able to cut stationary surfaces more effectively.
Pros:
+ Can be attached to a range of surfaces.
+ Provides fast cuts.
+ Works on various materials.
+ Very lightweight.
+ Makes saw blade changes easy.
Why We Liked It – This might be one of the best saw options for anybody who needs a mobile and multi-functional cutting tool for their job site or workstation.
8. Ironton Dry Cut Metal Saw
The high no-load speed of this metal saw enables it to cut most materials very quickly, letting the user hold onto a comfortable D-shape handle for extra vibration protection. The good cutting capacity and ability to bevel by up to 45 degrees improve your cutting performance, while the built-in safety guard shield and thumb lock mean that you can avoid hurting yourself while working on difficult cutting or construction jobs.
A great clamping system improves stability on the cutting surface, working alongside the heavy-duty base to help your cutting angles stay consistent and accurate. Due to the blade design, you also don’t need any coolant to avoid sparks and excess heat.
Pros:
+ Uses cold cut blades.
+ Works well as a miter saw.
+ Uses a stable base shape.
+ Easy to attach to surfaces.
+ Protects the user from sparks and heat.
Why We Liked It – This is one of the best saw options when it comes to avoiding harm and overheating while still cutting through most materials effectively.
Chop Saws Buyer’s Guide
Just like a regular saw, a chop saw can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and each one is guaranteed to act or function in a different way to each other design. Because of this, finding the best overall option becomes very important for serious tasks, especially if you are a professional or dedicated hobbyist that wants to be sure that they are using the right tool for the job.
Something as minor as the saw head design or blade size can change whether or not the saw can cut metal, for example, so looking at all of the relevant features is the easiest way to understand what you should be looking for.
The Blade
A good blade can be the key to a good saw, but the blade size isn’t the only thing that matters. Sometimes you will find that a saw can only use specific types of blades, or might end up with an abrasive chop saw that has to be used with one particular set of blade designs. However, there are some features of the blades themselves that can play a large part in how they work, too.
One of the details to watch out for is abrasive blades and cold blades. Cold cut chop saws are meant to prevent sparks when cutting through metal, but they have to be using metal chop saw blades that offer cold cut designs. A cold saw blade isn’t just certain material, but a full design, so using the right blade types and blade sizes becomes important if you are trying to avoid making as many sparks as you normally would. Using the wrong blade type during the cutting process won’t necessarily damage your saws, but can lead to less efficient cuts in the long run.
Abrasive chop blades are your standard blade type: When used in any kind of saw, the saw can cut metal as normal, but it will produce sparks and will often have to cool down between or after cuts. As you would expect, these are two details that can make it a bit harder to use these saws, since there is always a risk of hurting yourself if the sparks get on your skin.
Again, blade size is obviously important, too. A blade that doesn’t fit into the saw head correctly isn’t safe to use, even if it can technically still fit into the saw itself. This goes for miter saws, chop saws, and every other type of saw on the market.
Carbide Blades
One of the unique types of blade that you can get in many saws is a tungsten carbide blade, which is far more effective at cutting through metals as a specific task. This is mainly because they are able to resist high temperatures and work as expected regardless of how much heat they produce while cutting the metal, something that can make them a very valuable saw option for people working in construction fields or who need to cut up different types of metal often.
Saw Type
Miter saws and chop saws are usually linked very closely, and that is for a good reason. They act in similar ways and can often do the same things, with the lines between them getting blurred quite frequently. This makes it important to choose the right tool for the job since their similarities don’t stop them from offering different things.
If you look at the 10 best chop saws on the market, the majority of them will technically also be miter saws. Chop saws are primarily focused on cutting straight down, occasionally bevelling, or turning to create angled cuts if the designs allow it. On the other side there are miter saws, which focus on creating angled cut finishes more often. A chop saw can often be the larger of the two types, using bigger motors (15 amp is often the standard) as well as larger blade sizes on average.
A sliding compound miter is a unique case that mounts the blade onto a non-fixed arm, allowing it to move around. The key feature here is that you can use a sliding compound miter to slide the blade across the cutting surface, using it as a way to slice larger objects up and adjust the blade to whatever you are trying to cut at the time. However, a sliding compound miter saw can be much more expensive and niche, especially since most sliding miter designs are meant to be used for professional tasks.
Chop saws are generally the most “straightforward” option, giving you a direct cut that doesn’t usually rely on extra gimmicks or features to achieve. This makes them some of the most useful saws for simple tasks: if you are just cutting a piece of wood in half, a regular chop saw is easily more than enough, and isn’t likely to jam or malfunction just because of how you use it.
Safety
Whether you are using a regular chop saw, standard miter saw, sliding miter saw, or even a really complex and high-tech saw tool, you will always want to stay safe. While some people might argue that the best value comes from practical features rather than safety gear, you never know when it might suddenly become relevant.
For example, if you are using a sliding miter saw to cut through a large sheet of metal, you will produce a lot of sparks – a spark deflector would be ideal here since even a basic spark deflector shield can be enough to protect your skin from sudden burns and scratches.
Saws are an inherently dangerous tool. They are designed to cut, which means that they can easily cut through the wrong thing: the table below your material, the cable that powers them, or even part of your body. The safer you are, the more productive you can be and the more reliable your cuts will become, especially if these safety features make you less afraid to perform specific cut types that would save time or give you better results and edges.
Some chop saws come with buttons that simply lock the trigger and make it impossible to activate until the lock is removed. Others will have a clamping mechanism that can attach to almost any material, speed control settings that can be adjusted to suit the material, adjustable cutting capacities to prevent damaging the surface beneath, or a simple emergency stop button that can be triggered on the power cable. Every safety feature has a use, no matter whether you are carrying out professional work on a construction site or trimming some new fence posts in your own back garden.
What is the best chop saw on the market?
There is no saw that can be considered the best, even among chop saws. While some are clearly more effective at cutting than others, and there are plenty of chop saws that won’t live up to the average standards, there are also far too many niche directions that they can go in.
Some will be best in terms of safety. Others will be best at cutting through wood and ignoring metal entirely, whereas others try to be the best jack-of-all-trades option on the market. There is also the idea of “best value”, which is another detail that some saws will aim for.
All of these are valid criteria for what you consider the “best” option, so you need to think about your own preferences and the kinds of equipment you are hoping to get. Every person could end up finding a different tool to be the best suitable option for them.
What is the difference between a chop saw and a miter saw?
As mentioned earlier, there isn’t really much of a difference in modern standards. A chop saw is meant to go straight while a miter saw is meant to go angled during cuts, but this isn’t always the case in practice, and most of the two types can do both to some degree. Angle cuts aren’t exclusive to the miter saw, so size and blade types are really the only significant differences, and even those are shared sometimes.
As a side note, miter saws are generally always geared towards woodwork. A miter saw that is meant for metal isn’t usually referred to as a miter saw in official terms: compared to a chop design, a miter saw should technically be one that only gets used for woodworking, although this isn’t the case in reality.
What is the best miter saw for the money?
It is easy to assume that sliding compound miter saws are the best option you could buy, considering that they have the most cut versatility and can achieve the most with limited blade size. However, just because a miter saw is good doesn’t mean that it is going to work well for you.
If you don’t need to make specialized cuts, then your average miter saw can work just as well, especially if you are only planning to cut a few things every month or two. Money plays a large part in the process of deciding which saws you want to use, so be sure to check the features and price of the miter saw against your own requirements and budget.
There isn’t anything wrong with deciding to buy a more expensive and feature-rich miter saw because it could be useful in the future, but there is always a chance that you will never actually use any of those new features. Things like a dust bag, extended power cord, blade guard, or controllable miter adjustments are all saw features that can have practical use no matter what you use your tool for. The same can be said for better fence quality, blade teeth, and miter adjustment options.
What is the best Mitre saw for home use?
Using a miter saw at home might feel different to using one in the workplace, but it really isn’t. The same safety risks still apply, and there is always a chance that you could end up hurt even if you are woodworking at home. In fact, it is even more important to choose a good miter saw if you are at home since you won’t have other people checking on you and making sure that everything is being done correctly.
A bad miter saw can still be manageable in a work environment since you will have other tools around that can help you stay safe and correct any mistakes or problems you encounter – at home, you won’t have access to a whole toolbox of gear unless you’ve already stocked up, which can leave you with unsolvable problems or cutting results that can take a long time to be fixed.
Conclusion
If you need to cut something, a chop saw can be one of the best ways to cut it efficiently and reliably. However, as you’ve seen from all of the advice above, it is not easy to pick out a single saw that can cut everything perfectly with no faults or downsides.
Finding the best tool for the job requires some careful thinking and a lot of searching, but you will be able to find something eventually if you keep trying. There are so many saws out there to use that it is almost impossible to not find something suitable.
Whatever you choose, do your best to balance all of the important details and features so that you know you are getting something useful. The last thing you want to do is buy a tool that won’t help you and can’t easily be reused in any useful way, especially if you are not familiar with the tools yet and might need some practice in case you end up harming yourself or ruining whatever you are working on.
