Evolution Rage 5s Table Saw - 12 months review

I have had my Evolution Rage 5s table saw for 12 months, here are my thoughts.

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0:00 - Unboxing the Rage 5s table saw
0:10 - Evolution Rage 5s wheel stand
0:25 - Better table saw storage with this simple hack.
0:31 - Evolution Rage 5s fence system.
1:37 - Rage 5s accessory storage
1:46 - Rage 5s Rip fence
2:10 - Evolution Rage 5s blade
3:05 - Why won't my Evolution Rage 5s blade wind down fully?

[Dan]

Appreciate the vid mate. Helped me make what I think to be a very good purchase!!

1 week till it gets here... 1 week till the wife kills me.

[theswime]

Nice one JP, thanks. I bought a 3D printed zero-clearance plate for mine from a popular auction site (worth it for me in terms of time vs. money) which I've been happy with. Saxton 80T will be my next buy. As I'm sure you know, you can adjust the height of the riving knife. Cheers.

[James_Gower]

So I recently bought this saw, and out of the box the riving knife was slightly bent so had to wait for a warrenty replacement. No issues, good service from evolution.

I then made my first long bevel cut, 45 degrees, for some French cleats, and I noticed the work piece was pulling away from the fence. I discovered the blade was perfectly aligned at 90, but was out of alignment at 45.

Ive found few vids suggesting in this situation you need to shim the blade assembly which I spent most of today doing, and it's still not bang on.

I also notice that there is some slight play in the sliding table, meaning a reduced accuracy in cross cuts, and, will cause binding when using a cross cut sled I suspect.

Maybe am expecting too much from a diy/enthusiast saw, but I do think you should get accuracy in which ever type of cut you are making.

Unfortunalty, I can't afford anything better right now, so I'll have to get it fettled to a point I am mostly happy with, and then see how I get on with it.

[DeanneMariaCreates]

The orange plate insert can be improved by cutting 6mm mdf and fitting it into the grooves of the plate underneath. Or you can use filler foam and slice it to fit. Both work well. Resin too is good.

I used the mdf originally, but now I have an Evolution zero clearance plate.

[whomadethatsaltysoup]

I've had this saw for several years and can't really complain given the very reasonable price I paid. I think it was somewhere in the region of £225. Anyway, straight out of the box, it worked really well, and was a major upgrade from the Scheppach or any of the horrible flip saws that used to be common in shopfitting.
The bad:
The mitre guide is pants! As is the sliding mitre table: wobbles like jelly. Not only is the insert plate overly complicated, but it is also very flimsy. This makes narrow rips difficult to achieve accurately. I did, however, manage to overcome this using some plywood rips attached to its underside. The mitre slot is also non-standard, so don't expect after market jigs or gizmos to fit! Dust collection is terrible, even with a beast of a shop vac! And the explosive startup is something you never learn to love.
The good:
Well, as mentioned, the price. With a decent blade, it does what you'd expect from a budget table saw. The fence. Again, straight out of the box, the fence was square and plumb. No wobble or excessive movement.
So, is it perfect? Well, no, but it is streets ahead of the alternatives anywhere near the price bracket.
Today, though, I'd look at the newer Evolution offerings, as they have standard mitre slots, a slow-start motor, and a metal throat plate. You might have to spend a wee bit more, but that seems to be the way of things these days.

[juliogdiana]

I made my zero insert plate just filling the gap with resin and cutting the new gap with the blade, works like dream.

[JD-uxbl]

I don, t know how long ago he bought this saw, it is certainly a very old model. It is much improved

[whomadethatsaltysoup]

Thanks for sharing! Yes, the dust extraction is rubbish. I tried using a smaller blade to make things easier and less noisy, but found the sawdust just mounted up under the blade making even a 7 and quarter blade impossible to fully retract.
I have to say, for the money, you can't fault this machine, but the mitre guide, along with the sliding table, just isn't accurate enough. Anyone using this machine will have to invest some time in making a cross-cut jig,

[JimiJo]

Will the saw except a dado stack blade? Thank you for this great video I’m definitely going to get the rage 5s on your recommendation.

[mikeking]

Nice saw, a version is also available in the US, the US version can even use a dado set, if you can find one with the right US 1-inch bore. The UK version uses an identical 25.4mm bore but I suspect it has a shorter arbor length so that you can only use one whirling finger chopper at a time not a full stack. The reason for the weird bore size? I think it has to do with the metal cutting ability of the saw.

[kimchee]

Early concept was the Ryobi BT-3000 with dozens of accessories like extending rails for 4' x 8' sheets, router/jigsaw attachments and even a vacuum table.

[Venomator.]

Yes, I did enjoy that short video, thank you JP… ✅ 👏🏻 😉

[jimbo]

I have a Makita. I ended up taking the cowel off and lettering the sawdust fall on the floor to be hoovered up. It’s quite good, but I wish I’d coughed up for a proper table saw.

[tsmole]

Picked up one of these table saws a few months ago. Haven't used it enough to have the issue you describe of sawdust collecting underneath. Could it be blown out using an aircompressor?
Good call on the upturned handles👍

[cuebj]

Cutting up old, used wood. Looks like a prosumer table saw should be on my shopping list tok replace the very budget Rutland Tools one I got for one simple job and it paid for itself. The issue for me is Evolution quality control. I've had a few bad products that had to go back and I replaced with higher price professional products like DeWalt and Makita. Other folk have been very happy for years with Evolution products so I might go back to them

[tomlittle]

Another great vid John. I also have this machine and have bought the Saxon blades too, based on Tomaz's Casual DIY channel. I've also fitted the router table that Tomaz posted on his channel and have the soft start unit ready to fit too. It's a great saw and easily moved around. Thanks for all your vids they are really interesting.

[robsmuddygloves]

Big fan of mine. Had it for four years, very good budgetish saw. But yeah, dust extraction is appaling.

[stuartsutherland]

Thankyou for this review as I'm seriously considering purchasing this table saw. I like this saw for the ability to fold up for storage and that it can be wheeled to the job rather than being located in one place. What are the measurements of the saw when it's folded for storage?

[lafamillecarrington]

Evolution now make a vastly improved insert which is much more rigid than the flimsy orange thing that comes with the saw - and also better than my home-made insert!

[helmshardover]

I've added a Flat Top blade as well.