Everyone who ever fabricates anything out of metal wants to own a plasma cutter. They are cool, make pretty quick work of cutting most anything, and they are way faster that using a cutoff wheel all the time. But there have never been more great ways to cut metal than there are right now. In recent years, companies like Evolution have come out with dry cutting metal saws that produce no sparks, no abrasive dust, very little heat, and cuts that are so clean that they require little or no prep work to be ready for welding. And they can cut over and over again with consistent precision.

When dry cutting chop saws came out, it was a whole new world compared to abrasive saws or wet saws. Both are messy and require cleanup when done. The new dry cutting saws cut material that is almost immediately ready to use with little or no cleanup. But now you can get that same cutting ability in a hand held circular saw. There are a couple different models to choose from, but they all work essentially the same. So the question is, are they better than a plasma cutter when cutting new material? Or as good? Or not?

Here is one test that will answer some of those questions.