You may be surprised to know how many jobs around the home need you to cut metal. While you can struggle with a hacksaw, doing so can be tiring depending on the piece’s size or the number you have to cut.
Besides this, if you need precise cuts, then you can’t cut through metals by hand as you would cut wood.
Here we have reviews of the top five saws designed to cut through steel with the least amount of effort. (Find the Best Portable Workbench)
By the end, you’ll see how to find the best saw to cut through metals.
Contents
Why You Need the Good Best Saws for Cutting Metal
While many companies sell blades, you can sit into your wood framing circular saw; it isn’t recommended when you need to cut steel.
Woodcutting saws come with different sorts of motors. A steel saw has a high-torque motor that won’t buckle as the metal tries to grip the blade.
Metal compositions play a large part in this. When you have soft aluminum, it won’t take your power saw to slice through it. Likewise, cutting through hardened steel and the saw does all the work, so you don’t need to exert too much effort.
Besides this, you can easily cut at angles that aren’t possible by hand unless you have an intricate vise to hold your material in position. (Find the Best Reciprocating Saw)
Top Saws for Cutting Metal Reviews
1. DEWALT Metal Cutting Saw, 14-Inch (DW872)
The DeWalt DW872 is a premium miter saw and sits at the very top. The metal cutting saw offers a slow RPM, making it the ideal circular saw for cutting the hardest materials such as stainless steel. The versatile power saw from such a brand can be used from home to heavy-duty industrial use.
The circular saw comes with the Quick-Fence system, which makes sliding and making angle adjustments straightforward. It can easily cut 5-inch rounds or steel stock of 6.5 x 4.5 inches rectangular steel. (Find the Best Circular Saw)
The 14 inches and 70 teeth carbide-tipped blade makes light work of cutting most steels up to 4 times faster than other chop saws and eight times faster than a portable band saw.
Pros
Cons
The metal cutting saw has a guide price of just under $500; you get one of the best power tools for metal cutting miter saws used to cut any kind of metal.
The best metal cutting saw is packed with safety features and makes cutting any metals a breeze. It has a tool-free miter adjustment used for cutting precise angles cuts. The metal saw has ease of use, and has to be one of the best tools in the DeWalt range.
2. DEWALT Portable Band Saw, Deep Cut, 10 Amp, 5-Inch
The DEWALT DWM120K is a highly versatile tool. It has a dual ergonomic grip system so that you won’t feel fatigued in use.
It comes with a powerful 10 amp motor with a variable speed from 100 SFM to 350 SFM. To see what you are doing, you can use the built-in LED. The blade makes accurate either 5-inch metal cutting on rounds or 4 ¾ rectangular steel.
The metal saw’s versatility continues as you can mount the band saw to a workbench, suspend it from the purpose-made hook, or manual operation using the grips.
Pros
Cons
With a guide price of a little under $300, the DWM120K is a highly versatile saw, yet it may lack the features of holding material. It is more suited to cutting metals already in position, or you have a different vise.
However, it is a unique type of saw and is a multi-purpose tool. The blade cuts will be cutting thin by the nature of the blade. You may find it the right blade for burr-free cutting where a steel cutting chop saw won’t be suitable.
3. DEWALT Reciprocating Saw, 10-Amp (DWE304)
The DEWALT DWE304 10 Amp Reciprocating type of saw is ideal if you need in position cuts that require something portable, quick, and easily deals with any demolition job. Reciprocating saws generally lack the precision cuts a metal chop saw will provide.
The DEWALT DWE304 is top of the reciprocating saw cutting metal market. It has a variable speed trigger offering up to 2,800 strokes per minute (SPM). There is also a quick-release feature to swap blades.
This portable power tool is perfect when you can’t cut using an abrasive disk or cutting framing or sheet metal. It can easily remove nails and pins. You can even use it to cut wood if you like.
Pros
Cons
With a rough guide price of a little under $90, you can find endless DIY uses for this kind of saw. It can be the right tool for many jobs, and it is much faster than using a hand saw.
It may lack the thick inch metal cutting that other saws offer, yet it makes up for this in speed and versatility.
4. LENOX Tools High-Tension Hacksaw, 12-inch (12132HT50)
Although not a metal chop saw, the Lenox Tools High-Tension Hacksaw deserves a place on the list as it offers something a bit different.
You can use this as a jab saw by fastening any reciprocating saw blade into the quick lock fixture on the end. Besides this, you can cut through any non-hardened metals such as steel, iron, aluminum, copper metal pipes, and more.
For fast, accurate cuts, the High-Tension Hacksaw comes with 12-inch blades with 24 teeth per inch. It also has built in storage for five blades.
Pros
Cons
With a guide of just over $25, you get a lot of hacksaw for your money. It is well built, and there are instances when no other power tools can match the ease of use and versatility.
The Lenox has to be the best metal saw you can use by hand that doesn’t come packed with safety features.
5. WORX WX801L Mini-Cutter
For full portability, the Worx can be used single-handed and cuts any non-hardened metal using the 3-inch abrasive disc. It can also cut tile, thin concrete products, and plastics.
After cutting, you can use the disc to smooth any rough edges. Besides this, you can carry the battery-powered power tool anywhere to make quick, accurate cuts in the tightest of spaces.
The WORX WX801L is a step up from a standard hacksaw yet lacks the power of carbide tipped best metal cutting circular saw options.
Pros
Cons
With a guide price of just under $80, the Worx mini cutter can adapt to a wide range of tasks. The 20v battery has enough power to cut through most metals of the ideal thickness without putting you under much strain.
Saws for Cutting Metal Buying guide
When you are after the best saw for cutting steel, you need to know a bit more than purchasing a saw with a metal cutting blade as this is just part of the answer.
Here’s a quick buyer’s guide to better help you understand what to look for in your new saw for cutting metal.
Blade Quality:
In metal cutting saws, the blade is the thing you’ll make the most use of. You can find many metal chopping saws and then some unique blades. Not every blade is made in the same way, although a good blade should cut all kinds of metal without effort.
Two types are available and are a cold saw blade and an abrasive saw blade. Abrasive blades make sparks and create heat as they cut. In contrast, cold cut types of metal blade generate little heat as they cut, so it is cool enough to touch.
Cold saws have metallic toothed blades rather than abrasive. They cut faster with less effort. Also, you can’t repair abrasive blades, yet cold saw blades can be sharpened and reused.
High-quality means you will most likely have a carbide-tipped blade, whereas low-quality suffers from teeth loss and wear out.
Motor:
The more powerful the motor, the better, and a 15-amp motor is ideal for a chop saw. However, lesser-powered motors can be suitable. A 4 horsepower will be a very good chop saw engine where a combination of 4HP and a 15-amp motor are the best.
Saws need powerful motors, but low speeds as this lower speed generate fewer sparks and maintain safety. You can find various power sources such as gas, electric, or battery-powered.
Vise Assembly
A strong vise is essential as this locks the material in position for cutting. Some metal cutting saws offer a quick-release vise.
Fence
A good saw needs a good fence when you need to make accurate and angled cuts. Most metal cutting saws have an adjustable miter gauge and tilt capability, allowing you to cut metal up to 45 degrees.
Spark Deflectors
There will be sparks, and even the best saws need to have an adjustable spark deflector to protect your eyes.
Portability
If working on-site or around the home, you may need a cordless or gas-powered saw rather than a corded one. In the workshop and corded offer the best power to performance.
Warranty
You don’t want a machine to break, so durability is a must with a decent warranty from the manufacturer.
Final Verdict
After testing, it was clear which the best metal cutting saw was going to be. A circular saw can beat a hacksaw any day.
The DEWALT Metal Cutting Saw, 14-Inch (DW872), was highly durable, and there was nothing the circular saw couldn’t deal with. While they cost more than Evolution power tools and MK Morse, you are getting higher quality chop saws for your money.
The DeWalt miter saw offers a C-shaped blade guard, eye protection, and many other features. Besides this, you can use a metal blade or swap it for another to cut wood if you like.
Read more: Find The Best Chainsaws For The Money
