PORTER-CABLE Chop Saw, 15-Amp, 14-Inch (PCE700)

After reading lots of mixed reviews on this saw, and way too many bad reviews on every Dewalt chop saw I truly wanted, I finally bought this one for 1/4 of the price of the Dewalt, yet with less bad reviews. I ordered a Dewalt blade like many others suggested because of the claims of how bad the one that comes on it is. Well, I tried the factory blade, and it did just sit and spin and melt the metal and did not cut the material AT ALL if the metal was laid flat. So, being experienced in fabrication and mechanics... I set the material on end and the factory blade works good. The depth of the chop makes even thicker stuff easy to cut this way. Power is good as long as you don't force it through the cut. Is it as good as a 1k unit in a fab shop? No, but it's dirt cheap and for the average fabricator or weekend warrior or most average shops.... I'd recommend this in a heartbeat. And I'm picky about my tools, and I would absolutely buy this again. And unlike every Dewalt model I researched, this one actually makes STRAIGHT CUTS!

Works great

Just a couple of comments: 1) Make sure to square the guide to the blade. My saw was WAY out of square out of the box. It is easy enough to adjust, but don’t assume it is set up and ready to cut. 2) It pulls a lot of current. I used it on a 15amp circuit with just a couple of LED lights on the same circuit. I had to turn the lights off to keep the breaker from tripping when I started the saw. If I got a little aggressive with the cut, the breaker would trip. Find a 20amp circuit if you can. 3) I made several cuts on pretty large aluminum extrusions. I went slow and the cuts were pretty square, but the burrs were huge and took awhile to file off. Maybe a blade instead of the abrasive disc would produce less burrs. 4) This is a pretty basic saw; nothing fancy, but for somebody like me who only occasionally needs to cut metal, it is adequate. It seems sturdy enough. Time will tell.

I bought this to do a custom exhaust for my truck. I have now completed it with no issues from this machine. Is it the best chop saw on the market? No. But for the price, you can’t go wrong. Especially if you don’t want to pay 350-400 for a low end metal bandsaw and really don’t do much metal work in the first place. A metal chop saw is really just a step up from a freehand angle grinder anyways. Unlike others, the clamp angle marks on mine are dead on. I was able to cut pies using it without problems. I did spend 5 bucks on a dewalt disc and haven’t used the supplied porter one so couldn’t tell you how it is. With the dewalt disc, this machine had no issue cutting 16 gauge SS exhaust pipe. Unlike a bandsaw, it does melt the bottom last bits so you will need to use a dremel or something to debur and clean that up. My biggest complaint is how messy these saws are. My final assessment is that if you only have 200 dollars, this saw will work for you. If you have 3-400 dollars, get a Wen or similar bench-top metal bandsaw so you don’t have the mess and will have a cleaner cut. But a bandsaw blade def cost more than 5 bucks. So up to you. I’d you get this, make sure to have a shop vac nearby to suck up the dust afterwards. If I have to do another metal project, I’ll probably invest in a metal bandsaw but will keep this machine for quick small cuts.

People misunderstand this and similar tools' place in the world. This is a respectable saw in the sub-$200 group. I would not use it for any kind of production work, but for a casual user, it is fine. "The deck is not square!" Not my experience; the first thing we did was check square when we received it. I suspect such users did not prop the stock or were working with unclean metal that did not sit flat on the deck. "The motor is weak and blows circuit breakers!" and "The included disc is terrible!" What? First, if you take any grinding tool and push hard on it, you will load the motor and wear out the grinding discs faster. Cutting tools need to be run at a certain speed and a certain force, while grinding tools enjoy a tradeoff between speed and tool wear. You can grind with minimal force; the disc will last longer, but the cuts will be slower. The included disc works fine, though better discs will certainly work better. Just go easy on the pressure and take your time. You can't go too slow, except for the time it takes. If you want fast, clean cuts, get a $800 cutting tool with a carbide tipped blade. If you want to make occasional cuts and don't mind going slow to get a good quality cut, this tool is fine. General advice, not specific to this tool: Aligning material to be cut is difficult. Build yourself some supports for any material that overhangs the deck. Get a face shield. Carbon steel cuts will shower some good sized sparks. Wear good hearing protection. Grinding, especially a 14" disc, is LOUD. Ease up on the pressure. Go slow. Be patient.

Best investment on a cutting tool. Was building a fence and had to cut 40+ pipes. This machine is no joke and durable. It made my work so much easier compared to using a saw saw or a hand cutting grinder.

Great tool, at a good price

I was considering the Harbor Freight chop saw for $90 but they were out of stock. I order this one instead for a few more $. The appearance and construction seems way superior to the one i had been considering at HF. I am approaching the limits of this saws capacity by cutting 3"x4"x1/8 square tubing at a 45 degree angle. Tried my first cut with the blade that came with the saw. Total disappointment. It did not cut at all. Spend 45 minutes and popped the circuit breaker once and only made it 50% of the way. I had 35 more cuts to go to finish my project and was considering returning the saw and paying someone to make my cuts. Then I Tried the Dewalt Metal Cut wheel that was 1/8 thick and had similar results and could not finish the first cut. Thought i would give it one more try and bought a 5 pack of the Makita 14" x 1" x 3/32" Abrasive Cut-Off Wheel and wow what a difference. Each cut now takes about 2 minutes. Cuts are clean and fast. I think the thinner blade made for thick steel made the difference. The angle guide is not at all accurate. Set at 45 degrees and i am getting 42 degrees, other than that, this was a good buy as i got my project cuts done.