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Rankings re-checked weekly · Last re-checked 3 November 2026
·Listings checked daily·AI-assisted, run by Jaco Olwagen
2 quick taps. We'll match you to a pick using the same scores we rank with.
The picks, in order
6 picks
Number one at the top, number 6 at the bottom. The tier label on each card says which price bracket it sits in.
★ Our #1 Pick
1
Einhell
Einhell Professional TP-PS 18/165 Li BL 18V Power X-Change 165mm Cordless Plunge Saw (Body Only)
165mm Blade18V Power X-ChangeBody Only
Premium
Rank #1
Einhell Professional TP-PS 18/165 Li BL 18V Power X-Change 165mm Cordless Plunge Saw (Body Only)
Our Verdict
The only cordless saw on this shelf, and as well rated as any: a brushless 165mm plunge head on 18V Power X-Change, sold body only with no battery, no charger and no rail in the box.
Why it's number one: The one saw here that needs no socket. It runs off Einhell's 18V Power X-Change packs, so you can cut a sheet where it lies, on the drive or at the bottom of the garden. It has a brushless motor, a soft start, a brake and restart protection, and at 4.23kg it is the lightest saw on the page. Owners rate it higher than any other saw here, on a smaller record than the Makita's. Budget for what isn't in the box: no battery, no charger and no rail.
8.5ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExceptional owner rating from a substantial record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Every other saw here needs a socket or a transformer. This one runs off Einhell's 18V Power X-Change packs, which is the difference between cutting a sheet on the drive and running an extension reel out to it. Einhell publishes a brushless motor at 5,000 rpm, a 165 x 20mm blade with 56 teeth, 56mm of cut at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45, tool-free depth and tilt adjustment, a viewing window over the cut line, a spindle lock for blade changes and a 36mm extraction connection. At 4.23kg it is the lightest saw on this page. The safety electronics are the part worth paying for: soft start, an engine brake and restart protection are all published, and no corded saw below it except the Makita publishes any of the three. Einhell publishes a three-year warranty on the saw and a ten-year guarantee on the brushless motor once the tool is registered.
What it does not include is as important. It is sold body only - no battery, no charger - so if there are no Power X-Change packs in the house the real cost is the saw plus a pack plus a charger, and Einhell publishes over 350 tools on that platform, which is the argument for buying into it rather than out of it. There is no rail in the box either: Einhell sells a 2 x 1,000mm rail with a connector that it says fits all its hand-held circular saws and plunge saws, and even joined, 2,000mm is a crosscut rail rather than a full-length rip rail. It also runs at one speed and publishes no riving knife. Owners rate it as highly as the Makita, on a much smaller record. And it is the only saw here you can use anywhere.
Cut
9.6
Power
8.1
Track
5.5
Dust
8.9
Owners
8.6
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (exceptional rating, substantial record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Cut 9.6 (rubric 9.5): Einhell publishes 56mm at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45 on a 165mm blade - the card's 55 to 69mm band - plus half a point for the plunge action and half for the 56-tooth blade supplied in the box.
Power 8.1 (rubric 7.5): A brushless 18V motor at a published 5,000 rpm is the card's ordinary-brushless band; soft start, brake and restart protection are all published so no single-speed penalty applies, and there is no variable-speed dial to add one.
Track 5.5 (rubric 4): No rail in the box. Einhell sells a 2 x 1,000mm rail and connector separately for all its circular and plunge saws, and publishes no riving knife or rail lock for this saw.
Dust 8.9 (rubric 8.5): Enclosed plunge housing with a published 36mm extraction connection is the card's 8 band, plus half a point for a 4.23kg bare weight, under the card's 4.5kg line. No case is published.
Pros
+ An excellent Amazon UK owner rating, the best in this category
+ Brushless motor at a published 5,000 rpm with soft start, an engine brake and restart protection
+ 56mm of cut at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45 on a 56-tooth blade, the finest blade supplied here
+ 4.23kg, the lightest saw on this page, with a 36mm extraction connection and a ten-year motor guarantee on registration
Cons
− Body only: no battery and no charger, so the real cost includes a pack and a charger unless you already run Power X-Change
− No rail in the box, and Einhell's own rail is 2 x 1,000mm - a crosscut rail, not a full-length rip rail
− Single speed with no variable-speed dial, where the Makita below holds a set speed under load
− No riving knife or rail lock published, and a modest owner record, thinner than the corded Einhell's or the Makita's
165mm Blade18V Power X-ChangeBody OnlyBrushless56mm DepthNo Rail Included
This is the saw for anything thicker than sheet. Scheppach publishes 75mm of cut at 90 degrees - 70mm once the saw is running on the rail - and 55mm at 45 degrees, off a 1,600W motor turning a 210 x 30mm 36-tooth blade. Nothing else in this category is close: the two 165mm saws above and below it stop at 56mm. In practice that is a laminated worktop, a stack of two 18mm sheets, a fire door blank or a length of 4x2 in a single pass, and it is the reason this saw scores highest of the seven on the rubric. It tilts 0 to 45 degrees, cuts to within 16mm of a wall, weighs 6.68kg, takes a 35mm extraction hose into an enclosed blade guard, carries an integrated splinter guard and publishes a riving knife clearance of 3 to 4mm in its own specification table.
Two things keep it off the top slot. The first is the owner record: a mixed Amazon UK owner rating on a substantial record is under the floor this ranking requires of a number one pick, so it is scored, ranked second and the block is printed rather than argued away. The second is a discrepancy worth knowing before you order. The Amazon listing advertises a 2.5m guide rail system; Scheppach's own UK shop lists the PL75 with a 1.4m rail and sells one 1.4m rail as the accessory for both the PL75 and the PL55. This ranking scores the shorter, published figure. Either way the rail crosses the 1220mm width of a sheet and not its 2440mm length. At 6.68kg it is also the heaviest saw here, and no soft start is published, so it starts hard.
Cut
10.0
Power
9.6
Track
10.0
Dust
8.1
Owners
7.1
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (mixed rating, substantial record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Cut 10.0 (rubric 10): Scheppach publishes 75mm at 90 degrees, 70mm on the rail, and 55mm at 45 - over the card's 70mm line - plus half a point for the plunge action, capped at 10. The supplied blade is 36 teeth, under the fine-blade bonus.
Power 9.6 (rubric 9.5): 1,600W is the top of the card's corded scale; nothing is published about a soft start or a variable-speed range, so it takes the card's half-point single-speed deduction.
Track 10.0 (rubric 10): Scheppach's UK shop supplies the 1.4m rail it lists for both the PL55 and PL75 - the card's 1,400mm band - plus a point for the riving knife clearance published in its specification table. The Amazon title claims 2.5m; the card scores the shorter figure.
Dust 8.1 (rubric 7.5): An enclosed blade guard with a published 35mm extraction port is the card's 8 band, less half a point for a 6.68kg net weight, over the card's 6kg line. No extraction percentage and no case are published.
Pros
+ 75mm of cut at 90 degrees published, 70mm on the rail - by far the deepest here
+ 1,600W, the biggest motor in the category, on a 210mm 36-tooth blade
+ Riving knife clearance published in Scheppach's own specification table, plus an integrated splinter guard
+ Rail in the box, an enclosed blade guard, a 35mm extraction port and a 16mm close-to-wall cut
Cons
− A mixed owner rating on a substantial record, under the floor this ranking requires of a number one pick
− 6.68kg, the heaviest saw on this page
− The listing claims a 2.5m rail system where Scheppach's UK shop lists 1.4m - check what the bundle actually contains
− 36-tooth general purpose blade and no published soft start
The best-built saw here and the one most readers cannot plug in: the /1 suffix makes this the 110V site version, and the rail, the connector and the clamps are all separate purchases.
8.5ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExcellent owner rating from a deep record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Start with the voltage, because it decides whether the rest matters. The Amazon UK title for this ASIN reads Makita SP6000J1/1 110 V 165 mm Plunge Saw. Makita marks 110V site tools /1 and 240V tools /2, so this one runs off a yellow site transformer and will not run from a socket in a house. The angle grinders page explains that rule in full. Buy it if you already have a transformer or work on sites that supply one; if you are cutting sheets in a garage, buy the 240V version of the same saw or one of the saws below.
With that said, this is the most refined tool on the page. Makita UK publishes 1,300W, a variable 2,200 to 6,400 rpm with electronic speed control to hold the set speed under load, soft start, a mechanical brake, a 165mm blade with a 20/30mm bore, 56mm of cut at 90 degrees, 40mm at 45 and 38mm at 48, a bevel range of -1 to 48 degrees, a cut to within 18mm of a wall and 4.1kg without the cable - lighter than every corded saw here. Dust goes out through a 35/43mm port on an enclosed housing.
The other thing to budget for is the rail. Makita UK's standard equipment for this saw is a band, a carbide-tipped 165mm blade, a 5mm hex wrench and a MakPac case with an inner tray, and the Screwfix listing for the same 110V SKU says the same thing: no rail supplied. Makita lists 1,000mm and 1,500mm guide rails, a two-piece joint connector set and a clamp set as separate accessories. On the most expensive listing in the category, that is a real cost on top of a transformer.
Cut
9.3
Power
8.5
Track
5.5
Dust
9.3
Owners
8.5
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (excellent rating, deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Cut 9.3 (rubric 9): Makita UK publishes 56mm at 90 degrees, 40mm at 45 and 38mm at 48 on a 165mm blade - the card's 55 to 69mm band - plus half a point for the plunge action. No tooth count is published for the supplied blade, so no fine-blade bonus.
Power 8.5 (rubric 8): 1,300W is the card's 9 band and the published 2,200 to 6,400 rpm variable speed with electronic speed control adds half a point, less the card's 1.5 for a 110V site listing that needs a transformer before it will run from a domestic socket.
Track 5.5 (rubric 4): Makita UK's standard equipment for this saw is a band, a carbide blade, a hex wrench and a MakPac case: no rail. Makita sells 1,000mm and 1,500mm rails, a joint connector set and rail clamps as separate accessories.
Dust 9.3 (rubric 9): Enclosed plunge housing with a published 35/43mm port is the card's 8 band, plus half a point for the MakPac case in the box and half for 4.1kg without cable. Makita publishes no extraction percentage.
Pros
+ Published variable speed of 2,200 to 6,400 rpm with electronic speed control that holds the set speed under load
+ Soft start and a mechanical brake, neither of which the corded value saws here publish
+ 4.1kg without cable, the lightest corded saw on this page, with a bevel range of -1 to 48 degrees
+ MakPac case and inner tray in the box, on an excellent Amazon UK owner rating and a deep record
Cons
− 110V: the /1 suffix means a site transformer is required and it will not run from a domestic socket
− No guide rail in Makita's published standard equipment - the rail, the joint connector and the clamps are all separate accessories
− The most expensive listing in this category, before the transformer and the rail
− 56mm at 90 degrees is mid-pack here: the Scheppach PL75 publishes 75mm
110V Site Saw165mm Blade1300WVariable SpeedNo Rail IncludedMakPac Case
The cheapest complete system from a named maker: a 160mm plunge head, a riving knife, tilt protection and 1.4m of rail in the box, so nothing else is needed to cut a straight edge.
8.4ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersMixed owner rating from a deep record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
If the job is breaking down sheets and the budget is the constraint, this is the saw that does it with nothing else in the basket. Scheppach publishes 1,200W at 230V, a 160 x 20mm 24-tooth blade with a 1.2mm kerf, 55mm of cut at 90 degrees, 45mm at 45, a 0 to 45 degree tilt, 4.96kg net and a 35mm internal extraction port into an enclosed guard. The specification table lists a riving knife clearance of 3 to 4mm, so the wedge that stops the kerf closing on the blade is there, and the description adds an integrated splinter guard and tilt protection. That combination - rail, riving knife and splinter guard in one box from a maker with a UK shop behind it - is what lifts it above the bare saws here.
Two caveats. The rail length is published two different ways: the Amazon listing says 1.5m, Scheppach's own UK shop lists the PL55 with 1.4m of track and sells a single 1.4m rail as the accessory for both the PL55 and the PL75. This ranking scores the shorter figure, and either way it crosses the 1220mm width of a sheet rather than the 2440mm length. The other is the blade. Twenty-four teeth is a ripping blade: fast in softwood and ply, and it will chip the face on melamine and veneer. A finer blade is the first upgrade, and that is a genuine cost against the Einhell saws here, which arrive with 48 and 56-tooth blades. The 2m cable is also the shortest on this page. The owner record is deep but the rating is mixed rather than glowing, and this is the Best Value pick on this ranking: the highest scoring saw that sits well under the category's average price.
Cut
9.3
Power
8.1
Track
10.0
Dust
8.5
Owners
7.0
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (mixed rating, deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Cut 9.3 (rubric 9): Scheppach publishes 55mm at 90 degrees and 45mm at 45 on a 160mm blade - the card's 55 to 69mm band - plus half a point for the plunge action. The supplied blade is 24 teeth, under the fine-blade bonus.
Power 8.1 (rubric 7.5): 1,200W at 230V is the card's 1,000 to 1,299W band, less half a point: Scheppach publishes a single 5,500 rpm speed and no soft start.
Track 10.0 (rubric 10): 1.4m of rail in the box - Scheppach's own UK figure and the shorter of the two published - is the card's 1,400mm band, plus a point for the riving knife clearance in its specification table. The Amazon title says 1.5m.
Dust 8.5 (rubric 8): Enclosed guard with a published 35mm internal extraction port is the card's 8 band. At 4.96kg net it clears neither the light nor the heavy adjustment, and no case is published.
Pros
+ Rail, riving knife, splinter guard and tilt protection all in the box from a maker with a UK shop behind it
+ Published 55mm at 90 degrees and 45mm at 45 on a 160mm blade
+ 35mm internal extraction port into an enclosed guard, at 4.96kg net
+ Best Value on this ranking, on a deep Amazon UK owner record
Cons
− 24-tooth ripping blade will chip melamine and veneer - a finer blade is the first upgrade
− The listing says 1.5m of rail where Scheppach's UK shop says 1.4m
− 2m cable, the shortest here
− A mixed owner rating, the joint lowest among the branded picks, and no soft start is published
The volume seller: more owner ratings than anything else on this shelf, the finest blade supplied on a corded pick and 56mm of cut - but no rail in the box.
8.3ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersExcellent owner rating from a deep record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
This is the saw most UK buyers on this shelf actually end up with, and it has the deepest Amazon UK owner record in the category, with an excellent rating to go with it. Einhell publishes 1,200W, 5,200 rpm, a 165 x 20mm blade with 48 teeth, 56mm of cut at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45, a 4.75kg weight, a 36mm dust connection and a 4m cable - the longest on this page, and worth more than it sounds when the sheet is on trestles in the middle of a garage. Depth and tilt adjust without tools, there is a rip fence and a viewing window over the cut line, a blade lock for changes, and a moulded holder for fine-adjusting the saw on a guide rail.
The 48-tooth blade is the quiet advantage. The two Scheppach saws arrive with 24 and 36-tooth blades, which are ripping blades; 48 teeth on a 165mm blade leaves a cleaner edge in melamine, veneered board and laminate out of the box, and a clean edge is the whole reason for owning this type of saw. What it does not have is a rail. Einhell sells a 2 x 1,000mm rail with a connector that it says fits all its hand-held circular saws and plunge saws, and that has to go in the basket before this saw does anything a good circular saw and a straight edge would not. It also publishes no riving knife, no brake and no soft start, and it runs at one speed. As a bare plunge saw at the bottom of the branded shelf it is a lot of tool; as a track saw it is half a purchase.
Cut
9.6
Power
8.1
Track
5.5
Dust
8.5
Owners
8.1
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (excellent rating, deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Cut 9.6 (rubric 9.5): Einhell publishes 56mm at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45 on a 165mm blade - the card's 55 to 69mm band - plus half a point for the plunge action and half for the 48-tooth blade in the box.
Power 8.1 (rubric 7.5): 1,200W is the card's 1,000 to 1,299W band, less half a point: Einhell publishes a single 5,200 rpm speed and no soft start for this saw.
Track 5.5 (rubric 4): No rail in the box. Einhell sells a 2 x 1,000mm rail with a connector that it says fits all its circular and plunge saws, and publishes no riving knife or rail lock for this saw.
Dust 8.5 (rubric 8): Enclosed plunge housing with a published 36mm extraction connection and a vacuum adapter supplied is the card's 8 band. At 4.75kg it clears neither weight adjustment, and no case is published.
Pros
+ The deepest Amazon UK owner record in this category, more owners than any other saw on this page
+ 48-tooth blade, the finest supplied on any corded pick here, for cleaner edges in melamine and veneer
+ Published 56mm at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45, with tool-free depth and tilt adjustment
+ 36mm dust connection and a 4m cable, the longest on this page
Cons
− No rail in the box: Einhell's 2 x 1,000mm rail and connector are a separate purchase
− No riving knife, brake or soft start published
− Single 5,200 rpm speed with no constant-speed electronics
− Owners rate it a shade below the Makita and the cordless Einhell above it
Draper 57341 1200W 165mm Plunge Saw with 2 x 700mm Guide Rails (230V)
165mm Blade1200W Corded55mm Cut
Value
Rank #6
Draper 57341 1200W 165mm Plunge Saw with 2 x 700mm Guide Rails (230V)
Our Verdict
A complete corded kit from a long-established British tool brand: a 165mm plunge saw with 55mm of cut at 90 degrees, an electronic brake and two 700mm rails in the box, with every figure published on the maker's own site.
8.3ExcellentTop7 Score
✓Checked today
OwnersMixed owner rating from a modest record on Amazon UK
✓ Ships from the UK
Ad· we may earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Draper has sold tools through UK merchants for decades, and unlike most kits at this end of the shelf it publishes the numbers. drapertools.com lists 1,200W, a 0 to 5,200rpm no-load speed, a 165mm blade on a 20mm bore, 55mm of cut at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45, a 0 to 45 degree bevel base, an electronic brake, a spindle lock and a weight of 5.8kg. In the box are two 700mm guide rails with anti-slip grips, a 24-tooth blade, a dust extraction fitting and a 2m cable with a UK plug. It is the 230V version, so it runs from a domestic socket rather than a site transformer.
The rails join to 1,400mm, which crosses the short side of a 2440 x 1220mm sheet but not the long one in a single pass, and the join is the place to check for a step in the cut. A 24-tooth blade is a general-purpose blade; for clean crosscuts in melamine or veneered board you will want a finer one. Draper does not publish a dust port size, so check your hose before buying an adaptor, and it publishes no riving knife, no rail lock and no soft start, and there is no case. Against the Scheppach PL55 it offers a similar published depth on less rail; against the Einhell TE-PS 165 it brings rails in the box where the Einhell ships without one. The owner record is modest, but every figure above is one the maker stands behind.
Cut
9.3
Power
8.1
Track
9.3
Dust
7.8
Owners
7.3
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (mixed rating, modest record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Fewer than two published reviews of this exact model, so the owner rating carries that weight too. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
Cut 9.3 (rubric 9): Draper publishes 55mm at 90 degrees, the card's 55 to 69mm band at 8.5, plus half a point for a true plunge action. The 24-tooth blade in the box is under the card's 48-tooth mark.
Power 8.1 (rubric 7.5): 1,200W at 230V is the card's 1,000 to 1,299W band at 8, less half a point: Draper publishes a 0 to 5,200rpm no-load range but no speed dial, constant-speed electronics or soft start.
Track 9.3 (rubric 9): Two 700mm rails join to 1,400mm, the card's 1,400 to 2,399mm band at 9, with no deduction because the length comes from two sections rather than three. No riving knife, spacer wedge or rail lock is published.
Dust 7.8 (rubric 7): Draper publishes a dust extraction fitting but no port size, which is the card's 7. At a published 5.8kg it sits between the card's weight adjustments, and it ships in a carton rather than a case.
Pros
+ 55mm at 90 degrees and 42mm at 45, published by Draper for this model
+ Two 700mm guide rails, a 24-tooth blade and a dust fitting in the box
+ Electronic brake and a spindle lock
+ 230V with a UK plug, from a British brand that publishes a full specification
Cons
− The two rails make 1,400mm, short of a full 2440mm sheet length in one pass
− A 24-tooth blade only: clean crosscuts in melamine need a finer one
− No published dust port size, and no case
− No riving knife, rail lock or soft start published
Nothing on this site is bought, tested or handled. Each saw is scored against a published rubric - Cut quality and depth 40%, Power and speed control 25%, Track system and kickback safety 15%, Dust extraction and build 20% - using specifications from the manufacturer's own UK site (einhell.co.uk, scheppach.co.uk, makitauk.com) or from the Amazon UK listing for that exact ASIN, plus owner ratings at scale and published reviews of the exact model where they exist.
Three of the rubric's rules were rewritten for the UK shelf. Track scores the rail that is actually in the box, measured as the length its sections make when joined, and takes the shorter figure where a maker and a listing disagree - the Scheppach PL55 is sold as 1.5m of track on Amazon and 1.4m by Scheppach, so it is scored at 1.4m. Dust recognises the 35mm and 43mm ports and the MakPac and moulded cases this shelf actually ships, rather than only the 27 and 36mm pro-extractor sizes. And Power carries a voltage clause: a 110V site listing drops 1.5 points, because a wattage you cannot plug in at home is not power you have, which is the same treatment the angle grinder card gives a 110V grinder.
Where a maker publishes nothing - the BlueMars's extraction, the tooth count of the blade Makita supplies - the figure is left out and the score reflects the gap rather than a guess. Owner ratings are shrunk towards the category mean, so a saw with a thin owner record cannot outrank one with a deep record on a rounding difference. Prices move daily and are not quoted in this text - tap through for the current figure on Amazon. Links to Amazon are advertising.
Scored on Cut quality and depth 40%, Power and speed control 25%, Track system and kickback safety 15%, Dust extraction and build 20%, plus owner ratings and critic reviews. The Power dimension carries a voltage clause for 110V site listings, added the same way the angle-grinders card scores a 110V grinder below its 240V twin.
A sheet of ply or MDF is 2440 x 1220mm, and the rail has to be longer than the cut, with enough at each end for the saw to start on the rail and finish on it. Crosscutting the 1220mm width wants about 1.4m of rail, which is what both Scheppach saws below supply. Ripping the full 2440mm length wants closer to 2.7m, which nothing on this shelf supplies in a single box: you join two rails with a connector bar, and every join is somewhere the cut can step if the sections are not dead in line. Plan the cut list around it. Most sheet work is a crosscut into manageable pieces first and the finish cuts afterwards, so a 1.4m rail does more work than it sounds like.
Plunge action is what separates a track saw from a circular saw on a rail
On a plunge saw the blade sits inside the housing until you push the saw down, so a cut can be started in the middle of a panel - a worktop cut-out for a sink, a letterbox slot, a service hole in a carcass - and stopped before the end. On a circular saw riding a rail the blade is always out, so every cut starts at an edge. The plunge housing also encloses the blade, which is why these saws extract dust so much better than a circular saw does. The Evolution R185CCSX is the fixed-base example on the Amazon UK shelf, and it is ranked on the circular saws page rather than here for exactly that reason.
Rails are not interchangeable between makers
Each maker cuts its own rail profile and machines the saw's base plate to match. Scheppach lists one 1.4m rail for both the PL55 and the PL75. Einhell sells a 2 x 1,000mm rail with a connector and says it fits all its hand-held circular saws and plunge saws. Makita lists 1,000mm and 1,500mm rails, a two-piece joint connector set and a clamp set, every one of them a separate accessory. A cheap second-hand rail from another maker is not a bargain unless the saw's base is cut for that profile, so check the profile before you buy, not after.
110V, 240V and the suffix that is the only tell
UK building sites run power tools at 110V through a yellow centre-tapped transformer, and a 110V tool will not run from a domestic socket without one. Makita marks 110V with /1 and 240V with /2; DeWalt appends -LX. The catch on this shelf is the Makita SP6000J1/1 - the most expensive listing in the category, well rated by owners, and completely useless in a garage without a transformer. It is ranked below with the voltage in its name. The angle grinders page explains the /1 and /2 rule in full, including why both versions turn up side by side in the same search.
Read the box contents before the specification
Three of the seven saws here arrive with no rail: both Einhells and the Makita. A plunge saw with no rail is still a plunge saw - it cuts, it plunges, it extracts dust - but the edge you bought it for needs a rail, a connector if you want length, and ideally two clamps. Cordless adds the same problem twice over: the Einhell Professional saw is sold body only, so a battery and a charger are a separate purchase unless there are Power X-Change packs in the house already. A kit that looks dearer on the listing is often cheaper once the rail is in the basket.
Dust, and why it matters more on this saw than any other
MDF dust is the reason. The enclosed housing on a plunge saw means most of the dust leaves through the port rather than into the room, but only if something is on the other end of the hose: a workshop extractor or a wet and dry vacuum, not a bag. The ports on this shelf are 35mm and 36mm, with Makita publishing 35/43mm, so a standard extractor hose or a stepped adaptor fits. If you are breaking down sheets indoors, budget for the hose and the extractor at the same time as the saw rather than afterwards.
A track saw answers a question every UK garage runs into. How do you get a straight, splinter-free edge on a 2440 x 1220mm sheet of ply or MDF when there is no room for a table saw and no realistic way of lifting a full sheet onto one on your own? You clamp a rail to the sheet, drop the saw onto the rail and cut the sheet where it lies, on trestles or on a sheet of insulation on the floor. The cut comes off straight enough to be the finished edge, which is why this is the tool behind fitted wardrobes, kitchen carcasses, worktop cuts, alcove shelving and every job where a factory edge has to be made rather than bought.
The Amazon UK shelf for 2026 is genuinely stocked, but it is small: seven plunge saws worth ranking and no more. Einhell holds both ends of it - the corded TE-PS 165 carries more owner ratings than anything else in the category, and the Professional TP-PS 18/165 Li BL is the only cordless saw here. Scheppach, a German maker with its own UK shop, supplies the two saws that come with a rail, a riving knife and real depth of cut. Makita supplies the most refined saw on the page and the trap that goes with it. Below that sit a complete Draper kit from a British brand that publishes its figures, and a BlueMars mini saw from the marketplace tail, labelled for what it is.
Two things decide which one you want. The first is rail length against sheet length, and it is not close. A 1.4m rail crosses the 1220mm width of a sheet with a little run-on at each end; ripping the 2440mm length needs closer to 2.7m once the saw has somewhere to start and somewhere to stop, which means joining two rails on every saw here. Three of the seven come with no rail at all, so the rail is a second purchase, and the profiles are not interchangeable between makers. The second is voltage. The most expensive listing in this category is a Makita SP6000J1/1, and the /1 is Makita's 110V site marker: it runs off a yellow transformer on a building site and it will not run from a socket in a house. It is still ranked, because for anyone who owns a transformer it is the best-built saw here, but the voltage is in its name for a reason. The angle grinders page sets out the /1 and /2 rule in full.
One saw that belongs on a rail is deliberately missing. The Evolution R185CCSX comes with a three-piece 1020mm track and is ranked second on the circular saws page, not here, because it is a fixed-base circular saw that rides a rail rather than a plunge saw: the blade never retracts into the housing, so it cannot start a cut in the middle of a panel, and Evolution's own figures drop it from 64mm of cut to 59mm once it is on the track. It is a good tool, and it is one ASIN, so it sits on one page.
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Can a track saw cut a full sheet of plywood in one pass?+
Across the width, yes. Down the length, not with what comes in any of these boxes. A sheet is 2440 x 1220mm. Crosscutting the 1220mm width wants roughly 1.4m of rail so the saw can start on the rail and finish on it, which is what both Scheppach saws below supply. Ripping the full 2440mm length wants about 2.7m, which means joining two rails with a connector bar on every saw here. That is normal practice rather than a fault. The usual sequence is to crosscut the sheet into manageable pieces on the short rail first and take the finish cuts afterwards.
What is the difference between a plunge saw and a track saw?+
In UK retail, very little: a plunge saw is a circular saw whose blade retracts up into the housing until you push it down, and a track saw is the same tool sold with the rail it runs on. Listings use both words for the same thing, which is why this category covers both. The distinction actually worth spotting is a fixed-base circular saw sold with a track. The blade on those is always exposed, so it cannot start a cut in the middle of a panel, and the dust shroud is open rather than enclosed.
Why is the Evolution R185CCSX not on this list?+
Because it is already ranked second on the circular saws page, and no ASIN is ranked on two category pages here. It is a 1,600W fixed-base circular saw supplied with a three-piece 1020mm track, which is the right page for it: the blade does not plunge, so it cannot start a cut mid-panel, its track is shorter than the 1220mm width of a sheet, and Evolution's own figures drop it from 64mm of cut to 59mm once it is running on the track. If a tracked circular saw is what you want rather than a plunge saw, read that page instead.
What does the /1 mean on the Makita SP6000J1/1?+
It is the voltage. Makita marks 110V site tools /1 and 240V tools /2, so this ASIN is the 110V version: it needs a yellow site transformer and will not run from a socket in a house. Amazon lists both voltages in the same search at different prices with the suffix as the only tell, which is why it is spelled out in the name of the pick below rather than buried in a specification list. The angle grinders page has the full explanation, including DeWalt's -LX equivalent.
Do I have to buy the guide rail separately?+
For three of the seven saws here, yes. The two Scheppach saws and the Draper kit include rail in the box; both Einhells and the Makita do not. Einhell sells a 2 x 1,000mm rail with a connector and says it fits all its hand-held circular saws and plunge saws. Makita lists 1,000mm and 1,500mm rails plus a two-piece joint connector set and a clamp set, all as separate accessories. Add the rail, a connector if you want the length, and two clamps to the price of a bare saw before comparing it against a kit.
Can a track saw replace a table saw?+
For sheet goods, mostly - and it is better at them, because the saw moves and the sheet stays still, which is the opposite of wrestling 30kg of MDF across a table. For narrow rips of solid timber, repeated identical widths off a fence, and long rips that want a riving knife behind them, a table saw still wins. The thing a track saw does that no table saw can is cut in the middle of a panel: sink cut-outs, service holes, a letterbox slot. Most small UK workshops buy the track saw first, because it stores flat against a wall.
Which blade should I use for MDF and melamine?+
Tooth count decides the edge. The 24-tooth blades supplied with the Scheppach PL55 and the BlueMars are ripping blades: fast, and they will chip a melamine face. The Einhell saws ship with 48 and 56-tooth blades, which is why they leave a cleaner edge straight out of the box. For veneered board, melamine and laminate, a blade of 48 teeth or more together with the splinter strip on the rail is the combination that gives a finished top face. If the face still chips, take a shallow scoring pass first and then the full-depth cut.
When is the best time to buy a track saw in the UK?+
Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026 and is the deepest discounting of the year on power tools, followed by Boxing Day and the January sales. The next real window is the run-up to Easter on 28 March 2027, when DIY projects restart, and the May bank holidays on 3 and 31 May. Father's Day on 20 June 2027 moves a lot of mid-range tools. If you are buying through a business, the timing that matters more is the tax year ending 5 April and what the Annual Investment Allowance lets you write off.
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