Electric or petrol disc cutter: cable against fumes
Updated: October 2026
You have a few cuts on a patio, or a run of kerbs, and a petrol disc cutter looks like the proper site tool. Electric or petrol is the real fork, and it is not a fight between the two Evolution blade sizes. Both Evolution saws in this amazon.co.uk set are 230 V and corded. Petrol is not an ASIN here. Choose electric when a sound 230 V supply is close and the cut stays in the open. Choose petrol, a hire or a contractor when the cable or the fumes make that untrue. The [stone cutting machine comparison](/hub/cutting-tools/stone-cutting-machine) is the corded table. Shelf figures are from 15 October 2026.
You have a few cuts on a patio, or a run of kerbs, and a petrol disc cutter looks like the proper site tool. Electric or petrol is the real fork, and it is not a fight between the two Evolution blade sizes.
You have a few cuts on a patio, or a run of kerbs, and a petrol disc cutter looks like the proper site tool. Electric or petrol is the real fork, and it is not a fight between the two Evolution blade sizes. Both Evolution saws in this amazon.co.uk set are 230 V and corded. Petrol is not an ASIN here. Choose electric when a sound 230 V supply is close and the cut stays in the open. Choose petrol, a hire or a contractor when the cable or the fumes make that untrue. The stone cutting machine comparison is the corded table. Shelf figures are from 15 October 2026.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Power supply | Stated current | Stated cut depth | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  TOPWAY TOPWAY 235 mm concrete saw | Not stated | Not stated | 90 mm | 2.9 | about £119.99 | View offer |
 Evolution Power Tools Evolution R230DCT 230 mm | 230 V corded | 9 A | 90 mm | 9.1 | about £119.95 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Evolution Power Tools Evolution R300DCT 300 mm | 230 V corded | 10.43 A | 115 mm | 6.0 | about £255.04 | View offer |
On this page
Cable, fumes, depth and dust
Four limits decide the branch. The cable has to reach an unwound lead on a stated 230 V saw. Petrol fumes are a carbon monoxide problem in any enclosed space. Stated depth still has to cover the piece.
Keep 230 mm and 300 mm out of this argument. The R230DCT states 90 mm and the R300DCT states 115 mm, and both are electric. Once you want a cable, the buying guide shortlists them. Flags go to the paving page. ITS, a hire seller, points the same way: petrol where there is no power, electric where fumes rule petrol out. That page is not a tariff.
When a 230 V corded saw is enough
A corded saw is enough when the cut is in the open, the socket is a stated 230 V supply, and the lead lies fully unwound behind you. The R230DCT states 2,000 W, 9 A, 90 mm and 7.1 kg, at £119.95. The R300DCT states 2,400 W, 10.43 A, 115 mm and 9.7 kg, at £255.04.
A long extension is not a site saw. At 10.43 A you are close to a 13 A fuse if other loads are on. The TOPWAY does not state voltage, so it is not the 230 V example. If the far corner needs two reels, choose petrol in the open, a hire, or a contractor. The R230DCT is the top pick inside a stated 90 mm. The R300DCT is best value only when you need the extra stated depth.
When petrol, a hire or a contractor is the branch
Petrol is the no-cable class for an open site or a run of kerbs a house socket cannot serve. It is not in this set. The Health and Safety Executive’s carbon monoxide guidance is the hard limit: petrol cut-off saws indoors, in enclosed spaces, and in trenches can build dangerous carbon monoxide within minutes, and that can kill. Windows open is not a ventilation assessment.
One job far from power may be a hire or a contractor rather than a purchase. A few R230DCT reviews compared the shelf price with a few days of hire. That is not a day rate, and none was collected. A contractor is the branch for structural openings, work at height, suspected asbestos, and a long dry cut other people will breathe.
Fumes are not the same problem as dust
Electric removes the exhaust. It does not remove the dust. Cutting bricks, concrete, mortar and paving produces respirable crystalline silica. Sandstone is more than 70 per cent silica. These ASINs are dry. The Evolution models have a dust port, and R230DCT reviews say it clogs. CIS54 says wet suppression should not be used on saws that are electrically operated. Do not turn that into a garden hose in the port.
Evolution’s own shop lists water suppression as No on the R300DCT and Yes on a separate R300DCT+. The plus model is not this amazon.co.uk ASIN. No fumes on a corded listing is true for petrol exhaust only.
Common questions
When is a 230 V corded disc cutter enough?
When the cut is outdoors, close to a sound 230 V socket, and the lead can be fully unwound behind you. Both Evolution listings state 230 V. The R230DCT states 9 A and the R300DCT states 10.43 A. If you need a long reel to reach the work, you are outside that case.
When do I need a petrol cutter instead?
When there is no power on an open site, or the job is a run of kerbs and concrete a house lead cannot serve. Petrol is not an ASIN in this set. It is the wrong tool indoors, in a trench, or in any enclosed space, because of carbon monoxide.
Can I run a petrol disc cutter in a garage or a trench?
HSE says petrol equipment, including cut-off saws, can create dangerous carbon monoxide within minutes in enclosed spaces and trenches, and that it can kill. Do not rely on an open window. Use an electrical tool where you can, unless ventilation has been fully assessed. This page cannot make that assessment for your garage.
Will a long extension lead replace a petrol saw?
No. A long lead is not a site saw. The R300DCT states 10.43 A, close to a 13 A circuit if other loads are on, and a coiled reel is a poor way to deliver that current. If the work is beyond a single unwound lead, hire, petrol in the open, or a contractor is the honest branch.
Does no fumes mean the dust is solved?
No. Corded saws in this set have no petrol exhaust and no water feed. The dust port on the Evolutions is not water suppression, and reviews say the R230DCT port clogs. Silica from brick, concrete and sandstone remains. HSE still treats that dust as a serious harm.
Is the R300DCT a wet saw because a similar model has water?
No. The amazon.co.uk R300DCT is the dry model, with a dust port and a stated 115 mm cut. Evolution lists water on the R300DCT+, which is a different product and not in this set. Do not hose the port on the dry saw.
Should I hire, buy, or call a contractor for one patio?
Buy a corded saw only if the patio is near a 230 V socket and the piece fits the stated depth. One job far from power may be a hire or a contractor. No day rate is stated here. Call a contractor for structural work, height, suspected asbestos, or a long dry cut other people will breathe.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk listings checked on 15 October 2026.
- HSE, Cancer and construction: Silica (7 February 2025) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, Construction dust (22 June 2026) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, Hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, Workplace exposure limits (COSHH) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for the four saws, captured 15 October 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)