Track saw vs circular saw with guide
Updated: 21 October 2026
You are deciding whether a plunge saw is a different purchase from the five kits in the [circular saw with guide rail comparison](/hub/power-saws/circular-saw-with-guide-rail). B&Q files plunge saw, track saw and circular saw with guide rail together. These amazon.co.uk kits, £36.99 to £116.00, are mostly edge cuts. Use one for an edge cut with the guide you have. Use a plunge saw, or a fitter, when the cut starts in a panel you cannot scrap. Products Compared compared the listings with B&Q, BuildWiz and one hire page on 20 October 2026. This is not a lab test.
You are deciding whether a plunge saw is a different purchase from the five kits in the circular saw with guide rail comparison.
You are deciding whether a plunge saw is a different purchase from the five kits in the circular saw with guide rail comparison. B&Q files plunge saw, track saw and circular saw with guide rail together. These amazon.co.uk kits, £36.99 to £116.00, are mostly edge cuts. Use one for an edge cut with the guide you have. Use a plunge saw, or a fitter, when the cut starts in a panel you cannot scrap. Products Compared compared the listings with B&Q, BuildWiz and one hire page on 20 October 2026. This is not a lab test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Where the cut starts | Guide | Depth | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Evolution Evolution R185CCSX track kit | Edge cut | 1,020 mm track | 0–64 mm | 8.5 | about £116.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  DEKOPRO DEKOPRO 165 mm | Follows the edge | Edge fence | 55 mm at 90° | 7.3 | about £36.99 | View offer |
 BlueMars BlueMars 125 mm rail saw | Title says plunge | 3 × 40 cm | 42–45 mm | 6.8 | about £67.99 | View offer |
On this page
Three names, two machines
B&Q’s plunge-saw department says these tools are also known as a plunge saw with track or a circular saw with guide rail, and it describes a blade that starts at the edge or in the centre for basins and appliances in worktops. A track saw, in UK shop speech, is usually the plunge body that runs on a rail. A circular saw with a guide can be that machine, or an ordinary sidewinder with a fence in the box. In this set, only the BlueMars title says plunge. The Evolution R185CCSX is a circular saw with a stated 1,020 mm track. A BlueMars review says the saw clips under the rail and the rail is bolted down. One Evolution reviewer said the saw is not a plunge saw. Another said they plunged with care. A careful user is not a specification. Ranking inside the five is the best page.
What a plunge saw does that a fenced circular saw does not
A conventional circular saw starts at an edge. The guard swings back as the shoe meets the wood, and the blade is open at the front. Protrade’s comparison puts the plunge saw as the one that drops an enclosed blade anywhere along the rail, with a splinter guard. BuildWiz describes the same three differences: an enclosed blade, a splinter strip, and a plunge that can begin in the middle of the panel. That middle start is the sink, the hob and the floor vent. You do not run in from the edge of a worktop and then hide the entry, because the entry would wreck the top. BuildWiz says the plunge earns the money on the centre cut-out, not on every straight line. A dust port on the Evolution collects at the shoe. It does not enclose the blade the way a plunge shoe does. What is actually in each box is the buying guide.
Where the Evolution, Bosch, DEKOPRO and BlueMars stop
The Evolution at £116.00 does an edge cut within 0–64 mm on the 1,020 mm track, if you accept the EU-plug bullet and add the clamps reviews say were missing. It does not, on this file, start a rectangle in the middle of a worktop. The Bosch at £109.99, battery extra, is about 70 cm of plastic rail and 53 mm on the title. The DEKOPRO fences at £36.99 and £39.99 follow an edge. BlueMars at £67.99 says plunge in the title and disagrees with itself on depth: 42 mm and 0–45 mm. Reviews describe a bolted rail, an unfinished worktop and burned MDF, at 3.7 from 29 reviews. That is not a sink cut-out. A full-sheet rip is a length question on the plywood page.
Hire for a weekend or buy for repeated kitchens
BuildWiz puts a Festool-style plunge body at about £520 to £570 before the rail. That is a guide price on that site, not an amazon.co.uk figure, and the rail is extra. One worktop is a hire job. Wellers Hire in Eastbourne lists a Makita SP6000J with two 1,500 mm rails at £38.50 a day excluding VAT. Those are local examples, not a national rate. B&Q lists a Lumberjack 165 mm plunge kit at £119.99 with two 700 mm rails, a different product we have not tested. For one hob cut-out you cannot scrap, hire the plunge saw or pay a fitter. If you buy through our amazon.co.uk links, tagged pcuk26-21, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
Is a track saw the same thing as a plunge saw?
In UK shops both names usually mean a saw that plunges on a rail, including from the middle of a panel. B&Q also says “circular saw with guide rail”, which pulls fenced saws into the same search. Here only the BlueMars title says plunge. The test is a centre start, not the department name.
Which of these five can start in the middle of a worktop?
None of them is established for that cut. BlueMars reviews describe a bolted rail, an unfinished worktop and burned MDF. One Evolution user plunged with care, and another said it is not a plunge saw. A sink or hob opening belongs with a plunge saw or a fitter.
When should I hire or buy a plunge saw instead?
Hire or buy when the blade must enter in the middle of a worktop you cannot scrap. Wellers in Eastbourne has listed a Makita SP6000J with two 1.5 m rails at £38.50 a day excluding VAT. Other depots differ, so check locally.
Does a dust port match an enclosed plunge saw?
A dust port is where a vacuum attaches. The Evolution claims an adapter, and BlueMars lists an extractor. A plunge shoe encloses more of the blade and usually uses a splinter strip. The port does not create that shoe. At work, HSE still expects respiratory protection of at least APF 20.
What does a plunge saw cost beyond this set?
BuildWiz puts a Festool-style body at about £520 to £570 before the rail, above the £116.00 Evolution in our file. B&Q has listed a Lumberjack 165 mm plunge kit at £119.99 with two 700 mm rails, which we have not tested. Treat the £520–£570 band as a repeated-work guide, not an amazon.co.uk price.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources first, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. The stored prices are the figures already in this set.
- HSE: Wood dust (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER (retrieved October 2026)
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 62841-2-5:2014 (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: WD0 wood dust (retrieved October 2026)
- BuildWiz: circular saw guide rail (retrieved October 2026)
- B&Q: plunge saws (retrieved October 2026)