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Metabo circular saw guide rail

Updated: 21 October 2026

You already own a Festool or Makita rail, or you are about to add one, and the Metabo listing only says FS. That is why people order a £147.99 KS 55 FS and then find the track is a second purchase. This page is the Metabo circular saw guide rail choice behind the five amazon.co.uk listings compared on 20 October 2026: the FS groove, the FS 160 in one set, and the KFS 44 in another. The [Metabo circular saw comparison](/hub/power-saws/metabo-circular-saw) holds prices and scores. Peter F. did not test rail brands on a bench. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already own a Festool or Makita rail, or you are about to add one, and the Metabo listing only says FS. That is why people order a £147.99 KS 55 FS and then find the track is a second purchase.

Our top picks

Metabo KS 55 FS corded

Best overall

Metabo KS 55 FS corded
8.6/10about £147.99
View offer
Metabo KS 55 FS + FS 160

Best value

Metabo KS 55 FS + FS 160
8.4/10about £274.69
View offer
Metabo KS 85 FS + KFS 44

Rank 3

Metabo KS 85 FS + KFS 44
6.5/10about £613.79
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What FS means on these saws
  2. 2.The FS 160 set and the KFS 44 set
  3. 3.Third-party rails and what fits does not include
  4. 4.Depth once the saw is on the rail

What FS means on these saws

FS on the KS 55 and the KS 85 is the groove on a guide-rail rib. Metabo lists its own FS rails and rails from Mafell, Bosch, Festool, Makita, HiKOKI and Hilti. The bare KS 55 at £147.99, model 600955000, ships a blade, a parallel guide, a vacuum adapter and a wrench. No rail and no case. Catalogue lengths are FS 80, 160, 250 and 310: 800 mm to 3,100 mm. FS 160 covers a 1,220 mm sheet width and does not span 2,440 mm in one clamp-up. If you do not own a rail, the bare saw is the wrong first line. Cost next to depth is on the buying guide.

The FS 160 set and the KFS 44 set

The KS 55 set at £274.69, ASIN B07NHBK5WR, model 691064000, names the saw, a case and an FS 160. It is the best value for that 1.6 m rail in one search. Amazon shows 4.6 from 158. The rail is awkward in a small kitchen, and clamping wedges were not in the scope we captured. The first cut trims the rubber lip; do that on scrap. KFS is a different rail. The £613.79 set, ASIN B097R5Z949, model 691197000, includes the KS 85 FS and a KFS 44 timing rail at 8.4 kg and 2,000 W. No star line and no FS 160. Buy it for repeated cross-cuts. Buy FS 160 for long sheet breaks. The KS 18 and the KT 18 include neither rail.
Metabo KS 55 FS corded

Testsieger

Metabo KS 55 FS corded
8.6/10about £147.99
View offer

Third-party rails and what fits does not include

Reviewers describe a Festool rail on a KS 55, and Makita track. Fit still depends on the rib, a flat shoe and clamps. We did not measure every brand on Metabo’s list. KT reviews that praise Festool rails also include warped shoes at 3.9 from 33. A straight rail cannot flatten a shoe that rocks. None of these scopes promises clamps or a connector for joining FS lengths. The parallel guide is for narrow timber, not an 8 × 4 sheet. Hook-up is on the how to use page. Which ASIN to buy is on the best-of page.

Depth once the saw is on the rail

Metabo states 50 mm on a rail for the KS 55, against 55 mm at 90°, and 52 mm on a rail for the KS 18, against 57 mm. About 2 mm will not rescue an over-thick cut. A 50 mm piece on a track is at the KS 55 limit. The KT’s up to 66 mm is a plunge bullet, not an FS hand-saw figure. The KS 85 capture prints no depth, so do not copy 55 mm across because both saws say FS. Set the teeth to clear the underside without digging into the rail edge. The KS 55 has a vacuum connector. A straight cut does not make the dust harmless.

Common questions

What is the difference between FS and KFS?
FS is the guide-rail system: a groove in the shoe and rails such as FS 80, FS 160, FS 250 and FS 310 for long straight cuts. KFS, in this comparison the KFS 44, is Metabo’s cross-cut timing rail, included with the KS 85 FS set and described as coupling to KS and K models. An FS 160 will not do the KFS stop job, and a KFS 44 is not the 1.6 m rip rail in the KS 55 set.
Is an FS 160 long enough indoors?
It is long enough for the 1,220 mm width of a standard sheet, at 1,600 mm overall. It is awkward in a small room, which reviews of the £274.69 set say plainly, and it is too short for a 2,440 mm length in one placement. If the sheet cannot be spun and the room cannot take the rail, a longer FS length from Metabo’s catalogue is the alternative, not a hope that the parallel guide will do it.
Will a Festool rail fit a Metabo KS 55?
Metabo lists Festool among the rail brands the FS groove is meant to accept, and KS 55 reviews describe Festool and Makita track in use. Check that your rail’s rib matches and that the shoe sits flat. The claim does not include Festool clamps or a splinter strip in the Metabo carton. The bare saw still needs you to own the rail.
Are clamps included?
Not in the included-components lines we captured. The FS 160 set names the rail and a case; reviewers still buy clamping wedges. The bare KS 55 includes a parallel guide, which is not a rail clamp. The KFS 44 set includes that timing rail and a parallel stop. Add clamps unless the live listing has started naming them.
How deep can you cut on a rail?
Metabo states 50 mm for the KS 55 FS on a guide rail, against 55 mm at 90° off the rail, and 52 mm for the KS 18 LTX 57 BL on a rail, against 57 mm freehand. The KT’s up to 66 mm is a listing bullet for a plunge saw. The KS 85 amazon capture does not state a depth. Thin sheet is inside all of the sourced figures; thick stock on a rail needs the lower number, not the freehand one.

Related pages

Metabo corded vs cordless circular saw

Metabo circular saw

Best Metabo circular saw UK: a rail, body or plunge

Metabo circular saw buying guide: depth, rail, CAS

How to use a Metabo circular saw: depth, rail, guard

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 20 October 2026.

  1. Metabo UK: KS 18 LTX 57 BL (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Metabo: KS 55 FS (600955000) (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Metabo UK cordless range catalogue 2025 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Metabo: KFS 44 guide rail (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. HSE: Wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: Product marking, UKCA and CE (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. BSI: BS EN 62841-2-5:2014 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the five retained Metabo ASINs (retrieved 20 October 2026)