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Abrasive or cold cut · review

Güde GMT 355-2300 review

The cheapest way to cut steel section square, and the loudest tool in this batch by a distance.

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Where we come out The right first metal saw, provided you accept sparks, noise and dressing every cut.

Why it is cheap

An abrasive chop saw is a motor, an arbor and a hinge. There is no gearbox to speak of, no blade to break, and the consumable is a disc that costs a few dollars. That simplicity is why €120 buys 2,300 W and a mitre adjustment here, and why the same money buys nothing at all in cold-cut form.

What the cut looks like

Hot. Abrasive cutting grinds the steel away rather than shearing it, so the offcut is too hot to hold, the edge is blued, and there is a burr on both sides. For a frame that will be welded and painted, none of that matters — you dress the end anyway. For anything visible or dimensioned, it does.

The noise, which is not a detail

This is the loudest machine on this site. Hearing protection is not advisory here; it is the difference between a workshop habit and permanent damage. Add a face shield: an abrasive disc that shatters at 4,000 rpm sends fragments a long way.

Sources

Every figure above comes from the manufacturer’s published specification for this reference. Fields the listing does not publish are left out rather than estimated. Market availability was verified per market on the EAN.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-08-13. The live price is at the top of the page.

What it handles, and what it will not

Strengths

  • €120 for a machine that cuts 50 mm (1.97 in) box section in one pull
  • Mitre adjustment on a machine at this price
  • Abrasive discs are commodity items — a cut costs pennies

Compromises

  • Abrasive cutting: sparks, noise and a burr on every cut
  • The cut edge is hot and blued — it needs dressing before welding
  • Not sold on the American store at the time of checking

Specifications

Power2,300 W
Disc diameter355 mm (14 in)
Speed4,000 rpm
Mitre range−15° to 45°, adjustable
Amazon referenceB0FZC79J62
EAN4015671842169

The questions welders ask

Abrasive or cold cut — which should I buy?

Abrasive if you cut occasionally and want to spend €120; cold cut if you cut daily. An abrasive disc works by grinding the steel away: it is fast, cheap and violent, and it leaves a hot, blued, burred edge with a shower of sparks. A cold-cut saw with a carbide blade cuts cool and clean at four times the price. Neither is wrong — they are different trades.

How long does a disc last?

Long enough that it is rarely the deciding cost. A 355 mm (14 in) abrasive disc will get through a good deal of 40 mm (1.57 in) box section before it is worn down to uselessness, and it wears smaller as it goes, which means the maximum cut depth falls with it. Keep a fresh disc for the deep cuts and use the worn one for small stock.

Our score

7.2/ 10

The right first metal saw, provided you accept sparks, noise and dressing every cut.

Price and availability, for welding machines

A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.

Details checked on August 13, 2026.

Who this one is for, among welding machines

Cutting stock to length in a workshop where the noise is nobody else’s problem

This model in our welding machines guides

Sources

Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for welding and metalworking machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.

How these welding machines are assessed here

Read alongside, if you are deciding

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