Band saws offer a faster, quieter, more accurate, and cheaper means of cutting the material when compared to a metal cut off wheel. But the best of all is no grinding dust!

The BS-85 Portable band saw was the clear winner in my hunt for such a tool.

FlowerW BS-85 Portable Band Saw As Sold In The UK

FlowerW Portable Bandsaw

Amazon UK

Kaka Industrial Portable Band Saw

Amazon US

Amazon AU

Packaging Of The Kaka BS-85 Portable Band Saw Review

The box is rather large, roughly L 28 X W 14 x H 18 (720 x 37 x 45mm) and it weighs 47 lbs or 21kg. The BS-85 was protected very well with polystyrene packing surrounding it completely. I was worried about such a large product being shipped in case it got damaged but it arrived in perfect shape.

Kaka Industrial Band Saw review Of The 1000 Watt Electric Motor

The Kaka BS-85 is a variable speed 1000 Watt 50-60 HZ motor with a  4.2 Amp current draw. It is available in 110 volt for the US market and 220-240 volt for the Australian and New Zealand market.

FlowerW Portable Bandsaw 1000 Watt Motor

The United Kingdom’s version the Flowerw Metal Bandsaw has the same powerfull electric motor requiring 220 volts and drawing 4.2 amps of power.

The motor has a soft start instead of a basic on/off type switch. Having a soft start eliminates the jolt you get with an on/off switch. The saw ran very smoothly with no vibrations thanks to the quality of the motors bearings. The large air vents allow for efficient cooling for extended periods of use, for many years to come.

The speed controller allows for stepless speed regulation, giving you the ability to set the saw for the different materials and thicknesses. Set at low speed, the band saw operates at 30 meters per minute (mpm) and 88 mpm on high.

• For Stainless Steel – 30 mpm
• For Mild Steel – 60mpm
• For Aluminium – 88mpm

The above speeds are recommended in the owners manual. These speeds will extend the blade life.

Construction Of The Band Saw

The main body of the BS-85 is made from cast aluminum, giving it a lot of strength but still keeping the weight down to keep it portable. The casting is very good, the quality control (QC) is impressive considering the low price point of the band saw.

The base is a heavy-duty thick gauge pressed steel to give the saw a lower center of gravity when it is in the vertical position. 

The vice is made from cast iron with a fine ground finish on the mating surfaces allowing for smooth clapping of the job, eliminating the jaw binding, due to too much play in the moving parts. 

Features Of The BS-85 Portable Band Saw

The band saw can be locked into the vertical position. I made a table that is held in the vice so I can now use it as a vertical band saw as well. 

This is one of the features as to why I decided to buy this particular saw

This is awesome if you work with aluminum plates. It is what makes this the best portable bandsaw.

The material stop can extend out to 26 1/2 inches (680mm), giving accurate cuts if you have a number of cuts the same length.

The Ability To Turn The Saw Head When Cutting A Mitre (45 degrees)

The huge benefit of portable band saws is the tool-free adjustment, giving it the ability to turn the cutting head up to 45 degrees. Cutting a 19 1/2′ length (6-meter) of square tube at 90 then 45 is easy. The head of the bandsaw pivots means you don’t have to take the material out of the saw to physically move the saw to the correct angle then put the material back into the saw. Saving time and lots of frustration.

Blade Size

The Kaka Band Saw comes with a stainless steel 8-12 tooth per inch blade, giving you the ability to get to work on that project right away. The blade size on the Kaka band saw is 52.17 x 0.51″ x 0.03″  (1325x 13 x 0.65mm). The blades come in a range of teeth per inch to better suit your requirements.

Blade Changing The BS-85 Portable Metal Band Saw

Eventually you will need to change the blade in your Kaka BS-85 / FlowerW BS-85. Fortunately it isn’t difficult at all. 

• Stand the saw into the vertical position locking it in place.
• Remove the 4 screws on the backing plate. This will require a short phillips screwdriver for one of the screws

• Slacken the blade tensioner knob by hand until the blade is free.
• Use a 10mm spanner to loosen the 2 outer roller bearing guides.
• Remove the blade from the guides then from the rubber-coated drive and idler wheels.

If you skip the removal of the idler bearings, the blade will get bound on the aluminum casting.

To Fit The Blade To The Kaka BS-85 Portable Metal Band Saw

Simply reverse the steps of the blade removal.

When tightening the blade, tighten the adjustment knob until the blade has about ¼” movement from side to side

Quade Roller Bearing Blade Guide

Some of the other band saws don’t use the 2 roller bearings either side of the blade. This can result in an out of square cut, if you apply too much pressure on the handle when you are cutting the material.

How Loud Is The Band Saw

This will vary depending on what you are cutting. With the Kaka Band Saw motor running without cutting it reads 99dB using the Sound Meter app. Compared to my Makita 5” grinder running without cutting 101 dB. When cutting 2 x 2 x 1/16 stainless steel square tube @ 30 MPM (Meters Per Minute) the Kaka Band Saw measured 102 dB compared to the Makita 5” at 106dB.

The difference is very noticeable. If you live in an area where your neighbors are close or your clients don’t want to be to disturbed by noise this will make a great purchase.

Conclusion: Is The Kaka Portable Band Saw Worth Buying?

I brought the BS-85 portable electric band saw for 1 job, a project that required multiple accurate cuts. The time I saved in measuring each cut and the ease of fabrication from the accuracy of the material lengths easily paid for itself in time savings.

The band saw will be a tool I will be using a lot in the future now, from building a new welding table, a trailer, to a few turbo manifolds. Band saws are excellent for doing pie cuts and cutting the cast elbows accurately. In my opinion, this saw is definitely worth buying, a great price and does the job well.

Portable band saws can replace a drop saw or grinder. They provide an accurate cut for building projects like car trailers, tables, car chassis.