Trend Saw Blades

scott spencer

Member
Messages
953
Location
Rochester, NY
I haven't tried one these, nor do I intend to unless someone sends me one free of charge. Obviously I don't know how they perform from experience, and it could be validly argued that it's unfair for me to post this, but I thought I'd post some observations as an FYI. IMHO the Trend blades don't look particularly well made considering their price point. They have fairly small chips of carbide and resemble other cheap Asian import blades made from stamped steel. Since there's no shortage of high precision blades available from well proven brands, often on sale at great prices, I'm unsure what Trend blades have to offer. Unless Trend offers superior quality for less money, I'm inclined to stick with the well knowns like Infinity, Forrest, Ridge Carbide, Amana, Freud, CMT, Tenryu, Onsrud, Oshlun, Delta Industrial, or DeWalt Precision Trim.

Here are a few thousand words worth of pictures that do a nice job of expressing my observations. Compare these higher quality blades to the Trend 40T 10" blade that sells for ~ $40...all are within a few dollars of the Trend, some are even several dollars less (</~ $30). From a glance, all look like better blades than the Trend, but in fairness...looks don't tell the whole story and can be deceiving...nonetheless, I wouldn't enter a well established market niche with a new "me-too" product that looked significantly cheaper than several of my direct competitors. Judge for yourselves:
51wZ-eAGCWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51Uf6q3YXEL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51380BLvHKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51Qj7Fbk6QL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51rChjVinhL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
5118WWZEE7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51neHMKupQL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
515Z5vRf32L._SL500_AA300_.jpg


Now compare the Trend to some cheaper $10-$20 blades...it looks to me like the Trend blades are in good company in this group:
51wZ-eAGCWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51QZO9Hg8NL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
51BKMZHPR4L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
avantiprochina.jpg
27256_vahr.jpg
039725023278lg.jpg


FWIW, I have no beef with Trend products whatsoever...just posting my thoughts and making idle conversation. Anyone agree or disagree with what I see?
 
Agree!!! and for my dollar as of right now freud has it under control or the WWII.. but freud can be sharpened by any one reputable..
 
Last edited:
Not sure if I agree or not. I think that I would have to try one and see how it cuts :dunno: But those are good observations.

Either way I don't think that any blade out there will keep me from always buying Freud.
 
So is the freud shown the one you guys would reccomend as a "all purpose" blade? I'm going to be cutting up quite a bit of maple and maybe oak in the next few months and my $17 el cheapo isn't cutting it...without burning anyway.
 
So is the freud shown the one you guys would reccomend as a "all purpose" blade? I'm going to be cutting up quite a bit of maple and maybe oak in the next few months and my $17 el cheapo isn't cutting it...without burning anyway.

Not sure what you want to spend or what saw you've got. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of the 40T or 50T blades in the top group. The Freud shown is the LU86R010...a 40T ATB 3/32" thin kerf blade. It's very good for ~ $40 as all purpose type blades go. The Freud Diablo D1040 is pretty similar with smaller teeth, and costs ~ $30. If you prefer full kerf, that Delta 7657 is a 40T is about $26 shipped, and is an awesome deal on a very good US made blade.

For more money, the Freud Premier Fusion comes in both full kerf and thin kerf, is a Hi-ATB grind and will have both lower tearout in fine crosscuts and plywood, plus more polished edges, but note that it's a bit more prone to burning in thicker rips. The Infinity Super General is very similar. I'd also consider looking into the Infinity Combomax or Combomax Lite, Forrest WWII, Ridge Carbide TS2000, or Tenryu Gold Medal.
 
Just a curiosity question - What prompted your posting? You said you've never used one of the Trend blades so you haven't had a bad experience. Did you get upset with one of their advertising claims? Just wondering.

Mike
 
I bought one of the Tenryu Gold Medal 10" blades a while back and started using it this year and it is a nice cutting blade and holds an edge quite well.

BUT and its a big BUT it is by far the worst blade for throwing the waste piece back at ya. I have been hit more this year from flying off fall than I had in my production shop for 20 years.

I will never use one again and anyone that would like this one when it come off the saw for sharpening is welcome to it for the shipping. Also this was the most expensive blade I have ever bought. My favorites are by far the Frued blades and the combo blade are all I use.
 
Jay - I'd be more than happy to take the Gold Medal off your hands, but honestly, there's nothing about the design of it that should cause excess waste coming at you....it's a simple ATB grind with an 18-20° hook angle. It could just be something that's different from your previous blade...kerf width, hook angle, or perhaps blade height, etc.

Hi Mike - I've had no negative experiences with Trend at all. I saw a post on another forum asking about the Trend blades...when I took a look and compared them visually to others, I couldn't help but notice that they look much more like a cheap blade than other blades in the price range. I posted because it struck me as odd for a company to launch a new product that has less going for it than many of it's competitors....simple as that. Just sharing thoughts and discussing.

I'm aware that the size of the carbide doesn't effect cut quality, but they can't be sharpened as many times, and is one of several indicators that I look for. The less sophisticated anti-vibration slots and cruder brazing are another indicator that doesn't necessarily effect cut quality either, but these are little insights that signal whether a company is a committed player in furthering the technology of their products, or are just looking to make some easy money. How do they look to you compared to the other blades?
 
Jay - I'd be more than happy to take the Gold Medal off your hands, but honestly, there's nothing about the design of it that should cause excess waste coming at you....it's a simple ATB grind with an 18-20° hook angle. It could just be something that's different from your previous blade...kerf width, hook angle, or perhaps blade height, etc.

Has to be something with the blade design Scott as I am using this one just like all the other I have been using everyday for the past 30 years without this problem.

PM me your address and I will send it to you some time in Jan. But don't blame me I warned ya. It just drafts different than Freud and Systematic and throws all the small pieces all over the place and its the only blade that has EVER done that.
 
Hi Mike - I've had no negative experiences with Trend at all. I saw a post on another forum asking about the Trend blades...when I took a look and compared them visually to others, I couldn't help but notice that they look much more like a cheap blade than other blades in the price range. I posted because it struck me as odd for a company to launch a new product that has less going for it than many of it's competitors....simple as that. Just sharing thoughts and discussing.

I'm aware that the size of the carbide doesn't effect cut quality, but they can't be sharpened as many times, and is one of several indicators that I look for. The less sophisticated anti-vibration slots and cruder brazing are another indicator that doesn't necessarily effect cut quality either, but these are little insights that signal whether a company is a committed player in furthering the technology of their products, or are just looking to make some easy money. How do they look to you compared to the other blades?
Nope, I didn't know anything about Trend blades - I hadn't even heard of them. I was just wondering what prompted your posting.

Mike
 
A little off topic, but a couple of weekends ago I was helping a family crew finish up putting in some new laminate flooring at my dad's place. (I wasn't doing the floor work myself...I was installing pictures. Go figure.) My BIL was using a cheap and dull 24 tooth blade on the CMS to cut the flooring, so my sister went to Lowe's and picked up a cheap 40 tooth Irwin Marathon. The blade sat in the package next to the saw for the rest of the day, because my BIL was apparently too lazy to take 2 minutes and put the new blade on. I guess the smoke coming off the blade didn't bother him. :dunno: Later in the afternoon, he was cutting one of the last pieces of baseboard trim, and out of laziness (again) he cut the piece with the finished side down instead of swinging the saw over to the other 45º setting. Predictably, the cut was splintered on the "show" side of the trim. He started getting irate at the saw and the wood, even though his problems were completely self-induced. I finally had to leave the room, but not before telling him I had no sympathy for someone who figured using a dull tool (incorrectly, to boot) would save time and effort. :rolleyes:
 
after while you just learn that you cant fix stupid.. and so you watch as the show continues down the dark path of destruction...

Thing is, he's not stupid. Lazy, yes, but not stupid. :bang: He keeps his knives sharp, but his one and only wood chisel looks like it was used to dig in the garden. :p
 
So I finally got my Freud 40T thin kerf TS blade this past weekend....WOW what a difference! :D It cuts thru hard maple and oak like butter...thanks for the help in selection everyone! :thumb:
 
Top