10" Saw Blade Comparison Chart

scott spencer

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953
Location
Rochester, NY
Over the past couple of years, I've been a little preoccupied trying out and getting familiar with various saw blades. Below is a chart that tracks some rough ratings, opinions, facts, and comments about 30 blades. It started out as just my way of tracking which blades I've tried, but maybe it'll be useful or interesting to a few of you.

Disclaimer and Explanations:
This is by no means intended to be a scientific or comprehensive blade review. It's just some guy playing with saw blades in his garage on an average saw tuned by an amateur, and documenting some comments on an Excel spreadsheet. :type: Some of the ratings are just opinion and some are subject to the variability of my mood or the moon alignment. There are undoubtedly flaws in my evaluation method as well as my approach to the documention. Note that most of hte blades are all really good performers that I'd expect very good results from, regardless of where they fell in the ranking. There are complications when trying to compare any blades, especially when comparing general purpsose (GP)/combo blades to specialized rip, crosscut, or plywood blades....the specialized blades rate poorly in the "versatility" category...they tend to do a super job but have a narrow "sweet spot". Price was not directly factored into the total rating...it's listed mainly as a convenience reference... however price is considered as part of the subjective "value" rating which was factored in the "total" ranking...some blades were available at steep closeout discounts and subsequently got high marks for "value" that inflated their "total" rating. "Carbide thickness" was also a consideration, although it doesn't impact the cut, though it increases the "value" rating because they allow more resharpenings - ie: the Ridge Carbide has huge teeth and scored higher than the WWII as a result...but I consider their cutting performance to be comparable. The chart is sorted by "total", but could have just as easily been sorted by "performance".

Read the categories and comments before drawing conclusions, and feel free to ask specific questions to find out how or why I determined a particular ranking. Sorry if this an eyechart! :bonkers:

bladechart.jpg


I've only kept maybe 10 of these blades and I'll list them below. The reasons for keeping a blade is somewhat random and not always indicative of it's performance. I can't keep them all! I would have loved to keep the DW3218TK and the Gold Medal, but a friend needed them in a pinch and both those blades fit the bill for him on the cheap. My WWII is an excellent versatile performer that was a gift from a good friend. I consider it my mainstay, but I also reach for the Freud LU88R010 very frequently and find that blade to also be a steller versatile performer that happens to retail at a great price. The Ridge Carbide is impressive also...because of it's larger teeth, if I were buying an $80 general purpose blade today, I'd likely pick the TS2000 (available in TK or full kerf). I toss in the DW7124TK or Leitz/Irwin 24T TK rippers for heavy stock or bulk ripping. I still have an 80T crosscut blade but almost never need it. If you're looking for the lowest cost bang for the buck, check into the Freud LU86 or Tenry RS25540. If you're looking for best overall performance at a reasonable cost, look into the LU88 if you use TK's. If you're a full kerf user, the DW7657 is a darn tough value to beat at ~ $50. The Leitz/Irwin deals are a terrific value for mid-highend performance, but are an increasingly limited supply. I tend to favor good quality 3/32" thin kerf blades on my saws for the faster feedrate and lower strain on the motor. I've never had an issue with deflection on this caliber of blade. Some of you will prefer full kerfs for your own reasons, and if you've got a full 3hp cab saw, there's less reason to consider TK's. There may have been other blades that I tried but couldn't remember and/or forgot to enter it in the spreadsheet. :dunno:


My current blade roster:
WWII
LU88
DW7124TK
LU86
Leitz/Irwin 24T TK ripper
Leitz Pro 80T crosscut
Tenryu RS25550
Tenryu RS25540
Delta Industrial 10T (made by Leitz)
3 skanky bottom dweller bludgeon-blades :bang:
my dado set is a DW7670

HTH,
Scott
 
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WOW, I am impressed by both the effort that went into this study and by the way that you have presented the results. Well done!

I only wish that you had tested the blade that I normally use (a Dimar 50 tooth 10" Combination blade). I think it's good but have never tested it scientifically. But, I know that you can't test everything.
 
WOW, I am impressed by both the effort that went into this study and by the way that you have presented the results. Well done!

I only wish that you had tested the blade that I normally use (a Dimar 50 tooth 10" Combination blade). I think it's good but have never tested it scientifically. But, I know that you can't test everything.

Send it my way Frank...I'd be happy to give it a spin! :thumb:
 
If you are serious Scott, I will find out how much it costs to mail a blade to you and to have it returned, then I just might send my spare that has never been used. Are you serious?

Nice offer Frank, but I was just pulling your leg...:rofl: While it's always nice to meet a new blade, shipping back and forth across the border would take that blade out of your shop for ~ 2-3 weeks just in transit time and would probably cost ~ $20-$25 round trip without insurance...much more than that to add insurance...jest not feasible. If you were in town, I'd definitely be knocking at your door! Thanks though...

Now, if you'd like to tell us more detail about the blade, we could at least compare parameters and extrapolate some guesses about it. If you could tell us the kerf width, carbide hardness (C2/C3/C4), hook angle, tooth count, tooth confuguration, body features (laser slots, coatings, etc.), cutting performance relative to others you've tried, price, where made, and overall construcion quality, we'd have some idea what this blade compares to.
 
Info about my saw blade

Well I looked at the blade and the box as well as two different descriptions on the internet and came up with some of the information.

Here is link to the Lee Valley catalogue entry for the 10” combination blade: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=30059&cat=1,41080,41165

Here is a link to the DIMAR CANADA web site entry for the blade:
http://www.dimarcanada.com/products...familyIDVar=2&categoryIDVar=55&groupIDVar=225

Here is some info:

Blade: DIMAR 10-50 COM

Size: 10”

Type: carbide tipped combination

Teeth: 50

Kerf width: .134” (3.4 mm)

Tooth Configuration: see the DIMAR CANADA link provided above

Carbide Hardness: either C3 or C4 (I can’t see where it says which)

Hook Angle: 10 degrees

Made in: USA (IL)

I can only compare it with the not factory blade that came on my General 650 saw. This blade cuts more smoothly and (after three months of light use) with no burning.
 
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The teeth look substantial Frank. I'm not sure what to make of the "C3 or C4" designation...does it mean they choose either hardness depending on what's available? ..both grades are suitable. Or does it mean some of the teeth use C3 and others use C4? IF that's the case, I'd guess it's more likely that the ATB teeth use C4 and the flat raker uses C3, but I'm just guessing.

The kerf is slightly wider than a standard 0.126" kerf. Your 650 should spin it with ease, but smaller contractor saws will bog more easily with it. Looks like a nice blade in a similar 50T ATB/R combination format as the Tenryu 25550 and Freud LU84.
 
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If I give you the credit, can I copy and paste this information to another forum? (not smc) If not, I understand.

I have no problem with that Doug, and I'm not concerned about getting the credit (there's no money in it either way!:dunno: :doh::D). If you'd like a better copy of the chart, I can email you the original spread sheet. PM with your email if interested.

Scott
 
The teeth look substantial Frank. I'm not sure what to make of the "C3 or C4" designation...does it mean they choose either hardness depending on what's available? ..both grades are suitable. Or does it mean some of the teeth use C3 and others use C4? IF that's the case, I'd guess it's more likely that the ATB teeth use C4 and the flat raker uses C3, but I'm just guessing.

The kerf is slightly wider than a standard 0.126" kerf. Your 650 should spin it with ease, but smaller contractor saws will bog more easily with it. Looks like a nice blade in a similar 50T ATB/R combination format as the Tenryu 25550 and Freud LU84.
Thanks for the comments Scott.
 
I have no problem with that Doug, and I'm not concerned about getting the credit (there's no money in it either way!

Thanks,,,
I always try to give credit where credit is due. I am not one to steal anyones thunder.
I was able to save the image to my hard drive and it came out great, so I won't need a better copy of it. Thanks again,,,
 
I'm not sure what to make of the "C3 or C4" designation...does it mean they choose either hardness depending on what's available?

My guess is that the use European carbide (probably German being that's where Dimar is from) and they don't use the C3 and C4 designations over there. I believe the C ratings are American where other parts of the world have their own grading system such as the ISO K10 and K20 grades.
 
My guess is that the use European carbide (probably German being that's where Dimar is from) and they don't use the C3 and C4 designations over there. I believe the C ratings are American where other parts of the world have their own grading system such as the ISO K10 and K20 grades.
Makes sense, except for that fact that my saw blade is made in the USA.
 
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Makes sense, except for that fact that my saw balade is made in the USA.

The carbide most likely comes from Europe though, most does.

Here is a link to the Tigra web page who is one of the better suppliers of carbide that the tool makers use. You'll notice it's not as cut and dry as C3 or C4 anymore. Many tool makers choose carbide based on the tool and it's purpose.

http://www.tigra-usa.com/cms/products/carbide/woodworking/grades/

My router bits now use ISO K10 but I am working with a new factory on some bits that will use a specially formulated ISO K20 that will last longer than the K10. It's a science and not as cut and dry as C3 or C4 anymore. I think we use those designations more as marketing terms than anything anymore.
 
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