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What sawzall blades do you use? Are the expensive blades ($15 per blade) worth buying? I buy the Irwin 10 pack of (medium thickness) metal blades for $13.00. They are the cheapest I can find and I burn through blades quickly. Would a $15 blade last longer, like as long as a 10 pack of cheap blades? Does the saying "you get what you pay for" apply here? And has anyone used the blades that are made specifically for cast iron? if so, reviews?
The diablo blades are awesome and worth the money.
Morse fire and rescue blades is my choice. They are tough. Ive never bent one. I guess because who has time to keep changing blades when someone is trapped in a burning car.
What do you use the blades for?
I cut car exhausts for the cats and also sometimes cut up the cars themselves
I use the 6" and 9" Milwaukee 10 TPI Torch Sawzall Blade
I purchase 100 at a time >> Saves a lot of money over buying 5 or 10 at a time
I have tried the expensive diamond grit blades a couple times BUT did not get the results I was hoping for so I have stuck with these
9" >> Milwaukee 48 01 7713 9 in 10 TPI The Torch Sawzall Blade 100 PK in Stock | eBay
6" >> Milwaukee 48 01 9712 6 in 10 TPI Ice Hardened Torch Sawzall Blades 100 PK | eBay
+1 on the diablo blades. Best life for the money in my opinion. Recently picked up one of their carbide tipped metal blades but haven't used it enough to see if the life is worth the extra cost or not.
Millwaukee. I've tried them all, but here your going to find the
chevy/Ford argument.
I have never owned a truck but I firmly believe that it comes down to how you use it and care for it. I hear the Ford/Chevy/Ram argument all the time. If you take care of the Chevy from 2010 that no one liked and compare it to a Ram/Ford that did better in "people's opinion" that year, I will happily lay down money that the Chevy will outlast any Joe Shmoe's 1500 or 150. I see a lot of pick ups and it's all about using it or abusing it.Quote:
Originally Posted by EcoSafe
The same goes for tools. If you leave your saw/drill/whatever out in the weather or try to use it for something it's not meant for, it breaks down faster. I get so pissed when I have to scrap a tool I don't have because someone else didn't take care of it. When I started scrapping, I didn't even have a cordless drill. I bought one and a grinder, and 2 philips bits. Those are the only times I have purchased tools in 3 years and I have almost 2 of everything now, plus a trailer and countless oddities. What you put in you get out.
I've been using the Sawzall a lot over the past month. Mostly for nail cutting in tight spaces during the demolition phase of the project. The blade tends to get bent right where it attaches to the saw and that's where it fails. First you get a stress crack and then a few minutes later it breaks off. They all do it ......
The Sawzall saves so much on labor that the blade cost is insignificant. I usually just charge them off to the job like i would a 2 x 4 or a pound of nails.
The Diablo blades are good as well as the Milwaukees. The Irwins are okay .... nothing special. If you're cutting cast iron it would probably be better to go to a 4" angle grinder. A Sawzall isn't the best tool for that job.
Lenox blades are the best by far, they are a bit more expensive but worth it. dewalt blades are the worst
The lenox ( 5 pk/27.50) are good blades. They don't break as often but they get dull areas and slow the job down to a crawl. Where the rest of the blade is good you hate to throw em' away so you keep using them.
Locally, they've been phasing the Lenox out in favor of the lower cost Diablo
I use the Milwaukee Torch blades as well. They're thick enough they don't bend if you get a little careless with them and cut well for me (mostly car exhaust, but use for just about anything in the salvage yard). I tried a pack of Kobalt blades from Lowe's once, I couldn't get rid of those **** things fast enough.
Diablo
I use Diablo's but the company buys them buy the pack of 500, so the cost is significantly less. Maybe there's a 100 or 200 pack you could get?
I use milwaukee 12tpi demo blades for just about everyting, however, I also use the morse fire and rescue blades, they make different lengths and they are by far the longest lasting blades ever made....but that multitooth really tears things up if you plan to make a smooth cut.
At our shop, the dewalt 18V cordless sawzall has had the same 12 inch milwaukee TORCH demo blade in it since Feb.
Lenox
it's all the hardware store carry's... I like the wood/nail for the softer metals and heavy metal up to 1/4 inch for steel. They make ones that say they can go thicker but I don't personally see a difference except for price.
I use Milwaukee Torch. I have tried others. I would say the worst I ever tried were Harbor Freight. Let it bounce out of the cut one time and that blade folds like a pretzel.
To increase blade life I use cutting oil and also don’t go full speed with it.
I don't have time for anything but full speed ;)
Ok. Ford vs chevy for sure. I guess I will have to find out for myself. Milwakee, Diablo, and Lenox. It seems no one has tries the cast iron blade
Skil The Ugly Reciprocating Saw Blade - Walmart.com
I've always used these they work great for me and are very inexpensive at walmart.
Blades for cast iron...
I bought a Freud Diablo "Extreme Metal Cutting Blade" rated for cast iron and "The heaviest, strongest metals". I've accidentally put several 1 - 2 inch cuts into my bench vise with it. This thing eats through cast iron and heavy steel like I'm cutting aluminum.
And it ****ed well better, the single blade cost me nearly twenty dollars. I don't have to pull it out too often though, and that one blade is still going strong for me now 5 months down the line.
I like the Milwaukee torch blades. you can kink them and keep going. they are thicker and reinforced where it matters so can handle an ohps or two. I preffer the 9" blades. diablo are about the same life wise.
have run lenox blades and busted them left and right. same with dewalt and morse. black & decker walmart blades are not too great but hold better for me than previous couple brands.
never had a chance to use the fire demo types.
in reality it comes to prefference and what works best for you and your cutting style. I like the reinforced tabs because I cut awkward angles and small spaces so tend to bend a blade and the torches can handle it and I tend to actually wear out the blades.
Well. I've tried a couple different blade brands now. Diablo blades as thicker and don't bend as easy, but wear out, like all the other blades I have used. I bought 2 thick metal/cast iron blades and they junked out quickly. I forget the brand now. So I think I will stick with Iriwn. They are the cheapest, $12 for a ten pack. But I learned cut at a low speed, and use oil. The ten pack comes in a plastic case, so I spray some wf-40 into the case and it keeps all the blades lubed and they do not get so hot, killing the teeth.
In addition to oil you might try bees wax. It seems to work better for me.
Just as blades are not equal, sawzall drive motors by brand also vary having strokes from 3/4', 1 1/8" up to 1 1/2".
The short 3/4" stroke sawzall is going to be a blade eater while the longer stoke will extend blade life by utilising more teeth on the blade also the longer stoke also gives the blade a chance to cool off.
Stop wasting money on expensive blades and invest in a longer stroke sawzall.
I've been looking for a type of lubrication that's made specifically for sawzall blades. I know a product exists but can't find it at any hardware stores. So I'll try the bees wax then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Patriot76
have used mineral oil in past with an air compressor to lube bits while drilling I wonder if a simular idea couldnt be figured out for a sawsall...?