This Diablo saw blade is designed to meet the needs of the construction and remodeling market. This advanced laser cut blade features a thin kerf, making it ideal for portable and low powered saws on the jobsite. A permanent Perma-SHIELD coating keeps this blade free from gumming and corrosion, and laser-cut stabilizer vents reduce vibration and heat buildup for more precise cuts and longer cutting life. This blade slashes through ferrous containing metals quickly and accurately leaving clean, burr free cuts. Ideal for cutting steel studs, steel sheet-for most mild steels under 1/4 inch thick. This blade must be used on a dedicated slow low RPM metal cutting saw. (1800 RPM's or less)
Customer Review: If Freud is embarassed by them, why do they sell them?
I just recently started running the Freud Steel Demon in my DeWalt multicutter. They do a remarkably good job of cutting steel when they are sharp. Unfortunately the blades dull relatively quickly (in about the time I would use up 3-4 cheapo abrasive blades..... minimal down pressure is the key to making them last). I wanted to make sure if there were any special requirements regarding sharpening so I contacted Freud Web Tech. Imagine my surprise when I was informed that Freud specifically states that they are NOT to be resharpened. When I responded to Freud that this wasn't a good investment on my part (cost per cut just went through the roof) I was asked where I got the blade. I was told that Freud does not sell these blades in the U.S. but rather that "a couple hundred" were donated to Habitat for Humanity, and it was suggested to me that they had been "lifted" from Habitats warehouse. There are a number of sales outlets for these blades (Amazon, Ebay, specialty houses) I am just a one man shop and I bought 6 of them. Does this mean that I now own nearly 3% of the entire supply of 14" Steel Demons? If Freud was so unhappy with these blades that they would not sell them here, why give them to a bunch of amateurs trying to do good at Habitat? Especially with the potential for serious injury in relatively unskilled hands. The blades are about equal to the Dewalt blades in durability for the initial service life, but if they really can't be re-sharpened, they become throw aways. At $100.00 plus per blade for a throw away, I guess I will have to stick with DeWalt. The blade gets a 2 only because of the resharpening issue. Freud gets a zero for this whole incident.
saw blade Wikipedia
Forrest's blades offer a superior cut that leaves a rip-cut saw edge that is as smooth as if it had been sanded, and a cross-cut edge that is almost mark-free. The blades run very quietly, and backside tearout in plywood is negligible. Each blade is virtually hand-made. The plate is hand-tensioned (up to 15 minutes per blade), superior C-4 carbide teeth are hand-brazed to the plate, and the blade is straightened and restraightened multiple times throughout the process. Think of a Forrest blade as a tool in your shop, not an accessory. Forrest stands behind it's blades by offering a sharpening service that bring blades back to the exact tolerances offered in a new blade. And this same exacting service is available for other manufacturer's blades as well, so they should come back better than new. Recommended for: thin, low pressure, two-sided laminates, plywood & fine cross cutting on all woods. Eliminates need for a small scoring saw blade on table saw work. The 40° points slice through thin bottom layers with no tears or chips. Reduced yearly sharpening costs - less machine downtime.
