Good deal on saw blades??

[oldtexasdog]

I am still waiting on my first cabinet saw and saw this sale and was wondering if it was a good deal or should I just stick with Freud?I was just trying to think ahead. It's being put out by Harvey.

Leitz 10" DESTROYER BR36/ BC72/ BP80/ BG52 all for 349.00

Thanks as always

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Even though I'm not familiar with Leitz blades, you're not getting a good deal. $90/blade is only a moderate discount from $150 +/- for top of the line blades, especially if you don't know how sharp the blades are or if there are any damaged teeth.

If this is your first cabinet saw, what are the chances you will use 4 different types of blades? I'm guessing the blades are rip, dual purpose, flat tooth, and plywood tooth patterns. If you don't use 1 of them, you just paid per blade what a brand new Forrest, Ultra Shear, or Whiteside would cost.

 

[oldtexasdog]

Thanks-I like level headed advice

 

[Oka]

I have a few of these and have used the 36 tooth 5 deg semi rip blade as a daily driver for a while. They are excellent blades.
I would recommend them. However, if you are patient you can usually get them for under a 90 bucks. I bought 3 for 65.00 each when they were on sale 2 years ago.
I also have Ridge and Forrest, CMT, Amana and Freud. I like them all but the Leitz 36 tooth is a really a good go to for me because it is not a flat ground top but a 5 deg bevel, it still is flat enough to dado with and the angle makes the cut to me smoother than the Ridge 40 tooth flat ground blade. Especially since I use pretty hard wood.
My general set up is:
Leitz as a general use blade,
Ridge and Forrest for when I am doing 50/50 cross cut or rip
CMT for Laminate or composites/ plastics
Amana for Fine tooth cutting
Freud for Fine or thin kerf cutting.

Just depends on what you are doing and what works for you. I am in Hawaii and most the wood I work with is Maple hard or harder. I do miss Cherry and Walnut, hard to get decent Cherry or Walnut here most is pretty iffy.
We use in lieu Pheasant wood, Kamani, Milo, Lychee, Mango, Sugi Pine, Robusta or Silky oak. When I can get it I really like White Lychee.

 

[Echd]

I believe they're the same blades harvey sells. Harvey is one of those companies where the marketing department appears to be run by recently graduated MBAs, and their sales are essentially just an unhinged roulette wheel on their website that requires you to check it once a day for about a week and a half to get the item you want at its lowest price. But, I am pretty sure I have seen those blades go for around $60 at times.

 

[Oka]

They are Harvey sells them, they were originally designed and made in Germany years ago and now I believe they are made in Hungry and India

 

[chris_goris]

Leitz makes industrial quality tooling specific to woodworking. Ive never had their saw blades but their shaper tooling is the best money can buy. That price seems reasonable to me as it may be, buy them once and never again.

 

[Mark Fogleman]

If you have a Festool saw blade you have a Leitz blade.

 

[Rwe2156]

OK, my take is no offense to I'd have to be nuts to spend $175 on a sawblade. That said, I do have a WWII only b/c I got it for 20 bucks at an estate sale. No question is stays sharp longer, but OTOH I can buy 3 blades for that.

CMT is my go to blade. Their router bits are excellent, too.

I would start with a 24T rip and at least a 60T crosscut. I don't normally recommend a combination blade but you might start with that. They are priced on a par with Freud but last a lot longer.

Check Amazon, CMT blades are often on sale. I just checked an matter of fact here's a couple at good discounts. They are thin kerf, but you can check the others.

 

[chris_goris]

OK, my take is no offense to I'd have to be nuts to spend $175 on a sawblade.




I may be wrong, but I think its $349 for 4 , very high quality Blades

 

[tvrgeek]

I got a Lietz from Harvey as a bonus. Very nice. Actually the only multi-purpose blade I liked. I also like my Amana and CMT blades. Not a fan of the Forrest or Ridge and really do not like those red ones.

 

[Rwe2156]

I may be wrong, but I think its $349 for 4 , very high quality Blades

FWIW I’ve been in this game a while and this is the first time I heard of Leitz. I know that’s a German brand associated with quality optics. Scott’s testimonial aside, the fact a table saw mfg’er includes them actually doesn’t mean much, as most blades that some with machines are cheap.

So I won’t dispute they are good blades, but $87.25 per blade, some of which you’re not sure you’re going to use much seems to me not a good expenditure.

You’ve gotten rec’s from some experienced people, one of which is CMT is overall a better blade than Freud. This is your first cabinet saw, truthfully any decent blade is going to get the job done. You haven’t mentioned the motor size. If it is 1.75 or less I recommend you go with thin kerf blades.

As you process more and more wood, and the type of wood you deal with, you’re going to find regardless of brand, sharpness is the major factor in cut quality. Edge retention is the determining factor that separates many blades, and how often they are off to the sharpener.

Re my comment about Freud, they aren’t that horrible, in fact two of the better blades I have are a glue line rip and a melamine blade - when sharp. Unfortunately it doesn’t take long before you can see the cut quality decreasing. I find this is typical with any Freud blade.

 

[oldtexasdog]

"You’ve gotten rec’s from some experienced people, one of which is CMT is overall a better blade than Freud. This is your first cabinet saw, truthfully any decent blade is going to get the job done. You haven’t mentioned the motor size. If it is 1.75 or less I recommend you go with thin kerf blades."


ALPHA HW110LC-36P 10" 2HP Cabinet Table Saw

 

[chris_goris]

FWIW I’ve been in this game a while and this is the first time I heard of Leitz. I know that’s a German brand associated with quality optics. S

I think youre thinking of Zeiss optics. Leitz is second to none for saw blades, hands down

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

FWIW I’ve been in this game a while and this is the first time I heard of Leitz. I know that’s a German brand associated with quality optics. Scott’s testimonial aside, the fact a table saw mfg’er includes them actually doesn’t mean much, as most blades that some with machines are cheap.

So I won’t dispute they are good blades, but $87.25 per blade, some of which you’re not sure you’re going to use much seems to me not a good expenditure.

You’ve gotten rec’s from some experienced people, one of which is CMT is overall a better blade than Freud. This is your first cabinet saw, truthfully any decent blade is going to get the job done. You haven’t mentioned the motor size. If it is 1.75 or less I recommend you go with thin kerf blades.

As you process more and more wood, and the type of wood you deal with, you’re going to find regardless of brand, sharpness is the major factor in cut quality. Edge retention is the determining factor that separates many blades, and how often they are off to the sharpener.

Re my comment about Freud, they aren’t that horrible, in fact two of the better blades I have are a glue line rip and a melamine blade - when sharp. Unfortunately it doesn’t take long before you can see the cut quality decreasing. I find this is typical with any Freud blade.

Well, E Leitz (Ernest Leitz) manufactures the German camera Leica, also make some pretty fabulous camera optics.

Having said all this, Leitz the woodworking tool manufacturer makes some super high quality saw blades. If you own a Festool circular saw or Kapex, the blade was made by Leitz.

 

[Rwe2156]

I think youre thinking of Zeiss optics. Leitz is second to none for saw blades, hands down

I have a Leitz microscope and at one time Leitz binoculars.

May not be the same company.

If Festool blades are made by Leitz, then I'll have to try one someday.