Originally Posted by
kent wardecke
I noticed 2 members recommended imperial blades as an economical choice
At $7-10 each they are 5x no name blades. Are they that much better? Do they last long enough to be worth the extra $$$
I use the imperial blades; they are a little cheaper if you buy the multi-packs. I did buy a pack of no-names from the big A just to try. I doubt the imperials are 5x life if you are just cutting softwood. In harder or more abrasive materials, like MDF or drywall, the difference is more noticeable. As I mentioned earlier, the best thing you can do to extend life is to get the dust out of the cut and not let the blades get too hot. I was cutting some rectangular floor register openings out of some new flooring today, and I alternated between two blades. When one got hot, I swapped for the other. That worked pretty well. On the dewalt it takes a second or two to swap blades, so no real penalty for doing that. I could have used a different tool, but wanted to avoid generating a cloud of dust in a finished space, so the multi-tool got the nod.
--I had my patience tested. I'm negative--