I used Walters for years as well....one only came apart, and buried itself into my hairline a couple of years ago. More operator trouble than a defective wheel. Have been using Speedecut wheels lately...They cost about half as much as a Walter, and last a bout half as long. Not sure if anyone up here carries the Pferd ones up here..anyone know? I`d be up for trying a couple...
I can't even begin to figure out how many Harbor freight cheapies I've burned through..... 300? 400? I don't even toss them when they lose a chunk. I have never been hit by any part other than dust. I've never had one totally grenade on me. like someone said earlier, don't force it, let the blade do the cutting at the pace it is designed for. don't twist them. NEVER have your face in line with the wheel. if they do fly apart they are going to go pretty much straight out. don't have your face or your nads in line with them. this is not rocket surgury.
The HF aren't bad for the money, considering I usually am using them to destroy something outside and they may get set down in the dirt or get rained on a little or something. They aren't always consistent though, some seem to burn up faster - and as noted they go faster on sheetmetal than they do on heavier steel. I mostly use them for taking bolts off and making starter cuts and things where I can't make the saw work.
At my place of work we use SAIT...We had a really bad batch of the Klingspor's. They were a blowing up, even the 1/4'' grinding wheels were exploding...Just kind of gun shy with them not saying they are a bad company,just telling you my experience with them...SAIT's seen to hold up pretty well..
Pferd for me also.The best around down this way.They make a bloody good body file as well,cuts steel like it's butter.
I have some that have been in my tool box for years. They seem to last longer there, sorry I forget what brand they are.
I use the 4 1/2" horrible fright cutoffs, last a good while and the price is right. FYI, the 4 1/2" wheels in general will last a lot longer than the 4" wheels.
The biggest thing with jig saws is to get a very good quality saw. I love my Bosch, but i've got a Porter Cable gear drive that I would kill to protect.
Tell me more of this "porter cable" You speak of.... The Bosch we have is the "big one" it has seen so much use in the last Year the i.d. sticker no longer has any numbers on it. the only reason I am sure it is a bosch is A- It still works and B- it's that horrible "bosch blue" as far as t.p.i, the one in it looks like a 32, but we buy packages of "basic metal" cutting blades for it. a 5 pack lasts for around 2 months, and considering the sheer amount of sheet metal work we do here, that in itself is DAMNED impressive ( by contrast, we have probably 4 air saws, and we go through a 10 pack of blades for that a week...easily. sometimes more. and the air saws are in "constant rotation"- meaning once we get one back from snap on, we send the next one in for service.-gotta love rebuilding services!) I have discovered that the good 'ol "air shears" are an effective, yet expensive paperweight. They may work well for perfectly straight cuts in tinfoil, but anything with a little bit of curve in it that is thicker than a postage stamp= broken blade, or broken head. total junk. Mr. bandsaw is a bad-ass, too. it's a simple Craftsman bandsaw with a quality Lennox blade on it. like buttah, I tell You...Like buttah. Until I got the lennox blade, I was using the harbor freight blades installed upside down. why? it cut slower, but they lasted longer. if You put it on "right", any attempt at cutting semi thick steel would result in every tooth on that peice of crap coming off and pelting You in the face, neck and forearms with great intense heat and speed. junk. I am currently loking for a smallish drop shear. anyone got one they are looking to get rid of?
I use Metabo but got some ones from Poland I think it was that are said to be the best. No, just got em and dont know the name!
Definitely the Dewalt .035 ones! I use a ton at my shop, we do all metal work and have done a ton of research. So for cutting, it's the Dewalt, but for weld grinding, it is the 3m wheels.
I have been using SAIT wheels for about 4 years now and I am very pleased with how they cut and how long they last. Never had one "blow up" or fail in any way. I pay about $2 a disc for them at the local tool store but I have found them in quantity on ebay as well. I use the 4" mostly but have used the 3 inch when I found them on sale. These wheels are made in Italy if that makes any difference.
O/T, but along the same lines I just discovered Lennox reciprocating saw blades at Lowes - nice and thick and reasonably priced. I'd been bending and breaking Black & Decker blades for years. The Lennox blades are only a few pennies more and are 2-3 times thicker than the old ones I was using.
the ones i use are from bulletindustries.com i use all there stuff its cheap and shit really, but it lasts as long as all that home depot crap and its cheap, there flap discs are only a buck. they are like 5 bucks at home depot
I had HomeDepot offer me the extended warranty on a couple of flap disk, yea no shit. I still kick myself for not buying it. It was in California though so it didn't seem so weird at the time. I never got that offer on the cutoff wheels, but I use the Dewalt's anyway,
You can get darn near all the brands you guys mentioned with next day delivery from... WWW.MSCDIRECT.COM Cob
We use the "Sait" cut-off wheels at work (we fabricate steel doors & frames for commercial buildings, 18, 16 , & 14 ga cold rolled steel). After 14 years we feel they last longer and perform better than all the others we've used. We also use a Porter-Cable model #548 bayonet saw, this is a worm driven jig saw, I too would kill to protect this saw as Porter-Cable stopped making it a few years back. My Dad got one off Ebay last year for around $300.00, well woth the money!
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