Amazon: IRWIN 14082 Marathon 12-Inch 72 Tooth Circular Saw Blade $16

[tohellwithuga]

Shamelessly stole this from clearanceman at FW...

IRWIN 14082 Marathon 12-Inch 72 Tooth Satin Smooth Finish Circular Saw Blade

Enter code 2OOFFPTA at checkout for $4 off (20% actually)

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So, I'm getting this 12" 72 tooth blade for my Bosch 4212L miter saw, since I only have the general purpose (40T?) blade.

I also only have the general purpose 36T that came with my BT3100. If you were going to buy one more blade for this table saw, which one would it be?

Also $16 - IRWIN 14074 Marathon 10-Inch 60 Tooth Trim & Finish Circular Saw Blade

$26 - 20% - IRWIN 14076 Marathon 10-Inch 80 Tooth Satin Smooth Finish Circular Saw Blade

Are these hot prices? These blades seem to get good reviews. Anybody have opinions?

[Knottscott]

...
So, I'm getting this 12" 72 tooth blade for my Bosch 4212L miter saw, since I only have the general purpose (40T?) blade.

I also only have the general purpose 36T that came with my BT3100. If you were going to buy one more blade for this table saw, which one would it be?

Are these hot prices? These blades seem to get good reviews. Anybody have opinions?

"Yes" those are low prices, and "yes" I have an opinion about them! ....hate to dampen your enthusiasm, but I'd suggest shying away from the Marathon series altogether and either spend a bit more to get more, or try taking a chance on a different series. Irwin's "Woodworking" series is (or was) an excellent precision line that was made in Germany by Leitz...identical to the high end H.O. Schumacher & Sohn blades with laser cut bodies and nice carbide tips. The Marathon blades are a different animal ...very average Chinese made entry level homecenter/DIY grade blades with stamped steel bodies and thin carbide. They'll cut, but won't rival the better blades, won't eclipse many other decent blades, and likely won't hold an edge for too long. The carbide is small enough that they won't hold up to too many sharpenings either, so in the long run the hot price cools down alot.

Freud has a couple of great values that I'll suggest. On the bargain front, the LU86R010 is a very good 40T general purpose blade from Freud's upper Industrial line....laser cut, antivibration slots, high quality carbide hone to a fine edge, and their Permashield coating. It's ~ $28 shipped thru Amazon with the same discount code....made in Italy, and is a step up from their homecenter Avanti and Diablo offerings...should cut better and hold up better than the Marathon's. The LU86 does an admirable job backing up my WWII. For a bit money, the LU88R010 60T should kick some tushy in this price range...it'll leave a cut that's even slightly cleaner than the Forrest WWII and is remarkably versatile for a 60T blade. It's ~ $36 shipped and is one of my favorites of the 32 or so blades I've tried.... a nearly impossible value to beat IMHO.
http://www99.epinions.com/content_227985493636 (LU86)
http://www99.epinions.com/content_226312687236 (LU88)

You'd also be better off taking a look at the Tenryu RS25540 40T blade thru Holbren than with the Marathon's IMO. You'll get some of the best customer service in the business from Brian, and will get very good value that's along the same performance lines as the LU86. My only hesitation is that it's a "medium" kerf blade at 0.118" as opposed to a TK at 0.98" of the Freud's. Type "BT310" in the coupon code for 10% off....$27 shipped.
http://www.holbren.com/manufacturers...nufacturerid=5

DeWalt has a new "Precision Trim" series. I haven't had a chance to try one yet, but they resemble their very well respected series 40 blades which I always found to be excellent value and performers. Amazon's got them priced down near where the Marathon line is and would seem a much better risk to me than the Irwin's. The 40 tooth is ~ $18 shipped!
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103...0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Which blade would I get? ...the LU88...twice the price but 4x the blade. Let us know how you make out either way.

[tohellwithuga]

Awesome, thanks for the input Dustmight. I certainly don't want sub-standard blades. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to use very many different blades, and was just going on the opinions/reviews of others. You have 100% talked me out of buying these. Glad I waited.

I will look into your recommendations. Thanks again!

[Andrew Benedetto]

I have to say that I agree w. Dustmight, at least for the TS I had one warp during a long rip session of 3/4" MDF. Irwin did replace the blade but I returned the replacement to Lowes, new in the package. I have found their deck blade works much better, it has a coating. The carbide on these blades is very small.
The PT DW blades are not at all like the WW DW series, stay away from them, I have been told by others that have used them. I personally like the Freud blades, and they honor their lifetime warranty.
The slightly thicker kerf on the blade Brian sells may be an advantage, more mass more heat dampening. The irwin 40th I had was a TK w. a very light mass. Their deck blade weighs more and seems to work much better if you want Irwin @ amazon.