Question regarding Irwin 10-inch TS Blades.

[Andrew Welch 1977]

Lowes has an ad this weekend where you buy 1 Irwin Classic series 60-tooth 10-inch table saw blade for $20.00 and get two 40-tooth Blades for free.

I was thinking of picking these up for general purpose type use and wanted to know if it is really a good deal or just a 3-pack of low quality junk blades.

Anyone have any experience with these blades?

[Roger Newby]

For that price you could almost use 'em once and throw 'em away.

[Bart Leetch]

I purchased I think it was their 40 tooth double blade package for $20 about 2 years ago no regrets.

[Jesse Cloud]

I don't have any experience personally with Irwin blades, but Wood Magazine in its current (Dec/Jan) issue has a comparison of sawblades. The Irwin 40 tooth comes in just about at the bottom.

On the other hand, Roger has a point - at 3 blades for $20 it might be worth it just for cutting scrap or stuff that might have nails....

[scott spencer]

The Marathon blades aren't known for their stellar performance. I suppose it depends on how picky you are and how much use you hope to get. The bodies are lower grade stamped steel, the carbide is lower grade and smaller, and the tolerances in general are not the best. Pretty average grade blades.

Here's a pic of their Marathon blades vs their former Woodworking Industrial series which were German made and better quality.




When $27 shipped gets a very nice Tenryu RS25540 from Holbren, or a Freud LU86R010 from Amazon, I don't see much benefit in getting 3 lesser blades.

[Al Killian]

The only problem I have with them is that they some times leave splinterd ends. For the price, I like them.

[Jim Kountz]

They are definitley throw away blades. I use them for the jobsite but not too much in the shop. On the jobsite, I figure if a nail or something goes through one of these Im not out that much. And with my crew of misfit employees, its just a matter of time before someone runs a board through with a staple or nail in it!! *sigh*

[Dave Falkenstein]

Wood Magazine recently rated GP blades. The Irwin 14070 blade rated at the low end of the "Economy" blades. However, it was tied for the lowest cost blade tested. The Irwin got poor marks for "rip cut scoring" in four different materials tested. The Irwin blade did not make the Top Value list. Basically a low cost, throw-away blade. A waste of money in my book, unless you need a throw-away blade.

[Thomas Canfield]

Rockler has been running the 80 tooth Marathon Trim/finish blade with free Laser Guide for $39.99. It does a remarkable job on the miter saw and also on the table saw for cross cutting. It is a thin blade, but does adequate for ripping. I have bought several, and passed on the laser to others for their miter saw. The laser does not work on all saws though, but works well on the cheap Delta that I keep jusing. I am surprised how accurate the laser is and handy. I just ordered another set thinking that the one on my miter saw is about to get dull and the battery go out on the laser and the set cost is less that replacing the parts.

[Leland Berry]

Got to throw in my 2cents. Encyclopedias can be written on blade tech., but none of the reviews address what the user expects. Ditto Ken & Dave
and like Ken, I've had employees who aren't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. The other missing link is WHEN DO YOU TOSS IT ? After the saw motor is smokin' ? Or after 2 cuts in green oak? After burning out a
circular saw, I don't buy "deal" blades of any kind. I found that I can get
3 to 4 times the life from any Freud Diablo blade than any cheaper carbide
blade. The math tells the "deal". I haven't used pricier blades though. Its
the old "get what you pay for" rule. When I do have to replace them, I have to order them since the "blue store" doesn't carry them and I wouldn't go into the "orange store" to use the phone.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Recently, a fellow creeker did some ratings on various TS blades.
For some reason, it stuck in my mind that the Irwin's overall were rated as pretty good,,, for a $7.00 blade.
With that in mind, @ $20.00 for 3, I picked up a pack.

IIRC, they are made for a CMS (hook angle isn't "right"), not a TS.