Forrest WWI vs. Forrest Duraline A/T

[Ted Baca]

I have been using the WWII and am considering purchasing a blade more suited for cutting Baltic Birch Plywood. I have been doing fine with the WWII but think I can gain a smoother edge with more teeth. The WWI has 60 and the Duraline Hi A/T has 80. They state that the D A/T is good for melamine as well but I would mainly be cutting plywood and boards. Any one that has tried both? I would appreciate not getting into a brand debate. I have had good luck with Forrest and want to buy Forrest. Just want to invest with greatest benefit.

[Rob Will]

Do you have a good Zero Clearance Insert?

Rob

[Chuck Burns]

I've got the Duraline Hi A/T 80T and have never seen a better cut on plywood. Combo blades are great and that's what lives on the saw most of the time. But I'm thinkig of getting the WW II 20T rip blade too. I guess I grew up changing blades and it seems normal to me.

[scott spencer]

Hi Ted - I've tried the WWII and Duraline 100T. The Duraline makes a notably cleaner cut in ply and hardwoods, but don't expect it to feed as well as the WWII. The Duraline should be terrific in birch ply, though the Hi-ATB tips will dull a bit faster than the teeth on the WWII, so it isn't necessarily the best choice if you plan to cut boatloads of it.

[Joe Spear]

I have a Duraline and a WWI. If you want to cut sheets goods exclusively, get the Duraline. If you also are cross cutting hardwoods, get the WWI. There is some difference in how clean the cut is in plywood or melamine, but not a lot.

[Jim Becker]

If you cut a lot of sheet goods, the Duraline is a good investment. If it's just occasional use, you'll have to make the decision...the WW-II with a good ZCI is nearly as good. That's what's running on my slider right now and even when I forget to use the scoring blade, I get a clean cut. (And that's without the ZCI...with one I suspect it would be nearly perfect)

[Dennis Montgomery]

I cut lots of melamine (for a living) and found that the Duraline doesn't cut as clean as the Freud LU97. I have three working LU97s and one Duraline that sits in a drawer. The Freud is also less expensive. I don't know how they compare with plywood. You may want to also look at the new Freud Fusion. It is advertised as "flawlessly" cutting double sided melamine, veneered plywood and hardwood clean top and bottom (my dream blade). The product reviews seem promising.