Forrest Hitting Skids?

[Ben Cadotte]

I agree with their blades being sold at a premium, none should come out of the factory with a problem. But I can also see some bad ones making it out of the plant. Like anything else their costs are going up for materials and energy supplies. I have not noticed a jump in their pricing. They may have made cuts in other areas to contend with the higher supply prices. And maybe that is hurting quality??? Only they know what is going on.


I have only purchased one blade from them. And that was only due to it being discounted. Being a hobbiest, paying full price for one, when I can get blades that seem as good for half as much, is not an option for me. I have several Freuds and am happy with them. Once I try the Forrest I will make a determination then if its worth the money (what I paid at discount). And after some extended use, determine if they are worth the full price they normally sell at.

[Jason Beam]

Seems like a reasonable way to handle your situation, Fritz. I don't know what more they could do for you but enjoy your Everlast and Tenryu blades and I sure hope they don't ship you a bad blade!!

For the record, I do not own any Forrest blades and don't have any plans to. I have CMT and Freud and am happy with those.

Agreed - and likewise: I have no Forrest blades and no intention of buying any. I'm actually a Tenryu fan, myself

But, Fritz, c'mon. You weren't forced to pay someone else to fix the problem. You were presented with a polite apology and a request for the opportunity to make good on what they sold to you. You didn't like that solution and chose another avenue. That isn't Forrest's fault. They offered to replace it. Your actions following their offer are yours, not theirs.

I agree it's inconvenient, but I've learned long ago not to expect perfection from humans. It's a lost cause. Human beings make mistakes, no matter how hard they try not to. Forrest has a reputation for trying really hard not to mess up. Plus, they back up their products as your email clearly shows. If nothing else, you've shown that they did step up and offer to fix the problem - they didn't leave you high and dry like one might expect a bad company to do.

I'm sorry this happened. But you can't expect perfection 100% of the time.

[Norman Pyles]

Seems like a reasonable way to handle your situation, Fritz. I don't know what more they could do for you but enjoy your Everlast and Tenryu blades and I sure hope they don't ship you a bad blade!!

For the record, I do not own any Forrest blades and don't have any plans to. I have CMT and Freud and am happy with those.

+1..........

[Ken Garlock]

Some time last fall I sent in one WW-II blade for resharpening and "de-warping". Today I swapped the WW-II in the saw for the resharpened blade. I was amazed at the difference. What I thought was just the hardness of the sugar maple I had been cutting was in reality just a badly dulled blade. The reworked blade cuts through 3" thick maple just like a knife through butter. The blade I took off will be in the mail to Forrest for a refurbishment in the near future.

IMO, I will keep buying Forrest blades or until I get a bad blade, or some twists my arm to buy some other brand.

[J.R. Rutter]

I have 2 Chopmasters that I run in my finish crosscut station in my production shop. When I was first starting up, I tried a lot of different "industrial quality" finish miter blades and found the Forrest to be the best. I only need to swap out for sharpening every 6 months or so. That's with about 15 hours per week cutting hardwoods, including jatoba (which is very hard on blades). One of my customers at a large cabinet shop stopped me last month to ask how I got the ends of solid slab drawer faces so smooth...

Anyway, let's hope that the perceived quality issues are a matter of internet amplification and not a systematic decline.

[Dave MacArthur]

Interesting thread from a perspective of what level of quality control vs. mitigation is acceptable to different folks. I was actually thinking "boo Forrest!" until I got to the end and read the email they sent Fritz Stoop... while I'd be irked to get a bad new blade on purchase, I have to say I'd be pretty happy with Ted's email--that would 99% defuse me. A credit for a free sharpening in the future (if it was offered) would have made me a fan.

I also never thought to use a 7.5 " CS blade in my TS... that might be worth a try.

[FRITZ STOOP]

Agreed - and likewise: I have no Forrest blades and no intention of buying any. I'm actually a Tenryu fan, myself

But, Fritz, c'mon. You weren't forced to pay someone else to fix the problem. You were presented with a polite apology and a request for the opportunity to make good on what they sold to you. You didn't like that solution and chose another avenue. That isn't Forrest's fault. They offered to replace it. Your actions following their offer are yours, not theirs.

I agree it's inconvenient, but I've learned long ago not to expect perfection from humans. It's a lost cause. Human beings make mistakes, no matter how hard they try not to. Forrest has a reputation for trying really hard not to mess up. Plus, they back up their products as your email clearly shows. If nothing else, you've shown that they did step up and offer to fix the problem - they didn't leave you high and dry like one might expect a bad company to do.

I'm sorry this happened. But you can't expect perfection 100% of the time.

I have never, ever received an Everlast or a Tenryu that was not in top condition, nor have I heard of one. FORREST MAKES SAW BLADES. These are not robotic laser surgery machines. These are inanimate objects with no moving parts! They charge nearly 50% more than their competitors.

Then, instead of sending a new blade overnight, they offer to sharpen it. So (instead of putting it on my saw and working on a time sensitive job), I box it up, go stand in line at the post office, then go wait a week or more until I get it back. I didn't buy it because I didn't need it. i bought it for a specific reason. At a specific time. A reason that demanded the highest quality. So, based on their reputation, I paid the premium.

That's why reputation are so valuable. Once you earn them, you charge for it. BUT YOU ARE NOT RELIEVED OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY, YOU HAVE MORE THAN EVER.

Apologists for these guys drive me nuts!

As far as being "forced to have someone else fix them problem". They took my money without hesitation and as far as I have heard, I have not been offered overnight service or a refund. Instead I was offered a likely two week delay.

'Nuf said. I'll vote with my feet!

[Rich Konopka]

I just got a WOODWORKER I blade from Forrest and it came "DULL"!!!
It had never had its finish sharpening! So after a $125 I had to pay for sharpening. A guy with a shop in my building had the same problem and the 90 year old company that does my sharpening tells me they're seeing all kinds of problems with Forrest products.
Anyone else seeing this. Hate to see an old, quality company lose it.

Fritz,

I'm sorry to hear about your WW1 woes. I have purchased several Forrest blades with no issues and I have found them to be very good In fact, I just purchased and received this week 2 Forrest WW2 blades for my little Makita trim saw. They arrived nicely packaged and the carbide tips were coated in plastic to protect them. By any chance was your blade properly coated?

The blade came with a folded manual and instructions with Jim Forrest picture on it. It quotes ' You can Count on Us for Quality, Performance, and Dependability!". Hold them to it and call Jim Forrest him self. Note the blade number and have them look into it.

Good Luck !!