When it comes to cutting, Diablo is the king, well at least that’s my opinion. While I like all their cutting accessories like circular saw blades, reciprocating blades, oscillating blades, router bits, and more, it’s the circular saw blade that got me hooked on their line of products. When I was remodeling my house, I would use their framing blade. Even though it was a framing blade, it worked great, and best of all, it stayed sharp for a long time. Today we are talking about Diablo Saw Blades – the Wood & Metal Circular Saw Blade, an industry first, to be specific.
Diablo Saw Blades Overview
Professionals know quality saw blades are extremely important on the job. Sure, we know they cut, but it goes deeper than that (pun intended). As jobsites have moved from corded to cordless tools, tool efficiency has become more and more important. A sharp and high-performance blade will not only make your tools run longer because of less resistance, but it will prolong the life of your tools as they don’t have to work as hard.
This blade is a perfect example as it’s a multi-purpose blade that works on wood and metal. You can cut clean wood and wood with nails without changing blades. The blade doesn’t just do one great and the other OK, the blade actually works great on wood and metal, but best of all, the life isn’t compromised if you are using it on metal. You would think you could cut one or two pieces of metal and need to change blades, but no, you can use this blade for a long time before you have to think about replacing it.
Diablo Saw Blades Features
Diablo is an industry leader in cutting tools, abrasives, and power tool accessories. They have a blade for almost every cutting tool and application.
This is the industry’s first true multi-purpose saw blade. So here is what it can do:
- Cut wood clean, leaving a nice clean edge
- Cut wood with nails
- Cuts wood up to 2-1/4 in. thickness
- Metal – pipe, tube, angle
- Stud – channel
- Cuts metal ranging from 3/32 – 1/4 in. wall thickness
- 1/4 – 1 in. diameter threaded rod
- Burr-free cuts on metal
Here are some of the features designed into the blade:
- Tri-Metal Shock Resistant Brazing – The three-metal brazing system allows carbide tips to withstand hard impacts for durability – wood and metal applications
- TiCo Hi-Density Carbide – Lasts longer and reduces wear and tear
- Laser Cut Vents – Traps noise so not as loud and also reduces vibration
- Perma-Shield Coating – Non-stick coating reduces drag, cumming, and corrosion
- Chamfer-Alternate Top Bevel (C-ATB) tooth design cleanly shears through wood while providing the durability needed for clean, burr-free cuts in metal
Diablo Saw Blades Performance
We attached the Diablo Wood & Metal blade to our Milwaukee M18 Circular saw. Just to make things clear, this is an old Milwaukee saw that has had a ton of use and abuse. The saws today are much more efficient than this saw. The model number is 2630, which I believe came out in 2009 or 2011.
We wanted to cut through a wide range of materials. So we cut through the following items. Check out our Instagram to see us cutting through metal.
- Peg Board
- EMT Pipe
- Solid Oak Wood
- Pine 2×4 with Embedded Lag Screws
Cutting through pegboard is nothing exciting but it does give a good example of a clean cut. As you can see, there is no chipping, bending, or breaking – just a smooth finish.
Next, we cut through some solid oak. Using this saw over the years, I know how it feels cutting through different materials such as oak. I can easily say this cut through the oak faster and cleaner than I have done before. I could only imagine how well this blade would perform on a newer circular saw.
EMT pipe is usually cut with a band saw or a hacksaw but I figured why not? I knew it would cut through the pipe but I wanted to see it there would be burrs. As expected, it ripped through the pipe like nothing. What amazed me, was there weren’t any burrs. Just a nice clean finish cut.
We wanted to see how it would fair with wood and lag screws. So we embedded a couple lag screws into a 2×4. Again, it cut through the lags with ease. In fact so easy, it was hard to tell when we were cutting through the lags. Normally you can feel when you hit metal. However, not with this blade. It cut right through with ease.
Diablo Saw Blades Value
I am a huge Diablo fan. They aren’t the cheapest but also they aren’t the most expensive. For the quality you get from Diablo, they can’t be beaten. You can pick these blades up at your local Home Depot. The price varies depending on the size of the blade and the number of teeth you are looking for. This blade is the 6-1/2 in. x 32-Tooth Wood & Metal circular saw blade which runs $24.97. A 7-1/4 in. x 36-Tooth Wood & Metal Circular Saw Blade is also available.
For me, it’s a great value. Sure you can get cheaper blades but you also don’t get the performance you do with these blades. In fact, I am sure over the long run, you will pay more for the cheaper blades as you will have to replace them more often. For $25 you get a blade that is a true multi-purpose blade that cuts wood and metal, the blade will last a long time and you get a great end result, how can you go wrong?
Diablo Saw Blades Wrap Up
Bottomline, Diablo is known for its cutting accessories for a reason. They are strong, reliable, last a long time, and produce a great finish. These Wood & Metal blades are the first true multi-use blade I have seen. For a $25 investment, it’s a no-brainer.
