Before we start, I am not here to tell you these Milwaukee blades are the best or worst carbide blades on the market. When it comes to carbide blades, it’s not an easy feat to produce. There is a ton of technology and engineering that goes behind the scenes to create a superior product. Looking around you will see that there are a lot of power tool manufacturers that sell carbide drill bits, saw blades and reciprocating saw blades. In all honesty, I have used some that are worth the price such as Diablo and other no names that were no names for a reason. So let’s jump into the Milwaukee Carbide Review.
Milwaukee Carbide Review Overview
The whole idea behind carbide blades is that they are supposed to cut faster and last longer, but it does come with a higher price tag. Usually, when you hear carbide, they are either talking about tungsten carbide or titanium carbide. Since this is an expensive metal, the blade itself is still made from steel, but the tips are what is made or brazed with carbide.
Carbide is widely used on power tool accessories, dental tools, and even some ballpoint pens. So this isn’t a new technology, but it is a superior product compared to steel itself since it will stay sharper 10 to 20 times longer. So don’t get sticker shock when you see some high price tags for these types of blades. In the end, you will get more cutting time per blade or drill bit.
Milwaukee Carbide Review Features
Milwaukee offers two types of carbide reciprocating saw blades, the AX, and the Torch.
The AX is designed for wood and it can also be used if there are nails or screws embedded in the wood. The AX blade has a 5 TPI blade design and also offers a “Fang” front which is designed for plunge cutting.
The Torch is designed for metal materials such as black pipe, angle iron, cast iron, high strength allows and even stainless steel.
Next on the list is the BigHawg which has 3 cutting teeth and a large area to remove debris. Here is the greatest feature of this accessory. If you’re cutting into wood and you hit a nail, no big deal as this is designed to not slow down. This can also be used on shingles, cement board, stucco, and plaster.
The Hole Dozer also comes with Carbide teeth. As you can see this has more teeth (4 TPI) and more cutting surface and is designed for higher RPM’s
Milwaukee offers two types of arbors.
The arbors are very easy to connect to the hole saw blades as they use a quick thread system.
Milwaukee Carbide Review Performance
We have been using these blades for a while so we are familiar with them. As you would expect, they cut wood very easily and are fast. They seem to stay sharper longer than the traditional bimetal reciprocating saw blades we have used in the past.
Again the Hole Dozers did a great job cutting holes. While they perform better with abrasive materials, they still worked well in wood. I can’t say these are my favorite on the market as I feel like I have used others that are quicker and cut better. Removing the plug is very easy with the larger holes.
The Big Hawg is an awesome system. I love how fast these fly through the wood. Very smooth and makes cutting a hole very easily.
Milwaukee Carbide Review Value
For the reciprocating saw blades, you can expect to pay a lot more than a traditional bi-metal blade. However, when you compare them to the other carbide blades such as Diablo, they are pretty close to the same cost which is between $6 and $10 per blade. I know that sounds like a lot, but remember they should last between 10X and 20X times longer and maybe even longer than that.
Milwaukee Carbide Review Final Thoughts
Overall I love these blades and hole saws. I am not a huge fan of the Hole Dozer, but the other 3 I think are winners. We are working on a house from 1924 and will be using these blades a ton. To give you a more in-depth look at these and how they hold up over time follow us on Instagram and see how these last. So far they have been great blades and give the Diablo a run for their money.
Again I am not here to tell you these are the best on the market. I am here to tell you these are another option that you might want to check out.
