Wealden Tool circular saw blades (vs competition)?

[sploo]

Just wondering if anyone has used any of Wealden Tool's circular saw blades, and could comment on the cut quality and longevity?

In general they seem to be a bit more expensive than the Axminster Contract range, but a lot cheaper than the Axminster Premium blades. In the 300mm diameter I need, they look to be about the same price as the Freud LP60 blades.

I recall Atkinson Walker blades being recommended at one point, but they've recently been bought out by Sheffield Industrial Saws, and I couldn't find any blade pricing on their website.

Recommendations for other brands also appreciated. I don't mind spending £40-£70 on a blade, but the £130 Axminster want for their Premium 305mm 72T blade is a bit rich for me.

 

[chris-a]

Have held an edge better than my genuine Felder blades! Wealdon is pretty much my go-to for anything blade related now, excellent quality saw blades, router cutters are top notch and spindle cutters are good too. Delivery is quick as well, in general just an all round good experience that makes you wonder why most companies/products can't be that way.

Theres a lot of meat on the carbide teeth so will survive plenty of resharpening. I've got a 300mm blade i've had on my saw for months now that just won't die, its one of the fine blades but I abuse it a lot ripping thick oak etc and it's still going strong. Hope that helps!

 

[Trevanion]

What do you plan on using it for? Ripping, Crosscutting or both?

I've yet to try a Wealden circular saw blade but I've heard good things about them. I've personally been using the CMT blades in my machines for a while now and they're definitely a step up from the Freud blades.

 

[sploo]

Have held an edge better than my genuine Felder blades! Wealdon is pretty much my go-to for anything blade related now, excellent quality saw blades, router cutters are top notch and spindle cutters are good too. Delivery is quick as well, in general just an all round good experience that makes you wonder why most companies/products can't be that way.

Theres a lot of meat on the carbide teeth so will survive plenty of resharpening. I've got a 300mm blade i've had on my saw for months now that just won't die, its one of the fine blades but I abuse it a lot ripping thick oak etc and it's still going strong. Hope that helps!

Very good to know - thanks!

 

[sploo]

What do you plan on using it for? Ripping, Crosscutting or both?

I've yet to try a Wealden circular saw blade but I've heard good things about them. I've personally been using the CMT blades in my machines for a while now and they're definitely a step up from the Freud blades.

Both - but I'd definitely buy one ripping blade and one crosscutting. Generally I plane what I rip (even if it's just a finishing pass with a handplane) so I favour a really coarse blade for getting through thick rip cuts, as the cut quality doesn't matter too much.

Hadn't thought about CMT, so that's worth a look. The Freud range is difficult to research, as most links refer to blades only available in the US market. Their LP blades (available here) are listed on the Freud Italy site as "Circular saw blades for portable machines" so maybe they're not their "best" blades; though they are roughly the same cost as the Wealden blades.

A quick check on CMT shows lots of good blades - but mostly for the US market

Also just remembered Trend; they do seem to do a few blades. Not too bad pricing wise, but more expensive than the Wealden blades.

 

[memzey]

Bear in mind that Wealden saw blades were made by (the excellent) Atkinson Walker up until recently. The newer ones are no longer made in country (somewhere in Europe I think).

 

[andys wood shed]

Wealden are an excellent company in my opinion but I have never tried their circular saw blades. I have recently tried Cutting Solutions circular saw blades and so far are impressive with their quality of cut, life and quietness
http://www.cutting-solutions.co.uk

 

[sploo]

Bear in mind that Wealden saw blades were made by (the excellent) Atkinson Walker up until recently. The newer ones are no longer made in country (somewhere in Europe I think).

Interesting.

I contacted them a couple of days ago and they were very upfront that their discontinued (clearance) blades were made in Sheffield but their new stock comes either from Germany or (IRC) Italy.

The discontinued blades have some models with a 5/8" bore, which is what my saw uses. I do use 30mm bore blades with an adapter, but thought it would be a good opportunity to get some with the right bore size, plus they were at a discounted price.

I have also bought one of their new ripping blades. It has a slightly different tooth count to the discontinued ripping blade I've ordered but it should allow me to make a comparison between the new and old blades.

 

[sploo]

Wealden are an excellent company in my opinion but I have never tried their circular saw blades. I have recently tried Cutting Solutions circular saw blades and so far are impressive with their quality of cut, life and quietness
http://www.cutting-solutions.co.uk

Useful to know - thanks.

Prices similar to Wealden Tools. I wonder if they're coming from the same German manufacturer

 

[Phil1975]

I’ve had a few Wealden saw blades & have always rated them highly. In my experience they last well. I have just bought a new table saw & bought my blades (20mm bore) from them.
Wealden are my go to for router cutters, the easi tip replaceable insert cutters are really impressive - pricey to buy but long term they work out cheaper.

 

[MotamJoinery]

In the past I have used custom spec blade made by Ernest bennet, Atkinson & Walker blades and Frued blades

Recently come across a new blade from keyblade and fixings and so far its been excellent.

https://www.keybladesandfixings.co.uk/

 

[Gregers]

Wealden are an excellent company in my opinion but I have never tried their circular saw blades. I have recently tried Cutting Solutions circular saw blades and so far are impressive with their quality of cut, life and quietness
http://www.cutting-solutions.co.uk

I'll second that - excellent blades and helpful advice from cutting-solutions.

 

[memzey]

The downside of cutting solutions is that you can end up waiting a while for your order. Earlier on this year I was looking for a negative rake blade for my RAS so I got in touch. They don’t hold that type in the warehouse and had just had their stock shipped from Germany so wouldn’t be getting more in for between 4 & 6 weeks. Suffice to say I went with Wealden again and had my blades the next day.