# Trend saw blades



## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

I haven't tried one these, nor do I intend to unless someone sends me one free of charge. Obviously I don't know how they perform from experience, and it could be validly argued that it's unfair for me to post this, but I thought I'd post some observations as an FYI. IMHO the Trend blades don't look particularly well made considering their price point. They have fairly small chips of carbide and resemble other cheap Asian import blades made from stamped steel. Since there's no shortage of high precision blades available from well proven brands, often on sale at great prices, I'm unsure what Trend blades have to offer. Unless Trend offers superior quality for less money, I'm inclined to stick with the well knowns like Infinity, Forrest, Ridge Carbide, Amana, Freud, CMT, Tenryu, Onsrud, Oshlun, Delta Industrial, or DeWalt Precision Trim. 

Here are a few thousand words worth of pictures that do a nice job of expressing my observations:

Compare these higher quality blades to the Trend 40T 10" blade that sells for ~ $40...all are within a few dollars of the Trend, some are even several dollars less. From a glance, all look like better blades than the Trend, but in fairness...looks don't tell the whole story and can be deceiving...nonetheless, judge for yourselves: 


























































Now compare the Trend to some cheaper $10-$20 blades...it looks to me like the Trend blades are in good company in this group: 












































FWIW, I have no beef with Trend products whatsoever...just posting my thoughts and making idle conversation... anyone agree or disagree with what I see?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

knotscott said:


> Unless Trend offers superior quality for less money, I'm inclined to stick with the well knowns like Infinity, Forrest, Ridge Carbide, Amana, Freud, CMT, Tenryu, Onsrud, Oshlun, Delta Industrial, or DeWalt Precision Trim.


+1.:yes: I agree. That says it all. I haven't tried them either. I do find it unique that it's printed on the blade "Good Finish".












 







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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

+2, Nice catch on the wording Cman.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

I'm not sure what the point is...

When looking at the first group of blades. I see three combination blades, four general purpose blades and a miter saw blade. Only the latter is intended for use in a miter saw (Or RAS).

The trend blade is a negative hook intended for miter saw use. It seems to be well designed for its intended usage.

I prefer a good combination blade to any general purpose blade. The Tenryu and Amana blades are known to be very good blades. 

The DeWalt "Precision Trim" blade has me scratching my head. The words Precision Trim just don't seem to fit the configuration of the blade. Normally the Precision Trim function would be associated with miter saw however the aggressive hook angle and tooth configuration would preclude usage in a miter saw.

It should be noted that only the trend and DeWalt blades have an anti kickback design.

In the second group, the DeWalt (Yellow halo) blades are construction blades and are cheap by design. The blades are good enough for construction but not really for fine carpentry.

In the second group of blades the Avanti and Irwin also have an anti kickback design similar to the trend. 

The Skilsaw blade appears to be more of a rip blade but it claims to cross cut also. For some reason the Skilsaw blade looks very similar to my Harbor Freight "nail finder" blade.

Finally the Vermont American blade is not what it says. I find trouble with the designation "Combination". The blade does not appear to have raker teeth and the large gullet that precedes the tooth into the cut. 

If I'm in the store and presented these choices AND the there is a 12" trend blade in the $40-$50 range for my SCMS, I would be inclined to try the blade. For purpose, the trend blade appears to be a well designed blade.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

The point was really just to share and discuss some observations, as it struck me as odd to introduce a new blade that gives a visual impression of being a cheaper blade that most others in it's direct price range. 

Indeed they got the hook angle right for a miter saw/RAS blade, but it's the overall size of the carbide, appearance of the brazing, and the anti-vibration slots that give the look of a lesser blade IMO. The size of the carbide doesn't effect cut quality, but it's less than half the size of most of the better blades shown. Small carbide means it can't be sharpened as many times, and is just one of several indicators that I look for when checking out a blade. The less sophisticated anti-vibration slots and cruder brazing are another indicators that don't necessarily effect cut quality either, but these are little insights that signal whether a company is a committed player in furthering the technology of their products, or are just looking to make some money. Usually a new player needs to offer something new, unique, better, or cheaper, and I'm not seeing that they're offering any of those advantages.

Interesting observation about the anti-kickback design. The top 40T blades from Freud, Forrest, Infinity, Ridge Carbide, Tenryu, Amana, CMT, Delta, DeWalt, Leitz, etc., don't have it either. Some of the Freud Diablo blades like the D1040, D1024, and the LU83, LM72, LM74, and LU87 industrial blade do have them. My best guess is that they feel that ripping blades and possibly people who use less expensive construction type blades will benefit more from the anti-kickback design.


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

My eye wasn't good enough to pick out the carbide size or brazing technique. Sorry about that.

That is an interesting thought about construction users. I do believe that you made a very astute observation. The lack of safety that I saw during a remodel on my home made me cringe. 

And then there is the Ryobi law suit award in the Boston area. There is nothing that can make a blade idiot proof.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

rrich said:


> ....And then there is the Ryobi law suit award in the Boston area. There is nothing that can make a blade idiot proof.


That was simply a travesty of justice IMHO...undoubtedly carried out by people who know very little about saws, sawing, etc. Like you said, they can't legislate enough to prevent stupidity!


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

Interesting observations, guys. Thanks for sharing.

Now what's the anti-kickback design, and how does that work? I didn't even know that was a feature.
--Matt


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

haugerm said:


> Interesting observations, guys. Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Now what's the anti-kickback design, and how does that work? I didn't even know that was a feature.
> --Matt


I'm told that trailing blade disk behind the tooth prevents the stock from skewing and kicking back. 

HEY, IT'S MARKETING but I'm sure that there is some truth to the hype.


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## jdixon (Nov 21, 2007)

Well I bought a Trend 60 tooth finishing blade setup for a mitersaw at Woodcraft on their Black Friday sale for $39. Came with a bottle of blade cleaner but unfortunately I can't review it either because I haven't installed it yet. :laughing: 

I am hoping to use it for some segmented work that I will be cutting for some lathe work. It was about 30 to 40 bucks cheaper than a comparable Freud blade. Comparable in teeth and finishing cut capability not carbide thickness. Didn't really even check that. I won't use it enough to make a difference for me as price was my driving factor.

If I ever get the darn thing on and make a few cuts with it I'll drop back in and give my impressions. If not I guess I'll be glad I spent less on it since It hasn't even made it out of the package yet.:laughing:

John


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