band saw blades

[star1280]

Hey guys wondering if you can help me find a distrubitor of some good inexpensive bandsaw blades.

Right now I'm paying $29 a pop from mcmaster and we abuse our blades quite a bit so we run through them fast.

size I'm looking for is not too typical either. 7'8.5"x.375x.02 bimetal 10-14
Alicia

[DareBee]

Try Do-All

[star1280]

Thanks they quoted me half the price and found me a local rep!

[DareBee]

No problem

I used them for a few years, but was unhappy with my supplier. I also found 1 - 2% had bad welds (which they always replaced FOC).

I recently switched back to Lenox. A few bucks more (half price compared to 10 years ago though) but I have a great supplier again.

I also used Starrett for quite a few years and really liked the blades but for some reason the supply seemed to dry up. I have noticed that KBC tools is selling them now (forgot about that earlier).

[eorourke]

You ought to try Wikus. They are German made with 4% chrome in the backing. They are really taking over the blade market on a national basis.

[Surfacefeet]

The German blades may just be the ticket.We switched to a German brand not sure if they are Wikus or not but they cut way smoother than the Starrets we were using.

[DareBee]

I used Wikus for close to a year as well.
I found no improvement in performance compared to others. Again, the supplier was not as good as others I have dealt with.
I hate having to piss around with suppliers, the ones that jump through hoops and get the job done without me ever having to chase them get my business. It is worth paying a few extra dollars for the piece of mind.

[Shotout]

Originally Posted by DareBee I used Wikus for close to a year as well. I found no improvement in performance compared to others. Again, the supplier was not as good as others I have dealt with. I hate having to piss around with suppliers, the ones that jump through hoops and get the job done without me ever having to chase them get my business. It is worth paying a few extra dollars for the piece of mind.

Hub City supplies our Wikus blades and the reps come by pretty frequently. Don't know if they srv your area with reps (based in Lake City FL) but www.hubcitysupply.com and you can order online. They have always been Johnny on the Spot for us in customer srv. These blades last forever in our saws, even with the welders and helpers in the fab shop using them, which was not the case with other brands.

Scott

[eorourke]

Thanks for the info. You are right it is all about service. Ya see I am a distributor and in the 4 years that we have handled the line, we have swept the marketplace in Minnesota. The only time that we lose is because there is politics involved. Most of our customers have reported a significant improvement in blade life plus we service their saws. It seems that the operators really like using the blades because they get straighter cuts as well as long blade life.