Vent: That $200 'diamond' blade I bought for my demo saw was a total scam

I dropped $200 on a supposedly premium diamond blade for cutting reinforced concrete on a job in Austin last month. The thing started glazing over after maybe 4 cuts through some rebar and wouldn't grab anymore. I had to stop the whole pour and run to the supply house for a different brand. Has anyone else gotten burned by those flashy blades with the big claims and no real performance?

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cooper.taylor7d ago

Maybe it's just me but I've had pretty good luck with the expensive diamond blades if you treat them right. That glazing you're talking about usually happens when you're pushing the blade too hard through the rebar without enough water or letting it cool down between cuts. I cut a lot of reinforced sidewalk panels in Houston summers where the concrete is full of scrap steel and my $180 blade lasted through two whole jobs before I had to swap it out. Could be the brand you grabbed was actually bad, but I've seen guys burn up good blades by running them dry or trying to cut too fast.