Carbide is the current buzzword in reciprocating saw blades. Although we’ve used carbide-tipped circular saw blades since a long time, it took longer to gain traction with reciprocating saws.
What’s the biggest advantage? Durability is the key to the success of this blade. Although it is not uncommon for a bimetal blade to be faster in metal and wood than in carbide, its life span is very limited. Bi-metal blades can struggle to complete one cut once you move into harder material, such as the thicker metals that the Milwaukee Torch With Carbide Teeth was designed for.
Performance
We could use a variety of materials to test the new Carbide Toch. 5/20 cm rebar (#5) was our choice. It is a small diameter, but solid metal so it forces the teeth into the whole cut. Larger pipes shift the responsibility from the top to outsides, and back to the bottom.
Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel Sawzall, with One-Key, was also assigned to the job. It can dial in the material and blade you are using to set the optimal soft start and cutting speed for your job.
Milwaukee claims that the Carbide Torch is capable of making up to 50 cuts.
Speed is key. The blade moves quickly and then settles in. Our fastest cut took 11.3 seconds.
Milwaukee is slightly thinner and thicker than Lenox, but slightly thicker than Diablos carbide blades. Although dialing in the thickness stabilizes the cut and reduces chatter, there are many theories about what is right.
Sparks began to appear at cut #8 and were quite common by cut 12. Despite the chatter and vibration, the blade still cut well. As the blade wears, we can expect a rise in chatter. It has a very low tooth count at 7 TPI and 1 less than major carbide rivals.
The Bottom Line
La torche Milwaukee avec dents en carbure coupe mieux qu’une lame en carbure de première génération, d’après nos tests sur les barres d’armature. Il a une durée de vie plus longue et une vitesse de coupe rapide. Bien que ce ne soit pas le plus puissant que nous ayons testé, c’est un bon polyvalent. Il a 7 TPI pour que vous ressentiez plus de bavardage vers la fin. Cela durera longtemps si la vitesse de votre lame est maintenue faible pour le métal épais.
