When it comes to wood demolition, Milwaukee Ax Sawzall blades are tough to beat. New for 2026, the Ax is getting a Nitrus Carbide upgrade. I wanted to know what sets this blade apart from the rest of the line, so I jumped on a call with Joe Stehlik, Milwaukee’s Product Manager in charge of bringing this latest iteration to life.
We talked about specific design details, advantages, and the best applications for each version of the Ax. Now that I’ve analyzed the details, I’ll help you decide whether the Nitrus Carbide Ax is worth it.
READ
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Super Sawzall: Long Term Review
What the Nitrus Carbide Upgrade Brings to Ax Sawzall Blades
Since there was already an Ax Carbide blade, is there really a need to go full Nitrus?
First of all, we should consider what Nitrus really means. When you see that designation on any Milwaukee accessory, it indicates it’s the best they’ve got.
And what happens when you inject nitrous oxide into the fuel of a race car? You get supercharged performance. The same goes when you pair a Nitrus accessory with an M18 Fuel tool.
Design Differences
When it comes to the Ax, there are differences between the standard carbide design and the Nitrus version. The biggest is in tooth durability. No matter what brand you’ve used in the past, those hard nail strikes wreak havoc on teeth, even carbide teeth.
It makes sense. When you’re humming along at 3000+ SPM and suddenly slam into a nail or screw, that’s a lot of energy, and something’s gotta give. In most cases, you’ll make it through at least some strikes, but each one chips away a little more until the teeth round over or break off. Once the first one goes, the others behind it will start to drop as well. The result is that your blade is no longer effective.
With the Nitrus carbide upgrade, a big focus is on tooth geometry. Where most carbide teeth on wood-cutting blades engage square to the material at a 90° angle, Nitrus teeth come at a much sharper angle. When it hits metal, it’s able to slice in rather than slamming into it and holding on for dear life.
The teeth will still wear down eventually, but by attacking at a sharper angle, it preserves the carbide longer.
Of course, there are some other proprietary things going on. Just like other brands, the specific details of the carbide blend and attachment processes are protected information.
Extended Blade Life
Because of Nitrus Carbide’s durability, you’ll notice its cutting speed is consistently fast for longer. If you were to test the Ax Carbide next to the Nitrus Carbide version, both blades will slow down as their teeth wear. However, the Nitrus Carbide teeth wear at a much slower rate, especially against hardened fasteners, so it’s naturally going to maintain its optimal cutting speed for more cuts.
But how much longer?
Based on Milwaukee’s internal testing, the Nitrus Carbide Ax blade lasts roughly twice as long as the Carbide Ax when you have to cut through masonry nails or screws.
If you think about a deck demo where you’re hitting a ton of screws, if the Carbide Ax makes it through 140 screws, you can expect around 280 with the Nitrus Carbide Ax.
Cutting Speed
So, the Nitrus Carbide upgrade improves the service life of Ax blades, but what kind of cutting performance should you expect?
First of all, Joe told me all of his team’s internal testing is done at the highest speed the saw is capable of. They know that’s how Pros use their saws, so they didn’t bother trying to find a magical, perfect speed that offers an unrealistic number of cuts or cutting speed.
Compared to bi-metal blades, the carbide Ax was already a quick blade. It’s an advantage that only grew when nails and screws came into the picture.
The Ax with Nitrus Carbide increases the speed a little more. Based on Milwaukee’s internal tests, it’s a close race, but Nitrus Carbide is consistently ahead when cutting screws. But turning to harder masonry nails, the Nitrus Carbide blade begins to pull away and has a more noticeable advantage.
Even against top competitors, like Diablo, the Nitrus Carbide Ax has a clear advantage in both life and cutting speed.
When to Use Milwaukee Ax with Nitrus Carbide Sawzall Blades
Could you use a Milwaukee Ax with Nitrus Carbide for all your demo wood cutting? Sure.
Do you need to? No.
I asked Joe about specific times to use the Nitrus Carbide Ax vs when another version would be appropriate, and he offered some helpful advice. Here are some example demo applications from Milwaukee to help you decide which Ax blade is the right one:
Ax for Wood With Nails
- Standard framing nails
- Roofing nails
- Brad nails
- Staples
Carbide Ax for Wood with Nails
- Galvanized nails
- Duplex nails
- Drywall screws
- Self-tapping screws
Nitrus Carbide Ax for Wood with Nails
- Deck screws
- Structural screws
- Concrete screws (Tapcons)
- Lag screws
- Masonry nails
Of course, the Nitrus Carbide Ax can cut all of the above materials, but by choosing the right blade for the application, you can balance blade life against its cost. If you’re just running into standard framing nails or brad nails, the bi-metal Ax is going to be fine all day. Use lower-cost blades when you can, and step up to premium blades when it’s called for.
Is the Premium Price Worth It?
To determine whether the Nitrus Carbide Ax is worth it, we need to start with some actual prices. Below is a quick look at the current price of the three Ax blades. Note that bi-metal Ax blades are not sold individually, so the price is based on the cost per blade from a 5-pack.
| Price Per Blade | Bi-Metal Ax | Carbide Ax | Nitrus Carbide Ax |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-inch | $3.99 | $7.99 | $13.99 |
| 9-inch | $4.30 | $10.99 | $16.99 |
| 12-inch | $5.00 | $14.99 | $20.99 |
Obviously, we’d all rather pay $5 per blade than $15 or $20, but there’s more to the story than just the upfront cost. You also need to consider how many blades you’ll have to buy to get the job done. That’s where blade life and a cost per cut calculation help us out.
In general, a bi-metal Ax blade lasts five times longer than Milwaukee’s standard bi-metal blade. The Carbide Ax lasts 50 times longer, and the Nitrus Carbide lasts 100 times longer.
So let’s consider those prices again, considering their expected life in the equation. We’ll use the 9-inch blade in this example.
1 Nitrus Carbide Ax blade ($16.99) = 2 Carbide Ax blades ($21.98) = 20 Bi-Metal Ax blades ($86.00)
That’s a pretty compelling case for buying the premium blade.
Let’s also consider the cost per cut for each of these blades in a couple of scenarios.
| Cuts in Wood w/Screws | Cost Per Cut | Cuts in Wood w/Masonry Nails | Cost Per Cut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bi-metal Ax | ~ 1 | $4.30 | 0 | Ain’t Gonna Happen |
| Carbide Ax | ~ 140 | $0.08 | ~ 30 | $0.37 |
| Nitrus Carbide Ax | ~ 265 | $0.06 | ~ 55 | $0.31 |
Both screws and masonry nails are recommended applications for the Nitrus Carbide Ax, so we expect it to perform better. When you add the cost of each blade into the calculation, you can see that even though the Nitrus blade costs more up front, you end up saving money with every cut.
These numbers are fairly small on their own, but it tells a bigger story when you scale. Let’s say your demo crew makes 10,000 cuts of the type in the chart above. Here’s what those costs look like to you:
| Cuts in Wood w/Screws | Cost Per 10,000 Cuts | Cuts in Wood w/Masonry Nails | Cost Per 10,000 Cuts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bi-metal Ax | ~ 1 | $43,000 | 0 | Ain’t Gonna Happen |
| Carbide Ax | ~ 140 | $785 | ~ 30 | $3,663 |
| Nitrus Carbide Ax | ~ 265 | $641 | ~ 55 | $3,089 |
Now, imagine how that translates across metal, cast iron, and multi-purpose cutting as well. You can begin to see how much the Nitrus Torch Medium Metal, Nitrus Torch Thick Metal, and Nitrus Wrecker can affect your accessories budget.
The point is that using the recommended blade for the application isn’t just a performance play; it’s more cost-effective as well.
The Bottom Line
Milwaukee’s Nitrus Carbide Ax Sawzall Blade plays an important role as one member of your demolition accessories team. Just like you choose different blades for wood than you do for metal, understanding when Nitrus Carbide is the right blade can save you time and frustration.
At the same time, there are legit applications when the standard Carbide Ax or bi-metal Ax is the right call. When you pair the right blade with the right cuts, you’ll not only help your crew be more productive, but you’ll also take a more cost-efficient approach to your demo jobs.
