We’ve been talking a lot about Milwaukee and Diablo when it comes to carbide-tipped blades and many of you asked “what about Lenox?” That’s a fair question, so we brought in the Lenox Lazer CT Carbide Thick Metal Reciprocating Saw Blade to see how well it performs against the guys in red.
Before we dive into the testing, here’s a quick overview of the features.
Key Features
8 TPI: With 8 teeth per inch, it’s quite a bit more aggressive than a standard metal cutting blade, but on par with Diablo’s 8 TPI and Milwaukee’s 7 TPI.
Standing Tall: Slightly taller than both Milwaukee and Diablo, the Lenox Carbide Sawzall Blade for Thick Metal should be even more stable
Thick Metal for Thick Metal: At nearly 1/16″ thick, Lenox’ carbide thick metal blade is slightly thicker than Diablo or Milwaukee. This should also help stabilize it during the cut.
Additional Feature Notes
You can feel the difference in weight between what Lenox brings to the table and what Milwaukee and Diablo have. The extra weight Lenox carries should pay off in a more stable cut with less chatter.
Performance Testing
To see what kind of performance and life I could get out of the Lenox Lazer CT Carbide Thick Metal Blade, I grabbed some 5/8 rebar and got to work. It started fast, averaging around 7 seconds per cut with a fastest cut of 6.31. But where the other blades start to slow down, Lenox keeps up the pace well. It didn’t break the 20-second mark until it got past its 60th cut. Milwaukee and Diablo both recorded times higher than that within 10 cuts.
In the end, we called it a day after Lenox completed 69 cuts. Milwaukee made it to 42 and Diablo only managed 24. That’s a huge difference on both cutting speed and blade life.
Why Such a Big Difference?
When you’re cutting in thick metal and especially solid metal like rebar, vibration and chatter take their toll from the blade, not just your arms. Those lateral movements cause the teeth to try and cut through the side of the cut and not just through it. It’s a violent encounter that you can feel as vibration and sometimes see as the blade trying to jump around.
That thicker and taller design that Lenox brings to the table gives the blade more stability. In turn, you experience smoother, faster cuts and longer blade life.
Price and Value
At just over $15 each, the Lenox Lazer CT Carbide Sawzall Blade prices closely with both Milwaukee and Diablo. However, it’s clearly the superior blade, so even paying more isn’t unreasonable.
Final Thoughts
Faster cutting and longer life – what more can you ask for in your thick metal Sawzall blade? The Lenox Lazer CT Carbide Thick Metal Reciprocating Saw Blade gives you both with a significant gap to its closest competition. You may pay a couple of dollars more for the blade, but it’s worth the upgrade.
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Lenox Lazer CT Carbide Thick Metal Reciprocating Blade Features and Specs
- Up to 10X longer life than bi-metal reciprocating saw blades
- Straight cuts in large diameter materials
- Engineered for fast performance
- 8 TPI design
- 1″ tall
- 0.052″ thick
- Price: $15.98 (single)
- Model: Lenox 2014224 (single), 2014225 (5-pack)
