Saw Blades I Regret Not Getting Sooner

April 20, 2022

Watch The Video Here

I’ll be honest—for a long time, I hesitated to spend good money on saw blades. I’d happily splurge on power tools, but when it came to blades, I figured anything would do. That all changed when I finally gave the CMT ITK Extreme 10″ blades a shot.

Why I Tried CMT Blades

I’m the type who goes all-in or not at all. After hearing praise from other makers and doing some digging, I decided to try out CMT blades. They’re in the same price range as the popular Diablo blades (sometimes even cheaper), but they promised better performance—so I gave them a shot.

What Surprised Me First: The Packaging

Ever sliced your hand opening a new saw blade? I have. That’s why I really appreciated CMT’s snap packaging. It’s not only safer to open but doubles as reusable storage. A small thing, but a nice touch.

The Cut Quality and Coating

CMT claims their blades use thicker, higher-quality carbide teeth. I checked with calipers—they weren’t lying. Compared to Diablo, the carbide on CMT blades is definitely beefier.

The coating also impressed me. Diablo’s signature red sometimes marks up lighter woods. CMT’s coating doesn’t leave any residue, which means cleaner workpieces.

Performance in the Shop

In real-world cutting, both blades perform well. I tested them on different woods and got smooth, clean cuts from each. That said, the CMT blades seemed to glide through the wood a bit easier—especially on rip cuts.

Both brands include venting and sound-dampening slots, but CMT’s vent design looks more engineered, with added features to reduce vibration. Price comparison chart

The Big Win: Resharpening

Here’s where CMT really pulls ahead: their blades can be resharpened. Most people treat saw blades as disposable, but CMT engraves resharpening info right on the blade. That means longer blade life, lower costs over time, and less waste.

Honestly, I think they should promote that feature more—it’s huge.

Choosing the Right Blade for the Job

If you mostly do general woodworking, grab a 40-tooth general purpose blade. Doing lots of ripping? Go for a 24-tooth ripping blade. If your projects call for clean crosscuts, a higher-tooth count blade will serve you best. Close-up of blade teeth

Final Thoughts

I’m kicking myself for not switching sooner. CMT blades deliver top-tier results, thoughtful design, and long-term savings thanks to resharpening. Whether you're building furniture or just breaking down sheet goods, they’re absolutely worth trying.

Want to know more? [Watch the video here]