1. The Price
What is the most important factor for you? The initial price of
the blade or the cost per cut? For smaller jobs, or occasional use,
a lower priced blade like our 3 or 4 star quality may be
preferable. For larger jobs, or regular use, a higher priced blade
will actually be less expensive to use because it will deliver the
lowest cost per cut. For large jobs, or continuous use, we
recommend our 5 or 6 star products For larger jobs, the lowest
possible sawing cost per cut or metre is usually much more
important than the initial price of the tool.
2. The material to be cut
Correctly identifying the material(s) you are going to cut is
the most important factor in choosing a blade. It directly affects
the cutting speed and the life of the blade.
Most materials will fall into the following categories:
- Hard Materials - Granite, Clay Products, Flint Concrete,
Engineering Brick
- Medium Hard Materials - Concrete Products & Building
Materials
- Soft & Abrasive - Bricks, Blocks, Concrete Roof Tiles
- Extremely Abrasive - Asphalt, 3 Newton Concrete Block
When cutting hard materials, such as Granite, a soft bond is
required. The soft bond will release the diamond grit at the point
of the maximum utilization, without the danger of the bond holding
the grit for too long, which would cause the blade to overheat and
stop cutting.
When cutting medium hard materials, such as concrete Kerbs &
Slabs, a medium hard bond type is required. This bond provides the
right balance needed to keep the diamond grit fully exposed and at
the same time ensures the material wears the bond at the correct
speed, giving the best possible life. Most universal blades will be
a medium bond product.
When cutting soft materials, such as Asphalt or 3 Newton Block,
a hard bond is required. This hard bond will hold the diamond grits
longer so they can be more productive. If you use a soft bond to
cut soft material, the bond will release the diamonds before they
have reached maximum utilization and good diamonds will be lost
prematurely. The blades will still cut adequately but productivity
will be poor.
Most diamond blades cut a RANGE of materials. However, the
material should be matched to the blade as closely as possible. As
a general rule, determine the material that will be cut most often
or the material for which blade performance is most important and
then select the most appropriate blade type (bond).
3.Wet or dry cutting
Choosing wet or dry cutting may be a matter of user preference
or job requirement.
When using a hand tool such as an electric grinder, it is not
safe to use water because of the electrical power source. For floor
saws wet cutting is usually preferred because you can cut deeper
when using water as a coolant. For tile and masonry saws, either
wet or dry cutting can be used, but when used with water the blades
will cut quicker and last longer. For hand held petrol saws, dry
blades are more popular, but they are often used wet as a form of
dust control.
Wet blades MUST be used with water. Dry blades may be used
either dry or wet as the job or equipment allows.