How do you know which diamond blade, cup wheel or any other diamond abrasives tool is the right one for you? there are so many options out there with huge cost differences, but why? what's the difference and how does is effect you and your use of the tool. do we go purely on price with the hope you get what you pay for or maybe the most popular?
the main difference is in the manufacture process and that really boils down to two methods known as cold pressed or hot pressed processes, so how does this in the real world make any difference well lets start with the most common thing we all look for when making a decision Cost. when we look for diamond blades we might look for cheep diamond blades or maybe best price diamond blades, we all want a bargain right? so what is a cheep or budget blade well you've guessed it cold pressed and that may be the right fit for you! you can expect to pay anywhere from £10 to £35 for a diamond 125mm cup wheel for example or between £16 to £25 for a 125mm clear cut blade. good news but is that good Value? to be honest it depends.
if what you cutting or grinding is a low abrasive material then the wear rate may be fine and you do get good value for your money but a daily inspection for stress fractures in the blade would be advisable as cold pressed then sintering a blade can cause stress fractures. if the material is medium to high abrasive in structure then maybe your not going to be getting the best return on the tool. so a hot pressed blade would be a preferable option, these tend to be more stable blades with a longer life expectancy but you will be paying more without doubt. for the same 125mm cup wheel you can expect to pay between £35 to £80 and for the same 125mm clear cut blade between £20 to £50 which is significant but with the extended tool life more often than not better value in the end plus less tool changing. so when its time to restock on blades instead of going on most expensive or least expensive consider the job your doing with the tool, the materials abrasiveness is going to be the real tell of value.