Thread: Asking for review of Opteco saw blades

With any cutting tool, the price is your guide. Leuco and Leitz and Dimar are more expensive for a few reasons, they’re made from better materials, on better more accurate machines, and they stay sharp longer. I’ve never even heard of the brand you’re looking at, so can’t comment on it, but I’ve used plenty of the other ones, and I’d rather have a blade I know is not going to self destruct at 6000rpm, and give me excellent results every time.

It is not a good idea to generalize when it comes to saw blades. Even the well recognised manufacturers tend to specialise in certain areas.
Optico are Australian made (Bendigo) and guaranteed by the manufacturer. They make a very wide range of blades, using the latest technology, covering most industries.
What type of blade are you after?

Originally Posted by rustynail

It is not a good idea to generalize when it comes to saw blades. Even the well recognised manufacturers tend to specialise in certain areas.
Optico are Australian made (Bendigo) and guaranteed by the manufacturer. They make a very wide range of blades, using the latest technology, covering most industries.
What type of blade are you after?

Thanks for the replies.

Price is not always the best comparison. The euro blades we're also paying for the distribution and dealership network, reps jobs etc. Depends how the company is set up. But if i was to use price, they appear comparable.

Iv recently acquired a Robland combi, with a sliding aluminium table. It came with pretty abused blades all around. I mainly use hard woods, don't rip more depth than 50mm, and cut mitres for wall art frames. I'm after a dedicated rip (something like a 5°atb 12° rake z40) dedicated super fine cross cut that would also cleanly cut ply (perhaps a high atb -5° rake z100) and will likely get a "General use" kind of blade for household building projects and rougher stuff. The machine can take up to 300mm blades and based on my research of cutting velocity, at its rpm i should really use the full 300mm. 30mm bore.

The riving knife is not easily adjusted so a standard blade kerf would be a bonus, and preferably I'd like to stick to the one company.

I mean if i can fulfil my desire in Australia that would be great. Not to mention the benefit of being able to send it back for oem sharpening.

It's just a fair investment either way i go, a thumbs up from a fellow woodworker would be a good confidence boost to go local and ignore the strong German/euro reputation.

I have one of the Opteco 300mm rip blades and have had it for a number of years. I use it for soft and hard woods and it cuts them easily without bogging down. Probably needs a sharpen at the moment but still cuts fine. It was recommended by my local saw doctor.

Originally Posted by Jon.christos

I'm after a dedicated rip (something like a 5°atb 12° rake z40) dedicated super fine cross cut that would also cleanly cut ply (perhaps a high atb -5° rake z100) and will likely get a "General use" kind of blade for household building projects and rougher stuff.

For 300mm diameter you should be looking around z24 for a dedicated rip (we had z32 on 400mm that was a dream to use), z60-72 for general purpose and z96 for fine crosscut.

I have just received a 10"/z24 rip cut Opteco blade with flat teeth but haven't used it yet.
Although I appreciate why the OP is searching for a review, I wouldn't be able to assess the "quality" of this blade.
As a week-end maker of saw, I suspect that the same blade will perform differently on a 3hp as opposed to a 1.5hp TB.
Bluntly, excuse the pun, it will be a good blade if I get a clean cut for a long time !!

I did assume when I chose it that price would be proportional to quality and long life and, to boot, it is made by an Australian company.

Cheers Yvan

a week-end maker of saw DUST...!!!