We hear this all the time. Customers say, “Give me the cheapest diamond blades you have.” Before I roll out the quote, I usually ask “why?”. The response is always the same, “I am not going to spend money on expensive diamond blades when my guys are just gonna mess them up anyway.” In a way, this thought process isn’t entirely inaccurate, but here are three reasons to take a closer look at your costs.
First off, diamond blades really come in 3 basic price tiers. They are under $50 (usually cook fast, cut decent), Under $100 (good, solid, reliable) and over $120 (fast cutting, long lasting). You get anywhere from 20%-60% more life with the more expensive blades than the cheaper varieties. If you do the math , you go through 3 $55 diamond blades as quick as you go through 1 $109 diamond blade.
If the crews are in fact rough on the diamond blades, then you will burn through lower quality blades at a much faster rate than you would if you were using high quality diamond blades. If the guys are cutting dry, really pushing the machines, or using blades for specific material on different applications, then it is much more important to have a good quality product.
Lastly, cutting brick, block, stone, pavers, concrete and asphalt is an important and expensive job. Instead of just chalking it up to a loss in the diamond blade category, proper explanation and training on how to take care of the cut off saws and blades is well worth it. Husqvarna and Stihl saws are roughly $1000, a good quality 10 pack of diamond blades is $1200. If someone took $2,000 of your money and ripped it up in front of you, what would you do?
