Dewalt will be announcing a new ELITE Series line of power tool accessories, described as delivering unprecedented strength and unmatched industry performance.
Diablo and Milwaukee Tool have been aggressively competing in the power tool accessories market, and it seems that Dewalt isn’t going to let them reign unchallenged.
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Dewalt isn’t holding back on their claims either, suggesting that their hole saws, reciprocating saw blades, and circular saw blades will deliver “category leadership” performance.
At this time, it appears that the Dewalt Elite Series accessories will add to their concrete, wood, masonry, and metal cutting product lines.
Dewalt also says that the new Elite accessories will deliver unmatched cutting durability.
So, they are making bold claims about the Elite Series’ products strength, performance, and durability.
The circular saw features new large heat vents – at the least – and there could be other big changes and innovations coming to the lineup as well.
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In addition to circular saw blades, reciprocating saw blades, and hole saws, the Dewalt Elite Series line will also include abrasive wheels and diamond blades.
It looks like Dewalt Elite accessories will be positioned above their current offerings as a new premium line, and we might potentially see other types of accessories, such as drill bits, join the new product family in the future.
One of the promotional images also sports Dewalt IGNITE branding for their carbide-tooth reciprocating saw blade. Is Ignite going to be Dewalt’s first carbide-tooth reciprocating saw blade?
Dewalt highlights some of the design and manufacturing attributes of the new line, and what stands out to me is that they say this technology was inspired by Lenox industrial bandsaw blades. There’s also a callout to Lenox’s East Longmeadow, Massachusetts facility, where they have design, test, and manufacturing capabilities.
Does this suggest that at least some of the Dewalt Elite Series power tool accessories will be made in the USA at Lenox facilities?
So far, the only public listings I could find for Dewalt Elite series accessories are a 7-1/4″ 24T circular saw blade, and a 7-1/4″ 40T circular saw blade. I think that the Elite series might be too big of a deal to be a Lowe’s exclusive, but that’s a possibility.
This is certainly an interesting development, and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
Jared
Cool! If the reciprocating saw blades claim to be even better than those trailer-hitch-cutting “amped” blades (https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/diablo-amped-carbide-reciprocating-saw-blade-012021/%3C/a%3E%29, that’s something. Hope they come out soon – I could use some new blades.
Matt J.
I honestly haven’t found any substantive increase in longevity between the amped vs the normal carbide steel demons. Maybe that’s just me? I chewed up an entire amped blade on a single use cutting through a cv axle (granted, probably could’ve had better form, but being under the car and all doesn’t always allow that).
Nathan
I forget exactly but aren’t the diablo blades made in taiwan or ?
Off the cuff the first thing that will make me look is if their elite blade vs competitor blade is simlar cost and made in the USA. That’s got me picking it up to check it over.
I might then buy one to try. For my circular blades for nearly 10 years now they have all be diablo. My recip saw blades are usually Lenox though I have one milwaukee blade that is a high tooth count.
I do need a new set of hole saws I’m intrigued.
But if they cost more than the others they better perform better, and I’d need to see some reviews to find that. I’m cautiously optimistic i guess.
I will say that I have been using Dewalt abrasive wheels for a few years now only. I can’t recall exactly why I started but that’s all I’ve been using of late.
PW
Exact same. I’ve been reflexively buying Diablo for a while – never been let down. If this is made-in-USA, I’ll definitely try it out. Particularly if competitively priced.
If it’s just another SBD import product with different paint at a high price I’ll probably stick with what’s been working for me.
fred
I don’t recall seeing ant Diablo or Freud Diablo product made in Taiwan/
Most of the circular saw blades from them (same for Freud) seem to be made in Italy.
Diablo (also Bosch) jigsaw blades seem to come from Switzerland.
Diablo (also Bosch) reciprocating saw blades also seem to be Swiss.
Diablo abrasives seem to hail from several different places like the USA, India, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland
Diablo sanding discs seem to come from Switzerland
Every manufacturer seems to change COO whenever it suits their needs – so where Bosch (Diablo’s parent organization) decides to manufacture items can certainly change from time to time.
Aaron H.
They need to step up their game in these expendables categories. Their tool line is solid, but their blades and bits are middle of the pack at best in a lot of cases. Their masonry bits are much less durable than offerings from Diablo and Milwaukee. That said, all of these companies have their strengths and weaknesses. Dewalt makes the best tape measures bar none and as much as I like Milwaukee, their tapes are garbage. I hope this new line is Made in the USA. That is another area where others could learn a thing or two from Dewalt.
Corey Moore
We all know DeWalts stellar history with new accessory lines and their longevity lol I’m a DeWalt guy, own and use flexvolt, XR, atomic, and Xtreme as an industrial contractor. Love the toughsystem and toughcase setup, but I don’t have a single bit or accessory set that’s DeWalt. The ones I’ve used aren’t trash, I use the ones that come with cases and tools for loaners with crews, but if we’re being objective there’s better focussed manufacturers for all accessories. Toughcases are full of wiha, Spyder, Diablo, and bad dog.
Jammer
It seems like the circular saw blades are using the same technology as the Irwin Weldtec. The carbide teeth are the same shape anyway. Kind of small, likely not something that can be sharpened.
I haven’t put my $5 clearance Weldtec blade through any hard times yet, so I’m not sure if it’ll make much difference to me. Do teeth regularly fly off anyone’s circular saw blades?
fred
It would not surprise me if SBD is produceing the Dewalt blades at the same facility that they produce ones for some of their other brands (Balck&Decker, Irwin, Lenox, Oldham, and Porter Cable) I’m not suggesting that they are all equivalent – but just that some design elements (like the tooth shape you noted) may be borrowed from one brand and used for another.
As far as throwing teeth – in the early days of carbide that used to be a regular problem – such that some folks stayed with full steel blades. But I suspect that the technology (brazing, metallurgy, fabrication etc.) improved and that today’s blades from reputable manufacturers (not no-name junk) hold onto their teeth unless asked to perform outside their normal duty. A framing blade might be able to handle the odd wire nail (soft steel) – but can throw one or more teeth if it encounters a hard steel flooring nail/cleat or concrete nail
MM
The teeth might look similar at first glance but there are subtle changes in the various angles that make a blade work for its intended purpose. A table saw blade and a miter saw blade have different bevels, hook angle, relief angle. Likewise a rip blade will have different geometry from a crosscut, it’s not just the number of teeth.
I haven’t had any issues with teeth flying off blades, ever. I have seen teeth damaged but that’s always due to misuse. Using a wood blade to cut metal is asking for tooth damage. So is feeding a metal-cutting blade too fast, or striking things like nails and screws with a wood-cutting blade. But I have to say that the more modern blades are great about dealing with the occasional nail.
David J. Brock
The only time I loose teeth is cutting pallets and hitting multiple nails/bolts.
MM
Bring it on, more competition is always a good thing, especially if they’re going to take on Diablo saw blades.
Roger
Even though the paint job will come off; I like the design. The recip blades look a lot like the Lenox… I’m hoping it is carbide. I’m just going to take a big jump and guess it’s typical rebranding. The 7-1/4″ will have a hard time keeping pace with DiaBlo/sh.
“Unmatched” doesn’t mean better. It could also mean “not the same”.
I’m willing to try them out.
Big Richard
Same thought on the recip blades. Geometry and tooth count looks a lot like the Lenox Laser CT and Demolition CT blades – which I do like.
MikeIt
“Elite accessories will deliver unmatched cutting durability”. In my head I heard Project Farm say “We’re gonna test that!”
Chris
Hahah! In due time my friend
Chris
I think for Dewalt to have any chance at taking on Milwaukee and Diablo, Dewalt will have to have pretty competitive pricing on these new blades.
Andy
Absolutely. The bar is pretty high right now. But I guess competition is always a good thing.
joseph
A different thing that would sell me on them is if they offer a resharpening service like Forrest blades. If buying at the same cost or a little higher meant that I could reuse I would be buying asap.
MM
Keep in mind that 3rd party companies which sharpen saw blades are a thing. I rarely bother with “contractor” grade blades, but I send out my my metal-cutting chop saw blades out for resharpening via the local Motion Industries (formerly Drago Supply).
rob
Reminds me. As we all know, Diablo circular saw blades are Freud blades but with a “disposable blade” amount of carbide and a really thin plate (I’d have said really really thin, but I’ve since met a half dozen 125mm Japanese blades…holy moly). I needed to order a variety of 165mm saw blades and the only ones that USPS didn’t lose (I paid for DHL; the sender paid for Deutsche Post 2.0 Electric Boogaloo: DHL hands it off to USPS) were the Bosch ones that they have whipped up at the Freud plant. I had presumed they were just like the Diablos but overpriced…. alas…no…they’re normal sized sidewinder blades. Kerf is from 1.8 to either 2.2 or 2.6 which is what I get from Leitz rebrands. Which leads me to ask… why does Freud only sell chintzy sidewinder blades in the states? Other than it’s the United States, and stereotypes and all of that.
Adam
The higher end ones seem to be branded as Freud Industrial, but they’re not nearly as easy to find. I’ve only used the 7-1/4” plywood blade from that line, but I’ve been very happy with it.
fred
We’ve often said that Bosch (parent company for Freud-Diablo) seem to march to the beat of a different drummer. But in this case the Diablo (once called Freud-Diablo) brand seems to have been expanded to sell better at mass market outlets like Home Depot. It looks to be positioned between the Freud-Avanti – lower cost brand and the Freud brand that they want to market to commercial and industrial customers. You seen Freud blades for table saws and miter saws and some like the LU series in diameters like 7 inch instead of 7-1/4.
Steve
Diablo has been a big thing for Bosch since they started phoning it in on the North American power tool market. Maybe this Dewalt stuff will challenge it.
fred
I am reminded that the Bosch’s North American market is related to a population of roughly 370 million people – compared to Bosch’s potential European market based on a population of nearly 750 million. That said, I still am often confused by their apparent marketing strategies for some of their brands – and why they don’t bring more of their products to the North American market.
Steve
There’s a lot more GDP per capatia in North America, and the US in general, than Europe, some of those countries add lots of population but not much in dollars to spend. The US and Canada alone are approximately a 21 trillion dollar market, I don’t know why Bosch’s effort is so lacking in power tools, it’s possible they don’t want to invest the resources to go head to head with the top brands.
fm2176
I use Diablo blades one my circular, miter, and table saws. Recip and jig saws see a mix of Diablo, Milwaukee, and Bosch, along with the occasional Lenox or other brand. I know Diablo may not be the “best” per se, but combining availability with sale pricing makes them hard to pass up. If I can get a decent enough Italian or Swiss blade at 2 for 1 pricing (much less if you find them on clearance, I’ve paid as little at $4.50 for two 7-1/4″ blades), why should I pay more for a blade made in China…even if it’s ostensibly “better”? Not saying that these new blades will be manufactured in China, but the DeWalt blades I have now (bought on deep clearance at the Post Exchange) were.
That said, if DeWalt is able to sell these at a similar price point to Diablo and other inexpensive competitors, they should do well. A lot of people seem to prefer paying less for more expendable products than paying a lot for something that will last. I guess I can include myself among them.
fred
I don’t have access to actual sales statistics – but with circular saw blades i suspect that there are way more 7-1/4 inch general-purpose or framing blades sold – compared to 10 or 12 inch table saw-miter saw blades. In my main table saw I have a Forrest blade mounted – and don’t cut things like nail-embedded wood. So I don’t expect to have to cry over a thrown tooth. On my miter saw and jobsite saw – I also have Forrest blades mounted – but will swap them out for cutting things like pressure treated wood and dimensional lumber. At $250 for a 12 inch 100t Mitermaster blade why waste it on rough cutting when a $35 12 inch 44t Diablo is good enough and more appropriate for the task.
Bob
I hope the Dewalt recip blades are rebranded Lennox. I really like those blades but I don’t see Lenox anymore at Home Depot or Lowe’s since SBD bought Lenox a few years ago.
Had pretty good luck with Diablo. Bought a 12 inch carbide recip root pruning blade. Inadvertently cut through a small rock. Blade was still usable. If Dewalt has a similar offering I’ll give it a shot.
I will say I also like the Dewalt cut off and grinding wheels.
JoeM
I’m kinda flip-flopping about blades and such. I’m a DeWALT guy, yeah… but I know there’s more precise engineering from Bosch-Family blades. Sure, looking up there, this new Elite series seems to do things the older lines don’t… and there are a few blades for demolition and framing that DeWALT does, but no one else seems to want to. Either they have a different configuration that covers it, or they’ve chosen a totally different tool to do it.
I… Think… at one point some of the wiser, more experienced users here on ToolGuyd (Read: Pretty much Everyone.) convinced me the brand I should truly try to get, is Diablo/Freud/Freud Diablo. Bosch family engineering that I like, plus more selection on types for Jigsaw, Reciprocating Saw, Circular Saw, and Oscillating Tool blades.
But hey, if the new “Elite” line has something I can truly use, not offered by the Freud/Diablo confab… I guess I’ll try it.
AD
I used a Dewalt Elite 7.25″ circular saw blade (24 tooth) on my DCS574 today on some thin veneer 5/16″ plywood and even for a framing blade it cut through that appearance board like a laser. I expected it to be clean for a fresh blade but the cut was beyond effortless. I’ll be interested to see how long it lasts; every modern blade is sharp when it’s fresh!
Big Richard
Official announcement and details:
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/us/dewalt-usa/pressreleases/dewalt-r-introduces-dewalt-elite-series-accessories-line-a-breakthrough-in-accessory-innovation-designed-to-deliver-superior-performance-3170862