Diablo Fibre Cement blades look like they’ll lead the way in performance, lifespan, and safety.
Diablo has just dropped a brand-new Fibre Cement blade on my desk, and it looks like it’ll lead the way in performance, lifespan, and safety. The use of Polycrystalline Diamonds (PCD) has reportedly improved lifespan by a massive 75x. The kicker is there is also 50% less inhalable airborne dust.
The fibre cement blades come in 6½”, 7¼” and 10″ sizes and are perfect for corded and cordless battery tools and handheld or stationary saws. They also have a thin, laser-cut kerf design which produces fast and precise cuts with less airborne dust and waste.
I visited Alex and his team from Woodley Projects, where chippy Byron put the brandspanking- new FC blades to the test.
TEST #1: THE CUT
The first test was to see how the blades would handle cutting a stack of three eave sheets.
I used the 6½” blade and it produced an ultra-clean edge as it ripped down the length of the sheets. Rip after rip, the results were excellent, with very little noise or airborne dust.
I met with Alex and Byron. The previous few days had involved them cutting and laying FC flooring using a competitor FC blade. Byron had the job of testing the Diablo, and it was interesting to see the other boys’ reactions to the reduced noise and airborne dust. They were all pretty impressed, to say the least.
I asked Byron about his experience with the Diablo FC Blades.
“I’m quite surprised and impressed with the difference using the Diablo FC blade, he said. “Not only is the cut edge cleaner, but the cutting process was easier, produced less dust, and was a lot quieter.”
TEST 2: COMPARISON
There were significant differences after swapping the Diablo blades over to the competitor FC blades and rerunning the cut on the same triple-stacked eave sheets and flooring. Straight away the saw had to work harder to cut and clearly produced more airborne dust.
Cut after cut, we experienced the same results.
The Diablo FC design can account for a lot of the differences. Apart from the PCD triple-chip design, there’s also the thin kerf, tooth design and relief, which all contribute to the improved performance. It also means the particles generated during the cutting process are physically larger and settle to the ground quicker due to their size.
TEST #3: NOISE, DUST, AND LONGEVITY
One of the significant differences in our testing of the Diablo and the two competitors’ products was the noise. The Diablo was considerable quieter.
All our testing involved the various Bosch saws being fitted to the vac system, but there was a clearly visible increase in airborne dust with the competitors’ blades. It was clear as day.
When it comes to the longevity of the blade, I can’t confirm the 75x longer life. We would’ve had to stay there cutting FC for far longer than the time I had available. But I can say that after over 50 cuts of eave sheets and thick FC flooring, the Diablo FC blades had not dulled or reduced their cutting quality or ability. That couldn’t be said of the competitor product.
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
The best thing about Diablo’s Fibre Cement blades is the quality of the finished cut and the safety improvements. It was easy to see the reduction in airborne dust during our tests, and as the saw operator should always be using a vac and wearing a mask, it’s the other tradies working nearby who are then exposed to any airborne dust particles from the cutting process. The fact these Diablo blades are producing 50% less airborne dust is a massive improvement for the safety of all tradies.
Visit: www.diablotools.com.au