Milwaukee Torch Metal Cutting SAWZALL Blade Review

Carbide teeth in blade might seem like old news, but it’s actually pretty new in the reciprocating saw world. But I think it’s easy to understand how it was overlooked.

Reciprocating saws are mostly used for demolition. Cut quality is generally the last thing that matters and blades are often used way past their reasonable life. In most other tools, blades get changed when cut quality starts to go down. But when cut quality doesn’t matter, well, why care at all about the blade?

The same two reasons that drive most things business related, time and money, and a lot of times they’re the same. Justifying a more expensive means it needs to either cut faster (less time cutting means more work getting done in the same amount of time), or last longer (so long as the life increase is at least equal to the price increase), and preferably both.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Carbide teeth for 50X life in thick metal

• Optimized tooth design for speed and durability

• 7 TPI for fast efficient cutting in thick and extreme metals

• 25% more carbide per tooth for longest life

• 70% larger gullets for rapid chip removal

• 1 in. tall body for demolition

• Available in 6”, 9”, and 12” lengths

DESIGN

The Torch blade is designed to be a dedicated metal demolition blade, particularly for thick metal. It’s made to eat metal fast and keep on going. Because of that, it’ll go through material than a regular bi-metal can’t even make it through. Stainless steel? The Milwaukee Torch says done.

It’s made to cut through:

• Cast Iron

• Stainless Steel

• Rebar

• Black Pipe

• Angle Iron

At 7 teeth per inch, it takes a pretty coarse cut. It also features a 70% deeper gullet (space between the teeth) to enhance chip removal from the big bites those teeth can cut. That combination means the fastest cuts in metal in its class.

And because those teeth are carbide, the blades will last up to 50x longer than regular bi-metal blades. And being available in 6”, 9”, and 12” lengths you’ll be able to find the right size to fit your applications.

PERFORMANCE

I tested the Milwaukee Torch 6” 7 TPI blade on some 1/8” thick 2” angle iron and have to say that the claims are not just marketing hype. This is one serious blade! I was blown away with how quick and smooth it buzzed through the steel.

What really caught me off guard was the amount of control. I made several cuts off the steel and was easily able to slice off an 1/8” thick shaving. Not something I’d ever expect from a reciprocating saw.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m a firm believer in buying application specific blades, it’s never let me down. That’s why I have three blades on the front of my table saw that get changed frequently. Next time I have a bunch of metal to demo, I’ll be picking up some Milwaukee Torch blades to tear through them. Or maybe just one, because even after slicing up some angle iron it barely seemed to notice the wear. So I don’t see me ever needing more one the kind of jobs I would do.