best cutting disk that you have used

[ruffdog]

Norton

 

[PILOON]

My friends and I usually buy the Canadian Tire brand whenever they go on sale.
The sale is usually 20 0r 25 discs for less than $10.00
I always opt for the thinner ones and not the depressed center style.
I find they compare very well with most of the major brand name ones and frankly can not justify paying 2-3$ for a disc.

Wire cup brushes is another story. Here I always buy top brands as I just do not like bits of wire flying around.

 

[dstig1]

I've heard good things about 3M cubitron II

I have a friend who works on that stuff at 3M. He told me how awesome it was a few years back. Gave me a couple samples of flap wheels and paper discs to try out. Holy crap that stuff is scary! It rips through metal like you won't believe. I haven't tried a Cubitron-II cutoff disc yet though. I suspect it is munches metal similar to the sandpaper versions of it. He was saying that their sales guys show up at a potential customer, hand them a disc, and say I'll wait in the lobby while you try it out. They all come back with eyes wide as saucers going WTH is this stuff?!?!? I was sure astounded how fast it cut compared to the norton or whatever I was using.

 

[Jim Timber]

I hoarded a good supply of the Russian HF 4.5" disks back when they were the best deal going with a 20% off coupon, but my supply will run out in another year.

 

[LD1]

Norton bluefire zip discs, Norton charger wheels, and tru-maxx flappers

 

[lamanated]

with regards to the small ones for the air grinders, I love the green 3M ones,, last many times longer than the HF ones etc.

 

[EddieWalker]

For a long time I would only buy Norton since all the other brand fail so quickly. Same thing with sand paper and flapper disks. While Norton is still pretty good, the quit carrying them at Home depot, who now carries Diablo, which is just another mediocre brand along with DeWalt. I can still get Norton at Northern Tool, which is just down the block, but while at Lowes I saw they had a new brand called Shop Smith next to that really horrible brand called Gator. I tried the Shop Smith brand and have to say I was blown away with how much better they are over everything else I've tried. Shop Smith is now my go to brand and worth driving to Lowes for over all the other brands available to me at the different stores I go to.

 

[pat32rf]

I always keep a supply of Can Tire discs on hand and buy when they go on sale. Big jobs I fire up the plasma but I've cut up many used fuel oil tanks with just a 4 1/4" disk... (after they have been cleaned/vented)

 

[PILOON]

One trick I have come up with when cutting heavy gauge 'tin' (like oil tank) is to not cut all the way thru but to make a deep 'score' first and later cut thru.
The deep score does 90% of the work with impressive footage but a complete cut thru generally uses 4 times the quantity of blades for same footage.
I blame chatter for that extra wear.
Well scored sheet stock can then be easily folded for total separation.
I sometimes clamp a straight edge to use as a guide if I want nice cuts. (I use scrap wood lathe)

 

[Big Barn]

Piloon's advice is good. I also find that's the best way.

Perhaps that method also minimizes heat buildup, prolonging disc life.

Terry