Festool TS 75 Blade alternatives - Opinions on Tenryu

[presidentsdad]

Hey all, This is a follow up to a (slightly) older thread about aftermarket and Festool blades for the TS 75.  The original thread is here:http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/aftermarket-blades-for-ts75-(list-of-part-numbers-with-specifications)/msg491112/

If I wanted three blades for my TS 75:  A Rip Cut (mid teens teeth), Multipurpose (mid 30-ish teeth), and Fine Cut (50ish teeth) from Festool, I'd have to buy 2 extra blades (the Panther and the Fine Cross Cut) to the tune of about $219.  Other than the cost, the only downside to that is that the kerf for the Panther blade is larger than the others.  If I were to purchase, say Tenryu blades in an 18, 36 and 54 tooth variants, that would be about $177 (for the 3 blades), but the kerf on those three blades is very close (only 0.05 mm off - for cutting the splinter guard).  Would this be a good idea to buy the Tenryu blades so that I can use the same rail for all three blades?  Are the Tenryu's as good (or better) than the Festool blades?  (A thought: Going with the Tenryu set could be less than $177 because I could sell the unused Festool blade that comes with the TS 75).

Appreciate any guidance y'all have to offer.

 

[egmiii]

I’m running a Tenyru rip blade on my TS55. I wouldn’t go back to the Festool blades after using it for a year. Savings and performance are excellent. I ripped the edges off about 30 slabs around 2” thick and 8-10 feet long. Thr blade required minimal cleaning and upon completion was as sharp as new. The saw is obviously a bit underpowered for this task, but the blade didn’t let me down.

 

[Farming_Sawyer]

I've been running oshlun fespro blades on my hk55 and couldn't be happier with cost and quality. I've used tenryu blades before and they are excellent.

 

[kevinculle]

I switched my Kapex to a Tenryu blade about 1 year ago and have been very satisfied with the performance.

 

[ktb153]

I have a tenryu on my miter saw and it’s a nice blade but haven’t tried it on the track saw. I mostly just use the tracksaw for sheetgoods and the Freud ultimate plywood and melamine is much better than the Festool blade. I bought a few of the Festool blades before deciding to try the Freud and it cuts with virtually zero tear out on melamine which the Festool won’t do even when brand new and seems to stay sharper much longer when used on melamine. I have the Freud rip blade too and it cuts fast but leaves tons of blade marks, could be the saw needs to be adjusted or the blade but I only use the ripping for rough cuts and haven’t compared it to other ripping blades

 

[Cheese]

...Would this be a good idea to buy the Tenryu blades so that I can use the same rail for all three blades? 

FWIW...The additional blade kerf only shows up on the outside of the rail. That's the reason you can use varying thickness blades with the rail and not further cut the splinter strip.