The selection of the right abrasive blade to use depends on the cut-off machine’s design, and to a large degree, the preference of the user. In general, abrasive blades are characterized by the type of abrasive, hardness, and bond type.

Determining the right blade depends on the material or hardness of the metal, and whether the metal is ferrous or non-ferrous. In common practice, it usually comes down to blade life and odor. Resin/rubber blades tend to smell more since the rubber will slightly burn during the cutting process. But, this type of blade wears more slowly, and thus lasts longer.

Resin blades, on the other hand, don’t produce the smell of burnt rubber and are more versatile. However, the break down more easily. Resin blades likewise offer a slightly better cut. This is because the abrasive is continuously renewed, producing a cleaner cut in the process.

It is also worth noting that the traditional, old-fashioned technology used to produce abrasive blades resulted to highly specialized resin/rubber blades. Thus, finding the right resin/rubber hardness, blade thickness, and abrasive size that matches the properties of the sample as well as the cutting machine parameters required lots of experimentation and testing.

In the past, the resin/rubber blade was more common in the US. However, with the improvement of resins in recent years, the trend has seen a gradual shift towards resin bonded types of abrasives. In contrast, resin bonded blades have been more popular in the Asian and European markets for many years now.