Blaze v. 977s

cubby

cubby

smarty cat
been using the Blaze belts for awhile now. but i am hearing good things about the 977s.

anyone give me a quick rundown and the two, head to head? looks at 60 grit. i used to hog material with 36 but used the economy belts, and didn't like the results.

thanks!
joe
 
Don't know about the 977s but I like the 967s (gold) a lot. Still not sure if I like them
or the Blaze better. I've got both in 80 grit right now. The fact that the Blaze are available
in 120 grit is important to me too.
 
I have come to prefer the 967's (not the 977's) over the Blaze belts, they seem to last longer for me and cut more effectively over their service life.
 
I haven't tried 3M's latest offerings.
They're probably just as good as people say.

BossDog, if you're reading this, I'll order Norton products as long as they manufacture what I need and you carry them.
Reasons are my own, nothing to do with which is "better". 'Nuff said on it.
 
Here's a recommendation that will save you a few belt grits, and some $$. Which ever belt you prefer, try using it in a 50 grit. Here's what I do..... rough grind with a 50 grit, then a 120 prior to heat treat. After heat treat I use a fresh 50 grit, taking the blade to nearly complete. THEN I jump straight to a Norax X30 (400 grit). At first it seems like slow going, but for me, it knocks off about 45 min- 1 hour on finish grinding, and eliminates at least 2 grits.......I save time, and money because I don't go through a 120 and 220 grit like I used to.

I've had the chance to test the 977s, and I would put them just slightly below the Blaze belts, what makes the difference to me is that the 977s are more costly than the Blaze belts....which to me puts them a couple of notches below the Blaze. I think it's worth mentioning that I really do think it depends on how you grind, and what you're grinding on. Most everything I do is forged, and is carbon or alloy steels....with those parameters I like the Blaze belts better. Hollow grinding on stainless might be a totally different game.
 
Thanks for the tip, Ed!
Never thought about skipping the steps like that; always was the type to go progressively finer.
But with today's engineered abrasives like the Norax, it makes sense. I'm gonna have to try that.
Ordered a couple of the Norax belts from BossDog a while back- those things are like the Energizer bunny!

Once again, Thanks!

Rob
 
I do much the same thing as Ed except I go to a 45X Gator then on to a 30X gator. After that I either hand sand or Scotchbrite machine finish. But to answer the original question, in the coarse grits I prefer Blaze all the way.
 
Are you guys using the old 980 Blaze belts or the new 980P Blaze Plus? Something like a 37% difference in belt life. Used to be the 981 Hoggers were all that and a bag of chips. Then BLAZE came along and blew them away. Now the BLAZE plus blow the BLAZE away.

Can't speak for the newer 3M offerings, because I haven't used them.
 
The Blaze Plus are replacing the Blaze belts as Norton's old stock is sold through. Their testing shows at least 20% to 25% more life which is huge...
 
now i hav eto look as i wandered if something was changed with the blaze belts i have

its not to the good for me ether
ha any one else seen that the backing of the belts seems to be leavinga plastic buildup on your platten

if i grind hard (for me at least) i get a hard black plastic that builds then braks off while im grinding and is causing me a bunch of problems. i had thouhgt it was my one rubber wheel onn the pllatten but if i use a different belt i have no problem

so what are they coating the belt backs with now ?
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
I've had the chance to test the 977s, and I would put them just slightly below the Blaze belts, what makes the difference to me is that the 977s are more costly than the Blaze belts....which to me puts them a couple of notches below the Blaze.
Click to expand...

Hey Ed... where are you buying your belts? I've used both Blaze and 977, and I've never found 977s to be more expensive than Blaze. I used to buy 977s from Pops, and I now buy Blaze from Tracy. The Blaze belts are more expensive, even with the discount that Tracy gives for buying in quantities greater than 10. I like the Blazes enough, however, that I switched to buying them 10 at a time even though they still cost a bit more than the 977s.


EdCaffreyMS said:
I think it's worth mentioning that I really do think it depends on how you grind, and what you're grinding on. Most everything I do is forged, and is carbon or alloy steels....with those parameters I like the Blaze belts better.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree with this. The talk around the block says that folks who grind at high-speeds with a decent amount of pressure will really appreciate the Blaze belts.

In my {very} limited experience the Blaze seem to run a bit smoother, and the grit seems to fracture more uniformly than with the 977s. I get a more uniform grind pattern, but not that much more life than with the 3M belts. I am excited to hear more about the "Blaze Plus" belts that Tracy mentioned. :biggrin:

Erin
 
I prefer Blaze belts by a huge margin! I have tried to like the 967 and 977 belts, but I just don't have as good of results or belt life. For the price Tracy sells Blaze, I'll probably stop looking at other belts for a while. I do wish he carried the 220 Blaze belts as they are very nice for a few things when you want a stiff backing.
 
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