Harbor Freight Blades
 

I tried. Honestly. Thought I could save some money, listened to the QB about how some were happy with them.......
I ordered 10 packages online, more or less 20$, gave some to friends to enjoy....
There were two problems. They don't roll in either a Fiskar handle or an Olfa cutter. The blade does not turn.
I guess the second problem is somewhat obvious; they do not cut fabric.
I will be quite reluctant to try such suggestions from the board in the future.
Karol

I use them all the time and never had any problems with them. Check to make sure only one was put in the cutter. There are two to a package and they really stick together.

I also use them all the time most are good sometimes a dud but for the price they are great I use them inaFiskars, BUT when you put in a new blade don't loose the little thin round thingy that fits between the blade before you tighten it. I didn'y get it on once and my blade wouldn't turn.

Sorry you had problems. I have been using them for more than 2 years now and they cut wonderfully. They even last quite a long time. And, they roll in my Olfa rotary cutters. They even don't get dull on my Fiskars cutting mat. Olfa blades do get dull all to quickly on Fiskars mat.

Try turning your blade the opposite direction you have it in your cutter now and see if that doesn't work better. Hope this helps. :)

You tried one thing that many, many people here have had great success with, and because it didn't work for you, you're going to discount every tip?

I'm wondering if the nut was over-tightened. That will cause the blade to not turn at all.

I buy them 20 at a time and have not had any problem with any of them. Mine have held up just as long as the top brand names and I will continue to happily use them and spend my savings on more fabric.

They have worked very well for me!

I have had very little sucess with my Olfa blades in my Olfa Cutter, ditto Fiskars. Really almost feeling stupid because I simply couldn't get a nice cut. I tried the HF blades, and wow! cut just like butter!

They have worked for me also, very sharp, occasionally get a dud, but not often.

I, too, bought a bunch of these and after trying three of them I couldn't get them to cut. I wonder if the quality control is off sometimes and they turn out a bad batch. I've still got some of these, so I'll try again. I use Fiskar and buy my blades at Walmart for about $16 for 5 blades. I was really hoping the HF blades would work well.

I have been 99% pleased with the Harbor Freight blades. My last blade wasn't good, but the bunches of ones before that were. So I'm still ahead. And not giving them up. they fit my Olfa cutter just fine.

For Pete's Sake, don't put this whole board down for one little thing. ....perhaps the reason the blades don't work is that they were not inserted properly. I have 3 different (brands) rotary cutters...and these blades have never failed to work in any of the devices. The reason could be quite simple - and certainly not the fault of the board. Accept the help of those who are trying to help you with this problem. And don't go away mad. There is lots of good advice here - every day.

June in Cincinnati

Karol:

Sorry you didn't have good luck...have you asked the friends you shared with what their experiences were? I use my blades with my Olfa without any problems. I have put the guard on backwards once and had an issue but it was strictly operator error.

If you sincerely don't like the blades, I would be happy to purchase them from you...of course at a greatly discounted rate since you feel they are defective. Please let me know if you wish to sell them.

As with anything in life, you take the good with the bad. Some things I have read on here cause me to roll my eyes in disbelief but other things have given me a "a ha" moment.

Keep reading but make your own decisions...nothing ventured, nothing gained.

:)

I didn't have any luck with the two packages I bought and was disappointed but admit that I did want to try them again last time I was at Harbor Freight. I resisted but I'm pretty sure I will buy some next time I'm there.

I really shouldn't go there. There are so many interesting things to buy.

I've also learned so much here from the many hints I have read. Got a great hint today.

Have an Olfa cutter and have been using HF blades for over a year. They last longer than the Olfa blades I use to buy. Sorry you are having problems with them.

I use them and they work very well for me. Sandy 64

I'm new here. Can you tell me which Harbor Freight blades you guys are talking about using. Sounds like something I'd like to try.

I've used the Harbor Freight Carpet cutting blades for almost 2 yrs now...only problem I've had with them was my own fault...I put two in at once I forgot they clung so heavinly together....they fit my Olfa cutters just fine and at the savings I've had with them I no longer think I should hold onto a blade a bit longer when they do dull a bit..I save them to go into my paper cutters for double duty. I love the savings and the ideas and suggestions of the board.

Harbor Freight is selling round blades identical to rotary cutter blades, but they have them labeled as carpet cutting blades. They're waaay cheaper than the refills you get at the quilt/sewing stores.

http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of...des-97642.html

Sorry I went off on the Board. I love reading all the posts and ideas and seeing all the beautiful work.
I tried the HF blade again. Didn't tighten the screw so it does turn in the handle. It still doesn't cut though. I turned it both ways. I wonder if I should just open all the packages to look for a sharp one?

Don't feel bad if you dont like the blades. I have three cutters and know how to separate blades and know how to insert blades in my cutters. Every single blade I have tried has been junk ($20.00 worth and no, I am not spending more money and time driving to HF to return them.). One I could not even get out of the package because the plastic was melted to it. Cheap is cheap and I don't have a lot of sewing time. The time I spent trying really hard to get these to work just took away from my precious sewing time. Not worth it to me and not worth it to keep trying. (I do love the board and have gotten many good tips here).

It just seemed like some were trying to make you feel bad because you didn't like them. Just my opinion.

I bought quite a few of HF carpet cutting blades and have had no luck with them either. They are way too dull. So I use the ones I buy from my LQS and they work wonderfully. I don't know if I got a bad batch, but I'm not happy about them. I might try another blade and see if maybe it works better. Mine would move, but wouldn't cut all the fabric. It would skip on me....just cut portions of my fabric. I was really disappointed in them. But from what all the women are saying, I might try another one. I tried two of them and had no luck. Maybe I'll give them another chance. They were really inexpensive and if I can find one that cuts well, I'll be happy. Usually all the advice on this board is superb!!

i would take them back! I have been using the Harbor Freight ones for years with never a problem. I would not be reluctant to try other suggestions from the wonderful women (and men) on this board over one bad experience. Like anything else we buy sometimes things are not perfect.

Have used HF blades for 3 years now.. love them, I think I have gotten one bad one out of the bunch.. like yngldy said, make sure you put in one, they do stick together.. sorry it did not work for you.

I've also used them several years WITHOUT problems... Sorry to yell .You might make sure you have 1 blade in the cutter. I will continue to use them.

I tried the Harbor Freight blades and they are great! I didn't have any trouble with them yet. I just bought them a month or so ago, but have used 3 of them already.
I have been a busy busy girl! :-)

Karol, sorry you had trouble with your blades. I see you are a new member so I think it's a little too early for you to judge all the suggestions on this board just because you didn't like one suggestion. There are thousands of quilters here with all levels of experience and we're here to learn from each other and to support each other. Perhaps this isn't the best quilting board for you and you'd be happier at another spot. Just Google "quilting" and millions will come up.

We are all from different backgrounds and have different favorites as far as blades for the cutters. So whatever your preference use it ! I love the HF blades haven't had a problem (knock on wood!).
I am a self taught quilter/sewer(meaning for years I have read books, experimented-sometimes with good results, sometimes with bad results-), but I love the tips here. They have helped me immensely!! I want to thank everyone on the Board (and especially Patrice) for all their tips here and putting this board online !! Thank you !!!

How do you order these blades

I just put a new blade from Harbor and I had tighten the screw to tight and the blade woulbn't turn,try to loosen the screw alittle, see if that helps. Other than that no problem here.

I have used these blades for a couple of years and love them. I had one that wasn't cutting right but for the price they are one is a few cents. Like many people said,they do stick together so you should check to see if you put two in. Hope the board tips have helped you. You should not put down all tips. Some tips work for us some don't!!

I've been using them in a Olfa cutter and a Fiskars and haven't had any problems at all. I just was over there last weekend and bought some more. Sorry to hear you had problems but you shouldn't discount everything said on QB just because you got a bad batch, I'm just sayin.

When I first tried the HF blades I couldn't get them to work either. All it would do was shred the fabric my sister in law had the same problem. I didn't give up and then I noticed that the blade wasn't turning. So then I loosened the tightening screw a bit and they work just fine. The only problem I have with the blades now is safely getting them out of the package. I hate the packaging

They work in my Olfa and cut just as well as the pricey ones.

I agree with -Quilter day-by-day, I have used the HF blades and got a bad blade also but the rest of the packs I have tried were great. There is so many good tips here I just love this site.
Don't give up on the board !

I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfect timing. I am literally on my way to HF to buy the blades. Will try a package to see how they work. For those whose fabric won't cut cleanly, are your cutting only a single layer of fabric or multiple layers? I never cut more than one layer at a time. Yes, I know this is more time consuming, but I feel I have better control of my cuts when I only do one layer at a time, so this is what I do. This is totally my preference, not right nor wrong...to each his own, as they say. Will let you know how I like the HF blades. I only wish they made them in the 28mm size as this is my preferred rotary cutter size. Oh well, we can't have everything in life, can we? Have a wonderful day and keep on quilting! :-)

I love Harbor Freight blades. Use them all the time in my Olfa cutter. I have had a couple of bad ones but at the price I can afford a bad one once in a while.

the ones I tried worked just as well. But if you tighten the screw nut on the rotary cutter too tight it won't matter what blades you use or where you bought them, they will not turn, and therefore will not cut. Been there, done that!

The blades are advertized as carpet cutters, they fit 45. You can order on line, or, if your near a store look in the paint dept. They sell 2/1.99 when I last checked. Sometimes they have a sale