Rotary Blades
 

YOu have all scared me off going to Joann's on Black Friday. All I want is really rotary blades.
I see some on sale on Joann's latest online flier.
Question is- are any all that much better or worse than any other?

I think they are about all alike. The ones I got at Harbor Freight seems to be just as good. I am saving my old ones in case they come up with a good way to sharpen them. I want to ask my man who sharpens knives for me.
I love your quilts, especially the one on the left. I love the baby blocks and have done them previously so I think I would love this one. I have never seen it before. Thanks.

Go to Harbor Freight and buy the carpet blades, they are just as good. Just don't make the mistake I made and accidentally have two stuck together (there is oil on them), they don't work as well that way....:)
Michelle

It is from ABD 3-D by Marci Baker. It is actually strip pieced- no set in seams.
Thanks for the tip. I will check out Harbor Freight.

Your quilts are beautiful. I go to joanns on black Friday but not super early lol too dangerous early! I purchased the harbor freight ones but wasn't that impressed. I am going to check another batch just in case. I use whichever comes out cheaper, usually fiskars

I'm really happy with my Harbor Freight blades, tho others have had challenges with them. Grateful for a change that it was my luck to get a really sharp batch with no challenges at all ... at least so far. I haven't opened all 20 pkgs that I bought, :o

I looove the quilt on the left!! I've always wanted to make one but never had the pattern!!

I really didn't like the Harbor Freight blades either. Thought I was the only one until this thread.

Check JoAnn's online. In the past they have had FREE shipping on Black Friday.... just like being at the store with no crowds!
I have always used Fiskars, but just recently bought some Harbor Freight to experiment with.

I see others have used Fiskars and are happy with them. I feel like I only get half the use out of them as Olfa. Ebay usually has Olfa for a fairly good price. I might try Harbor Freight sometime, but I cut a lot of nylon tricot with them so not sure how they would hold up. I bought a rotary sharpener at Joanns and it works ok. They are never as good as new, but they work good for awhile. Especially if there is just one spot that won't cut.

I like the Harbor Freight ones.I'm not going to pay that kind of money for the other ones.I wonder if all one company make the blades and just put extra marks on the other blades.

I have researched Joann's current sale. There are actually more brands that I realized.
Singer is 6 for 12.99 =2.17 ea
Clover is 5 for 12.49 =2.50 ea
Omnigrid is 5 for 13.49 = 2.70 ea
Ergo is 5 for 11.49= 2.30 ea
Olfa is 10 for 28.49 = 2.85 ea
Fiskar is 5 for 12.99 = 2.60 ea
Olfa is 5 for 17.49 = 3.50 ea

Joann's is having a good sale this weekend, also. Rotary blades are on sale and they have a promotion code to get free shipping when ordering online. I put in an order for some much needed items today using the free shipping. Lot's of things on sale. Easier than fighting the Black Friday crowds. Just go to their web site and you can print off a 60% off coupon for instore or a code for online. You might want to check this out.

Karol, Is that quilt on the left a Kaye Wood pattern? If not she has one that is put together just like yours! It's beautiful by the way!

I love the block on the left its beautiful, I buy my blades through eBay I bought the last set of 5 blades for $12 incl shipping

No, not Kaye Wood. It is from a book called ABC 3-D by Marci Baker.

I haven't had any problems with the HF blades, but if you don't want to buy them or have tried them and didn't like them, try L.P. Sharp. They're great people and have fantastic customer service.

Email: [email protected]
Home Phone: 218-828-9116
Company: L.P. Sharp Co.
Home Address:
View map P.O. Box 526
Brainerd, MN 56401-0526
Work Address:
View map 41863 Little Pine Rd.
Emily, MN 56447

I always use the Fiskars, mainly because of the price. I do usually get them at JoAnn's using a 40% coupon--but I recently saw that they are carrying them again at Walmart--I think a 5 pack was @ $15 there (JoAnn's 5 pack is @ $25).

I always buy my blades from LP Sharp. Customer service is great and I don't need to leave home and no waiting in lines

Wow. That is quite a savings.
There is a Harbor Freight store in our area so I will give them a try also.

Ha Ha Michelle --- I did the same thing. lol
To my way of thinking though, -- It should have cut TWice as good.
Syl

your quilt on the left is amazing, love love love it

Do those Fiskers or LP blades work on the Olfa cutter?

From my own experience I can say that Fiskars fits an Olfa cutter. As far as LP blades, I have never used them, but I have read that others say they work for the Olfa cutter as well.

I've never heard of lp blades. Where do you get them?

No, they're not all the same - different blades are made from different alloys, are sharpened differently, etc. High priced metals and precision sharpening costs money.

We cut 7 days a week in our online shop. We use only 60mm Martelli blades, because they last a long time, usually 6-8 months each.

I tried HF blades once -- the first one wasn't sharp enough out of the package, the second one lasted about a day and a half and wasn't that good during that time. The rest got pitched in the trash.

HF blades retail for about 50 cents each -- Martelli blades retail for about 5 dollars each, so Martelli blades cost 10 times as much.

However, I can get 180 to 200 times as much life out of them, not to mention not spending my time changing blades. And, they cut better from the get-go.

Which is the better bargain? It's simple math.

Harbor Freight has a very good return policy. You can find it on their web site.
Personally, I wonder if one manufacturer makes blades and sells them to all the rotary cutter companies.
I would not doubt it. There are other sources of generic blades almost as cheap as H.F. $1.50 each is not a bad deal, but the postage is high for small orders.

I have been using H.F. blades in 3 brands of rotary cutters ever since they were first mentioned here. What a wonderful service that QB member did to hundreds, maybe thousands of us. I love them

Have to jump in here and add that since I have been using Harbor Freight blades in my Olfa 45mm cutter I have not noticed any difference from when Olfa blades were affordable. Hearing about HF blades on this board has been the most cost-effective thing I have learned on here. I order them online at 20 packages at a time. Have yet to go through my first order, and that was over a year ago! I just wished HF sold 60mm blades. That is my favorite cutter.

Result: more money to spend on fabric! LOL :p:p

I personally don't like HF blades. I finally have an okay one -- I had to throw the first six away as they were worse than the dull Olfa one I took out of my cutter.

Never hear of Martelli. Man, if a rotory blade would last me 8 months, I would be very happy!