Originally Posted by
judyrael
I had horrible luck with Harbor Freight blades. They skipped and wouldn't cut worth a darn and yes, they wreck your mat when they are so dull. I have been reading mixed reviews on them all the time. I've come to the conclusion that different Harbor freights, sell different brands or kinds of blades. All of us quilters know a good blade from a bad blade, so it has to be that they are not all the same. I tried every one in the package and they all were not sharp enough to cut without skipping. I even have a blade sharpener and tried sharpening them, they just were low quality blades.....
Part of the reason while I posted this was that I was also making the statement that I prefer not to go so cheaply/money saving that my time, efforts and now-expensive fabric are at risk from using used/inferior items to make them.
I want to enjoy my quilting. I don't want to be frustrated - and waste fabrics or time - because my blade is skipping or gouging my mat or missing stitches with a dull needle.
I know that alot of us are really pinching pennies and trying to save every penny we can. But when I am working on a project where I have invested $120 in fabric for the top, then I
am going to pay the additional $2 for a new blade and $1 for a new needle. To me, that $3 is well invested in my quilt top that will cost over $120 for the top, let alone the hours of cutting and sewing involved.
By all means, if you are happy with the HF blades, and you can find them, then use them to your hearts delight. In my case, I prefer to invest a little more. This is a seller with a quality blade that I have been very pleased with and the price is much better than I can get a Joanns or from an online quilt store.