I am far from trying out all of the possible table saw blades, but after putting this blade on my saw it is hardly worth bothering looking further. There is nothing to complain about. Out of the box the blade is sharpened to perfection and aligned so well that cut surfaces are smooth as a planed surface. Ripping performance is slightly behind that of a dedicated ripping blade (Forrest makes one of those too...) but for everything I do this blade is more than enough.
Some random notes:
- Buy the 1/8" rather than the 3/32" blade unless you have a saw with a marginal motor. The 1/8" blade is stiffer and less susceptible to bending/warping etc.
- Accurate sharpening is the key to clean cutting. The blade comes with packaging and instructions on how to return it to Forrest for re-sharpening. I believe they will also sharpen blades from other manufacturers too.
- Keep an old crappy blade for cutting wood which you have kept in the dirt behind the shed for a few years. Embedded sand and dirt can do bad things to a blade.
- Forrest sells "blade stabilizers" to make the blade even less prone to vibration etc. Personally I think that is bordering on gimmick. A well aligned saw and good techique are probably bigger factors in the quality of cut than a blade stabilizer would be. Work on those two first.
The Forrest Woodworker Two may not be the holy grail, but it is good enough that you won't need to be looking any further. Just buy it.
