Tenryu - GM-25540 Gold Medal 10" 40T General Purpose Saw Blade (Rating: 4)
The Tenryu GM-25540 "Gold Medal" is the upper end of Tenryu's vast collection of saw blades. It features a fairly standard 40 tooth alternating top bevel (ATB) tooth configuration that's suitable for a wide range of tasks. It sports large C4 micrograin carbide teeth that should hold an edge well and will withstand several sharpenings. The Gold Medal is a top shelf blade that's very comparable in design and performance to the industry standard Forrest WWII 40T. At roughly $100, the Gold Medal doesn't come cheap, but neither does it's strongest competitors like the WWII, TS2000, Super General, or Fusion. Like any high end general purpose blade, it offers versatile performance with a nice compromise of glueline ripping ability, clean crosscuts, and good performance in sheet goods. With 40 teeth, it's not intended to be a primary ripping blade for thick dense stock, yet given enough power it will do a very respectable job of even tough ripping, and will leave a nice clean edge, but will have more tendency to burn in thick materials than a good 24T FTG rip blade. It does an admirable job in most fine crosscut and plywood applications too, but will leave a bit more tearout thana good dedicated 80T crosscut blade designed for that application. It counters those weaknesses with the ability to perform well enough in a variety of applications and materials that you can use one blade for the vast majority of tasks.
It's very difficult to differentiate between cuts made from the Forrest WWII 40T and the Gold Medal blade. It cuts cleanly on a wide variety of cuts and materials, and rips well up to about 2" thick material. It's worth noting that the kerf width is 0.111", which is thicker than a standard 3/32" (0.098") thin kerf, and thinner than a standard 1/8" (0.125") full kerf. In use, this means that it takes a wider cut than a TK blade, requiring slightly more power, which influences how it performs in thick materials. Inversely, it takes a narrower cut than a full kerf blade which allows to cut through thick material more easily. The odd kerf size could be a concern for some users in some situations, and may be more difficult to match to yours saw's splitter or riving knife. With left tilt saws, a change in blade width can skew the accuracy of the tape scale. Competitors such as the Forrest WWII, Infinity Combomax, and Ridge Carbide TS2000 are available in a choice of thin kerf or full kerf, so you can choose which is best suited for you saw and usage. It's also worth noting that this blade is manufactured in Japan, whereas the Forrest and Ridge Carbide are made in the USA. Aside from not being available in a choice of kerf widths, I really have no complaints with the Gold Medal, but I will take a moment to point out the opportunity to buy an excellent competing American product from Forrest or Ridge Carbide, among others. The Tenryu is a top shelf blade that should be considered along with the best available from Freud, Forrest, Infinity, and Ridge Carbide, etc. 5-star performance, 4-star overall rating due to the noted concerns with it's kerf width.
The Tenryu GM-25540 "Gold Medal" is the upper end of Tenryu's vast collection of saw blades. It features a fairly standard 40 tooth alternating top bevel (ATB) tooth configuration that's suitable for a wide range of tasks. It sports large C4 micrograin carbide teeth that should hold an edge well and will withstand several sharpenings. The Gold Medal is a top shelf blade that's very comparable in design and performance to the industry standard Forrest WWII 40T. At roughly $100, the Gold Medal doesn't come cheap, but neither does it's strongest competitors like the WWII, TS2000, Super General, or Fusion. Like any high end general purpose blade, it offers versatile performance with a nice compromise of glueline ripping ability, clean crosscuts, and good performance in sheet goods. With 40 teeth, it's not intended to be a primary ripping blade for thick dense stock, yet given enough power it will do a very respectable job of even tough ripping, and will leave a nice clean edge, but will have more tendency to burn in thick materials than a good 24T FTG rip blade. It does an admirable job in most fine crosscut and plywood applications too, but will leave a bit more tearout thana good dedicated 80T crosscut blade designed for that application. It counters those weaknesses with the ability to perform well enough in a variety of applications and materials that you can use one blade for the vast majority of tasks.
It's very difficult to differentiate between cuts made from the Forrest WWII 40T and the Gold Medal blade. It cuts cleanly on a wide variety of cuts and materials, and rips well up to about 2" thick material. It's worth noting that the kerf width is 0.111", which is thicker than a standard 3/32" (0.098") thin kerf, and thinner than a standard 1/8" (0.125") full kerf. In use, this means that it takes a wider cut than a TK blade, requiring slightly more power, which influences how it performs in thick materials. Inversely, it takes a narrower cut than a full kerf blade which allows to cut through thick material more easily. The odd kerf size could be a concern for some users in some situations, and may be more difficult to match to yours saw's splitter or riving knife. With left tilt saws, a change in blade width can skew the accuracy of the tape scale. Competitors such as the Forrest WWII, Infinity Combomax, and Ridge Carbide TS2000 are available in a choice of thin kerf or full kerf, so you can choose which is best suited for you saw and usage. It's also worth noting that this blade is manufactured in Japan, whereas the Forrest and Ridge Carbide are made in the USA. Aside from not being available in a choice of kerf widths, I really have no complaints with the Gold Medal, but I will take a moment to point out the opportunity to buy an excellent competing American product from Forrest or Ridge Carbide, among others. The Tenryu is a top shelf blade that should be considered along with the best available from Freud, Forrest, Infinity, and Ridge Carbide, etc. 5-star performance, 4-star overall rating due to the noted concerns with it's kerf width.