"Better" is subjective, and there s really never a free lunch. IMO the Fusion has more potential for cleaner cuts than the LU84, but is more sensitive to setup, has more tendency to burn, and will dull faster due to the sharp points of the Hi-ATB grind. If you re meticulous about the setup of your saw, flatten and straighten your wood prior to sawing, and have good technique, the Fusion can be one of the cleanest cutting general purpose blades going.
On the other hand if you re really looking to improve the performance of your saw and saw blades, why go with a jack of all trades blade and not a task specific specialist? General purpose/combo blades are inherently not excellent at anything….they don t rip as efficiently as a 24T bulk rip blade, and they don t cut as cleanly as an 80T crosscut/plywood blade. Their strength is their versatility. If you want to stay with Freud, their LM72 and LU80 or LU85 will offer better performance within their respective scopes.
If you want to explore some other top brands, I ve found that Infinity is consistently as good or better than any I ve tried, and their prices are pretty reasonable. I consider them state-of-the-art among readily available top consumer brands …their 010-024 and 010-080 would be comparable to the LM72/LU80 by Freud. Ridge Carbide and Forrest are also top shelf blades, but tend to get more expensive without necessarily being better.
If you still want just one all purpose blade, I d consider the
Infinity Super General 010-044 or
Combomax 010-050. The Super General is very impressive and is a very similar design to the Fusion, with similar pros and cons. The Combomax is similar in design to the LU84, but I ve found it to be better overall than the LU84…it s a great "set it and forget it" blade that s easy to get great results with.
The
Delta 35-7657 has got to be the best bang for the buck on the market. It s a classic 40T full kerf ATB grind made in the USA, has large C-4 micrograin carbide, hiqh quality laser cut steel, and good precision manufacturing for a grand total of ~ $30 to your door. It ll rival some of the best, and should easily hold it s own against the LU84.
Tips for Picking Saw Blades
- knotscott