Steel Demon – Near Shear Perfection With Diablo’s Devilish Metal Muncher

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Diablo Steel Demon

What's This?This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. I’ve always whipped out a hack saw or angle grinder and abrasive disc when I wanted to cut some metal. Or, for thin sheet stock, the trusty old tin snips. A few years ago I got my first carbide-toothed metal-cutting miter saw blade. We’ve all heard about how fragile carbide teeth are, so it might be a surprise that such a thing even exists. Yet here we are; cutting steel with the Diablo Steel Demon cermet carbide-toothed blade. On a circular saw, no less! For a new favorite way to cut mild and stainless steel, we reverently say “hell-o” to this heavenly red devil!

A Gnashing Of Teeth – Diablo Steel Demon

Diablo Steel Demon
Diablo Steel Demon is available in a variety of sizes and tooth counts.

Those who believe hell hath no fury like a woman scorned have clearly never tried Diablo Steel Demon blades. Though, if said woman’s saw is loaded with a Steel Demon blade, all bets are off!

1/8" steel plate
1/8” steel plate was no match for the Steel Demon!

Part of Diablo’s metal cutting lineup, Steel Demon blades are available in 10 different sizes, ranging from 5-3/8” to 14” in diameter. They have thin kerf cermet (ceramic metal) carbide teeth capable of lasting up to 5X longer than standard carbide blades and 40X longer than abrasive discs according to team Diablo. They cut faster, cleaner and cooler than any abrasive wheel ever dreamed of.

Shear perfection
Here’s the 1/8” steel plate after the cut: smooth and no sharp burr whatsoever.

We tested the 7-1/4”, 48-tooth circular saw blade. Here are some things this particular blade can cut (specs may vary a bit, depending on size and tooth count):

* Mild steel & stainless steel

* 1/16” – 1/4” (wall thickness) metal studs, EMT conduit, steel channel and angle iron.

* 1/8” – 1/2” plate and bar stock

* 1/4″ – 1-1/2” diameter threaded rod

There’s also a “Perma-SHIELD®” non-stick coating to reduce friction, corrosion and tartar build-up on the teeth. Flossing not required.

Diablo Steel Demon
Super durable teeth keep you cutting job after job.

Check out how much quicker Diablo Steel Demon cuts compared to an abrasive wheel!

The Devil Is In The Details

TCG cermet carbide teeth
This alternating TCG tooth arrangement cuts more efficiently and with less wear.

The teeth are brazed to the plate with a special tri-metal process that creates an extremely impact-resistant bond. Continuing with the rule of three, Diablo Steel Demon uses Triple Chip Grind (TCG) teeth for smoother cuts with less heat buildup and fewer sparks. With TCG geometry, every other tooth has beveled corners. After a beveled tooth removes material from the middle, a “regular” squared tooth comes in to chip away the two corners.

Stabilizer vents
The squiggly laser cut lines are “stabilizer vents” designed to dampen vibration for a smoother, quieter cut.

Speaking Of The Devil – Diablo Steel Demon

Fence rail
Cutting some 1.31” fence top rail like it’s butter.

Diablo Steel Demon blades are touted as leaving a burr-free edge; and it’s true! I was surprised at just how clean the cuts are. Almost as if it they were done with an industrial shear. Almost.

A perfect cut
A beautiful cut in just seconds.

The only burrs that developed were at the very end of the off-cuts. And that’s only because I allowed them to sag before dropping off. Even the world’s best blade can’t cut something that’s actively moving out of the way. The main workpiece, however, was beautiful, burr free and smooth (as smooth as a circular saw can yield in the hands of a slightly unsteady operator).

Offcuts
This small burr appears only on the offcuts (not the main workpiece), and only if it’s allowed to sag at the end of the cut (as most of mine were because, well, they’re the offcuts). If the off-cut pieces were supported, they too would be pristine.

If you’ve never cut steel with an abrasive disc or hacksaw, you might not appreciate what you’re looking at here. But trust us, the difference is night and day. No, the difference is night and, uh, Jupiter. In other words, worlds apart.

More offcuts
Another example of virtually burr-free cutting is this angle steel. Again, there are metal whiskers at the very end of the offcuts. And a single whisker (this time only) – which easily broke off by hand – on one of the main pieces.

Diablo Went Down To Georgia – He Was Looking To Saw Some Steel

Angle steel - Steel Demon
Diablo Steel Demon cut this angle steel a lot faster and cleaner than a hacksaw or abrasive cutoff wheel is going to.

No fiddling around here. This blade gets the job done.

Rectangular tubing
Rectangular steel tubing? Pshaw! This piece was slightly magnetic. What might appear to be tiny burrs is really just fame-seeking sawdust hamming it up for the camera. What a diva! Am I right?
Glory hole
This glowing cherry looks like something from one of Dante’s 9 circles of hell. But it still heats the material a lot less than an abrasive cutting disc would.

Does The Devil Really Wear Prada?

Milwaukee Torch blade
For thicker, heavier cast iron, stainless steel and high strength alloys, try a Milwaukee Torch recip blade.

Ok, so there are some cases where a Steel Demon circular saw blade might not be the best option. In tight spaces or when working with thicker steel (heavy beams or cast iron pipe, for example), you may be better off with one of Diablo’s reciprocating saw blades, or something like the Milwaukee Torch carbide toothed recip blade.

Schedule 40 steel pipe
This black steel pipe was cut with the Milwaukee Torch blade. The cut isn’t nearly as clean or pretty as those made by a Diablo Steel Demon. Then again, you don’t always have the luxury of wide open access. (Make sure you’re not cutting into an active gas line!)

Giving The Devil His Due – Diablo Steel Demon Saw Blades

Reflecting on a job well done.
See the red “paint” on the cut edges of these scraps? What you’re actually looking at is the blade in the background reflecting off of smooth, almost polished cuts.

If you’ve ever cut a bunch of steel at a jobsite – or even a few chain link fencing posts or metal studs for a personal home improvement project – you’ve probably spent more time than necessary, and ended up with sloppier results than you might have liked. For faster, cleaner cuts without re-work or deburring, it’s time to step up to Diablo Steel Demon.

Diablo Steel Demon
I didn’t have any metal studs on hand. But judging by the steel I did cut (and this is only some of it) you metal framers out there are going to absolutely love Diablo’s Steel Demon blades.

Some say “El Diablo” is to be avoided at all costs. “Like hell!”, I say. Prayers for better steel cutting options have been heard and answered by the folks in red! Diablo Steel Demon blades are one temptation you can feel good about giving in to. Can we get an amen?

Diablo Steel Demon blades:

Buy Now - via The Home Depot

Milwaukee Torch carbide toothed reciprocating saw blades:

Buy Now - via The Home Depot

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with Home Fixated in sponsored content. As a part of the sponsorship, Home Fixated is receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own words. This post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

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About Steve

Steve made his first woodworking project at age 9 (in 1982) and whittled his first wooden chain at 18. He was also a consumer electronics repair tech and shop owner for a little over 20 years, until his impending obsolescence became impossible to ignore. Since then, Steve has focused passionately on manipulating his wood... in his workshop. Don't judge him.

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