Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Diablo has carbide blades for pretty much every job. When they come out with something new, it’s often a rolling change that improves an already high-performing blade to make it better. That’s not the case for the Diablo Steel Demon Amped, though. This carbide reciprocating saw blade takes thick metal cutting to a new level.

Diablo starts with a 1-inch tall blank that creates a really rigid base for the blade. From there, they go with an 8 TPI tooth configuration and tip with their own secret carbide blend. Wrapping things up is Diablo’s Perma-Shield coating that reduces heat and friction and Black I.C.E. coating on the tooth edges to help keep them slick, cool, and improve chip ejection.

The result is a reciprocating saw blade that can cut metal up to 9/16 inches thick, including stainless steel and cast iron.

Now that all sounds great, but does it cut? Oh yes, it cuts. 

We started by making some test cuts in 3/8-inch angle iron and Diablo’s Steel Demon Amped just melted right through it. Using Skilsaw’s 15-amp Buzzkill Reciprocating Saw, our cuts were fast and stable.

After our little warm-up, we went straight to the toughest cut we have to make on a regular basis—cast iron. This wasn’t the nice, new cast-iron pipe we see in controlled settings. It was true demo 4-inch cast iron that had been installed decades ago and our Diablo blade made much quicker work out of it than diamond grit blades ever thought of cutting.

We made it through three cuts before calling the blade done. It’s possible it could have made good progress on a fourth cut, but the speed had slowed down significantly from where it started.

Then we moved over to our lifetime test. It’s an endurance test to see how many cuts the blade can make in #5 rebar before it’s ineffective. Along the way, we also check the cutting speed.

The new Diablo Demo Demon blade made 40 cuts before calling it a day. To put that in perspective, the previous Steel Demon thick metal blade made 33 cuts in the same test. That translates into more than 20% longer life!

The speed was pretty impressive as well. Out of the gate, it averaged just 3.3 seconds over the first 5 cuts. The best way to cut metal with a reciprocating saw is by using a slower speed—but the reality is that most of the guys we see in the field cut at full speed no matter what. So that’s how we designed our test.

One of the things we were really impressed with is the Diablo Steel Demon Amped’s toughness, giving us that longer life with the new design. If you’re the kind of Pro that dials down the speed for metal cutting, you can expect an even longer life.

Something else worth pointing out is what happens at the end of a blade’s life. We typically see teeth start to chip and break, but that wasn’t the case with Diablo’s new blade. They actually came off completely. It’s not something that’s a design flaw or failure—just a difference in the way Diablo’s metallurgy comes together.

Diablo Steel Demon Amped carbide thick metal reciprocating saw blades are definitely a big upgrade and run about $15 for 6-inch and $20 for 9-inch sizes. That’s a step up in price from the current Steel Demon thick metal blade ($10 and $15, respectively).

If you’re used to buying bi-metal blades, these are significantly more expensive. However, it’s the cost-per-cut that really sells them. You’ll go through a lot of bi-metal blades before you make it through one Steel Demon Amped. Bi-metal blades certainly have their place—it’s just not cutting thick metal.

Using a reciprocating saw to cut through thick metal used to mean finishing the job slowly and with a stack of blades piled up below you. Diablo’s latest-generation Steel Demon Amped carbide thick metal blade not only makes the job easier, but it also outperforms their previous thick metal blade by a significant margin.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave them in the comments below, and as always, thanks for watching!

On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.

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I have found using oil helps a lot when using blades, same as with drilling. I might be tempted to use water if I was doing cordless. But, cutting oil just seems to work, I gave used 5w-20 too.

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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros