As anyone in the market for a combination blade, also called a general-purpose blade, knows, there’s no shortage of choices, even in the upper price range. Curious to know whether any of these blue bloods stood out, I decided to test 14 top-of-the-line 10-in. combination saw blades for smoothness of cut.

With each new blade, I ripped and crosscut a 3/4-in.-thick maple board to produce a 2-in.-square sample. After that, the ripped and crosscut edges on each sample were checked for smoothness on a high-tech machine called a surface and roughness profiling system, which can measure very small surface deviations. Then, based on the machine measurements, the smoothness of each rip and crosscut was rated as excellent, very good, good, or fair.

The Jesada was a high scorer, with an excellent in the rip cut and a very good in the crosscut.

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Ridgid R4331 Planer

Priced nearly $300 less than the DeWalt 735X, the Ridgid R4331 is an excellent value. Its three-knife cutterhead left wonderfully clean surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pine. It did not perform nearly as well on curly maple as the 735X.

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Milwaukee M12 23-Gauge Cordless Pin Nailer

This tool is designed for convenience. The battery and pins are easy to load, and the safety lock operates with the same finger you use to pull the trigger. The depth of set is adjustable, there’s a work light, and there’s a hook for hanging the tool on your toolbelt. A gauge lets you keep track of when you’ll need to recharge.

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Festool Cleantec CT 26 E HEPA Dust Extractor

The clear winner here is Festool’s CT 48 Dust Extractor. It has amazing capacity relative to its size, and unmatched suction power. It packs in a number of subtle but very helpful design touches, like a clever foot brake and easy hose and cord storage.

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