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967, 977 or 984 belts?

J

jaymeister99

Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
819
I got a Craftsman 2x42 but am planning on moving up to a 2x72 grinder in a few weeks.

I came across the 3M 967, 977, and 984. All are ceramic and around the same price. What are the pros and cons of these? Which is the "best"?
 
I use the the 984F Cubitron ll belts in 36-80 grit. These are the belts I've been using from the beginning, as I'm relatively new to knifemaking. These belts seem to last forever, so I consider them a bargain. Definitely no complaints thus far. I also use the 977 Cubitron belts in 120 grit. Seem to last a long while as well, but they don't seem to have the longevity of the 984's. Although I've not used any other belts from other manufacturers, I don't see myself straying from 3M any time soon. They're good belts for the money in my experience.

Adam Buttry
 
Each one was an improvement over its predecessor, the 984f being the latest model. I've used each of them as they came out and find the 984 f the best of the three. There a great belt especially in the higher grits. I use 36 and 60 grits. I think they have the best life of any ceramic no matter which one you choose. They re-fracture quite well also.
 
984 here, too. But- depending on what you make and how you grind, any of these three may end up being your personal favorite. They are all good- I suggest you buy at least one of each, and the rest of your order 984's for now. See what you think.
 
I started using the 984s and they are awesome. They cut fresh for a long time. I was grinding hardened kitchen knives for 4 hours the other day without it wearing out or glazing over.
 
I love the 984Fs over the Blaze belts personally. Although I don't grind stainless, I've found them to be unkillable on titanium, excellent at lower speeds or pressures, and very long lived.


However, in 36 and 60 grit I'm now buying Hermes CN 466 Z ceramic belts, which cost half as much and are easily 3/4 the belt or better with carbon steel. It doesn't handle titanium nearly as well however, so I'm still buying the 984F's for that.

Zoe Crist and Chris Williams both turned me on to these Hermes belts at the same time, and everybody I've let use one, always looked at me like I was crazy before they started grinding, and asked me where to get them before they were done.
 
javand said:
I love the 984Fs over the Blaze belts personally. Although I don't grind stainless, I've found them to be unkillable on titanium, excellent at lower speeds or pressures, and very long lived.


However, in 36 and 60 grit I'm now buying Hermes CN 466 Z ceramic belts, which cost half as much and are easily 3/4 the belt or better with carbon steel. It doesn't handle titanium nearly as well however, so I'm still buying the 984F's for that.

Zoe Crist and Chris Williams both turned me on to these Hermes belts at the same time, and everybody I've let use one, always looked at me like I was crazy before they started grinding, and asked me where to get them before they were done.
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Thanks for the heads up on the hermes CN 466 z I am going to give those a shot seeing that I am using a lot of carbon steel right now.
 
Check with Pop. We asked him to carry them, and as usual, he not only helped us out but has the best prices anywhere.


He doesn't have them on the site, but call him up.
 
I've always found the yellow ones (967?) to be head and shoulders above any of the competition, but I'm excited about the new 3ms and the Hermes!
Where do you get the Hermes, Javand?
 
I answered above, but if you missed it, Pop has them at Pop's Knife Supplies. You just have to call him and ask. He also has the best prices on the 984F Cubitron IIs.
 
So you did, thank you! A lot of these guys are all about telephone...I tend to web order so I don't have to pull them away from what they're doing, but for Pop and Aldo a call makes all the difference.
 
elementfe said:
So you did, thank you! A lot of these guys are all about telephone...I tend to web order so I don't have to pull them away from what they're doing, but for Pop and Aldo a call makes all the difference.
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I just email my orders to Pop's. They are great to work with!
 
I like the 984's too. I'll definitely get a couple hermes CN 466 z's next time I order and try those as well.

elementfe said:
A lot of these guys are all about telephone...I tend to web order so I don't have to pull them away from what they're doing, but for Pop and Aldo a call makes all the difference.
Click to expand...

Yup, the fine folks at Alpha Knife Supply are the same way. It's nice to speak with a real live human who knows what they're talking about. Several times all three vendors have suggested things to me that I probably wouldn't have thought of, and I'm always glad they did :thumbup:
 
Spalted said:
The blaze belts loaded the platen with black gunk, hated that
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Me too, that's the biggest reason I looked into these. My platen has a big swatch of black crap on it from (I assume) the resin melting. Hope the 3M belts don't do that. My 3M gator belts don't.
 
As far as I know it's from a dry lubricant/coolant or whatever they started putting on the Blaze belts. It's actually something I believe they did on purpose, but I agree it sucks.
 
I'm still on the last batch of 967s I got from the Poplin's... I'm going to order some 984s soon.

And thanks for the heads up Javan... I'll definitely ask them for some of those Hermes as well.

The Hermes yellow back J-flex have been one of my favorite belts for 17 years now. :thumbup:
 
Is there any source for 2x42 belts that are 3M 984F? I would love to try em on the 2x42, but I can't seem to find em in that size.
 
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