any opinions on Norzon bluefire 120 belts

Cardinal Knife

Cardinal Knife

Joined
Nov 25, 2007
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I need to order belts and these are half the price it seems from cubitrons or Blaze belts. Are they any good? At that price I could order twice as many and just throw em out as needed. I typically grind 154CM, O1, 1080, 440c
Thanks Chris
 
I like 'em. I think they cut just as well for almost as long as some of the pricier ceramics.
 
It's a very good belt. It's not better or worse than the Blaze, just different, and less expensive. It is designed for lower grinding pressure than the Blaze, it's more friable, "self sharpening".

If you grind with a lot of pressure you need the Blaze. If you grind with less pressure these work better.

To me, the biggest problem is they have the same black gunk problem that Blaze had because they have the same backing. The Blaze belts with that problem seem to have worked their way out of the system, but not yet with these.
 
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Nathan the Machinist said:
It's a very good belt. It's not better or worse than the Blaze, just different, and less expensive. It is designed for lower grinding pressure than the Blaze, it's more friable, "self sharpening".

If you grind with a lot of pressure you need the Blade. If you grind with less pressure these work better.

To me, the biggest problem is they have the same black gunk problem that Blaze had because they have the same backing. The Blaze belts with that problem seem to have worked their way out of the system, but not yet with these.
Click to expand...

Friable, another word for my dictionary, I think that's two in two weeks form you, LOL. Thank you Nathan.
 
They are my favorite belt in 80 and 120 grit. I grind slip joints and use less pressure so the work great for my use.
 
The black gunk issue is what made eventually me switch from Norton to 3M after I had gone from blue Nortons to the Blaze belts. I don't recall if the blue Klingspors had the same problem. The ceramics do last longer IMO, particularly in a "used" condition when they are no longer the "fresh" belts yo should be using for hogging steel but can still use them for tother applications like minor profile changes, etc.. The 3M ceramics are usable until you destroy the backing/seam.
Nathan the Machinist said:
It's a very good belt. It's not better or worse than the Blaze, just different, and less expensive. It is designed for lower grinding pressure than the Blaze, it's more friable, "self sharpening".

If you grind with a lot of pressure you need the Blaze. If you grind with less pressure these work better.

To me, the biggest problem is they have the same black gunk problem that Blaze had because they have the same backing. The Blaze belts with that problem seem to have worked their way out of the system, but not yet with these.
Click to expand...
 
How would these compare to the vsm ceramics from tru-grit? I'm doing a light convex with a slack belt (120 grit vsm) and wonder if these would put a better/easier convex before I go to gators/Norax belts.
 
I like the Blue belts and the VSM and use both. I believe the VSM can be bought a little cheaper and I'm now a fan of buying less expensive belts but changing them more frequently. Nothing compares to a brand new belt when trying to get a clean sharp grind. I would rather use two cheap belts than use a more expensive belt a little too long. I use 60 grit 3M cdramics to rough grind and then swith to a 100 grit VSM and then to a 220 grit ceramic before changing to Norax or Gator belts. VSM belts are a bargain in my opinion. Blue belts are wonderful if you get a good price. Larry
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I bought a bunch of the blues yesterday, and will give them a try. Bought a total of 13; 5 in 120, 3 in 220, 2 in 180, 2 in 80, 1 in 50 and it was only $49 minus shipping. A lot cheaper than the last time I ordered. As Larry pointed out, I think it will be easier for me to toss these when worn. I tend to keep a worn $7 belt around longer only because of its monetary value.
 
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