Combat abrasives?

Daniel Macina

Daniel Macina

Well-Known Member
Has anyone used the combat abrasives shredder belts? The knifemaking world seems to be abuzz about them recently. Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with the belts or the company?
 
I have used them, I was not impressed or disappointed just....ok
I recently ordered some Norton blaze again and for my grinding technique I prefer the blaze over the combat shredder.
 
I ordered some of their ceramic belts last year and found them to be adequate but not amazing.
The price was fairly good buying in bulk.
I also am going back to Blaze or the 3M 984 as I get better results with them.
I also ordered a bunch of Combat's AO belts and they are also adequate, and the price in bulk is low, so I will keep using them.
 
For some reason the 120 ceramics I got from them were fantastic. They weren’t any faster cutting but the finish I got was pristine. The irony is that who leaves a 120 grit finish? The rest of the belts I got were great belts, just nothing special.
 
They got a lot of mileage by sponsoring Walter Sorrells. That’s how I heard about them and why I tried them.

I don’t have a bad thing to say about them. I’m just really happy with VSM.
 
John Wilson said:
They got a lot of mileage by sponsoring Walter Sorrells. That’s how I heard about them and why I tried them.

I don’t have a bad thing to say about them. I’m just really happy with VSM.
Click to expand...
Right and there's a popular knife making podcast that just picked them up as a sponsor aswell
 
I have ordered from them half a dozen times, and I wasn’t impressed with the belts or the service. A couple times my order took over two weeks to ship, only after finding out that part of my order was in back order. No email, no communication at all. Add to that the fact that they have minimum quantity orders, no thanks.
I’ve gone to using Tru-Grit and I couldn’t be happier. Just last week I got a phone call the next day after placing an order. One of my belts was out of stock, they offered to replace it with a similar, but more expensive belt at no cost to me. Great customer service, and no minimum quantities.
 
I’ve used them and probably will not reorder. Not bad belts but there are other better choices IMHO. Ditto about the customer service.
 
Ok thanks guys. I am super happy with tru grit so I’ll stick with them. I use the VSM belts as well and am happy with them. Admittedly I haven’t really tried anything else. Ed Caffrey uses VSM I figured that was good enough for me. I use a different 400 grit that Ed recommenced as well. Been so long since I’ve gotten to use em I’ve forgotten which brand.
 
I to use VSM via Eds recommendation I have used Tru Grit and Pops for my belts and more so Pops.I bought 1 Norton blaze just to see how they are and will be using it soon I hope.
 
At one time or another I've tried most of the "off brand" dealers. I feel bad, because the way it often happens is they will call me, and ask me to try their products....and offer to send me free products to try. It's difficult to turn down an offer like that! :)

I try/use the products they send, and am always disappointed compared to my "normal" belts that I purchase from Tru-Grit. Often times the products these vendors send have a cheaper overall price point, but most commonly, the durability is simply awful.

I hate it when they call me a month or so later, and eagerly ask "Well, how'd you like the belts!?" And I have to tell them I didn't/don't. Then the salesman pitch kicks in, telling me how much more economical their products are, and how I'd be so much better off if I were using their products.

I suppose you could call me a belt snob..... but I can't help it. After 30+ years of grinding blades, I still try to buy based on the best bang for the buck.... but often time that means different things to different people..... and for me I'd much rather pay a dollar or two more for a belt that I know is going to give me 2-4X the life/usability of a less expensive alternative.

The "off brands" might be just the ticket for some..... I've just never found any that satisfy me.
 
I ordered from them a few years ago. Just some AO belts. Seemed ok. The shipping seemed to take a long time.

Jacob
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
At one time or another I've tried most of the "off brand" dealers. I feel bad, because the way it often happens is they will call me, and ask me to try their products....and offer to send me free products to try. It's difficult to turn down an offer like that! :)

I try/use the products they send, and am always disappointed compared to my "normal" belts that I purchase from Tru-Grit. Often times the products these vendors send have a cheaper overall price point, but most commonly, the durability is simply awful.

I hate it when they call me a month or so later, and eagerly ask "Well, how'd you like the belts!?" And I have to tell them I didn't/don't. Then the salesman pitch kicks in, telling me how much more economical their products are, and how I'd be so much better off if I were using their products.

I suppose you could call me a belt snob..... but I can't help it. After 30+ years of grinding blades, I still try to buy based on the best bang for the buck.... but often time that means different things to different people..... and for me I'd much rather pay a dollar or two more for a belt that I know is going to give me 2-4X the life/usability of a less expensive alternative.

The "off brands" might be just the ticket for some..... I've just never found any that satisfy me.
Click to expand...

Ed, what is your opinion of the Klingspore CS 912s? I’ve been using their 50 and 80 grit belts for post heat treat grinding and really like them.
 
Ed, what is your opinion of the Klingspore CS 912s
Click to expand...

Those are a good belt, I personally do not use them because I prefer an X-weight over a Y-weight (the CS912s are Y weight) They are also about $4 more per belt than the VSM 2 x 72 - 50 XK760X Ceramic that I use.

That doesn't mean a hill of beans......belts are one of the most personal choices each person makes.....what works well for one person, may not work so well for another. There are so many variables from shop to shop, and person to person when it comes to grinding.....once you find something you like, I'd say stick with it until you have reason not to. ;)

For a long time I used Norton Blaze belts...... that is until the prices went sky high, and they started putting the "gunk" on the backing. At first I thought that "non-stick" backing coating would be great, but it literally piled up on my platen, causing all kinds of issues, and forcing me to stop several times when grinding a blade.....remove the belt, fight to scrap the "gunk" off the platen, and then go back to work. That's when I started looking for a replacement..... and Scott at Tru-Grit was nice enough to send me a few samples. From those I chose the VSM XK760X belts for my 50s and 120s.

Even after all these years, the one belt grit that has eluded me all these years is a 600. Never have found one that I'm happy with. The closest I've come is Klinspor KL-361...... but the longevity is terrible....sometimes it's two belts to finish a single blade.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top