The next time you're shopping for a new saw blade online or at your nearest woodworking supplier, you might run across a newcomer to the premium consumer blade market: GUHDO®. The blades are visually hard to miss. GUDHO's new Gmaxx line, which includes ripping, general purpose and fine finish blades along with blades for nonferrous metals, steel and solid surface, are glossy black with bright red iconography and lettering.

But while GUHDO black is a fresh blade color option for hobbyist and professional woodworkers, the company already has a long history in saw blade manufacturing. Germany-based GUHDO (pronounced Goo-doe) has been in the business of making industrial precision tooling since 1908. If you followed our video blog coverage of last summer's IWF trade show in Atlanta, you may have seen our blog from GUDHO's booth and know something about the blades already. If not, John Otto, GUHDO's vice president of sales and marketing for North and South America, recently filled me in a bit more about the company's background and Gmaxx product launch.

"Remscheid, Germany, where GUDHO was established, is known as the center for tooling manufacturing in that part of the world. Because of GUHDO's superior quality in manufacturing, reliability of their products and excellent customer service, the company has always been sought after by both the specialized trade and professional users."

The name GUDHO is actually an acronym for the two brothers, Gustav and Hubert Doerken, who founded the company. Otto says the company started in cutting tools with an initial concentration on the industrial side. GUHDO has always produced standard tooling but also makes custom tooling to suit more specialized applications for certain clients. Products include circular saw blades; CNC tooling; router bits; Forstner, brad and countersink drill bits; plus profiled cutterheads and planer and jointer knives.

The company moved its headquarters in 1967 from Remscheid to Wermelskirchen, Germany, where they are currently located.

GUHDO's decision to offer a Guhdo-branded saw blade line, as well as router bits, extends from the success it has experienced with expansion in other parts of the world. "A better product at a better price is what customers all over the world are looking for. We believe there is a gap in the North American market for a quality German-made saw blade at an affordable price to the professional market. We see this as an opportunity to compete with other European brands, which have expanded rapidly over the past few years."

Guhdo's engineers began developing the concept of the Gmaxx blade line in December 2010. It now encompasses nearly 70 different blade models in sizes ranging from 7-1/4-in. up to 14-in. Options include a variety of tooth geometries, depending on the cutting application: alternate top bevel (ATB), hi-ATB and triple-chip in positive and negative hook angles. The company offers both standard- and thin-kerf blade bodies. A full selection of 1/4- and 1/2-in.-shank router bits are also part of the new Gmaxx family of products.

Given some of the strong competition that's already well-established in the North American woodworking cutter market, Otto anticipates a clear challenge. But, GUHDO is prepared to meet it head-on, with product attributes he feels will allow them to offer a better product to the industry consumer than anyone else. Some of these features and benefits include thicker, premium carbide teeth that will allow for more re-sharpenings, better blade body steel quality, a complete computer-controlled manufacturing process and more in-depth quality inspection.

GUHDO is also promoting the electrostatic blade coating on the Gmaxx saw blades, which Otto says is unique to the marketplace. It's significantly thinner than a Teflon®-based coating, and the electrostatic process impregnates the coating into the steel rather than simply laying the coating on the metal like paint. The result of this allows for much more clearance from the blade thickness to the tooth kerf thickness, which reduces friction during cutting and creates a cooler-running blade. Thicker conventional coatings are also more likely to wear off over time, which exposes the blade to contaminants, rusting and deterioration.

John explained that the company is now in the process of expanding its distribution channels for Gmaxx-branded blades and router bits, but GUHDO-produced cutting tools have actually been in North America for a long time already. Most of us, however, don't know it. They already have a very strong presence in the private label market and are making many of today's top-selling blades, just not under the GUHDO brand.The company plans to continue to expand that presence in the private label market going forward.

At this time, you can purchase GUHDO Gmaxx blades at Amazon.com. Learn more about the new blade and bit options at guhdo-gmaxx.com.