BOSCH BS6412-24M 64-1/2-Inch by 1/2-Inch by 24TPI Metal Bandsaw Blade

In general (in the past…) I exactly echo what Dave wrote in 2018 as well as most of the other 5* reviews considered most helpful. However- my last 2 orders of blades have had repeated “kink” issues at the weld joint to the point of return for fear of immediate breakage. Blades did not track well, had a tendency to easily pop off drive wheels (kink wrecks smooth proper shape) and when finally running were extremely bumpy and jumpy. As we all know putting a tiny kink in the blade starts the blade death countdown in seconds rather than minutes of run time so I only made a couple of unsatisfactory cuts before pulling the still intact blades. I think the issue is at the factory where one of the pieces of machinery making the weld joint is either out of alignment or is gripping one end too hard. The blades I received had a visible and easily feel-able kink bend right on the joint. I know Bosch can make them better as the initial broken blade I was replacing was a perfectly made Bosch blade. Hopefully someone from the factory reads this and corrects the quality issue. By the by, i bought an 18tpi Olson blade as an experiment and though the $30 cost is prohibitive it is the smoothest, fastest, straightest cutting blade I’ve used in recent memory.