Here, we have a Dewalt DW8062 Type 1 cut-off wheel. It sells for just under $2 each at Amazon, and it costs even less if you buy a 5-pack.
These 4-1/2″ x 0.045″ aluminum oxide cut-off wheels are used in an angle grinder to cut metal, stainless steel, and similar materials.
Advertisement
The disc, shown above, has been very lightly used, and has plenty of life left in it. Or at least it had plenty of usable life.
This particular disc expired in 2015. You can see the expiration year stamped on the wheel, on the metal bit towards the center.
Cut-off wheels and grinding wheels should not be used past their expiration dates, and that’s if they’ve been properly stored and handled. Mishandling or storing discs in certain conditions might lead discs to be discarded earlier.
So what happens after cut-off and grinding wheels expire? I can’t speak about performance, but there is a greater risk of breakage, shattering, or other such catastrophic failure.
I believe that the expiration has more to do about the adhesives used to bind everything together.
Advertisement
Have you ever seen brittle glue failure? Maybe aged rubber bands that broke when stretched?
Many abrasive wheels seem expire 3 years after they’re manufactured. Does that mean that a wheel is guaranteed to fail the very next day, 3 years + 1 day after it’s made? No. Ignoring environmental and handling conditions, a day or two won’t make a difference. But the older a cut-off wheel or abrasive wheel, the greater the chance of catastrophic failure.
UV light, humidity, and temperature fluctuations are some of the favors that could degrade abrasive wheels’ bonding agents over time.
Different types of products might have different expiration times. I have seen bench grinder abrasive wheels with 2 year expiration dates.
ALWAYS wear proper safety gear when using abrasive wheels at any kind. They can and do break, and you need to follow experts’ safety recommendations, such as manufacturers’ and OSHA’s.
Abrasive wheels should also be inspected before each use. (Are there any other abrasive wheel safety checks that you know of?)
What would happen if I were to use the expired cut-off wheel, shown above? Chances are that it will perform as well or nearly as well as a brand new disc. But there’s an increased chance that it will fail, at least compared to a newer and non-expired disc used in the same exact manner.
There are enough risks when using cut-off wheels and grinding wheels. I’m not looking to increase those risks in any way, and so I don’t use expired abrasive discs.
Sure, maybe part of the reason for the expiration is to reduce brands’ liability should a 6 year old disc fail and damage something or worse – someone.
But I’m not going to bet my safety, or anyone else’s, guessing as to whether my expired cut-off wheels are safe to use or not. Why take the chance?
I came across the above disc when digging through some storage boxes, looking for personal tools or old samples to give away or donate. There were only a couple of older cut-off and grinding wheels, maybe ten dollar’s worth.
If you use cut-off and grinding wheels often, you probably rotate your supplies, using the oldest non-expired supplies first. If you’re like me and don’t use angle grinders very often, you might have a small stash of wheels.
As always, you should follow manufactures’ guidelines for the safe use of power tool accessories and consumables. When in doubt, seek professional advice or recommendations.
That all said, what have your cut-off and grinding wheel experiences been like? Have you ever been faced with the choice of what to do with an expired wheel?
Cr8on
Wow, I’ve never noticed that they expire! It makes total sense, but not a single thought ever given. I’m sure I’ve used old discs many times…. I’ll be taking note in the future! Grinders are one of the scariest tools I use, so another layer of caution is welcome.
Jonathan
Wow, I learned something new, that kinda of explain why a pack of DeWalt cut-off wheels I used seemed to wear down or shrink rapidly w/what I thought odd. I bought them for a project off Amazon, some seller must have bought a lot of NOS and sold it through Amazon as I ordered them right before a project.
I actually bought a Lenox Metalmax Diamond Cut-off wheel because of DeWalt’s limited use life span and I also needed more wheels. Metal Max advertises that they last 50x longer; plus it was only a few dollars more than the DeWalt 5-pack.
In the future I will only use them because the metal disc is unlikely to shatter or experience catastrophic failure from age, drops, UV or humidity exposure, in addition to being less expensive in the long run. It seems that metal/diamond seems to be the preferred combo for concrete/tile/stone as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Lenox-Tools-1972921-METALMAX-Diamond/dp/B01HSJ1A2M/
The yeti
What a load of horse poop. Ill take all my chances with the expired discs.
Craig
You must be a chemist to draw such a concrete conclusion. Please enlighten the rest of us as to why these materials will not fail after time? I for one am not willing to risk my safety or others’ safety around me to save a couple dollars. I mean that’s less than the Monster I’m drinking right now.
GSinMT
You won’t take chances with an expired cutting wheel, but you’ll throw caution to the wind when it comes to ingesting the cocktail of risks that is a Monster energy drink?
RX9
Ah you must have had your ears filled with the garbage that’s being thrown around regarding energy drinks. Smoke or drink per chance?
Sean
I used to drink 5 or 6 monsters a day for a few months… I’m fine but probably shouldn’t be.
John G.
Um… Goin with the yeti on this one… not only have I never noticed but I am sure I have used them older than 10 + years and have never ever had a problem.. maybe I’m lucky or maybe it’s simply a marketing tactic to get you to buy more…
j
I have a few from 2000 that are small and I use them in tight places. I have not had a failure that was not caused by abuse going on 25 years.
I probably will have one now.
The yeti
Im sure they do degrade. Guess what. They are designed to come apart .
Only time they fail is when u fail to wear your personal protective equipment. Thats when the discs tend to explode .
If you are wearing gloves heavy clothing boots and a face mask. The disc exploding wont be an issue
Steven McLachlan
Exactly. I’m using a stack of discs I got super cheap in the late 90s! Got hundreds of them basically free. Sure they explode if I twist them while cutting, but so will ANY thin type 1 abrasive disc.
Given that I expect them to shatter, I use the grinder as if the wheel will ke4splod3 at any time and plan for it with planning, guarding and ppe. So should everyone, regardless of what disc you use.
MtnRanch
The surface of a 7″ wheel is moving at about 150 mph and there nothing more fun than bits of a broken wheel flying at you or a co-worker at 150 mph.
Never knew about the expiration date! I now have a trash bin with expired wheels in it. New one are much cheaper than surgery. Have you seen hospital costs lately? Ambulances?
Christopher A Holte
Meh…. Definitely think twice before you do. Especially when you are uncertain how it was stored before you find a couple in your uncles garage that look brand new, however lack any lable from manufacturing. I just had one explod into chunks while using for 35mins or so. Luckily I was wearing a pair of welding gloves, however still can’t feel my pointer finger where my nail is forsure falling off after it heals. Most likely sprained in a few places, over double in size from swelling. Somehow a small chunk peirced threw the glove and got me between my top knuckles deep enough to get stitches forsure.
Kevin M Smith
I just checked. I have 2 wheels that I’ve been using quite a bit over the last couple weeks for cutting steel tubing, both have been expired for 2 years. Both are holding up fine. They are DeWalt, if you’re curious.
John
Who’d of thunk?? I’ve never noticed the expiration dated on bonded resin wheels before and it’s probably good advise to heed. I’ve seen plenty of people misuse this type of wheel or not wear sufficient protective gear when cutting.
I can envision a scenario where the expiration date was quietly added to the product after a the settlement of a law suit. This way, the manufacturer could potentially say “told ya so” if faced with future litigation from someone who was injured while using an expired cutoff wheel.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Jonathan
Since they are often sold loose and unpackaged without an insert nor a disclaimer not to use after the date on wheel, it could be argued successfully, that the plaintiff belived that it was the D.O.M. and not expry as it quite common to see a date of manufacture (coded or uncoded) embossed in plastic or metal of the tool.
Example, I bought a DeWalt 18V LiON (pre-20V Max) Hammerdrill with self tightening chuck, the type 1 chucks had a defect that they would freeze or lock-up (it was a clearance item at Lowe’s for $50 was $379) . When mine failed, and I took it in to the DeWalt service center the guy at the counter said it was to out of warranty after checking the DOM, thankfully I had registered it in my DeWalt acct because I doubt I could have easily or quickly found my orginal receipt.
Something I wish that Milwaukee had was a similar reg program as the SN printed on the foil labels seem to have a short life span after a year of normal use in a construction environment in and out of tool bags etc.
I digress so I am curious about the date sans any printed warnings on disc or elsewhere. I don’t doubt the glue used today, for health or profit reason might have a limted life span compared to disc from a decade ago, and issues of heat, humidity, UV exposure I’m sure can impact the life or wear speed of the binder/glue.
I’m just surprised that warnings aren’t more explicit considering the tool and potential for injury.
MacLean
None of my Harbor Freight ones have an expiration…no surprise there.
Cr8on
Hahahaha that’s probably why I’ve never noticed lol… I use HF one’s at least 1/2 the time.
Pete
I used some HF wheels once and I tell you what, they may be cheaper to purchase but those harbor freight wheels are actually more expensive. Looking at ‘Cost per cut’ a good wheel will be cheaper because it will last longer.
MacLean
Which is why I stock up when they are on sale…which is why I am concerned they might “expire.”
OBDave
That might be why I never noticed – most of my cutoff wheels are China Freight. But even buying them in 10-packs there’s no way they last long enough to get into an expiration date danger zone… Then again, I just realized caulk has a use-by date about six months ago…
Nate
Wheel resin might break down but I’ve never had a problem. You always use a grinder in a way to mitigate damage if a wheel disintegrates so I’ll take my chances.
This is another opportunity to sell more grinding wheels.
Dave
If the date is really a “do not use after” date, why wouldn’t they include that direction in the warning section with all the other warnings? It is hard to read in the photo but I don’t think it is there.
skfarmer
pfftttt…….
if it was that big of a deal there would e warnings plastered everywhere and i can’t say that i have ever seen it.
i have a 1/4 delta grinder from maybe the 60’s………. um ………. yup it has wheels marked delta that i am pretty sure are original. it sees pretty light duty but i have spooled it up hundreds if not thousands of times.
common sense would tell you to rotate stock but i am sure not going to throw that box of new grinding wheels i got one hell of a deal on.
i would bet money it is a legal/cover your ass deal and nothing more.
Raoul
“I would bet money it is a legal/cover your ass deal and nothing more.”
That and to keep you buying fresh replacements when you don’t need them. Many manufacturers do this. A $600 epi pen has a short expiration date but really lasts for years. Anyone administering an expired one to someone creates a huge liability though so good ones get replaced constantly.
Stuart
But with 3-year shelf lives, a very small percentage of users might be buying new wheels to replace expired wheels ones, compared to welders and other bulk users.
Raoul
3 years if you get them off the manufacturing line. Like I mentioned above, I’ve received new expired ones. The point is, check the dates on your new wheels to make sure you get fresh ones or at least that you will consume them before the expiry date.
Jonathan
@Stuart, I’m curious about the your source about it being an expiration date and not the DOM. I don’t doubt the science behind the binder and environmental exposure.
If it’s a CYA by DeWalt, I’m just surprised that if it is an expiration date concern that its not printed in the warning info on the disc not to use after that date, and that it could be a liability issue for retailers that have NOS albeit expired disc that were sold to end users who got injured.
Thanks
Stuart
At the least, it’s because these wheels were found in a box I put in storage in 2014 or earlier.
Raoul
I’ve received new expired wheels from Amazon. I complain to them and they refund the money. They have never sent unexpired replacements, they just remove their stock for a while till they get new ones I suppose.
I woukd like to point out that different guards are available for your grinders and if you are using Type 1 cut off wheels you should use a type 1 guard which wraps around the wheel better. I’ve seen the type 1 wheels break. One guy luckily only got a huge gash in his forehead and didn’t get killed. Wear your safety squints.
skfarmer
actually, who said it was an expiration date? you don’t say in the article.
how do you know it is not a mfg. date?
if it was an actual expiration date wouldn’t it say use by or expires by in front of it?
Raoul
Usually when you buy them they have a date sometime in the future which would indicate an expiry date. One might get confused when they see a past date and think it is a manufacture date. Which is good that you got informed here on Toolguyd. I asked Dewalt about it years ago when I first questioned it and they confimed its the expiration date.
Stuart
In Oct 2015, I briefly mentioned this and a few other stored wheels in the context of a new tool preview (https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-xp-ceramic-cutting-wheels-flap-discs/):
I have a couple of Dewalt cut-off wheels already in my power tool accessories box, but I’m sure they’re expired by now. Yes, abrasive wheels expire and should not be used past the marked date.
So I’m sure it wasn’t a manufacturing date.
Quickest reference: http://www.nbq.ee/nortonkettad-autondus/files/assets/basic-html/page25.html
Marked on the product: V10/2015 means that the wheel must be used before this date.The expiration or validity date is equal to the date of manufacture plus 3 years.
http://uama.org/shelf-life/
http://www.nbq.ee/nortonkettad-toostus/files/assets/basic-html/page492.html
That seems to say that resin-bonded wheels are more susceptible to time degradation, while glass bonding used in vitrified wheels will be far less susceptible.
Apparently abrasive belts and discs also have limited shelf lives.
Coated abrasive products may contain some organic materials and will degrade with time. It is recommended that coated abrasive belts and discs be consumed within 10 years from the date of manufacture.
Bryan
Harbor Freight discs are good til 2055.
Pete
you spelled 3055 wrong!
Pete
Ah! I spelled 4055 wrong! HF disks are good until 4055.
MtnRanch
Harbor Freight wheels are good?
Nate
No but they’re petrified lol.
Rami
For as long as the wheel looks and feels good, I will use it. If it has started to turn from black to more brown-like and the disc feels brittle, I will throw it away.
Michael Quinlan
TIL that grinder wheels expire. Thanks Stuart!
I’m very surprised by the number of “better sorry than safe” comments.
Coach James
From the UAMA: Shelf life is related to wheels containing organic bonding material and storage conditions.
http://uama.org/shelf-life/
Chris H
Stuart, go ahead and send all your expired disks my way
Ever notice how Table salt also has an expiration date.. Its been in the ground for 90 million years, but once the bottle it and send it to a store…
John S
Table salt has also usually been iodized and I’m not entirely sure that doesn’t decay. In the past “25 percent of the iodine in the diet came from wheat (because iodine was used in the processing of flour). With a change in commercial flour production, bromide is now used, which not only decreases the iodine we consume, but it may actually block the activity of the iodine we are getting elsewhere”. There are also companies that fortify their sea salt with iodine.
IJK
Per FDA/USDA rules, every actual food item sold to us is required to have some form of expiration date. Be it use by, sell by, best by, etc… It’s why even bottled water has an expiration date.
I imagine in the case of these grinder or cutoff wheels, it’s a legal thing. Can’t say it’s a manufacturing defect, if you used it past the expiry date. Honestly, though, most of them are cheap enough that if it’s even remotely questionable, just toss it and grab a new one.
Pete
Negative. The FDA states that bottled water has an indefinite shelf life. The reason why water as a expiration date is because of New Jersey law that all food has to have an expiration date.
IJK
I stand corrected. Still a random law somewhere for something stupid. Much like everything causing cancer in cali warnings on everything.
RC WARD
Nobody living in California calls it Cali
Nate
Kalifornistan!
Davida1
I find old water bottles taste like plastic. It could be that they store them wrong, so it happens quicker, but I think at some point they all aquire a taste from the bottle.
Pete
Indeed, the water leeches the plastic flavor from the bottle but the water is still good.
Andy Ringsmuth
Incorrect. The ONLY food that is REQUIRED by law to have an expiration date is infant/baby formula. Everything else is entirely up to the manufacturer.
Charles
Who stands in the same plane as a rotating tool?! Table saw blades throw their carbides, wire wheels spit their bristles, and in addition to failing catastrophically grind wheels throw sparks. Being in the path of any of them is akin to standing in front of a gun. The arguement that some times you have to hold the tool that way holds no weight in any industrialized environment. If you can’t work safely don’t do the job. Expiration date or not there is no reason to be injured by a grind wheel
Mr Sawcat
You see it all the time some noob comes out in full protective gear to demonstrate how to safely use a cutoff wheel on a grinder. Then proceeds to do the number one biggest safety infraction of using a cutoff wheel having his face in perfect alignment with the wheel . I alway keep my head at least 45 to 90 degree off of plane. On some days I’ll burn through as many as 5 4 1/2 cutoff wheels If there not cracked ,frayed or big chuck out of them their gonna get used . I also use a variable speed makita wich lets me use wheels that would be unusable in other grinders by turning the speed down. Cut off wheel are nasty piece of work no way around it . If there was better way I’m all ears.
michaelhammer
Ahhh, if only life were so cut and dried. There are so many situations where calculated risks are part of the job. Cutting flat steel or large diameter iron pipe is the most difficult and dangerous. The tendency for the blade to shatter is far greater, yet one has to position one’s self to see the cut line. Fortunately there are alternatives to abrasive blades that are safer and as effective. I use wet/dry diamond blades for stone and cementitious products. For metal I bought, but have yet to use, Lennox MetalMax wheel. No more shattered discs, no more expiration dates.
Wayne
A co-worker was previously in a shop where someone was using a big bench grinder and the wheel came apart and knocked the front half of his brain pan clean off, along with the stuffing behind the bone. Never saw it coming.
Not the same thing as little cutoff disks but still, yipes.
More mass, more inertia, more danger.
RC WARD
Send me all those “expired” wheels I’ll let you know how they workout
Alick
Can’t help but feel these dates will have been set very conservatively, like best before dates on food. Keep your disks safely in a storeroom away from extremes of temperature, vibration, UV light and chemicals and I’ll continue to bet my life that they’re good for 10 years shelf life if not more.
Think of all the applications where we trust different resins in safety critical applications like resin anchors and laminated timber beams in construction, adhesives glueing the wings of the A380 intercontinental jets …
That said, there is sense in stamping a date on during manufacture. It lets us exercise judgement. We don’t expect motorcycle helmets and climbing ropes to last forever and they rely on plastics and resins too…
SiSiX
@Alick
Different kinds of resins used in those applications versus the resins used in items that are meant to be consumable. No sense in using an expensive resin in something that is going to get ground down to a nub through it’s normal use. Personal experience over the years is that resins tend to become more brittle the older they get.
That said, I’d be a LOT more concerned using an out of date 9 inch grinder wheel than I would a 3 inch cut off wheel.
ToolOf The Trade
Maybe you ought to put em in your refrigerator to keep them fresh. Expiration date? Shelf life? I didn’t know that aluminum or silicone oxide was perishable. Looks to me like a desperate marketing gimmick by dewalt for suckers and it obviously worked cuz you bit right into it. Hook, line, and sinker. How many other brands put an expiration date on their abrasive discs? I have several different brands and grits of discs and there’s not an expiration date on any of them. Talk to a welder or metal fabricator and see what they have to say about an expiration date. The fiberglass & resin isn’t going to separate after being pressed with the tonnage they use to manufacture these things. The only way for them to malfunction is operator error. I’ve got grinding discs i know that are 10 years and older that I use all the time. Some of them are just now wearing down to the fiberglass. I guess all of my flap discs are expired too, right?! And my sanding belts?! And my sandpaper?! What about my grinding wheels for my bench grinders? They’re older than I am. I better throw em out cuz they’re expired, right? And as far as cutting discs go, anyone with some intelligence that uses an angle grinder knows to use diamond grit cutting discs (thank you Lenox) and flap discs. Nobody uses aluminum oxide cutting discs anymore except for smaller cutoff discs. I’m sure they’ll be phased out in a few years once the industries catches on to the diamond grit discs. I don’t mean to call you out, but you have been misinformed and unfortunately you bought it and now you’re posting misinformation. I’ve been doing metal work as a hobby for 10 years and I’ve never had an abrasive disc failure issue due to an expiration date.
Charles
Diamond discs don’t work well for ferrous materials. At temperature the diamond (carbon) dissolved into the iron pinning the slip planes (interstitial solute). Maybe you means silica carbide? Those are the green wheels that are good for steel and aluminum.
Nate
Wow, that is odd, Lenox is marketing a metal blade that contains diamonds somehow bonded to it that doesn’t work on ferrous metals? Surely the previous poster knows something Lenox doesn’t.
Nate
Maybe u haven’t seen one
https://lowes.com/pd/LENOX-MetalMax-Diamond-Grit-4-1-2-in-Cutting-Wheel/1000240821
Charles
https://books.google.com/books?id=ZddI0df1EEcC&pg=PA245&lpg=PA245&dq=diamond+for+cutting+steel+dissolves+in+steel&source=bl&ots=OhXpSAAG-2&sig=s0N7y-AypDYTpQoBklVxw0dcZko&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjh76O5mvnYAhVCbKwKHZbCDDQQ6AEwCnoECA4QAQ#v=onepage&q=diamond%20for%20cutting%20steel%20dissolves%20in%20steel&f=false
Please cite a reference that is not trying to sell something.
While I’m sure Lenox diamond blades will cut steel, matching the abrasive to the work invariably yields better results.
Stuart
As mentioned in the post, it’s the adhesive or binder whose properties can change and degrade over time, not the abrasives.
Nate
@ Charles
Citing a reference 18 years old, there must have been an advance in diamond grit technology to enable Lenox to offer a workable product at this time.
Austin
After using the diablo metal cutting diamond wheels I am never going back to abrasive cut off wheels. This is just one more reason not to use them.
firefly
Even if the cut off wheel is not expired there is still a chance for it to shatter. So regardless of whether it’s expired or not the tool should always be treated in a way that there is a chance of shattering happening .
Since even if it’s expired, the chance for shattering doesn’t seem to increase in any great margin, the expiring date really become a moot point.
Paul K
Wow, THE MAN is out to get you and is just desperate to pry that last three dollars out of your hand and bend you over the barrel and make you use new cut off wheels. I mean, IT WILL BE SUCH TORTURE to use a new wheel in place of your old stand by trusty cut off wheel.
It’s very simple, Dewalt, or whoever made your cut off wheel, made them to an advertised standard, or an unadvertised one, but they made them to perform in a certain way. After some time, the binder they used on the grit won’t be as good as it was when they made it. It might not perform in the way they designed it to perform. Will it instantly kill you, no, but it might not perform in the way you expect. So don’t complain to Dewalt, or here, or anywhere, that your cut off wheel is losing a half inch to slice a simple nail, they told you the binder is only good for so long, after that, you’re on your own.
Also, you guys are so silly about “bullshit legal disclaimers”. Yeah, they’re silly, but mostly they’re not proactive, they’re reactive. Someone got hurt, and that someone sued them, or a competitor. And, because of that, there’s now a bunch of bullshit lawyer stuff so they don’t get sued again, or sued like Bosch did. Sure, it’s a bunch of bullshit, but guess what, behind it all is someone that lost an arm, lost an eye, or died, so maybe, maybe you might take some heed from that. Don’t put your angle grinder in your mouth.
Coach James
According to the UAMA, vitrified bonded wheels have an almost “infinite” shelf life. Wheels with organic bonding are the ones with a limited shelf life before the organic bonding material will begin to degrade.
In addition to Dewalt, I have seen Norton and several European makers with dates stamped on them. They listed some IN and ANSI regs. they were complying with, but I did not see any that specifically stated one that required a date stamp.
Hang Fire
I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, and what better way to limit your liability than saying “hey that product’s expired, throw it out of court!”
But really, at 20K RPM and paper thin, cut-off wheels are one of the most hazardous things in the shop. I use quality brands only, like Walter Zip, 3M, Norton, etc. DeWalt doesn’t even make the grade here. I also use eye protection and leave the 180 degree shatter guard on the tool.
I don’t recall seeing expiration dates on any of mine, but I’ll look again.
Nathan
yeah, while I get the idea. I also don’t care too much at home. I leave my guards on I wear my eyes and ears and I keep real shoes on – etc. I’d not ever consider using a grinder with anything on it without that same set of equipment.
I try not to use saws without it either. Drills I’m a bit more lackadaisical about.
however in an industrial environment I’d be looking for expiration dates – and also worked about stock overturn. If I’m keeping cutoff wheels 5 years – I’m either not using it enough or stocking too much crap.
HOWEVER on the liability front – there should be a clear warning on the disk that says do not use past ________ date. If they are going to claim this is for safey and liability. I don’t see that warning on that dewalt disk.
Ed
I keep mine in the fridge…past their expiry date! 😛
bob
maybe it is an expiration date. shouldnt dewalt add a statement to their packaging stating so?
just checked several cases of 6” metabo super slicer wheels, no dates.
another thought, my pipe supplier expanded their dewalt line, including cutoff wheels. bought a case. threw them out after using half dozen or so. they wear down quickly and generate a ton of dust. can’t be because they’re old stock, because this was a new item on their shelf.
Chris
Another point for the metalmax blades (lenox). I keep greasing mine with a wax toilet ring, LOL. Just heat it with a heat gun and apply with a brush = profit.
Euge
Can someone point me to the research/test reports that provide evidence that disks are more likely to fail after the expiry date and the 3 year lifespan is not just speculation? Like others, I have used them after the date, but store my disks in a plastic air tight bag in a cool dark place so they’re not affected by heat, ozone, UV or moisture. If there is concrete evidence, then I dump my stash of disks.
Butch Cooper
I think it is really funny how people believe the expiration dates on the cut-off wheels is a joke. I wonder how many will trust the expiration dates on their fiberglass hardhats. Darwinism at its finest!
Michael Chapman
My cousin had one explode at 10,000rpms cut through his coat and pants right into his leg above the knee and knock him off his feet