Thanks Ken,
It says mine has an alloy steel blade but there is no further specification of the steel used for the 1776. Out of the box mine feels like a immobile tank. Maybe I’ll invest some time to reset and reshape it. I paid more than for my 4 flee market saws together. My favourite saw has no branding at all and probably a self made handle but it cuts beautifully and is easy to sharpen.
I used a belt sander recently to sand an old blade and went too deep. It was branded as warranted superior which was when I remember right the cheaper second line of the Distons. In the center it was so thin after the belt attack that I could file in a complete tooth with one stroke…not too good…
I enjoy working wood in Germany.