Stabilizer disk on Saw Blade?

[Gofor]

Are stabilizer disks worth purchasing? If so, is bigger better?
As I get more educated (though not necessarily smarter) on TS blades, I see recommendations from the manufacturers for blade stabilizer disks for their thin kerf blades. I see that Freud offers 5" for a 10" blade (their largest stabilizer with a 5/8" bore), and Forrest recommends a 6" for their thin kerf 10" blades. Sears has a 4 or 5". They are relatively inexpensive (considering what they get for the blades). Do they really improve performance and lower noise, and will a larger stabilizer improve the performance of a less expensive (i.e Freud vs Forrest, not Forrest vs Black/Decker) blade? (Noise is not really an issue with the TS3650 because my shop vac (yeah, I know I need a better system but $$ have to catch up with need) drowns out the saw anyway.
I am the beginning phases of making some furniture (providing I can find materials which is a topic for another thread), which will be when I will want the best performance I can afford.

[BadgerDave]

Why not just run a full kerf blade and then you won't have to deal with any of the real or perceived shortcomings of thin kerf blades? The way I understand it, those stabilizer discs also reduce the overall depth of a cut that you can make. That probably wouldn't be a concern for most cuts but certainly would be a hassle to remove the disc whenever you did have to make a deep cut. If that weren't enough, once you removed the disc you'd be running the risk of the blade flexing which would defeat the original purpose of using the disc in the first place..

[Gofor]

What brands/type blades would you recommend?

[hewood]

I've gone to using TK's b/c I find they're more efficient with my saw. With the better quality blades from Forrest, Frued, Leitz, Ridge Carbide or DeWalt, I've never noticed an improvement from a stiffener. I've also never noticed a difference between the TK and full kerf with that caliber blade. With my cheaper Skil, Vermont American, and Oldham blades I could tell a difference.

They definitely limit height capacity.

[BadgerDave]

Gofor, I'm kinda partial to the Freud brand basically because I've never had a problem with the ones I have. The LU Series Freud's hold up very well and will take many resharpenings which helps offset their slightly higher original price. You'll get a better blade from day one plus it will outlast most if not all of the less expensive blades Freud offers such as the Diablo and TK Series blades. That of course is JMHO.

If you're looking for a combination blade I'd recommend the LU84R011. If you want dedicated blades for ripping and crosscutting then the LM72R010 would be my choice for ripping with the LU85R010 for crosscutting. A step up from the LU Series would be the F Series with the F410 being their highest quality general purpose blade and the F810 for crosscutting.

[Gofor]

Thank you gents. That was the kind of info I was looking for.