Dave, I have used a lot of low-cost carbon steel blades (mostly from Harbor Freight) through the years. The finer pitch blades (24tpi) have generally lasted okay, but I have had poor results with their larger pitch blades (10tpi) even though it would be far more appropriate for cutting through 1" steel - they generally break sooner rather than later.
I have long read how much better and longer lasting bi-metal vari-pitch blades are. I am just such a cheapskate that I have been reluctant to spend the money - $6.99 for the carbon-steel blades, and they get the job done, even if the ones that last the longest (24tpi) take a long time to saw through heavier metal. Meanwhile, the prices I typically see on Lennox or Starret blades are around $30 per blade - are they really 5x better, 5x longer lasting?
Well ... after some frustration with the short life of both a 10tpi and a 18tpi carbon steel blade, I decided to take the plunge ... but I got diverted when I saw that there are some (presumably made in the far east) off-brand bi-metal vari-pitch blades available on Amazon for about half the price. I decided to buy one and try it out. Here is the one I bought:
Imachinist S6412121418 Bi-Metal Band Saw Blades 64-1/2" X 1/2" X 14/18tpi for Cutting Soft Metal: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific; I got it for $16.99.
The verdict so far: it definitely cuts much faster than the 24tpi carbon steel blades, has lasted much longer than the 10tpi or 18tpi carbon steel blades, and has handled any thickness of metal I have used it on with no fuss. The last couple of cuts have not been straight down vertically, which might suggest that the set is worn more on one side than the other ... but it may also be a function of the fact that I have been having some trouble getting my blade guides adjusted (long story there that includes some of the relatively poor design of the saw itself). I will need to go a bit longer to come to any final conclusions about its value vs. the cheap blades, and of course to do justice to the topic, I really need to poney up the $30 for a Starret or Lennox and see how "the real thing" performs. (Isn't it odd that we can plunk down hundreds of dollars on a machine tool, but hate to spend much money on the tooling for it - or is that just me?)
Certainly not advocating for this brand, and no affiliation other than having bought one (and only one) - just sharing my experience thus far.