Finally stopped fighting with my lawn mower after 8 years in Decatur

I used to think sharpening the blade myself was saving me $15 each time, but after my neighbor Bob showed me how dull mine was ruining the grass, I started taking it to the shop on Memorial Drive. Has anyone else found that paying for a pro sharpening actually makes the mower last longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_brian15d ago

Bob ever show you what happens to the engine when you keep running it with a blade that's way out of balance?

the_mila15d ago

Oh gosh, I gotta push back on that a little. In my experience, taking a blade to a shop is just paying someone to do something you can do in about 10 minutes with a file if you have any mechanical sense at all. I've been sharpening my own blades for over a decade and my current mower is pushing 15 years old with zero engine issues. The whole "pro sharpening makes the mower last longer" thing sounds like a sales pitch to me. A balanced blade is important, sure, but spending $15 every time instead of 10 minutes in the garage adds up fast.

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davis.adam14d ago

You seen that Consumer Reports piece they did a few years back? They tested blades sharpened two different ways and the shop-ground ones actually stayed sharp about three times longer than the ones done with a hand file. @the_brian makes a solid point about balance too - I learned that the hard way when my old Murray started vibrating so bad the deck bolts worked themselves loose. I still do my own touch-ups mid-season with a file, but that first sharpening of the year I hand off to the pros now. Bob's probably onto something about the grass health thing, I noticed my fescue stopped looking all torn and ragged after I switched.

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