Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades With A Budget-Friendly Solution From Amazon

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There are several important considerations for keeping your lawn in good condition, like how often to cut, the right length to mow your lawn at, and what kind of fertilizer to use. However, none of the advice will do much good if the lawn mower blades aren't sharp. If they don't cut cleanly, the lawn not only looks scruffy, but the torn ends make the grass vulnerable to diseases. There are lots of different ways to sharpen lawn mower blades, but few are more budget-friendly than the Workpro 10-Inch Flat File currently available for just $12.49 at Amazon.

It might look like a very basic tool, but the Workpro flat file can be surprisingly efficient. The blade is made of tough, high-carbon steel, and the double-cut design provides two diagonal rows of teeth for rapid material removal. The handle has an anti-slip grip for maximum control.

Although the Workpro file will allow you to sharpen the blade while it's still on the mower, experts recommend its removal (after disconnecting the spark plug or battery). It stops metal shavings getting into the mower shaft bearings and causing damage. Put the blade in a vice or clamp it securely to a bench. Work slowly, filing on the push stroke only, being careful to follow the existing angle of the cutting edge. How long it takes will depend on the condition of the blade, but a couple of dozen easy strokes should do it.

The Workpro 10-Inch Flat File isn't just for sharpening lawn mower blades. For a start, there are a bunch of other garden tools you should be sharpening regularly, and the file will make short work of cleaning up those edges. Any home engineer or auto enthusiast will tell you it will also quickly remove the burrs (ragged edges) from aluminum, steel, and other metal parts.

Although those are the main uses of a flat file like the Workpro, it can also clean up the edge of plastic pipe or conduit after you've cut it with a saw, so two pieces mate properly and provide a smoother surface for gluing. It's also a tool that can smooth and shape wood. The teeth do tend to clog quite quickly, but are easy to clean with a wire brush.

There are few tools that can perform the multitude of different jobs that you can tackle with the Workpro flat file, and arguably none that are as budget-friendly. At under 15 bucks, it's a valuable addition to any toolkit, so that next time you notice the warning signs your lawn mower blades need sharpening, you can quickly put a keen edge on them.