Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades (And So Much More) With A Durable 3-Piece Set From Amazon
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Blunt lawn mower blades don't just make your lawn look scruffy; they mash the ends of the grass rather than slicing it cleanly, making it easy for diseases to get in. So as soon as you notice signs that your lawn mower blades need sharpening, it's a chore that needs to go to the top of the list. Although there are lots of ways to sharpen lawn mower blades, either with power tools or by hand, the Tarist Diamond File Set currently available from Amazon for $19.99 is well worth considering. It will tackle your mower blades surprisingly quickly and offers versatility that few alternatives match.
The Tarist files are made by using electroplating to fix diamond grit (small particles) onto a steel blank. The set contains three files: flat, half-round, and round. Each is 8 inches long, with an ergonomic, anti-slip rubber handle. The diamonds present an extremely hard and durable cutting surface that stays sharp much longer than standard steel teeth.
As a result, the flat file will make short work of sharpening all kinds of lawn mower blades. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Remove the blade, hold it securely in a vise or clamp it to a bench, then rub the file across the cutting edges, being careful to maintain the existing angle. Given that the set has three different profiles, it is also great for all those other gardening tools you should be sharpening regularly.
The hardness of diamond files means they have a host of uses
The Tarist Diamond File Set has an average rating of 4.6 stars from Amazon customers. Their ability to sharpen hardened cutting edges was noted, and in particular "harder steel like mower blades." Several agreed that they were "well worth the price."
While their nature makes them excellent for sharpening lawn mower blades, the hardness of the diamond cutting edges means they will also cut through things that ordinary files would simply slide off. Tile, ceramics, and glass, for example, plus masonry and even rock. One customer called them "a great set of 3 files to tackle various projects/hobby projects," having used them on glass bottles and to remove the sharp edges from ceramic tiles. Complaints are almost unheard of, although a few people found that the base coating came off.
It's useful to understand how to choose the right file for every job, and at 120 grit, the Tarist diamond files are fairly coarse. They are ideal for mower blades, axes, and shears and for smoothing and shaping the other materials mentioned above. However, you wouldn't want to use them on your best pocket or kitchen knives. Diamond files (or diamond stones) are still a good choice, but for fine edges they should be 600 grit or higher.