Sharpen Your Reel Mower Blades With A Helpful Kit From Home Depot

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A reel mower can be a surprisingly efficient way to cut a modest-sized lawn, with four or more blades whirring around rapidly, cutting the grass quickly as you push. It's also good exercise, and with no gas, electricity, or batteries, it's definitely one of the ways to help make your garden more sustainable. Of course, sooner or later, those blades will need sharpening. Blunt blades don't just make mowing hard work; they damage the grass and make it susceptible to diseases. Putting an edge on those slender, curving strips of steel can look challenging at first, but the job is made easier with a helpful reel mower sharpening kit that is currently available at Home Depot for $14.11.

The kit contains a grinding compound, a brush to spread it onto the blades, and a hand crank that attaches to the end of the blade reel to turn it. The technique for sharpening reel mower blades is called "backlapping." Instructions are included, but are brief. It includes adjusting the blades so that they are almost in contact with the bed knife fitted to the bottom of the mower. After that, the grinding compound is applied along the blades, the hand crank is fitted to the end, and the blades are turned backwards to grind the edges until they are sharp again. Test them using a sheet of paper. If they're not cutting cleanly, apply more compound and repeat.

Customers who bought it from Home Depot give the Reel Mower Sharpening Kit a 4.2-star average based on over 200 reviews as of writing, and 92 percent would recommend it. "It takes less than 15 minutes to do a thorough sharpening routine," said one. "Simple, cost-effective, and works great," said another. One or two found the crank didn't fit, but you can use a cordless drill and socket instead, which also makes the job quicker.

Complaints are rare, although some felt the compound didn't do a good enough job. This highlights a key difference between sharpening reel mower blades and those on ordinary mowers. The latter can be done with a file, an angle grinder, etc., but reel mowers have longer, finer blades. They should be sharpened as soon as you notice signs that the blades are not cutting properly, although that's normally only a couple of times a season at most. If they get very blunt, you could file them or use a rotary tool, but there's a danger you'll create unevenness along the edges that will result in poor performance. If the blades get to that state or are damaged, they should be professionally re-ground. That will cost upwards of $50, plus you'll have to get the mower to the store. It's much better (and cheaper) to get into a regular routine of sharpening them instead — one of the habits of people who keep their lawns lush and well-manicured. As customers have said, it shouldn't take long, your reel mower will cut efficiently, and the mowing itself will take less effort.