No one Likes tall grass in their lawn. A lawn-mower cuts the grass in your lawn and keeps the lawn clean and makes it look good how a lawn-mower is going to cut and handle the clippings after it is entirely based on its type.
Standard blades just cut and bag the clippings where Mulching blades do a better job at chopping them into smaller pieces before releasing them in your lawn. Just like that, Reel and Lift’s blades have their advantages.
Now People ask which one is better? To know it, you have to understand how do they work.
In this article, you will learn about all types of Lawn Mower Blade, and then you can see the comparison to decide which one is going to work best for your lawn.
Types Of Lawn Mower Blades
There are four different types of Lawn-mower Blades that we are going to talk about here. They all contain different abilities that are useful to a specific area of mowing.
Reel Lawn Mower Blade
Reel or Cylinder Mower Blades are used in Reel Lawn Mower. It is easy to use, and they give you the advantage of cutting your grass clean instead of just chopping it. It is made with two or three helical blades that are placed on a horizontally rotating reel, a bed knife, and a roller that gives your lawn a scissor-like cutting.
This is preferred to use in a lawn where the grass is small. The other Lawn-mower Blades make a sound while cutting this, where this Blade does the work in silence.
It usually takes 5 to 6 years for its blades to wear off the cutting power completely. Its blades can not be replaced, so if your mower’s blades are damaged and can not give you a clean-cut, then you have to replace the mower.
Sharpening kit is available for its blades, so you don’t have to worry about not getting a clean cut for a long time.
Deck Lawn Mower Blade
These are the standard or Straight mowing blades that are mostly used in The Rotary Lawn-mower. Its blades are straight and aerodynamic, and it rotates horizontally to cut grass.
It is called 2 in one Blades because, after the cutting, it either Bag the grass or discharge the grass clippings through a chute located in the side of the mower.
This is the most commonly used blade in lawn-mowers because it cuts the grass and gives you a choice to bag the clippings that can clog under the lawn-mower.
Lifting Lawn Mower Blade
This blade creates an upward-lifting airflow that helps to suck the grass clippings into a bag. This is very helpful if you want to don’t leave the grass clippings on your lawn after mowing.
There are three types of lifting Lawn-Mower Blade based on their power of suction and power required to work.
- Low Lifting Blade- This blade creates a low suction that is useful if your lawn has small grass and sand. Sand can damage your mower’s components if sucked inside. This is why this perfect for sandy soil. This blade needs a low horse-powered engine to work. Low suction power means less pressure on your mower, which results in longer mower life expectancy.
- Medium Lifting Blade- It gives slightly high suction power than a low Lifting blade. It also needs a low powered engine to work correctly.
- High Lifting Blade- This blade gives High Suction power, and it is useful where tall grass needs mowing. Its pronounced blades work better on a high horsepower engine. It is best for bagging the grass clippings. You can not use it on a lawn with sand and small stones, or it can cause damage to the mower.
All three of the Lifting Blades have their pros and cons. You can choose the right one, which is the most useful for you.
Mulching Lawn Mower Blade
Where all the Blades discharge or bag the grass clippings after cutting, Mulching or All in one Blade keep them under the mower to chop them in smaller clippings and then release them on the lawn.
This Blade has more curves and cutting edges than other Blades for better cutting and mulching.
First, this blade lifts up the grass and cuts them, then the clippings are sucked into the deck for mulching, and then an air pressure releases them on the lawn. This is why it is called 3 in one Blades because it does the lifting, cutting, and mulching.
Which One is Better For You
All of the mower blades have a different use for you based on the size of grass and their power. Now we are going to compare them on some points to determine which one would be better for you.
Blade Type
A Standard or lift Lawn Mower Blade blade would have a straight and more aerodynamic body that allows them to cut and lift the grass. They are made for lifting and bagging or discharging the grass.
Reel Blades are made with three or four helical blades welded on a reel and a bed knife that is located on the main-frame of the mower. It cuts the grass when the helix blades are rolled over the bed-knife, which gives a clean scissor-like cut.
Mulching blades have curves to keep the grass and keep it under the blade for chopping them into much smaller pieces. They have cutting edges on the surface also to mulch the clippings.
Grass-cycling and Bagging
It is a process where you leave the grass clippings on the lawn for decomposition. It works as a fertilizer to your lawn.
Mulching Blades can cut the grass clippings into much smaller pieces and are best for grass-cycling. It is not the right choice for bagging because it is designed to keep the clippings inside of the deck and then release them with air pressure.
Reel lawn mower blade doesn’t have any suction power. This blade just cut the grass and leave it on the lawn. It is useful for grass-cycling.
Straight or High lift blades are made for cutting the grass and then sucking into the bag or discharge it on the ground. The suction power of these blades makes them more suitable for bagging.
Engine Power
Some of the Reel mowers have gas-powered engines. Reel lawn-mower blade doesn’t take too much power to operate.
Standard and High lift Blades Do the cutting and lifting, which takes more power. If you just want to cut grass, then a medium-powered engine can take the workload of a standard blade.
For high lifting blades, you need an engine with high horsepower. They have more suction power, and a regular engine can not handle that.
Mulching Blades do a lot of work, and they need a high powered engine to work properly. A low powered engine won’t be able to do all the work, and the mower’s body will continue to get weak over-time.
Maintenance
Standard and Lift Blades need time to time sharpening, which is pretty easy to do. There are no tough mechanics, so you need to have the professional knowledge to maintain a standard blade.
To learn how to sharpen and replace your mower blade, you can read our article about it.
Mulching blades keep the clipping under the blade that sometimes results in clogging, which damages the blades. They often need sharpening. You always need to keep them sharp to get their full potential.
Reel Blades have a complicated mechanism. You have to keep them sharp because if the blades get damaged, you can’t replace them, you have to buy a new mower. Sharpening kit is easily available in the market, and it is not really tough to do it.
To Conclude
Different lawn mower blade has a different use for them based on their abilities, and you have to know about them to choose the right one, that can work best in your lawn.
If you need just to cut the grass and bag, then a standard or High lift blade would be perfect, and a mulching blade can help you better with cutting and mulching.
If your lawn has smaller grass and you are willing to do some work on your lawn, then you should get a reel blade that is going to be more useful as per your needs.
I hope this article helped you with learning something and making the right decision. Let me know in the comments.
Reference
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