How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades

Let's talk about sharpening lawn mower blades.

Certainly one of the most repetitive lawn mower maintenance tasks there is no matter what type of lawn mower you have.  In this article, we will look at 3 different options you have when it comes to grinding your mower blades and lawn mower blade sharpeners to consider.

3 Lawn Mower Blade Sharpeners

1st we will go over the 'traditional' angle grinder method.  This is very effective and requires the smallest investment in equipment.  It is going to be the most time consuming and leave the most room for user error.

Next, we will take a look at the professional blade grinder made by RBG.  RBG has several models available but the RBG 712 Blade Grinder is the most popular by a long shot and for good reason.  It is incredibly efficient and leaves little to no room for user error.

Finally, we will check out the EMBSX by Noracore which is the world's first blade sharpener that does not, I repeat, does not require the removal of the blades from your lawn mower!  

And if you thinking the EMBSX will never last, you are correct, they are already out of business and the EMBSX is no longer available!  We still wanted to leave it in this article for historical sake!

How to Use an Angle Grinder to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades

Using an angle grinder and vice grip is probably the most common way people sharpen their lawn mower blades.  This goes for homeowners and small businesses alike. 

Many homeowners, and even some businesses, will actually take their blades into the local mower shop to have their mower blades sharpened.  Although this is an option, we feel the cost (over time) and time involved in this makes it less than ideal, to say the least.

Here is a great video on blade sharpening with an angle grinder:

If you watched the video or were already familiar with this method of sharpening mower blades, it simply involves removing the blades from your mower, inserting them into a vice grip 1 at a time, and grinding the cutting edge with an angle grinder.  After grinding one side of the blade, you need to rotate the blade 180 degrees in the vice to grind the other side of the blade.

Although this is a relatively quick process, the other options are much quicker and more accurate.  Lawn mower blades come from the factory with a specific angle on the angled edge.  This angle should be kept as you grind your blades over time. 

The most common lawn mower blade angle is 30-35 degrees.  When sharpening your mower blades it is important to keep this 30-35 degree angle over time.

Since the person operating the angle grinder is solely using their motor skills to keep that angle, it leaves the door wide open to alter the degree of the angle.  Not that this is the end of the world, the blade will still cut the grass, but there will be some quality/performance loss.

Who Typically Grinds Blades With An Angle Grinder?

This is going to probably be the 'best' way for a homeowner to efficiently and cost-efficiently maintain their mower blades.  We say that because they more than likely have a single lawn mower which has one or two, possibly three blades, to sharpen each time sharpening is due.  This only this volume of blades to sharpen, this is a perfectly acceptable method.

It also very well may be the best option for smaller lawn care, lawn mowing, or landscaping companies since it does not take that much longer than the other methods, and the cost savings it pretty significant in comparison. 

We honestly feel looking at the other methods is warranted when you have 5+ mowers in your fleet.  The time-savings could be cheaper than the cost of the blade grinders in the long run and provide better results.

Cost Of Grinding Mower Blades With An Angle Grinder

Approximately $50-$100

You may have everything you need to do this already effectively making it 'free' to start sharpening your blades in this manner. 

Angle grinders run from $15 to $100+ and a vice grip is going to be $30 and up. 

You will probably want to consider grabbing some replacement grinding discs.  4.5" disc diameter is a great size for grinding blades with an angle grinder.  Also, consider purchasing a 'flap disk' instead of the metal grinding wheel to keep your blades cooler during the sharpening process.

Blade Grinding With The RBG 712

The quality of the build and simple design of the RBG 712 attracts many eyeballs and makes it the choice of many lawn care professionals and serious DIY homeowners.

There is little room for error when using the RBG 712 grinder. 

The guides are set to 30 degrees which is the most common angle of a cutting edge on a lawn mower blade.  The blades do still need to be removed from your machine, but instead of grinding by hand with the angle grinder, the machine makes quick work of putting the 30-degree edge back on your blades.

Often, in as little as 2 passes your blades will be razor-sharp once again.  When using an angle grinder it is not uncommon to make 10-20 passes back and forth across the cutting edge in comparison.

Who Typically Grinds Blades With A Professional Grinder Like The RBG 712?

The RBG 712 is ideal for DIY homeowners who are lawn care fanatics with some extra money to throw around and professional companies alike.

If you do have multiple mowers in your fleet, this can save a lot of time when compared to grinding several blades one after the other with an angle grinder.

Cost Of Grinding Mower Blades With A RBG 712 Grinder

$579.00 (Shop the RBG 712 now)

iGoPro Lawn Supply has the RBG 712 grinder for sale.  We do recommend to also purchase the 'RBG 712 Grinder Grit Collect' as this will greatly reduce the amount of dust entering the air. 

The grit collector for the RBG 712 will last forever.  The grinding disc last for hundreds of sharpenings.  We do also carry replacement grinding wheels and they are specific to this unit.  The grinding disc on the RBG 712 keeps the blades cooler than a typical metal grinding wheel.

The EMBSX - The Easy Mower Blade Sharpener

Update: The EMBSX is no longer available as the company has ceased production!

No doubt, the EMBSX is the coolest blade sharpener on the market today!

You do not even have to remove the blades from your lawn mower!

Developed by engineers, the EMBSX is properly nicknamed "The Easy Mower Blade Sharpener," hence EMBSX. 

We love the well thought out design which also includes all tools you may need to make adjustments to the height/cutting angle.  And, since you will not be able to directly see your blades while grinding, it has a mirror and WiFi camera with a free app to get you the visibility you need. 

Honestly, after using the tool a couple of times, you very well no longer need the assistance of the mirror or camera.

Final Thoughts On Mower Blade Sharpening

The are several ways to skin this cat, or sharpen those lawn mower blades in this case!  😆

The key takeaways on how to sharpen lawn mower blades are to determine if you'd like to spend a little more for speed and accuracy or save some money by doing it the 'old fashioned way' with an angle grinder and vice grip.   

Honestly, the 'old fashioned way' was literally with a hand file!  Any of the methods on how to sharpen lawn mower blades covered in this article are a better option than that!

If you are interested in the EMBSX or RBG 712 blade grinder, iGoPro Lawn Supply is an authorized dealer of each product.

It's super important to keep your mower blades sharp, so please, no matter how you do it, please do it right and do it often. 

Also, do it safely!  Always be extra cautious when removing your mower blades, grinding your mower blades, and installing your mower blades.  Be sure they are properly and securely reinstalled on your mower.  The last thing you want is a freshly sharpened mower blade flying into the neighbor's living room!