Anyone use an electric mower blade sharpener?

[LD1]

We have two of these R.B.G. Standard Blade Grinder (up to 6.5-inch cutting edge) at a friend's landscape company (that I help fix all their broken mowers and trucks).

They suck. They take forever to get a blade sharp. Grinding with a hard stone and 1/2hp removes material entirely too slow, and easy to overheat the edge.

I can sharpen blades 3x faster with a simple angle grinder and 40grit flap disc. Leaves a better finish too IMO

 

[k0ua]

I can sharpen blades 3x faster with a simple angle grinder and 40grit flap disc. Leaves a better finish too IMO

Plus 1. In 50 plus years of sharpening mower blades I have never found anything that is faster or leaves a better edge than an angle grinder and a flap wheel. Unfortunately I have only been using one for about 10 years, and have kicked my own rear end several times for the wasted time and poor results with grinders. As far as I am concerned the angle grinder and flap wheel is the only way to go.

 

[RalphVa]

Anyone have an electric mower blade sharpening machine and if so, how do you like it? What kind do you have and are they worth the price of $400 to over $1,000? How often do you sharpen blades? Would you buy one again?

I use a bench grinder for all blades except pruners/lopers. Use a file on those unless they're really bad. Then take apart and use the bench grinder.

 

[goeduck]

Angle grinder flap disk. I mow fairly high and the blade lasts longer.

 

[5030]

Like I said a while ago, much cheaper to just replace them for 40 bucks a set every spring than to buy a sharpener unless it's a commercial operation. Especially in my scenario where the sandy loam eats the blade kick up away much faster than the edge gets dulled.

 

[MoKelly]

Too funny.

Does broken record ring a bell!!!

MoKelly

 

[sixdogs]

Angle grinder flap disk. I mow fairly high and the blade lasts longer.

Since I have no nicks, no sand and mow high, this is looking like the answer.

 

[RandyT]

We have two of these R.B.G. Standard Blade Grinder (up to 6.5-inch cutting edge) at a friend's landscape company (that I help fix all their broken mowers and trucks).

They suck. They take forever to get a blade sharp. Grinding with a hard stone and 1/2hp removes material entirely too slow, and easy to overheat the edge.

I can sharpen blades 3x faster with a simple angle grinder and 40grit flap disc. Leaves a better finish too IMO

Wheel glaze is most likely the culprit for slow grinding. Not as fast as an angle grinder due to the difference in grind feet per minute. Aprox 4500 feet per minute compared to 6-8000 feet per minute. Takes about a 12 inch grinding wheel on a blade grinder to match that grind speed, other than the 760 burrking blade grinder.

 

[LD1]

Wheel glaze is most likely the culprit for slow grinding. Not as fast as an angle grinder due to the difference in grind feet per minute. Aprox 4500 feet per minute compared to 6-8000 feet per minute. Takes about a 12 inch grinding wheel on a blade grinder to match that grind speed, other than the 760 burrking blade grinder.

Glaze has nothing to do with it. I know my way around metal working/grinding equipment. Blade grinders or bench grinders just ain't as fast as a flap disc on an angle grinder for material removal

 

[ArlyA]

Gee, I've always ground my mower blade on my 8" bench grinder..... Maybe I'll try my 4.5 flappy discs next time.