If you want to always have a perfectly mowed lawn, then you have to keep your lawn mower running nice and smooth. One of the key maintenance steps is to get your lawn mower blades sharpened regularly, about once a year or every 40 cuts. So, how much does it cost to sharpen your lawn mower blades, and how do you know if you’re getting a good deal? Well, let’s take a look.
Rough Baseline Cost to Sharpen Mower Blades? (The Short Answer)
If you’re getting your lawn mower sharpened professionally either at your local lawn mower shop or at a hardware store, you should be looking to pay around $7 to $10 per blade. This price covers all types of blades, from your low-lift blades to your mulching blades. The price may increase a little bit if you want a quick turnaround.
Factors that Can Affect the Cost of Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades
Now that you know the average cost of sharpening a lawn mower blade, let’s go over some factors that could affect the price.
The Number of Blades You Have
Depending on your lawn mower, you could have 1 to 3 blades needing sharpening. If you have an even bigger mower, you could have more. So, if you’re taking all the blades to be sharpened at once, this will raise the cost of sharpening your lawn mower blades.
But at the same time, because you’re taking multiple blades to be sharpened, you might get a discount per blade. So make sure you ask first before agreeing to the price and see if you can snag a discount.
If You Want an Express Sharpening Service
If you’re out mowing your lawn and notice that your lawn mower just isn’t cutting right, you’ll have to stop and figure out what’s going on. Usually, it comes down to having dull blades. This has happened to me if I’ve hit a rock and gotten chips in my blade.
So, if you’re midway through mowing and need to get your blades sharpened quickly, then you might have to pay a premium price. I’ve seen this raised up to 50% of the original cost. So, a $10 sharpening per blade can go up to $15. But it might be worth the additional price so that you don’t leave your yard half-cut.
How to Know If You’re Getting Ripped Off (Watch Out for This)
While all of us love a bargain, none of us like to feel like we’re getting ripped off. So now that you know that you should be looking to pay around $7-$10 per blade for sharpening, anything above that is a rip-off.
Also, I recommend you inspect your blade as soon as you get it back before leaving the shop. Just because they’re professionals doesn’t mean they always do a good job. So make sure your blade has been sharpened properly and to the correct angle before heading home.
Want to Save Some Money? Sharpening Them Yourself Isn’t Hard!
So, if you have a lawn mower with three cutting blades, then you might be looking at paying $30 to have a professional sharpen all your blades. Well, even though $30 once a year isn’t particularly expensive, you could actually purchase a few tools and do it yourself and save money in the long run. Even the cost of sharpening one blade could buy you a metal file.
So, how much does it cost to sharpen mower blades yourself? Well, let’s start by looking at my three favorite methods to sharpen mower blades.
Methods of Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades
To sharpen your lawn mower blade to the correct cutting angle, you’ll need to pick the right filing tool. These come in a variety of designs of tools, from handheld files to power tools. So depending on budget and skill, you’ll be able to find a tool to fit your ability.
Starting Costs of Sharpening Tools
- Metal File – $5
- Angle Grinder – $40
- Bench Grinder – $50
Something to Hold the Blade When You are Sharpening
If you are interested in using a metal file or an angle grinder, then you’ll need to have something to hold the blade in place while you sharpen. This would be using something like a clamp or a vise.
Now, if you want to go the bench grinder route, you’ll actually be holding the blade while you sharpen, so a good pair of gloves is all you’ll need. Here’s a guide to how much clamps and vises cost to buy.
Starting Costs of Clamps & Vises
- Bench C-Clamp – $5
- Bench Vise – $45
Knowing How to Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade Before You Start
Now you know the cost to sharpen mower blades and how much it is to sharpen mower blades yourself. Additionally, you’ll want to know what needs to be achieved when sharpening a blade.
Knowing all the steps and what the final outcome should be is just as important if you are doing it yourself or if you are having a professional service carried out. This is so that you sharpen the blade correctly yourself or so that you can inspect the work of the professional.
Here’s how you want your blades to be sharpened.
- Lawn Mower Blades Need to be Sharpened to the Correct Angle
- All Chips and Dings Need to be Filed Out
- All Burs on the Back of the Blade Should be Removed
- When Sharpening is Complete, the Blade Should be Balanced
- All Blades that are Bent or Distorted Should be Replaced
Leave a Reply