About mower blades....

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Mar 10, 2021
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I bought a 21" inch blade on clearance sale at Walmart about a year ago as a backup. Okay, this is the scenario, the blade is wrapped in plastic, never been opened until this morning. Made in USA. When I was about to swap it with my old one I noticed the blade is not sharp. I said how could this be? It is brand new & it is not sharp. This is my first time to put in a new blade into my Murray B&S mower. Is it meant to be installed as is or do I need to sharpen it?

Thanks for any input.
 
Mower blades off the shelf are almost never razor sharp. I've installed as is with the butter knife edge on them and have also sharpened them with a grinder before installation and can't tell a difference. A razor sharp edge dulls pretty quickly.
 
The paint used on mower blades can cause them to appear dull. Walmart for mower blades? I avoid Walmart or any of the big box stores for mower blades. I get mine at a local outdoor power equipment company. They are generally cheaper and of good quality. Rotary Corporation makes some of the best aftermarket blades there are.
 
Wow, I learned a lot today. I've been sharpening my Murray B&S mower's blade every year since I bought it 10 years ago. It still has the original blade & spark plug. Not until now I had a difficulty in balancing the blade after I sharpened it & I said to myself this blade needs to go & swap with a new one. Okay, I am going install the new one as is. Thanks for the input folks, You've been wonderful!
 
I purchased a Gatorblade Made in the USA from ace hardware. It's heavy duty and is the best mower blade ive used hands down. I do put an edge on it every spring.
 
I sharpen my mower blades every year. A sharp blade cuts the grass cleaner rather than tearing it, so the lawn looks nicer. And it enables the mower to cut more easily, so you can cut taller/thicker grass without bogging the mower.
 
The oregon gator fusion blades are very tough. For my application they are offset and cut about 1/2 to 3/4 lower than the oem blades at the highest setting. So i put them on in fall for last few mowings of the season and leave them on for the first couple of spring, to get the leaves chopped up.
 
It's not rocket surgery. Put the blades on, mow, and if they don't produce a clean cut, sharpen.

If you have enough experience to know just by looking at them that they won't product a clean cut then sharpen them now.

You do not need to be able to shave hair off your arm with one, that fine edge would wear away quickly. Velocity makes up for that. Good pics of the edge might help us determine if they have a factory defect or you're just expecting them to be sharper than they need to be.
 
I bought a 21" inch blade on clearance sale at Walmart about a year ago as a backup. Okay, this is the scenario, the blade is wrapped in plastic, never been opened until this morning. Made in USA. When I was about to swap it with my old one I noticed the blade is not sharp. I said how could this be? It is brand new & it is not sharp. This is my first time to put in a new blade into my Murray B&S mower. Is it meant to be installed as is or do I need to sharpen it?

Thanks for any input.
The blades do not have to be razor sharp. You can install your new blade without any issues.
 
Mower blades last longer if they are not sharpened to a thing razor blade edge. This causes the blade edge to roll or curl faster resulting in dull blade.
 
OP keep an eye on the new blade and when you see all the paint is gone take note of how sharp it is, as mentioned butter knife sharp is all that is needed, I learned this the hard way and probably took a season or two off the life of mine.
 
I recently went through buying a new blade. Like others said, new blade didn't appear sharp but cut fantastic. Lesson learned for when it does need sharpened.
 
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