What kind of blade should I use on my mower?

That is a common question among folks who mow there yards everyday. In short, it depends on your equipment and the desired thatch that you want in your yard. (Thatch: the remaining dead grass left over along the ground next to the base of the grass plants, aka: dead grass) Well good news for you, there are many different choices for lawn mower blades and equipment setups. There are so many that you can find the correct one for your yard. Let's take a look at four of the most common blade setups available currently.

Standard Blade: 

Standard blade for a JD 54" deck. 

This blade is used in side discharge applications. Using only a straight cutting edge on opposite sides of the ends of the blade, this blade just lops off the blade of grass and creates air flow to move the grass out of the discharge chute, usually on the RH side of the mower. This blade is perfect when mulching or bagging is unnecessary or you are looking to move the mowing debris quickly from under the deck. This is the most common style of blade and is standard on about every riding mower from the factory (excluding ones with mulching decks). The best benefit of these blades are that they are easier to resharpen than the other blades because the cutting edge is straight, so these blades may last longer for the operator than other blades. They are also cheaper than the other types of blades we will be discussing today.

Mulching Blade:

Bend in the cutting edge.

Mulching Blade for a JD 54" deck.

This blade can either be used in mulching or side discharge applications. This blade uses the strait cutting edge just like the Standard blade but also has a bend in the middle of the blade to create suction so the clippings get chopped up more than once. Many times to get the full benefits of mulching your mower needs to be equipped with a mulching kit. This kit blocks off the discharge chute and forces the blade to chop the clippings up many times. When these clippings are chopped up "finer" they will decompose faster and thus they aren't as visible for long times and release nutrients back to the grass faster. This is much shorter that the clippings left over by the standard blade. Many push mowers come with mulching blades, because they are many times a "2 in 1" or a "3 in 1." This means that the mower can discharge or mulch and a "3 in 1" adds the option to bag up the clippings. One positive of this blade is that you can mow next to sidewalks with limited debris getting blown on the surface, making for a quicker clean up later on.

High Lift Blade: (Bagging)

Notice the lifted edge.

High Lift for JD 54" deck.

This blade is intended for use with a bagging system, because the blade is designed is such a way to create a great amount of lift to pickup all the grass clippings. It is designed to work with a material collection system (fancy term for a bagging system) and you don't see them on push mowers because the mulching blade creates adequate lift for that particular application. An issue with this blade is that the suction is so great that it tends to pull up debris like rocks and sticks. This is why it is not recommended to use on side discharge, well unless you like replacing glass on your home or vehicles. Some might get away with using this blade on a side discharge but you would need to keep your yard picked up in order to avoid those accidents. These blades equipped with a material collections system do an excellent job removing grass clippings, but you will have to dispose of the left over clippings. Many make compost piles and add the grass clippings to it to make fertilizer to put back on your yard. This is the best setup for a golf coarse like lawn and those really concerned with grass clippings.

Gator Blade:

Gator for a JD 21" Push Mower.

Notice the notches in the blade.

The last blade that I am aware of on the market is the Gator blade.(Also called a Predator blade) This odd looking blade gets it's name from the scale like projections made in the lifted part of the blade. This blade is designed to chop the clippings even more finely than a mulching blade but able to remove the clippings like a standard blade. These blades are made just like a mulching blade but with a noticeable difference and that is the notches that are in the lift portion of the blade. I am personally not sold on these blades and haven't heard good things from people I know that have used them. However, I have heard stories of some people that like them and swear by them so I guess it all depends on the grass and the speed of your blades.

In the end it all depends on your needs and your mower's setup on which blade you can run on your mower. Honestly, many people who mow can use the standard blade and see the results that they desire and the good news is that these blades are the cheapest. Mulching blades are a next followed by the High Lift and then the Gator blades are generally more expensive. Unless you really pay attention to your yard and the level of thatch (most people don't) the standard blade is for you. If you want to manage your yard with a little more attention the Gator blade and the Mulch blade is what you need to run on your mower.  Lastly if you are a big time neat freak and have to have the type of lawn show up in Better Homes and Garnens then the High Lift is for you. All in all, like many things in life, "To each his own."