The secret to having a neat lawn is getting the best lawn mower blades for your mower. Sharp blades will cut your grass effortlessly, while sturdier blades will reduce maintenance and minimize the need for replacing mower blades.
Of course, the blade you choose should have other essentials. The right size and being of a durable material are two of these. While all these factors are important to consider, choosing the right blade entails more than this.
We offer insights on how to choose the best overall mower blades and showcase reviews on our top picks. Note: if you’re looking for the right blade to cut long, thick grass, we have a detailed review here.
Our Top Lawn Mower Blades Review
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Toro 59534P – 22 Inches
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Specifically meant for Toro lawn mowers, this replacement lawn mower blade set has been made to effectively mulch over grass in your yard.
The Toro 59534P blade, like most any other high-end mulching blades, will give you the benefit of having extremely small cuttings of grass littered over your lawn. The small cuttings can decompose and act as a natural fertilizer to the yard. This makes the remaining grass flourish more.
Mulching implies you are not collecting grass clippings using a bag. This blade set comes with a decent lift you can take advantage of if you want to collect the clippings. This means you can still use these blades if you intend to stick to bagging.
These lawn mower blades work well even when the grass is wet after a rain or watering. It will still mow your grass to the desired size.
The Toro 59534P blade is sharp and therefore allows you to do the mowing swiftly and fluently on its first performance. However, it quickly becomes dull. The secret to keep it working effectively is to sharpen it occasionally. Should you feel that this blade is not well balanced, you can easily sand it.
The Toro 59534P mulching blade can only be used with Toro mowers. Even though your mower might use the same measurement like this, the sizing and shaping could be different. Trying to use this mulch blade on a lawn mower that is not listed as Toro could lead to the risk of getting the blade stuck.
This replacement lawn mower blade set has a length of 22 inches and a width of 2.25 inches. Many people prefer their mowers to have this size for neat and efficient grass cutting. The product is a relatively heavyweight as it weighs about 6 pounds. This makes it sturdy and allow it to last long while tackling tough grass, roots, and obstacles.
The Toro 59534P blade has three round center holes. It is easy to install on any Toro mower if you have the right tools and the proper toolkit. However, taking out the previous or the original blade from your lawn mower could be daunting. Like most blades, this model comes with no warranty.
What We Like
- Can be used for mulching and bagging
- Works well on both wet and dry grass
- Easy to install
What We Don’t Like
- Only compatible with Toro lawn mowers
- The blade dulls quickly
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Maxpower 561713X Mulching Replacement Blade
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The Maxpower 561713X model comprises two 21-inch long mulching lawn mower blades. These offer a total cutting area of 42 inches, which is suitable for commercial mulching or more extensive residential grass cutting. The width of this mower blade is 2.5 inches, which is also ideal for many landscapers.
This blade set of 2 works well in a variety of lawn mower brands and installation is relatively easy. At the center hole of this blade is one star-shaped five-point hole for installation.
The star-shaped mount of this set makes it compatible with all larger lawn mower models of Husqvarna, Poulan, and Craftsman. You can use the set to replace different kinds of blades like 127843, 138971, AYP7158A49, DPR20H42STA, AYP9149A69, 127843, AYP7143A79, PP24003, and TS14H42C
The Maxpower 561713X charges over thick grass clumps and evens out the ground. The blade’s thickness allows it to cut through heavier vegetation like roots and ground obstacles. It mulches properly, but can miss some spots on uneven grounds, especially those located below the center of the blades.
The blades are heavier. They are sturdier than many replacement lawn mower blades. As long as you avoid harsh ground obstacles while mulching and keep sharpening the blades over time, they will serve you for long. Although the blades can resist the strain induced by heavier obstacles, they can be easily be nicked, making them snap.
The Maxpower 561713X does not require often sharpening like many blades. However, it needs more maintenance than others as it takes a lot due to its high-intensity performance.
Overall, the Maxpower 561713X is a serrated model of lawn mower blades that offers a higher amount of mulching power. This makes it an ideal choice for giving your lawn mower more power to mulch. You don’t need to think about replacing a set of high lift mower blades for higher power and lawn care.
What We Like
- Heavier (5.2 pounds), studier and corrosion resistant
- Can be used with a range of lawn mower blades
- Has a longer life
- Efficiently handles obstacles
- Set of 2
What We Don’t Like
- Requires high maintenance due to its high-intensity performance
- Nicks easily
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Maxpower 561739
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Maxpower has a huge audience when it comes to replacement blades. The Maxpower 561739 lawn mower blades can be used with the three different brands of Poulan Husqvarna and Craftsman. You can also try the model on other lawn mowers with similar measurements.
The blade set comprises of two lawn mower blades, each measuring 23 inches long and 2.75 inches wide. This offers 46-inch cuts and is ideal for bigger, heavy-duty lawn mowers that work with extensive residential or commercial mowing.
In the middle of this blade is a 5-point center hole. As long as you have a 5-point star lock piece, you can perfectly install this blade in almost all 46-inch cut mowers.
These blades function quietly creating minimal vibrations when the engine is on. They thus make an excellent accessory for lawn mowers designed for quiet operation in noise-controlled spaces.
Compared to most blade sets, the Maxpower 561739 blades are long-lasting and capable of handling rugged and thick grass in extensive gardens.
The Maxpower 561739 set can be used as high lift blades, but is not meant for mulching. Being a high-lift blade, it is capable of cutting thick and fast-growing grass. The blades propel clippings through the chute and then to the lawn mower bag This reduces clogging and clears most grass cuttings from your lawn.
While the shipped product may not come sharpened, sharpening this blade is not cumbersome. The stainless steel corrosion-free blades offer excellent performance in periodic mows. It only calls for sharpening two times a year to maintain quality performance.
These easy to sharpen replacement blades are durable, providing a smooth cut across your lawn.
What We Like
- Offers a quiet performance with minimal vibrations
- Blades are universal and work with Poulan Husqvarna and Craftsman
- Very durable
- Offers a consistent performance
What We Don’t Like
- Blades are a bit duller than other brands
- No mulching action
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USA Mower Blades 2 AYP340BP
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If you are looking for a lawn mower blade set you can use on a wide range of models, the USA Mower Blades 2 AYP340BP might suit you.
Some of the lawn mower brands this blade is most compatible with are Husqvarna and Craftsman.
Similar to Maxpower blades, this USA Mower Blade set comes with a 5 point star shape. It can fit in most mowers that accommodate its design. The star shape mounts facilitate easy blade installation and removal. It also keeps the blade firmly attached to the mower for efficient cutting.
Many people prefer these lawn mower blades due to their mulching. It turns grass cuttings into tiny pieces to keep the lawn clean. The blade keeps grass clippings under the deck for more trimming and later discharges the cuttings to the lawn. There they will decompose to offer the yard crucial nutrients.
If you are interested in more than mulching, this set of replacement blades gives you the convenience of using it as a high lift blade. In addition, this model comes with a built-in ba for the grass clippings.
Like high-lift blades, the USA Lawn Mower Blades 2 AYP340BP has been specially designed with an airflow pattern to propel clippings to the chute and then to the mower bag. This minimizes clogging and leaves your lawn clean.
You can easily distinguish this blade from regular high lift and low lift blades due to its curved profile which gives it a greater cutting surface area. This blade is 21 inches long and 2.25 inches wide. The set has been designed for use on a 42-inch deck.
As a whole, this USA Mower Blade set is an excellent part of a mower, thanks to its sharp, standard size that functions as a high–lift and a mulcher. The blade has been made for durability and performs well in both small and extensive mowing jobs.
However, the blades may bend when put up against rocks and hard soils. If this does not result in bending, they could lose balance and cause immense vibrations as you work. This could disturb the lawn mower’s grip and leave uneven patches of grass, with some not getting cut at all.
The USA Mower Blades 2 AYP340BP do not work well on uneven ground. A rough terrain or obstacles can make the blades twist or bend easily and miss out on much grass.
If your lawn is level and has no tree roots or rocks, then this set of replacement lawn mower blades is a great choice.
What We Like
- Can be used as both high lift and mulch blades
- Are universal, meaning that they work on many lawn mower models
- Have been designed for small and long mowing jobs
What We Don’t Like
- Cannot work over uneven ground
- Cannot handle obstacles
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Stens 340 178 Hi-Lift
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Another universal lawn mower blade, the Stens 340 178 tractor blade works for many lawn mower tractors with a deck size of 42 inches.
These lawn mower blades function as medium lift or high lift blades. Therefore, they are capable of plucking thicker weeds and grass. You can easily see the blade’s slight upward angle at the back which creates an airflow pattern to discharge grass cuttings for bagging.
They come in a pack of two, each having a blade length of 21 inches, a thickness of 0.149 inches, and a width of 1.25 inches. This blade length is ideal for use in most mowers, while the thickness and width support cutting tougher grasses.
You cannot use the Stens 340 178 set for cutting grass into tiny pieces. You can only use the blades if you want to bag clippings or leave them to fly freely.
Related: Read our guide on how to find the best battery for a lawn tractor.
The Stens 340 178 hi-lift lawn mower blades work on a five-star mount and are easy to install on many lawn mowers that support this. So long as the mower’s blade mount has a 5-point star shape and a 42-inch deck, you can easily install these blades.
You can use these Stens blades to hoist grass and leaves together to clear the lawn and leave a green ground. However, these blades hardly go over small obstacles. Rocks and roots can bend the blades easily.
The Stens 340 178 are not originals to a specific brand. They are replacements, meaning the quality might not be as high as that of original replacements form established manufacturers. Nevertheless, the blades are adequately resilient when only used on weeds, grass, and leaves.
What We Like
- Cleans and evens the lawn
- Dual-function in lawn mowers and tractors
- Can be installed easily
- Blades are universal
What We Don’t Like
- Not the best quality (easily bends )
- Does not mulch
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Lawn Mower Blade Features and Considerations
Here are the features to consider when looking for the best lawn mower blades:
Type of Blade
Essentially, there are five types of lawn mower blades, each with its distinct features and benefits. Determining the best lawn mower blades for you becomes easy once you understand their differences.
Medium Lift
Most walk behind lawn mowers today are sold with standard medium-lift mower blades. Compared to low-lift blades, medium-lift blades are bigger in size and are capable of doing more.
These might include plucking thicker grass and some weeds in both residential and commercial settings. While the blade is stronger, it does not eat your grass harshly as a high-lift blade would.
These lawn mower blades have a slight upward angle at the back to create an airflow pattern. That works well for typical side grass ejection.
Medium lift blades are perfect for high efficiency cutting of large grass areas. They will leave small clumps of grass here and there. Since the blades do not create an adequate lift to propel debris through the chute and bag, the chute on the bagger system is more likely to clog than that of a mower using a using a high-lift blade.
High-Lift
Also known as regular blades, 2-in-1 blades or basic blades, high-lift blades are ideal for mowers with a bagger.
High lift lawn mower blades can be easily recognized by a bigger and drastic upward angle on its back end. They create an entirely different airflow pattern that bags clippings more effectively. This also helps at propelling clippings through the chute and to the mower bag, thus reducing clogging.
A high-lift blade would be ideal if you have fast-growing and thick grass. It lifts more in one go and clears out most grass clippings from your yard. These blades can work for longer periods of time, are stronger, and are suitable for commercial use.
As opposed to walk behind mowers, riding lawn mowers use high-lift blades. Due to the mower’s longer discharge chute, the blades often have bigger “wind wings” that create more airflow under the offcuts.
Low-Lift
Low lift mowing blades are mainly meant for side discharge mowing and are a common choice for people mowing terrain with sandy soils and dry, shorter grasses. Basic walk behind mowers commonly feature these.
The airflow from low-lift blades is not as forceful as that of high-lift blades. This results in lesser sanction and a less drastic swoop that collects a lower amount of debris and airborne dust.
Keeping up with a low lift blade is not hard, and they do not consume as much energy as medium or high-powered blades.
Low-lift lawn mower blades are suitable for residential use and are rare to find on professional-grade lawn mowers. They can effectively handle lesser space and less wild grass.
Mulching
Commonly known as all-purpose blades, mulching blades are designed with a curved surface to allow working in three ways.
Here’s how a this type of blade works:
- it starts by pulling grass in and cutting it, like all blades do
- cut clippings are then sucked inside the mower deck and chopped into tiny pieces
- after this, the innermost curve of the blade releases air pressure to blow the small grass clippings out
Some professionals tout the environmental aspects that are gained, since smaller, re-cut grass clippings can be left on the lawn to decompose and later offer nutrients to the lawn.
On the downside, this style of blade does not propel the clippings through the chute as strongly as a high-lift blade can. If the grass is too long (over four inches), it might not be very effective at recirculating and re-cutting grass into smaller clippings.
Mulching blades are a popular choice for people who mow their lawns without a bagger. They offer a lot flexibility though, and are also easy to use with a bagger.
Gator or 3-in-1
For an all-rounded solution, gator lawn mower blades cover all the bases. The blade combines a low and high lift with a mulching feature. This helps blend the three grass cutting techniques into one and is hence referred to as a 3-in-1 blade.
You can easily spot gator blades. They have serrated sections at one end of the blade.
While these blades make higher lift mulching possible through their all-inclusive design, they do make compromises in other areas. Nonetheless, the gator blade is popular and suitable for all-around grass cutting.
Mulching Blades vs. Regular Blades
Regular blades are referred to as 2-in-1 since they cut and release grass clippings through the chute, or fling the pieces into a collection bag.
On the other hand, mulching blades (3-in-1 blades) can handle three tasks – discharge or bag clippings, chip them into mulch, and dispense them on the ground.
Below are the critical differences in the features of a mulching blade vs regular mower blade.
Blade shape
The main feature that distinguishes mulching focused blades from regular blades is the shape. They come in a more curved profile compared to regular blades. With this, they are likely to have longer cutting edges than a regular blade.
This design difference allows this style of blade to keep grass clippings circulating under its deck, and as a result, the clippings are cut repeatedly into smaller pieces.
Aerodynamics
Regular blades, especially the high-lift blades, are made to generate an aerodynamic lift which pulls grass pieces up and hurls them via the mower’s chute for discharge.
Conversely, mulching blades create a circular air stream to direct grass clippings back towards the blade for more cutting. This is in contrast with the one-directional lift of a regular blade.
Discharge
A mulching blade is designed to keep grass offcuts under the deck, as opposed to sending them out immediately. As a result, the blades aren’t as effective in bagging or discharging as regular mowing blades.
On the other hand, regular blades don’t chop grass into smaller pieces. Therefore, they don’t function well on mulching lawn mowers, or on the mowers that have mulching kits installed.
While regular mowers are efficient at collecting grass clippings, the insufficiently cut clippings can clog regular mowing blades and the mower’s deck underside.
Get the Right Model Number
To get the right blade size for your lawn mower, you will need to locate your mower’s model number.
Be aware not to confuse the lawn mower model number with its engine model number as these are entirely different. The mower number will make it easier for you to identify the correct blade and other accessories such as brake cable or belt. The engine number will help you locate the right air filter, carburetor, or muffler.
After knowing your model number, it will be easy for you to shop for any type of blade you want for your mower.
Get the Right Mount
A mount is an important feature to remember when getting a replacement lawn mower blade.
Mounting is usually at the center hole of the blade and can come in two different shapes. Since both of them are star-shaped, you might be tempted to overlook their importance. However, getting the wrong hole shape could make your blade useless.
Here is what to look for when examining your mount:
- A one-star shaped mount that comes with five points, which is common on newer lawn mowers
- A one-star shaped mount that comes with six points, which is more common in older mowers
How Often Should You Replace Your Lawn Mower Blade?
This mainly depends on your frequency and extent of your mowing. A homeowner may only need to replace their blade once after every one or two years. On the other hand, commercial landscapers might need to change their blades after a few days or once a week.
Checking if the cut of a blade of grass is clean is the best reference. An unclean cut calls for blade sharpening or replacement.
It is also crucial that you keep checking your blade edge for sharpness and damage. If your blade was damaged by hitting something in the grass, you might need a quick replacement.
A good rule of thumb is having two or more sets of mower blades. This way, you will always have a sharp blade when needed.
Wrap Up
The best lawn mower blades are those that make your lawn look neat and beautiful. Regardless of the blade you choose, be sure to sharpen it often depending on your extent of use. A dull mulching blade will have a hard time at cutting grass clippings, and this could leave clumps of grass in your lawn.
