# Mower Blades



## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

Is there a particularly good brand of blade out there besides OEM that i am missing out on? I have a toro zero turn with a mulch kit. Just going to get them sharpened but all ears if somebody has a favorite brand i should be trying?
Thanks all!


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

The ones that I hear over and over again are the Gator blades. I'm going to try the mulching ones next time I buy new.


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

I guess it depends on your goals, but here's my take on blades for my Ferris IS600Z, as I have used 3 different sets this year:

OEM "mid" lift blades- Decent striping. Great cutting. Poor mulching.

Gator 3-in-1- Non existent striping. Awful cut. Good mulching. Thin, cheap feeling.

Gator Blade G6- Below average striping. Great Cutting. Awesome mulching. Heavy as hell. Thick, wide and overall massive. Great blades.


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## MichiganGreen (Aug 7, 2018)

craigdt said:


> I guess it depends on your goals, but here's my take on blades for my Ferris IS600Z, as I have used 3 different sets this year:
> 
> OEM "mid" lift blades- Decent striping. Great cutting. Poor mulching.
> 
> ...


This is great, thank you. Picking up a set of the G6. Do you know if I have to sharpen them before putting them on?


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

The paint makes them feel "dull" but Oregon says not to sharpen them before first use.
I took them to a local blade sharpener and they refused to sharpen them, as that's what the Oregon rep told them, supposedly.

However, after a couple times using them, the grass blades were tearing more than I'd like.
So a couple quick passes thru the grinder and they are cutting like butter now.

So, yes, I'd "lightly" sharpen them before use.

Also make sure your engine RPM's are the proper 3,600RPM.
I had to set mine to 3,700RPM under no load to ensure that during cutting, they were spinning the heavy G6's fast enough.


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