Skip The Attachments: Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades Anywhere With An Amazon Tool

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To get a nice, even cut over your lawn, a sharp mower blade is a must. If your grass looks tattered and patchy after going over it with your mower, it's highly likely that the lawn mower blade needs to be sharpened — and few things are worse than realizing that fact mid-cut. Lawn mower blades can be sharpened with drill attachments, bench grinders, whetstones, and more; but if you aren't near any tools or a garage, then the Sharpal Dual-Grit Diamond Sharpening Stone File is an electric-free alternative that fits in your pocket. It's under 9 inches, features 20-degree angle guides, and one side has coarse 325 grit for sharpening while the other has extra-fine 1200 grit for honing. The stone file also comes with a leather strop — for removing burr particles and smoothing the sharpened blade's edge — that doubles as a sheath to keep both surfaces protected.

According to one Amazon reviewer, you can use the Sharpal stone file without removing your lawn mower blade, which saves time when you're in the middle of yardwork. Another review notes, "I like that the sheath is a built-on strop, that's a really interesting touch in itself since most sharpeners aren't coming with a 'sheath' at all." It seems to be best suited for lawn mower blades that are well-maintained and don't need a lot of help to refresh after striking debris like rocks, roots, and gravel as heavy use of the stone file can wear down its effectiveness. To keep the stone file in top shape, the brand suggests that you "use light pressure to maximize the sharpening performance of the diamond particles."

For lawn mower blades, a corundum drill attachment is a quick and affordable sharpener, but it does require you to remove the blade from the mower in order to use it. You'd also have to clamp the blade down and be near an outlet or have a charged drill on hand, no matter where you are. It's not exactly convenient to carry a drill while cutting the grass, which makes the Sharpal stone file a more flexible option away from your workstation. However, the file is more expensive at $30, when a drill attachment sharpening kit can typically be purchased for under $20.

Considering cost and convenience, the stone file is more portable and saves time in the yard whereas a drill attachment can be used routinely between mows for blade maintenance and long-term care. You can use the file for other yard tools, such as knives, axes, hedge clippers, and others that a drill attachment can also sharpen. But if you're in the middle of a task and just need to quickly restore a sharp edge, then it might be enough to spruce it up with the Sharpal file until you can get to your larger equipment.