9 Portable, Handheld Ways To Easily Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades

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Most people probably remove their mower blades somewhere out on their lawns, and those who prefer to sharpen mower blades without removing them might also prefer to put their sharpening where their mower is. There are plenty of great options for bench-mounted sharpening, from bench grinders to bespoke guides for angle grinders and other tools. But if you fit either of the categories above, you might be looking for one of the handheld sharpeners we tracked down.

Many of these are self-contained tools that require no additional equipment, but some are attachments for power tools like drills and rotary tools. Ultimately, they're all hand-held and portable, though some might require an electrical outlet within an extension cord's reach. We've left off one of the more common bench grinder alternatives for mower blade sharpening, the angle grinder with a flap disc mounted, since nothing about that combination is particular to garden tool sharpening.

A couple of warnings are in order, though. If you do sharpen your mower blade without removing it, take care to block the blade with a scrap of wood and disconnect the spark plug or battery, since it's all too easy to crank a mower with a pushbutton starter. And note that sharpening any blade without either the sharpener or the blade itself clamped down is inherently more risky than having one or the other secured, so be careful.

If you already have a Dremel or compatible (most are) rotary tool, the Dremel A679-02 sharpening attachment kit ($19.97) is a handy accessory to have. The kit includes three attachments (and the necessary grinding wheels) for sharpening mower blades, chainsaws, and general garden tools. With the Dremel name and 4.5 stars on more than 4,00 Amazon reviews, the kit seems to work well as a whole, but some customers complain that it's not suitable for a blade that's in rough shape, and that the grinding stones don't last much beyond a single sharpening.

If you don't have a rotary tool already, the Sharp Pebble lawn mower blade sharpener set ($62.99) will give you a cordless one, though reviewers are lukewarm about its quality. The mower blade sharpening attachment includes an adjustable-angle guide that can be set between 20 and 40 degrees. As with the Dremel kit, remember that this set is for a quick sharpening of residential mower blades, and isn't designed to restore a significantly damaged blade. It's not clear how many diamond bits the kit comes with, but it appears to be at least four.

If you're a little old-school, a good file is the way to go, and the Workpro W051002 flat file ($12.49) is one of Amazon's highest-rated, with 4.7 stars across over 1,900 ratings. This 10-inch file is made of high-carbon hardened steel, and has one double-cut face for quick material removal and one single-cut face for refinement and final sharpening. There's also a 9-inch version available for $11.39. A metal file is obviously very flexible, but this one seems particularly well-suited for sharpening mower blades, according to reviewers; reviews including the word "mower" garnered 4.96 stars.

Like the Workpro W051002, the Sharpal 121N garden tool file has two sides, one for fast material removal and one for edge refinement. The main difference is that the Sharpal isn't a traditional file, but stainless steel coated in monocrystalline diamond. The rough side is 325 grit, while the fine surface is 1200 grit. It's about 8 ½ inches long, and its blade is only 0.15 inch in thickness. The blade is full-tang and has a slip-resistant handle, always useful when you're sharpening a blade.

AccuSharp were pioneers of the now-ubiquitous handheld tungsten carbide sharpeners, and they make a number of sharpeners specifically for garden tools. We picked the AccuSharp large garden tools sharpener ($10.99) because of its portability and ergonomics. Like other AccuSharp hand-held sharpeners, it includes a hand guard, and like many tools on this list, it can be used for sharpening blades without removing them from the mower. Note, however, that the AccuSharp is small and mostly green, and would be pretty easy to lose if you set it down in grass.

The Corona AC 8300 garden tool blade sharpener is indelicate and inexpensive (currently $9.98 at Lowes), but it's not ineffective. The experience of using one of these tools is not unlike using a vegetable peeler, but with metal shrapnel. At about 5 inches in length and less than 2 ounces, it's almost certainly the most portable sharpener in our lineup. Because its carbide cutting edge is quite aggressive, it's good for restoring a damaged mower blade. For the same reason, use it with care on more delicate blades and avoid your favorite chef's knife altogether.

This style of mower blade sharpener, built for easily sharpening a mower blade with a drill with a combination grinding stone and integral angle guide, is all the rage now, and the Arnold BSK-1 kit ($10.56) is a classic. The kit includes a sharpener and cone-style blade balancer. The sharpener fits into any ¼- or ⅜-inch chuck drill, and the company claims the tool is vibration-free, which seems unlikely in many circumstances. (The description also says it's wood-powered.) While reviewers generally like it, some complain about grinding stone durability.

The Work Sharp MK2 electric knife sharpener is suitable for sharpening mower blades, though since this is essentially a miniature belt sander, you will need to remove the blade from the mower for sharpening. It features ½-inch belts (there's also a Ken Onion version that uses ¾-inch belts) and high and low speeds. The sharpening guide is adjustable from 20 to 25 degrees — not quite perfect for mower blades, but close — and it also includes a 65-degree scissor sharpening guide.

If you're almost old-school, you might have been tempted to sharpen your mower blade with a stone, but thought twice about the mechanics of effectively using a stone for a blade so large. Enter the Berry and Bird sharpening stone for garden tools ($15.41), featuring a 180-grit silicon carbide stone and a Manchurian ash wood handle to protect your fingers while using the stone. It's 10.2 inches long with the handle, and the stone itself is 6.1 inches long. It is, of course, suitable for sharpening a number of garden and kitchen tools.