Man Sharpened Lawn Mower Blades With A $200 Tool — Here's What Happened

With so many lawn mower blade sharpeners available, it can be difficult to know whether an expensive system offers a meaningful advantage over a file or freehand grinder. And since nobody wants to drop a pretty penny and find out the value is lacking after the fact, your best bet is to get comprehensive first-hand accounts from experienced users. One of the creators behind the Hey Der Folks YouTube channel did some of the heavy lifting for us, testing the All American Sharpener Model 5005 Gen 2 as a complete newbie to the system. Although the jig cost $200, the creator found the bench-top-mounted unit to be highly efficient, helping him sharpen three blades of a zero-turn lawn mower quickly and accurately.

The tool is not a complete sharpening system itself. Instead, it takes the guesswork and potential for error out of using an angle grinder to sharpen lawn mower blades. An adjustable grip holds the blade while a guide arm attaches to and moves an angle grinder (not included) along the blades' bevel at the specified angle. The angle is adjustable from 15 to 45 degrees to suit a variety of blades.

The tester bolted the sharpener to a scrap 2-by-4, which he then clamped to his workbench. When the tool's angle was set to 35 degrees, he found that just three strokes were sufficient to create a much clearer edge. "I never had it bog down, it never unexpectedly changed my angle ... just very smooth consistently," he noted in regard to the articulating angle grinder arm. "As long as you've got it bolted to your bench, and then you've got your blade clamped nicely, and then you just follow the natural motion of the arm, I don't really think that you can mess this up."

Echoing this video creator's sentiment, the testers at Bob Vila gave the All American Sharpener Model 5005 Gen 2 a perfect score for ease of use, efficiency, and quality. The reviewers needed approximately 10 minutes to assemble the product but determined it gave the most consistent result out of the eight sharpeners they tested. However, the value was rated slightly lower at 4.3 out of 5. 

Despite the obvious benefits, the All American Sharpener's cost-effectiveness for the average homeowner isn't as apparent. The Hey Der Folks tester owned six blades — three on his zero-turn mower and three spares. He concluded that professional sharpening savings could recover the purchase price, stating, "This thing will pay for itself eventually, but it's going to take a while."

Professional landscapers might find it the most practical in his estimation, and he noted it could even be mounted to a vehicle for on-the-job sharpening. But if you're an average DIYer who may go a year or more before it's time to sharpen your mower blades? Homeowners with a single-blade push mower may not see the most value. And there are plenty of cheaper choices, from a drill-powered mower blade sharpener to manual non-powered sharpeners and files. Similar but much less expensive guide-arm tools are also available starting around $50, though users often find them to be relatively flimsy. As this tester put it, "If you appreciate stuff that is made in America, of a high quality, and does one job really well ... this is for everybody."