Will Harbor Freight's Tool Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades As Well As Its Pricier Competitors?

When it comes to sharpening your lawn mower blades, it can be hard to know the best tool to use. Homeowners have tried everything from rotary tools to a power drill with special attachments — and we get that it might be tempting to go for a powered option. And while these can work well, the cheapest and safest option might still be a hand tool, like the Harbor Freight 8-inch flat file, which has high ratings from customers and works as well (or better than) some of its $10 or $20 counterparts from competitors like Gearwrench, Stanley, Workpro, Bahco, and Crescent.

It's easy to oversharpen or even damage a lawn mower blade. Some say that grinders or rotary tools can accidentally file down too much metal on the blade, a big mistake to avoid when sharpening dull lawn mower blades. While manual filing requires extra elbow grease and precision, it also gives you more control. You won't accidentally sheer off the edge of your lawn mowing blade if you're doing it by hand. 

Not to mention, those rotary tools or grinders can be expensive, since grinders can run hundreds of dollars. Files, however, tend to cost around $10 to $20. But Harbor Freight's 8-inch flat file with plastic handle comes in at $3.99. This handy tool has a double-cut pattern is made of carbon steel, which can help keep mower blades at their best when you look to sharpen them a couple of times during the mowing season. When compared to similar manual tools, it's a solid choice without much financial investment.

Over 98% of customers on Harbor Freight's site recommend the tool, which is very positive. It has more than 850 five-star reviews, with users saying that you can't beat the price and that it outperforms other bargain files. Some say they particularly like the plastic handle and its nice gripping point. Other users say it's durable as well. One customer said they also used the file to sharpen her garden shears.

Of course, not all customers raved about the file. A few complained that it got dull quickly. A couple of others found it too dull in general, and one said its cutting teeth lacked real bite. Yet, for those who bought it for the express purpose of sharpening lawn mower blades, they tended to give it high marks. The vast majority of reviews mentioning lawn mower blades rank it at four stars and up, and 50 of these gave the tool five stars. Most found the tool worked well on their mower blades. 

If you're on the fence, good news: This file does come with a lifetime guarantee as well, so if you're worried about breakage, you're covered. Also, given the low investment price of under $4, the risk simply isn't that high on this tool. And you can use it to sharpen other garden tools like garden clippers. A flat file might be the key to properly sharpening the blades on your hedge trimmers, too.