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So, what brand and / or type of blade cuts best?
You know, best bang for the buck!

For my immediate need, I'm going to get the 3PK Oregon Gator G3 Blades from brutha bezos website cause they have good reviews
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RP3FLQD/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1W77XONU0R4AZ&psc=1

Just curious what the resident experts are recommending for high performance lawn mower blades.... lake something they use in NASCAR

Blades are one of those things that many people have different opinions on. Do you side discharge? Do you use a chute blocker? I had a Toro ZX5400 and used those same blades on the mower. They were just okay for side discharge. They weren’t anything special and tended to pack cut grass under the deck and drop big clumps every so often. I had much better performance with the OEM high lift style blades.
This was my go to blade. https://www.rotarycorp.com/product/13226

Oregon

Several good choices out there for replacement mower blades. If you are wanting a Gator G3 blade, I assume mulching your grass is a goal. My experience with Gator blades was great, in they cut very well, stayed sharp and had additional lift. The down side is they really pulverize the clippings which is a good thing but it also tends to lead to the underside of the deck to get grass build up more quickly and require scraping more often. After many years of trying different blades and alternating from side discharge to mulching and back to side discharge, I find that having a good sharp blade, and a clean deck and cutting less off but cutting more often, I get the best results. Taking tall grass and trying to mulch is a complete waste for me. Too much clumping and not a very good finished look. If I only take off the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the grass blades, the mulching blades are no different than a standard blade as far as clippings. I suppose one could argue that mulching blades do reduce the clippings, but your grass has to be very dry and very short. Grass clippings tend to go away very quickly anyway if you mow more often and follow the 1/3 rule. To me mulching has not made an improvement to the cut nor the ease of cutting.

No Such hing as the universal "Best Blade"
There is the right blade for YOUR grass and the way you mow
And you find it by trial & error , make notes so you can compare different blades latter on .

one that is kept sharp, clean, and balanced

MParr said:

This was my go to blade. https://www.rotarycorp.com/product/13226

Click to expand...

I blow mine right out the side, no restrictions and yes I'd like for the grass to be mulched a little bit (cut more than once) before being shot out the side.

I wonder if the 18-3/4" X 5/8" TORO BLADE ( Toro 115-9650-03 ) you are speaking on would work on mine (Toro TimeCutter MX 5475 with 54 Inch Deck)

The parts list shows mine is supposed to be a 115-2454-03 Blade, but I don't see yet what the dimensions are

KM Richards said:

I blow mine right out the side, no restrictions and yes I'd like for the grass to be mulched a little bit (cut more than once) before being shot out the side.

I wonder if the 18-3/4" X 5/8" TORO BLADE ( Toro 115-9650-03 ) you are speaking on would work on mine (Toro TimeCutter MX 5475 with 54 Inch Deck)

The parts list shows mine is supposed to be a 115-2454-03 Blade, but I don't see yet what the dimensions are

Click to expand...

Yes, they will work. The blade dimensions are 18.75” x 2.5” with a 5/8” Center hole. The blades that you linked to will also fit a Bad Boy 54” mower. In fact, I would buy the heavy duty Bad Boy Gator blades from the local Bad Boy dealer.
Here is the notched high lift Oregon blades for your mower.
I prefer the notched high lifts over the rolled high lifts.

These appear to be the same design as the ones you posted

https://www.amazon.com/Toro-115-9650-03-Flo-Blade-Kit/dp/B0178386AM/ref=sr_1_11_mod_primary_new?crid=1TL3XHWV7VHPP&keywords=18-3/4"+X+5/8"+TORO+BLADE&qid=1652893127&s=lawn-garden&sbo=RZvfv//HxDF+O5021pAnSA==&sprefix=18-3/4+x+5/8+toro+blade,lawngarden,256&sr=1-11

I wasn't too impressed with the OEM blades that came on my mower (Toro TimeCutter MX 5475 with 54 Inch Deck)

But then again... some of my yard has crap grass that may be hard to cut regardless of what blade is being used.

I just figured after 3 years I need to try different blades cause the original blades aren't cutting that good even in the area of the year that has St Augustine grass

KM Richards said:

These appear to be the same design as the ones you posted

https://www.amazon.com/Toro-115-9650-03-Flo-Blade-Kit/dp/B0178386AM/ref=sr_1_11_mod_primary_new?crid=1TL3XHWV7VHPP&keywords=18-3/4"+X+5/8"+TORO+BLADE&qid=1652893127&s=lawn-garden&sbo=RZvfv//HxDF+O5021pAnSA==&sprefix=18-3/4+x+5/8+toro+blade,lawngarden,256&sr=1-11

I wasn't too impressed with the OEM blades that came on my mower (Toro TimeCutter MX 5475 with 54 Inch Deck)

But then again... some of my yard has crap grass that may be hard to cut regardless of what blade is being used.

I just figured after 3 years I need to try different blades cause the original blades aren't cutting that good even in the area of the year that has St Augustine grass

Click to expand...

You will really like those Rotary brand blades. They will process the grass well. The Gator G3 blades will do okay but, you will have wait for your grass to dry before cutting. The least little bit of moisture in the grass and you will be leaving clumps and you may have to stop and clean the underside of your deck. I wished that my entire yard was St. Augustine.

I never cut when the grass is wet.

The design of the ones I link to on Amazon looks identical to the ones on the Rotary website.

KM Richards said:

I never cut when the grass is wet.

The design of the ones I link to on Amazon looks identical to the ones on the Rotary website.

Click to expand...

There isn’t much difference. The wing may be a little longer on the Rotary blade. I’ve had good luck with Rotary brand mower blades. They have a much larger offering than Oregon. Stems is another company that produces quality mower blades.

Those look pretty good

https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Turn-Mo...mower+blades+54+bad+boy,lawngarden,218&sr=1-4

Reckon they balance these blades???

Maybe they should have a balance machine to be able to tack weld weights on to these things to get them balanced!

KM Richards said:

Those look pretty good

https://www.amazon.com/Zero-Turn-Mower-Deck-Blades/dp/B01FVF6I1S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2AIXWD4EOFRJ3&keywords=Mower+blades+54”+bad+boy&qid=1652903371&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=mower+blades+54+bad+boy,lawngarden,218&sr=1-4

Reckon they balance these blades???

Maybe they should have a balance machine to be able to tack weld weights on to these things to get them balanced!

Click to expand...

I sharpen and balance my own blades. They blades should be balanced when you get them. I always check them when new. It’s easy to balance blades. Drive you a 16d nail in a tree until it just becomes stable. Hang the blade by the center hole. Whichever side is lower, take a little off of the cutting edge on that side until it balances. Get you a 12” Nicholson Double Cut Bastard file and follow the existing angle of the cutting edge. Go to YouTube and see how it’s done.

KM Richards said:

So, what brand and / or type of blade cuts best?
You know, best bang for the buck!

For my immediate need, I'm going to get the 3PK Oregon Gator G3 Blades from brutha bezos website cause they have good reviews
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RP3FLQD/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1W77XONU0R4AZ&psc=1

Just curious what the resident experts are recommending for high performance lawn mower blades.... lake something they use in NASCAR

Click to expand...

I run Oregon blades on my Z-Turn , and Tractor . Standard blades all summer , and Gators in the fall . I sharpen them in a Vice , with a 4.5" Grinder , just don't heat them up , take your time . I find sharpening every week works best . Gators pack grass on the top and front of the deck , and if you don't spray some release agent of some kind on the deck , they can be a bitch to clean , especially if there's dirt flying . Turns it right into Concrete .

These came on my Ferris z700 and I didn't sharpen them until about 80 hrs. Mow pasture fields half grass and half weeds. Grass gets ahead of me often so I'm cutting tall thick stuff. They cost a lot but you don't have to sharpen them very often. After sharpening they hold the edge a long time. Was afraid they wouldn't after belt sharpening.

loneryder said:

Marbain

The Marbain heat-treating process is a controlled, proprietary operation that creates ultra-hard properties without the brittleness.

www.fisherbarton.com

These came on my Ferris z700 and I didn't sharpen them until about 80 hrs. Mow pasture fields half grass and half weeds. Grass gets ahead of me often so I'm cutting tall thick stuff. They cost a lot but you don't have to sharpen them very often. After sharpening they hold the edge a long time. Was afraid they wouldn't after belt sharpening.

Click to expand...

Fisher Barton is the OEM blade supplier for Gravely/Ariens. I haven’t seen any noticeable advantage in them compared to Rotary brand blades.