Replacing mulching blades -- all the same?

cprstn54

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Is there any difference between a 72531‐VE2‐020 and a 72531-VH7-000?

Between a 72511‐VE1‐020 and a 72511-VH7-000?

According to some eBay ads they are all interchangeable.

Is it generally true that the first 5 digits of this format ("general") Honda part number are the only ones that matter?

Ken C
 

BlazNT

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Is there any difference between a 72531‐VE2‐020 and a 72531-VH7-000?

One is an upper blade and the other is a lower blade. They are not interchangeable.

Between a 72511‐VE1‐020 and a 72511-VH7-000?

Again one is an upper blade and the other is a lower blade. They are not interchangeable.

You can buy them as a set.

honda blade set.jpg
 

cprstn54

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According to the owners manuals for the two mowers (HRR and HRX), the part numbers starting 72531 is the upper mulching blade for both mowers and the part number starting 72511 is the hi-lift lower mulching bade for both mowers.

I see that the HRS series also has a low-lift blade to be used alone that also starts with 72511 [-VG3-000], so 72511 is not a unique identifier. Maybe when sold a set, you always get the same thing as long as they are identified as 72531 and 72511.

Ken C
 

robert@honda

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Is there any difference between a 72531‐VE2‐020 and a 72531-VH7-000?
72531‐VE2‐020 = upper blade of a 2-blade set called "Quadracut" used on older Honda HRR models serial number is -8670000 or lower
72531-VH7-000 = upper blade of a 2-blade set called "Microcut" used on newer/current HRR models serial number -8670001 and higher

Between a 72511‐VE1‐020 and a 72511-VH7-000?
72511‐VE1‐020 = lower blade of a 2-blade set called "Quadracut" used on older Honda HRR models serial number is -8670000 or lower.
72511-VH7-000 = lower blade of a 2-blade set called "Microcut" used on newer/current HRR models serial number -8670001 and higher

According to some eBay ads they are all interchangeable.
It is okay to use newer, Microcut blades on an older mower originally fitted with Quadracut blades, but be sure you use a matched pair, don't mix 'em.

FYI, Honda also makes a 2-blade kit, which includes both the upper and lower blades, and the kits have their own part number.
08720-VE2-001 = is the Quadracut blade kit, and 08720-VL0-S00 is the MicroCut blade kit.

Is it generally true that the first 5 digits of this format ("general") Honda part number are the only ones that matter?

No, all the digits/characters matter; sometimes the last three will change when the supplier or material changes, but the parts are otherwise identical.
 

cprstn54

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Thank you, Robert@Honda. Exactly the info I needed.

I have an inventory of used blade sets for sharpening that have lost their tags. Is there any way to tell by looking at them if they are "Microcut" or "Quadracut"? Edge angle? Shape? Blade gap? Are the Microcuts the ones with the wider "wings" at the ends of the lower mulching blades?

Ken C
 

robert@honda

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Thank you, Robert@Honda. Exactly the info I needed.

I have an inventory of used blade sets for sharpening that have lost their tags. Is there any way to tell by looking at them if they are "Microcut" or "Quadracut"? Edge angle? Shape? Blade gap? Are the Microcuts the ones with the wider "wings" at the ends of the lower mulching blades?

Ken C

I'd have to put a set side-by-side and try to I.D. them compared to a known, new blade. If the part numbers are not visible, I'd probably just toss 'em and buy the new set. They are not expensive, and that way, you'd know for a fact what is being fitted to the mower, and know you have nice, new, perfectly sharpened blades.

FYI, individual blades are usually in-stock at most independent dealers, while the blade kits (2 per box) are sold though Home Depot. Same exact parts, just the set is in a retail carton, while the loose blades are not.
 

cprstn54

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Interesting.

Home Depot has three sets on offer: the first is Micro-Cut for HRX, the second is not identified as to mower type but looks like the Quadra-Cut, and the third is Micro-Cut for HRR, which suggests that the HRR set might be different from the HRX set. Prices are certainly reasonable.

Ken C
Capture.JPG
 

robert@honda

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Interesting.

Home Depot has three sets on offer: the first is Micro-Cut for HRX, the second is not identified as to mower type but looks like the Quadra-Cut, and the third is Micro-Cut for HRR, which suggests that the HRR set might be different from the HRX set.

Yes, both the HRX and newer HRR models use the MicroCut style blades, but they are NOT the same exact blades. There are some structural/fit/support differences that required the blades to be different for the HRX and HRR mowers.
 

Brendon Penn

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Not recommended to interchange quadracut and microcut on the HRR, but apparently from other comments on this thread it's doable. You can easily tell the difference by the clocking of the blades, the quadracut is stacked one over the other when bolted in place while the microcut are offset by 5 or 10 degrees (one blade following the other presumably to chop the top of the grass blade first then the next section chops the grass blade lower). I definitely would not interchange two models but probably not a big problem to use the HRR quadracut instead of microcut if you bought them online thinking your HRR216 looked the same, but my HRR216 VKA for instance uses the microcut, and I got the quadracut by mistake. I think the fact the shaft was probably weighted for the microcut I'm going to keep the quadracut for a backup and grab the correct offset blades at Home Depot to get the optimum cut for my model.
 
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