Seeking suggestions for a mower blade upgrade for an Ozito ELM-1230

[FlancyJay]

Hello,

Recently, I've moved into a new rental and now have a large yard to care for - and it's my first ever! It's been heavily neglected, but I've greatly enjoyed pouring dozens of hours into restoring it and seeing weeds disappear, sand turn to soil, and the lawn spread and thicken. For the purposes of mowing it, I've started cheap and purchased the Ozito 1200W 305mm Corded Lawn Mower (model: ELM-1230). Putting aside the size limitations and the extra labour required to mow the approximately 350 square meters, my biggest issue with it is its blade. From my rudimentary research, I understand that the sharpness of the blade is one of the key factors in ensuring a lawn's health when mowing, but this blade cannot seem to hold an edge! It is absurdly soft and I have had to sharpen it after every use, and sometimes even half-way through!

I'm seeking any suggestions for a replacement blade that will be effective and more resilient. The blade currently on the mower is 305mm long, 50mm wide, and approximately 20mm tall. I would prefer to find an alternative, differently-branded blade instead ordering an identical replacement through Bunnings, although that may still be necessary as a temporary solution as the repeated and constant sharpening has already significantly reduced the size of the blade itself.

Thank you for all thoughts and suggestions,

Jay

[EricL]

Hello @FlancyJay 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about the mower blade of your Ozito mower.

Blade sharpness is one factor in lawn health, but there are quite a few other things that need to be observed when looking after your lawn. If your lawn has a lot of miscellaneous debris such as small dry branches, small stones and large tree seeds, these items will blunt the finish of your mower blade. I recommend running a rake over your lawn making sure that there are no other things on it.

Another factor is lawn mowing technique. Electric mowers often recommend starting with a light cut at the top and then going lower to the next stage. This technique will take a bit longer to mow, but it means that it does not put a great deal of stress on the electric motor and mower blade. Your Ozito mower blade is rated to last for 50 hours. However, 350 square meters is at the very limit of medium. It could be one reason why the blade is wearing out so fast.

Let me ask the Ozito technical team after the weekend if there is a stronger blade for your mower. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @TedBear and @homeinmelbourne for their recommendations

Thank you for your patience.        

Eric

[FlancyJay]

Thank you very much for your response, Eric!

Yes, I do think that I may have been mowing a bit too low and are admittedly a bit impatient when considering the volume of work that it's already requiring. Having said that, I have been keeping an ear out for any struggling of the motor and it seems to be very capable! But that may be to the detriment of the lawn...

I'm excited to hear of what comes back from the Ozito technical team and your recommended colleagues.

I appreciate it,

Jay

[Dave-1]

Good evening @FlancyJay 

As I have never had an electric mower this is outside my knowledge.....

But as always I do have some ideas

I have a petrol lawnmower given to me a decade and a bit agao and previously to that it had sat in a shed for a decade (Its a Victor)

I have replaced the blades twice yeah I know I should do it more often, I also run over sticks, large bark and stones.

This mower has kept on going with minimal servicing. Tho the metal side when the handle comes down has almost rusted through 😕  I have considered an electric mower but havnt really looked into it. 

If you do decide to change mowers there are plenty of second hand mower dealers about. That is prob what Id do for myself as a next step.

With your blade that you have now, is it possibe to get non ozito blades for it? I have just been looking and cant get a size number or anything?

I really like the sound of how light the mower is tho 350square meters is a fair lawn Its doing well for that!

Dave

Dave

[FlancyJay]

Thank you for sharing your experience, Dave!

I opted for an electric mower to minimise the number of considerations I'd have to make as I'm just starting out, but I think that your suggestion of a second-hand petrol mower would be the next step when I choose to change.

I have only looked at blades that are available through Bunnings, and so I will certainly expand my search. Are mower blades categorised by a size number system? Upon a glance, they all seem sporadically varied in their dimensions.

Wishing you well,

Jay

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Hi @FlancyJay,

I've touched base with Ozito; that is the only blade suitable for that machine. Can I ask how long the blade was cutting fine before the first time you sharpened it, and what prompted you to sharpen it the first time? You'd really only sharpen or replace your blades if the leaf blades were getting ragged and torn up and dying back from damage. The supplied blade should typically last a few years unless it hits many rocks or sticks. You might need to replace the blade after a few years, but that's about it. 

How sharp are you sharpening this blade? You are correct that blades need to be sharp for a good cut, but not all blades should be sharpened to a knife edge. Only blades that have considerable thickness can be sharpened like a knife. If a thin blade like that on this mower is sharpened like a knife, the thin metal edge will fold over almost immediately. I know it's a little counter-intuitive, but it's about creating an edge profile that suits the blade that is both "sharp" and that also has some longevity. Many lawn mower blades are not sharp at all. They have a square profile edge and are "sharpened" by returning that square edge. Have a look at the rendering I've created below. I think you'll find the Ozito blade was initially not razor sharp but had a flattened vertical leading edge.

When I first started using a lawn mower, part of the info above was imparted to me. I thought I was doing the right thing by sharpening the blades to a razor edge. That edge folded over almost immediately and lost all cutting ability within minutes.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[FlancyJay]

Thank you so very much, Mitchell!

I'll contact my local Bunnings to order a replacement, and be sure to care for it with this new information in mind.

The first time I sharpened it was before its second use, as I was inspecting it prior to use. As I had mentioned, this property has been heavily neglected, and there was an astounding amount of litter and debris scattered all throughout the yard. I had only managed to clear what was a small portion of it, in retrospect, prior to its first use, and the blade inevitably endured a lot of impact. After that, the edge was completely rounded with a couple of small divots; I had to work it a lot to return an edge to it. Since then, I've been sharpening it so that it has quite a wide angled edge, as I presumed that with the work it needs to do, it would be unsuitable to try to maintain it narrowly (like a knife); however, it still seems to always end up rounded. The lawn does seem to respond poorly and brown in areas after the mower has been at work for a while. I also notice that some finer leaves of grass go uncut after some use, and I would observe that as an indicator to sharpen the blades (my yard is heterogenous community of many different species of grass).

I think that taking the time to familiarise myself with a new OEM blade, and learning of its design, will inform and direct me in how it's intended to be used and maintained.

I very much appreciate all of your experience and insight!

Jay

[MitchellMc]

That sounds like a good approach @FlancyJay. However, please do keep us updated, as I'd be keen to hear if feedback needs to be provided about these blades' longevity.

@Dave-1 has also provided some great advice. I run over large sticks and hit rocks all the time with my petrol lawnmower and only replace my blades every few years and never sharpen them.

Mitchell

[EricL]

Hi @FlancyJay 

I'm glad that my friend's suggestion helped. My other recommendation is to keep an eye on the grass cut, your electric mower might be able to cope with the excess lawn, but you'll notice that the cut will look very bad and lumpy. Instead of a nice straight edge you'll get a rough and ragged look. This is a sure indicator that the grass is too tall, and your blade is not coping with the thickness of the lawn. 

The number one indicator that your lawn mower is being worked too hard is excessive heat from the motor. You can literally place your hand near motor housing, and you'll feel that there is too much heat emanating from the body. Just a friendly reminder to cut shallow first and work your way down if you wish for a shorter cut. This will prolong the life of your lawn mower blade and lawn mower motor. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[FlancyJay]

Thank you, Eric!

One thing I can say with jubilance is that the Ozito ELM-1230 has been incredibly consistent with delivering very straight lined cuts. But I'm only saying these things as I want to offer commendation to the mower where it's deserved, and not just critique; I am absolutely taking all of your experience and advice on board, and have promised myself that I will now always begin at the highest 70mm setting, and work my way down.

You all have been absolutely brilliant in helping me with this matter, as well as expanding my knowledge and awareness beyond the narrow subject of the topic. I'm very much appreciative of this forum and all of the shared insight!

Jay