How about a pic of the blades?

 

I will take a photo when I replace the blades. The last set ran over 160 hrs and I just decided to change, I feel assured they would have cut longer. I may very well push these to their limit just for curiosity.

What I like most about these blades are the fact I never find the need of sharpening. Actually, the longer they operate, the better they cut.

I got a picture the best I could at the discharge opening.

 

I have 15 hours on mine and getting a great cut. I hope to get a 150 hours out of mine as I cut at 3.5 inches and have very little sand. I notice my Kawi 38.5 EFI is not working as hard.

 

I am like "JLH52" when saying that will be the only blade I run once my stockpile is finished. These are total no-brainer blades, nothing to do underneath the deck if not having to scrape, and I've seen no buildup using these blades.

 

The cut looks very clean but no stripes? These look like a very low lift blade? Im curios

 

They are lower lift, these blades really pay off when cutting in sand. Cut cleanly is what I look for, especially with no removal and sharpening on a set of blades with 76 hrs.

 

Oh yes i agree tge cut quality fir 76hrs is outstanding. I call that a carpet cut. Not bashing just curuios about them. Do they not stripe though?

 

We cut lower in the south, meaning stripes are not nearly as prevalent. I honestly have no idea of how they may or may not stripe when cutting at 3.75 to 4+ inches.

The lower part of the photo is actually a grassed waterway going into my pond.

 

Ahh. What hieght is that?

 

3"

 

If u look to the far right where grounds rolls into the pond u will see one blade of grass those blades missed ! Lol !

 

Just want to make sure i get this right. Not only do these not require sharpening but they also dont allow for build up. So they are like the miracle blades. No more deck scraping, no more mower jacks, no more buildup. Its like a robot.

My sharpened squared off old regular blades will cut better. I see these being nice for open areas that arent manicured. Just like what is pictured.

 

My understanding after speaking with the manufacturer a few years ago, while they were being developed. They almost need to be operated in Sandy soils. The sand wears away the top of the blade, which exposes a very thin razor like alloy on the bottom, which is what does the cutting.
If you have no sand, the end isn’t that sharp.

 

For those curious, the "laser edge" treatment is almost certainly a tungsten-carbide cladding, that's applied to that area. I've purchased this treatment in industrial applications before, and it's pretty neat. It gets applied to the parent metal much like TIG welding - the carbide cladding is consumed and transferred to the workpiece much like welding wire would.

I'm pretty well stocked up on blades, but I see the value in them. If they really wanted to go the extra mile, they'd treat the radius into the blade sail as well. This would stop the erosion of metal that happens at the radius into the blade sail.

 

You are correct in your thoughts concerning tungsten carbide. The problem with implementing this process into the sail from a manufacturer's standpoint is, they think people are willing to pay extra for their blade that last longer while never finding the need of sharpening. They don't want to travel the route of the "Maytag Man" and build a blade that extends the life to the point of reducing sales.

I've heard one commercial cutter claim he runs the LaserEdge blades 250 hours before changing. Most of the time, the sail wears away to the point of having a flat blade, which works great having no lift in sugar sand conditions. These blades will continue to cut after becoming flat, but people cutting in more normal conditions prefer some degree of lift. The though process of Fisher Barton as a manufacturer would be, if we build a blade that last too long, we will diminish our sales, which would be true while cutting into their profit line.

 

It is likely true that the benefits of the laser edge blades are better seen by the sandy folks. Blades tend to dull faster in sandy conditions.

I just checked the Wright. Original steel blades, nothing fancy, probably been sharpened 20 times. Not even close to the end of their life. They have at least 500 hours that I know of on them and likley are the ones that came on the mower new. In sandy conditions these blades would be shot.

I got a Deere over the winter with 1200 hours. Farmer said he sharpened blades once a year. I still have the original blades that i rotate with another set on that mower. That's quite a lifespan if you ask me, but it's not sandy here. Grass doesn't do much to a blade aside from polish it. The edges get dull from dirt, sand, rocks, sticks, etc.

 

It is likely true that the benefits of the laser edge blades are better seen by the sandy folks. Blades tend to dull faster in sandy conditions.

I just checked the Wright. Original steel blades, nothing fancy, probably been sharpened 20 times. Not even close to the end of their life. They have at least 500 hours that I know of on them and likley are the ones that came on the mower new. In sandy conditions these blades would be shot.

I got a Deere over the winter with 1200 hours. Farmer said he sharpened blades once a year. I still have the original blades that i rotate with another set on that mower. That's quite a lifespan if you ask me, but it's not sandy here. Grass doesn't do much to a blade aside from polish it. The edges get dull from dirt, sand, rocks, sticks, etc.

I agree on the sandy soil conditions actually being a benefit to those.

 

I have a hard time believing that FB is using Marbain for the main blade steel. That is some tough, hard steel itself. If it were Marbain, it shouldn't be wearing away that fast or all of us would be replacing blades regularly. JD blades are made by FB and are Marbain and the ones made for my mower have about as high a lift on them as they make on a mower blade now days from any manu with the lone exception of the Oregon replacement for the Scag SHL blades. The OEM blades for mine suck up all sorts of stuff so the cutting edges certainly see some harsh use. I have sets that are several years old and still very useful/serviceable. I don't cut in non stop sand, but we have a pretty sandy/loam base here and it is quite abrasive.

The thing about these blades that I can't get on board with is the rounded tips. Mower blades are like circular saw blades in that the outer corner/tip is where the cutting takes place the most and anyone that has used a saw with a dull blade knows how poorly they cut. With a mower deck, rounded tips means streaks of grass uncut in between chambers or out along the left trim skirt/side. In shorter grass HOC situations it may not be as prevalent or easy to see as it is up here where we cut higher. A sharp edge below that is rounded at the tips is still rounded at the tips.

I'm not saying these lazer blades are junk by any means, but I just don't think they'd be the best choice for those of us up here in the northern areas, self sharpening or not.

 

Well said! We have sold a small quantity of these style blades but the feedback from customers has been kind of in the middle. No worse/really no better. A few have actually gone back to regular (non self sharpening) blades due to occasional rock damage not being as hard on the blades as with the self sharpening style. Ive never tired them my self.

 

Wonder if these blades bend easily or not. Tree roots and rocks, etc. do a number on some of my blades.

 

That's a great question, because they must be fairly soft in order for the main blade material to wear away and expose the under coating.

 

I used these blades a couple of years ago. I mostly cut Bahia and St. Augustine. While they worked great for Bahia they sucked on S.A. They tore the grass blade so badly that the lawn was white the next day. The blades only lasted about 35 hrs. for me before the treatment and the lifts were gone. I have found that Scag sand blades work best for me under my conditions. The low lift blades save my decks also.

 

Everyone is looking at a photo of grass recently cut, they then see a photo of the discharge blade with rounded corners. The corner of the blade in the photo will be the same pattern for the remaining blades. The cut shown is as good as will be found on property in this area, with grass of this type. My idea of a good cut is an area left level, with not one blade of grass or weed left standing.

I just finished cutting a dry area with many wispy thin areas of grass and weeds, and the cut with the same LaserEdge blades with rounded corners left nothing standing. I would find it hard to believe if not for my close to 250 hours of cutting experience with Fisher Barton LaserEdge blades, at speeds most people only read about.


You cannot cut in sandier conditions than "JLH52" unless you are forced to move over as a wave from the ocean comes on the beach. For you to only get 35 hours cutting from a set of these blades is hard to imagine. "JLH52" only gets 20 hours from a normal set of blades due to being in sugar sand during most of his cutting, and he got 107 hrs out of the LaserEdge blades with them never being touched. Makes me wonder if you did not get blades of inferior quality. I'm honestly not sure which blade you had for the reason you stated, "The blades only lasted about 35 hrs. for me before the treatment and the lifts were gone." The lifts will wear off, but not the underside of the blade that is tungsten carbide.

 

The question is. Why is it being made out that these fb blades cut grass better than a standard blade that is sharp? They dont, they just dont require sharpening. Thats what they have going for them.

With whisps and dandys and straggling weeds, i leave uncut weeds with fresh standard blades. How is it that the lasers dont do that? They are truly superior to a sharp standard blade? I dont think so. And i think we are stretching a bit. A jagged saw tooth even a razor sharp one, with rounded corners surely is not as good as a sharp blade thats squared off.

I learned what ridin is talk about years ago. Having that corner edge is crucial.

 

Looks great!

 

That'd be my guess. Too, they may have looked at the jagged edge and thought the same thing most would think when looking at them.

 

No matter the mower, cutting at 4" is a world away from cutting at 3" as far as QOC goes.

 

Puppy - are you running the Lasers on your TTII ?

 

No, they are original Scag blades.

Good point. I wonder if it's why a couple of our customers felt they were worse in rocky conditions because of being a softer steel?

These blades are as strong and tough as any mower blade purchased. The cutting ability of this blade is not hampered in any way from hitting rocks or anything that would damage a blade of the best quality.

QUOTE:
How are LaserEdge blades manufactured?
All LaserEdge blades are created with the industry's best base material from Marbain®. Marbain is created by a specialized heat-treatment that adds strength and hardness to the blade. Using AISI 10B38 base material, Marbain blades are stronger, harder (7-12 Rc points harder than industry norm), and last longer than competitive offerings. In fact, all Marbain lawn mower blades are 40% more wear resistant and 40% more bend resistant than standard lawn mower blades.

In a highly controlled durability test, the blade’s advanced technology performed remarkably, enduring multiple impacts from a 1-inch steel stake traveling at more than 200 mph.

 

I was getting deja vu here and then realized there was another thread from July last year with almost exact thread name.

Fisher Barton LaserEdge Blades

I am in the process of trying Fisher Barton's LaserEdge blades which never need sharpening on a 72" Hustler HyperDrive, and must say they are actually cutting better with 102 hrs than when they were first installed. These blades have not been touched since they were installed new. I was...

www.lawnsite.com

 

This is a photo "JLH52" posted in another thread. For me to look at these blades and think they were still cutting would be impossible, yet they are and will continue to cut for who knows how long. I see indentions in the blades that are non-conducive of cutting cleanly, yet these blades are sharp as a razor, which is also non-conducive of any normal blade cutting well. A very sharp edge on a normal (excellent quality) mower blade will become dull very quickly due to the thinner (which makes sharper) edge rolling and dulling the cutting surface.

This is totally in reverse of how the tungsten carbide edge performs on this blade. "JLH52" removed these blade due to the sail wearing down. I told him this blade would continue to cut after the sail was worn away, and would actually be easier on his deck for the fact with less lift comes less sand (wearing factor) being picked up. There are blades made specifically for cutting in sandy conditions, and these blades are perfectly flat, zero sail.

 

A serrated filet knife at that! Looks more like a bread knife than a filet knife.

 

Forgive my stupidity, but i was under the impression that if mowing in sandy conditions, the preferred blade was a LOW lift or NO lift blade so there is no sand blasting of the blades.

Is that incorrect?

 

No, that's generally the rule and a very good idea to do.

 

Why aren't the guys im sandy regions starting with the flat fb blades?

 

That's a good question. I wonder why they would want the suction/air volume of a med or hi lift blade?

 

The reason why most don't run sand blades is the cost. Sand blades are about 3 times the cost and they aren't very good for discharging. Most shops won't carry them either. I mow 1 day a week and the other 4 I mechanic at a local mower shop. I special order my sand blades and get them at cost but they still cost me more than a customer pays for regular blades. Thick grass will clump and that is the main downfall of them. I use mine in sparse grassy conditions which most people don't want to put their mowers on. They also are very good at keeping the dust down. Over this summer I will try to get some pictures of blades and decks that we see come through our shop with the damage and wear that Florida sand causes.

 

The reason why most don't run sand blades is the cost. Sand blades are about 3 times the cost and they aren't very good for discharging. Most shops won't carry them either. I mow 1 day a week and the other 4 I mechanic at a local mower shop. I special order my sand blades and get them at cost but they still cost me more than a customer pays for regular blades. Thick grass will clump and that is the main downfall of them. I use mine in sparse grassy conditions which most people don't want to put their mowers on. They also are very good at keeping the dust down. Over this summer I will try to get some pictures of blades and decks that we see come through our shop with the damage and wear that Florida sand causes.

Thanks, it would be helpful for people to actually see how sand can affect metal at constant high velocity. Many times, it's hard for people to comprehend happenings without visual connection.

 

Seems like a conundrum when Southern grasses need to be cut low + side-discharged whilst also sucking up sand to wear down blades/decks.
@puppypaws - what happens at 3.5" instead of 3"?

 

Seems like a conundrum when Southern grasses need to be cut low + side-discharged whilst also sucking up sand to wear down blades/decks.
@puppypaws - what happens at 3.5" instead of 3"?

I am in southern clay, not sand, and the stiff blade grasses and weeds look better cut at a lower height. Some cut very low, depending on the grass. Look at this high school football field in Kentucky cut at 3/4" with Chelated Iron spread on every green area you see covering 5 yards except at the 50-yard line where no iron was spread on either side. An acquaintance keeps this up for free, and he is a professional in the lawn care business. His work is second to none, as I believe you can see for the fact you would be hard-pressed to find a high school football field close in comparison.

These came in from a customer who said my mower isn't cutting very good. These are off a 61 Scag.
View attachment 546018

Thanks for showing this, most people have no idea of how fast mower blades & decks can be totally destroyed by high velocity sand. This happened to these blades much faster than most could imagine.

 

These came in from a customer who said my mower isn't cutting very good. These are off a 61 Scag.

 

That's way sad. SMH It's truly amazing how dumb some folks are when it comes to basic stuff like this. They might be a whiz on the computer or with finanaces, but are totally lost when it comes to common sense stuff.

 

Roy from Meg Mo used to come on here and claim the Meg Mo’s were self sharpening AND self balancing. Lol

sand blades are all we use on mulch kits. Keeps the grass from building up on the deck when mulching 2.5”-3.5”