To every homeowner, a lawn mower is an important piece of equipment. After all, a lawn mower helps people to maintain a neat and good-looking yard.
A proper cutting of the grass on your lawn makes it eye-appealing and gives your house a great look.
You will find several different types of lawn mowers in the market but choosing the right one for you is often hard.
When it comes to lawn mowers, one type of blade does not suit all types of yards. In order to purchase the right lawn mower, you must have great knowledge about the lawn mowing blades.
Mulching blades and Gator blades are the most common in the industry. So, in this guide, we will discuss mulching blades vs gator blades and see which one is better for you.
What Is A Mulching Blade?
A mulching blade is one type of lawn mowing blade that is generally used to revitalize the soil with grass.
These blades are generally seen in riding or pushing lawn mowers. We know these mulching blades as 3-in-1 blades as they have the ability to serve three purposes at once.
These blades do not have a regular shape. They are a bit curvier on the edges, and these curvier edges allow them to finely cut the grass in the yard into small pieces.
Pros And Cons of Mulching Blades
Pros:
3-in-1 Blade
As we discussed above, mulching blades are often known as the 3-in-1 blade. This is because they perform three jobs at the same time.
There are very few lawn mowing blades that can serve three purposes at once. The three purposes are: discharging, bag clippings, and mulching the grass into finer and smaller pieces.
Shape
The most noticeable difference we see between mulching blades and other lawn mowing blades is the shape of these blades. A mulching blade generally comes with a curvier shape than other blades and has more cutting edges than usual. The shape allows the mulching blades to clip grass into smaller and finer pieces.
Discharge
One of the purposes of a mulching blade is to keep the grass clippings under the lawn mower deck while cutting the grass. This is something that the majority of lawn mower blades cannot do. Mulching blades cut grass into very fine pieces and store them on the deck without clogging the machine.
Cons:
Clogging
A problem that the majority of homeowners face while using mulching blades is that these blades cannot cut or trim the dense patches of grass. In such cases, the mulching blades cannot cut the grass and clog the lawn mower.
What Are Gator Blades?
Gator blades are another type of lawn mowing blade, and the purpose of using these blades is very similar to the purpose of using mulching blades.
You can easily cut both tall and small pieces of grass with the gator blades. This is because the cutting edges on a gator blade are set at a specific angle.
When you turn on the lawn mower, the blades pull the grass upwards to the cutting edge and chop the grass easily into small and fine pieces.
These finely cut pieces of grass allow the soil to get the necessary nutrients and make the soil fertile.
Pros And Cons of Gator Blades
Pros:
Shape
Gator blades have a unique shape that we do not see in the majority of lawn mowing blades. This shape pulls the grass up towards the cutting edges and finely chops the grass pieces.
Not only that, but it also helps to chop the small pieces of grass that are usually too difficult to reach.
Discharge
Gator blades come with a collector bag, and the bag collects the grass pieces as you move the lawn mower. The bag saves you from the trouble of cleaning the yard yourself.
As gator blades effortlessly cut the small pieces of grass, you do not have to spend extra time cutting those grass pieces.
Fertilizing
Gator blades cut the grass and distribute it evenly on the yard. This distribution allows the soil to get its necessary nutrients from the grass. These nutrients help to fertilize the soil and make it suitable for growing fruits and flowers in the yard.
Cons:
Blunt Edges
As the gator blades work on both small and tall pieces of grass effortlessly, the cutting edges often get blunt after a few uses.
In cases like this, you have to change or sharpen the gator blades frequently to make sure that they perform properly.
Comparing Gator Blades Vs Mulching Blades
Applications
Both mulching blades and gator blades are lawn mower blades. However, the applications of both of them are a bit different.
Mulching blades work best on tall grass but clog when you try to cut the denser patches of glass. Gator blades work on both small and tall pieces of grass and chop them effortlessly into fine pieces.
Shape
The biggest difference between a gator blade and a mulching blade is the shape. A mulching blade looks like the majority of lawn mower blades, but the cutting edges of a mulching blade are curvier than usual to ensure a sharp, fine cut.
On the other hand, the shape of a gator blade is very different than that of a mulching blade. The cutting edges of a gator blade are placed at an angle to make sure that it works on both small and tall pieces of glass.
Discharge
When it comes to the discharge of the grass pieces, both gator blades and mulching blades work efficiently. Mulching blades collect the grass pieces under the deck of the lawn mower to make sure that you do not have to spend time collecting the grass pieces.
On the other hand, the gator blades come with a collector bag that collects the cut pieces of both tall and small grass.
Mulching Blades Vs Gator Blades – Which One is For You?
When it comes to choosing between mulching blades vs gator blades, the choice mainly depends on the condition of your grass.
If you have tall pieces of grass in your yard without any dense patches, then you can use a mulching blade without any trouble.
However, if you have a mixture of both tall and small grass along with dense grass patches, then gator blades are the perfect lawn mower blade type for you.