American Lawn Mower SK-1 Reel Mower Sharpening Kit

If you have a reel mower, you need to sharpen the blades every couple of years, depending on how much you use it (just like with a power mower). If you used to have a power mower, you might be tempted to try to find someone to do it for you. Although I heard of someone in my area who *might* be able to do it, I decided to try this kit first.

The directions are straight-forward and clearly described in the manual. In short: turn the mower upside-down, use the brush to "paint" the compound (a thick goop) along the end of each blade, pop off a wheel, slip on the crank, and have your son turn it for a couple of minutes. (If you don't have children, you'll have to do it yourself.) Finally clean off the compound and re-assemble the mower. You should be able to complete this chore in 30-45 minutes. (The alternative is to pack it up, drive it to someone else, and come home; then later drive over, pick it up, and drive it home again. Oh yeah, and you'd have to pay for it too.)...Read more

The description of this product really should include a paragraph about how it actually works because the picture gives you absolutely no indication of what it does. The crank lets you turn the blades backwards and the "sharpening compound" which you "paint" on to the cutting edges of the blades turns the mower frame into a grinding stone. It really works well. But wait, there's more... The instructions are excellent and they also tell you how to adjust the blades. Sending the mower out to a professional (if you can find one who works on reel mowers) will cost you about 75% of what you'll pay for a new machine. This kit is worth it.

A lot of the negative reviews about the reel mowers here on Amazon.com probably come from people who haven't adjusted their machines correctly. My mower is working better than ever after making just a few simple adjustments.

There isn't much to say about this product. It sharpens, and works well on my American lawn mower. However, the directions are flawed. If you READ THE MOWER MANUAL (not the manual in the sharpening kit), it will tell you to do the following:
1. Remove BOTH wheels
2. Remove and switch ratchet gears from L to R and vice versa
3. Flip over pawls
4. Apply Compound
5. PUSH MOWER BACKWARDS!!!!! (for about 5 minutes, or until sharpening goo changes color. Mine turns grey)

The instructions in the sharpening kit tell you to use the stupid crank, which takes forever. If you just push the mower backwards, the blades get sharpened in about 5 minutes. Then you just switch the ratchet gears back and re-flip-over the pawls (and put the wheels back on). My only complaint is that they didn't SAY that. However, I give it 5 stars anyway, because if you use it how you SHOULD, it is very easy, and makes the cutting quality much better.