Lawnmowers are truly amazing machinery to maintain your backyard and front yard in good and attractive conditions. The lawnmower will cut the grass and help you maintain its shape and size. It makes your lawn look more engaging and boosts the health of the grasses. However, when choosing a lawnmower, you need to decide between the mulching blade vs. regular blade since the machine is available in both types of blades.
Regular lawnmower blades and mulching blades differ in shape, design, cutting method, airflow, energy consumption, and durability. Next up, both blade types have their pros and cons. The regular blade is suitable for cutting long grass, will give you a cleaner lawn as it bags the grass clipping, and is easy to remove and replace. On the contrary, lawnmower mulching blades are eco-friendly, preferable for natural fertilization, and work quietly.
Thus, it’s time to go deep with the discussion so that you can decide between regular blades and mulching blades to enjoy the best mowing experience in your yard.
Types of Lawnmower Blades:
Before we jump into finding the difference between regular and mulching blades, it won’t be a bad idea to discuss the common lawnmower blade types briefly. It will help you decide better and faster. So, let’s jump into it.
Regular blades:
This blade is also known as a standard or normal blade. The blade will cut the grass and discharge or collect it in the attached bag. Thus, regular grass cutting blades are known as 2-in-1 blades.
Mulching blades:
The mulching blade, as the name suggests, will mulch the grass. Unlike the regular blade, it won’t collect or discharge the grass. So, it looks messy.
Hi-lift blades:
The edges of these blades are slightly lifted. So, the blade can lift the grass slightly higher. It improves the grass cutting efficiency of the hi-lift blades. Also, you will see the use of these blades for discharging or bagging purposes.
Bagging blades:
If your lawnmower has a bag attached, you can use the bagging blade with the machinery. It isn’t a specific blade type since it can be mulching or regular blades. The only specialty of the bagging blade is its ability to work with a bag with the mower.
Gator blades:
Gator makes the Gator blades. So, it derives its name from the manufacturer. The Gator blades can be of any kind, including standard, mulching, or hi-lift ones. Nonetheless, its popularity has made it a different type of blade.
Mulching Blade Vs. Regular Blade: The Key Difference
Mulching blades and regular blades both come with unique benefits. Also, they differ in their shape, design, working procedure, durability, and performance. When deciding between the two lawnmower blade types, you should thoroughly understand their key distinctions.
The following points will highlight the same for a better decision.
The difference in shape:
When you look at the standard blades, you will find that their edges are quite flat. Also, it works in low settings for the lawnmower machine. You will find the regular blades useful for even strips on your yard. Also, it will help you in removing the grass clippings faster.
On the contrary, the mulching blade’s edges are much curved. Thus, you can quickly distinguish it from the standard blades. Also, the cutting edges of these blades have serrated teeth. It improves the airflow as the blade moves under the deck. What’s more, the curved edge of the mulching blades will have a bigger vacuum.
The high vacuum will be useful to cut grass clippings repeatedly. Thus, it is ideal for maintaining large lawns and yards better.
The difference in the deck design:
The deck design is mainly linked with the lawnmower. However, it differs according to the blade type of the machinery too. To begin with, regular blades feature a dome-shaped deck. It is deeper too. On the contrary, mulching blades will feature a circulating deck.
Nonetheless, the mulching blade, at times, will include a baffle. It helps in improving the airflow for better grass clipping with less effort.
Aerodynamics:
Aerodynamics will refer to the blade’s amount of effort to cut and clip the grass. The better the aerodynamics, the better the cutting capacity will be of the lawnmower machine. Also, the aerodynamics of the blade is known as the lifting mechanism.
The shape of the lawnmower blade will largely control its aerodynamics and lifting mechanism. As we see, mulching blades have a low lifting mechanism. It will send the grass clippings right to the cutting edge repeatedly. It results in thinner grass clippings.
On the other side, standard blades mainly have a hi-lift cutting mechanism. As the blade cuts through the grass clips, it sends them in the deck. The blade works in a uni-directional way. It will either collect the grass clips in the attached bag or discharge them on the ground.
Grass handling and cutting duration:
When you use a regular blade to cut grass, it will need more time. It happens since, with the regular blade, you will need to collect the grass clips in the attached bag. Then, you need to carry the piles of the grass and discharge them separately.
Mulching blades work faster as it frees you from carrying the piles of grass clippings. So, you don’t need to carry the baggage additionally to discharge off the grass clippings.
Next up, with the standard grass cutting blades, you need to clip the grasses once every 10 to 15 days. So, it needs less mowing with the regular blades. But for the mulching blades, you need to mow the grass every 4 to 7 days. It is crucial because mulching produces much-needed nutrients for the grass. So, finer and frequent mulching will offer improved nutrients to the grass.
Dispersal ability:
The grass clipping dispersal ability is another difference between mulching and regular blades that you can’t ignore. The dispersal ability refers to the capacity of the blade to cut and remove the grass clips. It ensures a better and cleaner-looking yard at home.
So, which blade shines in this category?
Of course, mulching blades with their fine mulching capacity outperform the regular blades here. It will cut the grass clippings as finely and neatly as possible. So, you don’t need to collect the mulched grass from the yard to clean it. In fact, it will work as a nutrient to the existing grass in your yard. What’s more, this blade will allow you to attach a discharging bag if you wish.
Sadly, you can deal with the clippings through the bag and discharging with regular blades. Thus, it doesn’t offer you a cleaner yard. It is time-consuming. Nonetheless, with built-in discharging and baggage capacity, the grass clipping dispersal ability of the regular mower is way better.
Blade’s compatibility:
When you choose any lawnmower, you must think about its compatibility. It will largely determine your yard maintenance performance.
If you have a newer lawnmower model and want a better fit, mulching blades will be a good option to go for you. If your mowing machine doesn’t have the mulching blade, you can always attach it using the mulching kit.
The regular blades are workable with older versions of the lawnmower. Also, it has issues with the fit and isn’t as versatile as its counterpart is.
The difference in recirculation capacity:
The recirculation or trapping of the grass clippings is a unique feature of mulching blades. We have stated that these blades have a deeper deck design. Also, it has curved edges and improved airflow. So, it can trap the grass under its deck better than the regular ones.
As the grass clippings circulate for an extended period inside the mulching mowers, it results in finer and thinner cuts. So, it is useful as a nutrient to the topsoil of the ground. Regular blades circulate the grass clippings upwards. Thus, it lacks the fine recirculation and mulching facility, unlike the mulching lawnmowers.
Cutting surface:
The regular and mulching blades have distinctive cutting surfaces. The former one features a single cutting surface at the end of it. It has a single cutting surface; it can’t cut the grass clipping as neatly as the mulching mowers.
Since the latter one supports multiple cutting surfaces, it cuts the grass repeatedly and results in a finer cutting. So, it is preferable for a neat and clean yard with finer clippings. Also, it helps the topsoil with nutrients as finer clippings get mixed with the soil soon.
Durability and energy consumption:
Finally, you must consider the energy consumption of the blade. As our findings show, mulching blades are power-hungry. It also needs more horsepower. So, mulching grass can be costly. Regular blades are cost-efficient and affordable.
Lastly, mulching blades are more durable than the standard ones. So, it is ideal for heavy-duty lawn maintenance.
The Comparison Table:
We have talked about the top differences between the standard blade and the mulching blade of a lawnmower. So, it’s time to highlight them in a nutshell for your better understanding.
| Point of Comparison | Regular Blade | Mulching Blade |
| Blade’s shape | Usually, flatter | A bit more curved |
| Aerodynamics | Much prominent | Not so efficient |
| Tackling the grass clipping | Difficult and way more laborious | Easy and highly-efficient |
| Discharging capacity | Discharges the grass clippings better | It doesn’t need discharging as it cuts the grass finely |
| Clipping efficiency | Not so prominent | Excellent clipping efficiency with fine clipping through repeated cuts |
| Longevity | Not so durable | Offers long-lasting performance |
| Energy-consumption | Less | More |
Pros and Cons of Regular Lawnmower Blades:
Before we wrap up the discussion between mulching blades and regular blades, you must consider their benefits and disadvantages. Following its importance, we will present the pros and cons of regular blades at first.
Pros:
- It is easy to remove and replace if need be
- It is suitable to cut long grass efficiently
- The blade doesn’t get clogged with grass clippings easily
- The attached bag makes it easy to discharge the clippings
- Effective discharging offers a cleaner lawn
Cons:
- It requires a high level of energy
- Not suitable for repeated cuts
- Inefficient in dust conditions
Pros and Cons of Mulching Blades:
Now, it’s the turn of the mulching blade to look at its top benefits and disadvantages. It will help you know the usability of this machine better.
Pros:
- Finer mulching provides improved nutrients to the topsoil
- The thicker blade is durable and best for hard grasses
- Its installation and cleaning process is way easier
- Cost-effective solution with less energy-consumption
- The blade works as quietly as possible and is eco-friendly
- Workable in low-power settings for smaller lawns
Cons:
- It can’t discharge the grass clippings; the lawn may look dirty
- It isn’t a good option to deal with long grasses
Frequently Asked Questions
Do mulching blades make any difference?
The enhanced cutting surface and curved edges will cut the grass repeatedly for finer clippings. SO, mulching blades are suitable for providing improved nutrients to the topsoil and grass. So, yes, it makes a difference in your lawn’s health.
Can you bag grass with mulching blades?
Although possible, using a mulching blade with the bag isn’t a good alternative. Its better airflow will result in finer cuts, so a bag isn’t necessary to discharge the grass unless you want a neater lawn from the words goes.
Our lawnmower blades standard?
The regular blade has a flat and straight edge. Also, most lawnmowers have standard blades due to their cutting efficiency and performance. Also, it is affordable.
Are all lawn mower blades universal?
No, blades of the lawnmower aren’t universal. The blade must meet the torque and exact fitting of the lawnmower on which you want to install the blade. So, it is model-specific.
Final Words
The comprehensive discussion on mulching blade vs. regular blade suggests no clear winner in this debate. Both blades for lawnmowers are incredibly performance-centric, efficient, and reliable for landscaping tasks. Thus, the decision will depend on your lawn requirements and preference mostly.
The mulching lawnmower will be the best option if you want to use the grass to feed lawns with natural fertilizer. Its repeated cuts will offer finer clippings and better nutrients to the lawn soil. And if you want to keep your yard in immaculate condition, a standard lawnmower with baggage and discharging capacity is recommended.