Paid a guy $50 to sharpen my mower blades last month - he had a proper machine, I'll never go back to filing by hand

Been sharpening my own blades with a bastard file for 15 years. Always thought I was doing a good enough job. Then my neighbor who runs a lawn service told me to bring my spare set to his buddy's shop. That guy ran them across a real grinder with a jig. First cut after I put them back on - grass looked like it went through a paper shredder. Clean as hell. Now I'm wondering how many other jobs I've been doing the hard way that are worth paying for. Any of you pay for stuff you used to DIY and never looked back?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.jessica12d ago

Gotta call out something nobody's talking about yet - those DIY jobs that are more about safety than just the end result. I used to change my own brake pads until a buddy who's a mechanic showed me how easy it is to mess up the caliper pistons if you don't have the right tool. Sure I saved $80 doing it myself that one time, but now I pay him $120 and sleep better knowing my brakes aren't gonna fail on the highway. Same goes for sharpening mower blades actually - throwing one off balance can wreck your spindle bearings or worse, send a chunk of metal flying. Sometimes paying a pro isn't just about getting a better result, it's about not having to learn the hard way what can go wrong.

hart.zara12d ago

Totally feel you on this, @ross.jessica... there's some stuff where the peace of mind is worth the extra cash. I had a friend who tried to fix his own garage door spring, and that thing almost took his hand off. Sometimes you just gotta know your limits.