Oregon G5 blade vs Greenworks 80V mower

Watching "Project Farm" review of mower blades, I was attracted to the Oregon G5 mulching blade:

• "Hardened" cutting edge - so sharping less needed
• thicker blade - less subject to damage hitting lawn debris

I was disappointed that technical specs such as mounting hole diameter and exact blade length were not easy to find. Regardless, I bought one compared to the original:

Both are shown with the cutting edges down. The original had two arrow shaped cutouts for tabs but lawn debris had sheared the plastic tabs off. But the Oregon blade is obviously larger and a little longer.

Initial mounting revealed the bolt hole was OK but the blade impacted the mower housing:

Initial testing showed bending the mower housing was impractical so I needed to trim the Oregon blade.

Careful measurements, I used painters tape to mark where to cut:

Attempts with a Drimal tool, metal cutting jig saw, and a reciprocating saw metal cutting blade were unsatisfactory. So I bought a Harbor Freight, 4.5" right-angle cutoff tool that works great. It will help my fence gate project. Although not yet perfect, the balance was no worse than the well worn, original blade.

So this is what it looks like after testing on the lawn:

After the original torque tabs sheared off, I put two, round-head screws and bolts on the edge of the impeller. Round heads so hitting an object would just slip the blade over and not break the plastic impeller. Regardless, there is plenty of space to fit in the housing.

Initial testing showed some vibration but no worse than the original blade. There is an art to blade balancing and centering that I will have to do after the front and side lawns. It cuts good and does not throw as much stuff out as the original blade. The only issue is the blade continues spinning when the mower goes off a by-product of a heavier blade. Regenerative blade braking would solve that problem.

My front lawn has two large pine trees that deposit pine cones, small twigs, and in the fall, pine needles. This blade makes short work of the pine cones and twigs. But no pine needle testing, yet.

So like it says on my birth certificate, some assembly is required.

Bob Wilson

ps. The Greenworks mower, air blower, and string trimmer were Costco specials. I decided to go with the highest battery voltage to minimize the current needed.