Just to let you know I recently discovered that the price of new mower blade sets are amazingly cheap at Big W compared to others. They are made by an after market supplier called Super Cut and are Australian made. They come supplied with bolts, nuts and washers. Blades for Rover and Honda are $12.00 and for Victa 18" rear catcher mowers from 1974 on, retail for a mere $7.00. My local mower shop wants $ 16.00 for the same type of Victa compatible blades and Bunnings want nearly $15.00. Supercheap are the next cheapest at just under $10.00, but this cannot be beat. They also sell starter cord with handle for $7.00.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
ebay, admittedly I buy 10 sets of blades at a time and the pull cords are from China, but where do you think Big W get theirs and they probably pay 50 cents for them tops.
Ohhh right. Thought there a was a bulk buy in there somewhere. I have actually harvested a few good used pairs ( with good bolts) from wrecks and it is handy to be able to lob into a store for the odd new pair that doesn't a cost a two figure amount! You have certainly given me good for thought on the starter cord! Hard ware stores would sell it in bulk I imagine, not that I will likely use so much.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
There are some good deals on eBay from time to time. I recently scored a bunch of very cheap Chinese-made blades to suit Rover 18-20". I was skeptical about them at first glance, but after trying them I've found them to be okay. Not sure how they would go in the rough, but I've had no problems so far on my average suburban lawn. They do not seem to wear any faster than the brand name ones at least. They are painted too, which makes them look cheap and nasty, but I scratched the paint off one to get a better look, and the material appears to be good quality hardened steel. Not sure what the idea of the paint is. It made me a bit suspicious that they might be trying to hide something. Maybe they will be more prone to rust? I've yet to find this out.
There may actually be only one Oz manufacturer of a comprehensive blade range for the domestic push mowers left, AFAIK.
UTA Blades in Sydney, owned by Roy Gripske & Sons P/L, who also own GA Spares. With their products, there is at least the assurance that they are made and heat treated to Australian Standards.
Their products are also sold under their 'Tuffcut' brand, and possibly others.
Bynorm [now owned by Stens] blades used to be mostly Oz-made, but I don't know if they were made in-house, or if they are currently made here.
Personally, I'd be a bit leery of potential injury/liability issues with using 'unknown provenance' blades at all, even on my own lawn. Crook material and/or heat treatment can result in high-speed flying knives, after all. For the few dollars extra...
Cheers, Gadge
"ODK Mods can explain it to you, but they can't understand it for you..."
"Crazy can be medicated, ignorance can be educated - but there is no cure for stupid..."
Gents, i have to agree with Gadge on this one. As lucrative as it may be to buy Chinese made blades for a few dollars less, i will only buy blades that are certified to Australian Standards. I'm not fussed who makes them, or where, as long as they are a branded blade that meets the standard. Jakmax, Bynorm, UTAH, BPL and obviously all the genuine brands meet these standards.
What did they work out per pair, including p&p? Did they include bolts and nuts? The paint is probably their idea of presentation.
They worked out around $1 a blade from memory. No nuts and bolts. Free shipping! Had a look this morning and they are no longer listed unfortunately. They were "Gator-tuff" brand and evidently designed in Australia to our standards.
Incidentally, I sometimes wonder how safe (compared to today's standards) the really old Australian-made blades were, i.e. back in the 1960s? I believe Southern Cross manufactured their own blades for instance in the Toowoomba Foundry. I suspect that by today's standards they would not be up to scratch. Then there was the widespread and popular recycling of blades in the old days: resharpening, cleaning up old bolts, washers and nuts and re-using them. My dad would re-use the blades until they were only half the size of new ones, and the bolts would almost completely lose their heads before he would change them. I can recall him bending blades and hammering them back out straight again. He was not the only one who did this. The Chinese do have standards too. Some companies are better than others. I recently purchased some brand name blades with Australian specs. labelled "Made in China".
Incidentally, I sometimes wonder how safe (compared to today's standards) the really old Australian-made blades were, i.e. back in the 1960s? I believe Southern Cross manufactured their own blades for instance in the Toowoomba Foundry. I suspect that by today's standards they would not be up to scratch.
I'd reckon that those old blades would be very comparable to modern ones. Even though they may have been produced by artisanal methods rather than today's automated, tightly controlled processes, the characteristics of the materials used [most probably plain carbon steels] were very well understood then, as was the heat treatment of these steels.
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The Chinese do have standards too. Some companies are better than others. I recently purchased some brand name blades with Australian specs. labelled "Made in China".
The problem is that, if left to their own devices, the Chinese have an innate cultural tendency to 'cheap out' by cutting corners in manufacturing. External quality control is the only successful solution to this problem, thus far, from the experience of many firms that have contracted out their manufacturing to Chinese factories...
Cheers, Gadge
"ODK Mods can explain it to you, but they can't understand it for you..."
"Crazy can be medicated, ignorance can be educated - but there is no cure for stupid..."
Being made in China isn't the problem. It's which nationality owns the factory concerned. I have a decade old Kodak digital camera made there and the solid quality feel to it blew me away and I still use it now.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I bought a 4" and an 8" Lathe chuck during the week, the 4" cost $65 and the 8" $195 and these were from a place in Melb and next day delivery, the quality is excellent, makes it very hard for the rest of the world to compete
I bought a 4" and an 8" Lathe chuck during the week, the 4" cost $65 and the 8" $195 and these were from a place in Melb and next day delivery, the quality is excellent, makes it very hard for the rest of the world to compete
Better stay away from Hare & Forbes in Dandy then - that place is a serious hazard to one's wallet!
Just as an aside on hobby machining, you might like this vid:
This is a bloke I've been 'following' for some time, after being introduced to his steam engine history, over on the ADVRider motorcycle forum. He surely packs a lot of capability into a small shed!
Care to spill the beans in that one??
