Should You Use Third-Party Blades For Ryobi Lawn Mowers? What You Need To Know First

Ryobi's battery-powered lawnmowers are much easier to maintain than your standard gas mower. You don't need to worry about changing the oil, replacing dead sparkplugs, or draining old gas to keep the carburetor and fuel lines from getting gunked up. That said, there are a few things that you still need to keep an eye on. You'll want to make sure that your batteries are properly stored in the winter, that you have properly cleaned out all of the dirt and mulch, and that the mower's blade is straight and sharp.

Sharp blades ensure that you're grass is cut cleanly, preventing the plants' fibers from being torn. Dull blades don't just make a lawn unsightly, but they also might leave your lawn more susceptible to disease and dead spots. You can prolong the life of your current blades for a while by sharpening them with the right tools, but wear and erosion will eventually take their toll, and sooner or later, you're going to need to replace the blade with a brand new one.

Ryobi sells replacement blades for all of its lawn mowers. These are specially designed to meet the specifications of the manufacturer's products, but some owners might be wondering if they might be able to save a few bucks by using third-party blades made by other manufacturers instead. Unfortunately, it appears there are a few reasons why that may not be a wise decision.

Of the reasons why your Ryobi lawn mower isn't cutting grass the way it should, a dull blade is near the top of the list. Even so, those who are thinking about getting a lawnmower blade from a third-party manufacturer might want to reconsider. Lawn mower blades are primarily categorized by length, style, and way that they're intended to move the severed remains of the grass once it has been cut: 16-inch standard blade, 18-inch bagging blade, 20-inch mulching blade, 21-inch multi-blade, etc. 

That might lead you to believe that blades of the same length and type from other manufacturers can be swapped in without issue, but this isn't always the case. Many Ryobi blades have different patterned cutouts that allow a bolt and metal pins to attach the blade to the spindle. Even Ryobi itself sometimes sells specialized blades for certain mowers in its own product line that require different connections than the company's standard blades of the same size. For instance, the 16-inch blade for the 13 Amp Corded Mower has different cutouts than the standard 16-inch Lawn Mower Replacement Blade. This means that some blades won't fit at all, and those with a loose or improper fitting might cause the blade to rattle and shake when spinning at high velocity, which can potentially damage the mower and might even be dangerous. Differing weights, heat treatments, and aerodynamics might also cause unanticipated problems for the mower.

Even if it were safe to use third-party blades on Ryobi mowers, there isn't really a good reason to. Most people try to buy third-party for one of two reasons: They want to save money, or they want to buy a model with features that they can't get on the OEM part. But neither of those situations really applies in this instance.

Ryobi currently sells 15 different blades for its mowers, from the smallest push model to the biggest riding mower. These range from $16.97 for a basic 16-inch blade to $59.97 for a dual-pack of 30" multiblade systems. That's already pretty affordable, and the catalog includes a fair range of blade types. A quick search on Amazon reveals that the cheapest third-party blades of comparable size tend to be priced about the same as the Ryobi models, with many of them costing significantly more.

But say you take the blade into the hardware store and find a third-party blade that's a few dollars cheaper with an identical design. There is still a chance that using it might void your mower's warranty. "This warranty does not apply to any damage to the product that is the result of improper maintenance or to any product that has been altered or modified," the company states. "The warranty does not extend to repairs made necessary by normal wear or by the use of parts or accessories which are either incompatible with the RYOBI brand outdoor product or adversely affect its operation, performance, or durability." While third-party mower blades aren't explicitly mentioned, they can easily fall under the aforementioned category of incompatible parts and accessories, making them a liability to your mower's warranty.