Oregon 592-615 Pack of 2 Gator G5 Blades - 21-3/8"

Our 2007 John Deere X304 with a 42" mower deck has been an excellent machine and a pleasure to own and operate, but the quality of lawn cut has left something to be desired. We almost never cut off more than one third of the grass height. We have adjusted the machine and the deck exactly as required by John Deere, and we have tried all three sets of John Deere blades available for this machine ... the general purpose set, the mulching set (with big under-deck mulching insert) and the bagging set. None of them created enough lift to bring all the grass up to full height before cutting, leaving some of the grass bent over after being mowed, resulting in a ragged appearance ... definitely not like a golf course fairway.These Oregon 592-615 Gator G5 blades transformed our X304 into a golf-course-quality machine!Operating in side-discharge mode, the quality of the cut is now as good as our 1971 Simplicity Landlord which provided the best cut we ever saw by any machine anywhere, and the lawn again looks "crisp" and "tight." So "tight" in fact, that at no reduction in cutting height, it appears much shorter than before. Further, when cutting our lawn with fall leaves on it, these blades chop the leaves up so finely that after a single pass, they are almost gone, and after a second pass over the few that are left, they absolutely disappear! What an incredible time saver over bagging!Three reasons for this performance: first, very high angle on the tall rear lifting surface, second, double the length of cutting edge and third, the large aggressive teeth in the lifting surface. Further, these blades are 50% thicker than the John Deere blades, which should result in them lasting longer than three years, which has been the life expectancy of all our John Deere blades.Finally, these Oregon blades are made in the USA ... AND ... cost slightly more than HALF as much as the John Deere blades!Been cutting our 30,000 sq ft lawn for 47 years, so have substantial experience with lawn cut quality. If there were a rating higher than 5 stars, these blades would absolutely deserve it!

I purchased this set of blades for my John Deere X304 with a 42" mower deck. I use the mulcher during the spring and summer and then switch to the bagger in the fall to pick up leaves. These blades do an exemplary job in both modes. In mulcher mode, they seem to chop the grass blades finer than did the original JD mulching blade, so there is little trace of the clippings on the lawn. Bagging leaves in the fall also works well, so well, in fact, that I've found it more effective to intentionally clog the bagger chute by driving the mower at high speed through thick leaves, so that, in effect I mulch the leaves before going back over (with the now un-clogged bagger) to pick up the mulched clippings. In this way, I can pack more leaves and grass into the catcher, which results in less time emptying the bags. I'm sure this puts more strain on my mower, but it seems up to the task. I've used these Gator Blades for a full season now, they still seem to be holding the same edge as when I installed them, and I could not be happier; in fact, I'm getting a set for my daughter and her husband for Christmas! Maybe not the most glamorous gift, but one that's sure to be appreciated nonetheless.

Got these blades to replace my factory John Deere E130 blades which were new and dull. When these arrived they were also very dull, nearly a flat squared off edge. Not sure if they are supposed to be used that way or if they need to be sharpened before installing? So I sharpened them myself with a stone sander. Got a nice sharp crisp edge on them now. Installation is pretty easy on my tractor but it depends on your mower blade installation process. I decided to use the mulching kit cover with the new blades and it shredded the grass pretty good. Left some small clumps of short grass behind but that’s because i cut 2” of grass in one swoop. So after getting a nice cut lawn I wanted to test the blades with my bagging system. Installed the bagger attachment and went full speed around the yard to pick up the left over clumps and clippings. The blades did a phenomenal job with both the mulching kit and the bagging system. The yard looks fresh, clean, and has a professionally cut look to it!!! Very happy with the blades. One thing to note is the vibration was a bit higher than with the factory blades while using the mulching kit. Feel free to research yourself whether these need sharpened forst or can be used dull from factory? My opinion....the sharper, the better!

Blades are very nice and seem just as thick as OEM John Deere. Bought these to see if they mulched leaves any better than stock high lift blades when bagging. Seems about the same to me. Nice to have a spare set to rotate out for sharpening.

Recieved my blades today and installed. Blades were a lot heavier, wider and thicker than JD originals. A direct fit and easy to install. The cut was very good, while I know these are recommended for mulching. I'm still set up with the side discharge for spring. It seemed to perform very well and have smaller clippings than the OEM blades. The cut was level and even. I'll be updating my review when I switch over to mulching. Depending on the durability of these, I will definitely be recommending these blades. Update 5/3/21, converted tractor to mulching, And I’m officially impressed! While the grass got longer than I care for the gator’s didn’t even break a sweat. The clippings are so small they’re practically nonexistent. I took photos, and I’m having difficulty uploading. I’ll have to consult with my IT dept. ie: daughter, and try again. In conclusion all I can say is, why did I wait so long to get them? Hope this review helps.