Description
A two blade set gives you greater flexibility, with each blade being suited to different mowing conditions.
The Short blade is used for for trimming narrow areas, paths, rough grass or round trees. It can also manage rougher work like coarser weeds and young brambles.The Meadow blade is kept in good condition for mowing grass, lawns and meadows.
Click on the links below for help choosing the best pair for you.
Which Short Blade?
Luxor 40cm or 50cm – trimming work, weeding and mowing narrow paths
A short grass blade for trimming work, weeding and mowing narrow paths.
The Luxor blades don’t have a stone point so it’s easier to get the tip of the blade close in to mow vegetation growing next to obstacles. So this makes them useful for mowing along a raised edge or around posts and trees.
In general we find the 50cm blade a good length in our large garden as it will cut more per stroke, but the 40cm blade is handy in very tight areas such as “weeding” between closely spaced plants or for very narrow paths.
Both of these blades are relatively sturdy and therefore versatile in use. Whilst primarily built for grass and weeds, they manage rougher plants like dock quite happily and can even manage the odd young bramble.
Falci 187 40cm or 55cm – rougher grass, weeds, bracken and bramble
A short, tougher blade that is suitable for mowing rougher grass, weeds, bracken and bramble and for use on more uneven ground.
The Falci 187 55cm is a versatile blade that can be used for mowing rougher grass, weeds, bracken and bramble. The longer length will help you mow more with each stroke whilst still being nimble enough for confined areas and trimming work.
In addition to the above, the Falci 187 40cm blade can be used on things like raspberry canes and young tree suckers, whilst still retaining more versatility then a pure bush blade. It’s short length (40cm) contributes to it’s strength and means it is suitable for use in confined areas.
Which Meadow blade?
Falci 128 60cm or 70cm, Falci 100 60cm – fine lawns and meadows
The Falci 128 is a good choice for a maintaining a garden meadow, as the refined Falci finish means it needs less frequent peening to keep a good grass cutting edge. Like any blade it needs frequent honing to keep a keen edge, but when used to manage a small area may only need peening once a year.
It’s deep belly makes it forgiving of uneven ground and easy for the beginner to set up and mow. When used on the lawn the deep belly gives a slightly longer cut, which can be desirable as it leaves the lawn greener then with a very close cut.
It is a lighter blade then the Rasierschnitt so is a good choice if most of your mowing is green weeds and grass and your area is fairly free of stones etc.
Rasierschnitt 60cm – stony or coarser meadow areas
The Rasierschnitt is a good all rounder. It mows grasses well and, as a slightly heavier blade, would be a better choice then the Falci for stony or rougher meadow areas, though it will need more frequent peening.
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Can’t Decide?
A Falci 128 70cm blade and a Luxor 50cm blade is a good starting place for a lot of people.
Books
We highly recommend adding the book “Learn to Scythe” to your scythe set.
This comprehensive instruction book is clear, informative and easy to read. It’s the next best thing to going on a scythe course! Only £10
Also available Managing Grass with a Scythe. Add to your scythe set for £6.
We highly recommend adding the book “Learn to Scythe” to your scythe set.
This comprehensive instruction book is clear, informative and easy to read. It’s the next best thing to going on a scythe course!
Add a copy of Managing Grass with a Scythe by Simon Fairlie to your scythe set for £6.00.
New revised and extended edition, an excellent book with guidance on how to manage grassland with a scythe, everything from hay making to mowing the lawn.
Click on these links for answers to FAQ
Which snath length do I need?
Snaths are available in four lengths. The length needed depends on your height.
Your Height———-Snath Number
Less then 5ft ———Size 1
5ft – 5ft 10————-Size 2 (150cm)
5ft 8 – 6ft 4————Size 3 (160cm)
6ft 4 and taller——–Size 4
Once the correct length has been chosen, the scythe can be fine tuned using the adjustable handle positions on the snath such that the set up suits your height and mowing style.
Note:
People who are at the edge of the height range may not be sure which snath length to choose.
If your legs are long in proportion to your body length you should choose the longer snath. If they are short in proportion to your body length choose the shorter snath. This should give you the most useful range of adjustment of the handle positions.
Which Peening Jig do I need?
We are now offering a choice of two jigs with our sets.
The standard jig is a good entry level jig and a cost effective way to begin peening. This jig is the better choice for peening blades used for coarser mowing.
If you end up doing a lot of peening you may, in the future, want to move onto a Fux deluxe jig or freehand peening with an anvil.
The Fux Deluxe Peening Jig is slightly more expensive but is a better quality jig.
It is a good choice if you expect to stick with jig peening over your scything career, you will do a lot of peening (multiple blades, many times a year) or if you want to get started with the best tools. It is especially good for helping you achieve a finer, grass-mowing edge.
Which Sharpening stone do I need?
As standard, we recommend a La Saurat sharpening stone as we find this stone offers a good compromise – it is easy for a beginner to use, yet is fine enough that it does not wear away the peened edge too quickly.
As you gain experience with sharpening the finer Rozutec stone will enable you to achieve a good sharp edge whilst removing even less metal, increasing the length of time a peened edge will last.
Preparing your new blade for mowing
All new blades should have the lacquer cleaned off the cutting edge to prevent it clogging the sharpening stone. See this post for further details.
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Each kit contains:
- Two Scythe Blades,
- An adjustable wooden snath (inc movable hand grips, clamp and wedge),
- A whetstone holder (for carrying the sharpening stone whilst out scything),
- A natural Sharpening Stone (for regular sharpening of blade in the field),
- A Peening Jig (What is Peening?),
- A Garryflex block (for cleaning the blade prior to peening),
- An artificial Stone: Carborundum (for use after jig peening),
- A Quick Set up Guide.