The best cut for your yard comes from a sharp lawn mower blade. A dull blade damages your grass by creating a ragged cut, which can lead to bare patches and other eyesores, as well as invite disease.

In 1962, when I was a teenager, my father gave our neighbor, Mr. Gruder, $10 for a reel mower of my very own. The ash handle shone with age and use, and it had a canvas grass catcher. Mr. Gruder had ...