Noticed more guys using power trowel blades way past their prime

I was on a job over in Sparks last week and saw a crew running a set of blades that had to be older than my apprentice. They were chattering all over the place and leaving washboard lines that took forever to grind out. I mean, I get it, blades are expensive now, probably like $150 a set for decent ones, but we spent an extra hour fixing what a sharp set would have done in one pass. Three years ago I used to baby my blades and change them early, but lately I see guys pushing them until they're rounded off smooth. Is it just me or are more finishers stuck in that habit? What do you all do to tell when a set is actually done or just needs a quick spin on the grinder?

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adam_robinson16d ago

Buddy of mine runs a crew over in Fernley and he told me about a job where they left a whole slab looking like a frozen lake because the blades were shot. He said he finally caved and bought new ones mid-job, and the next pass came out glassy smooth. Now he tags every set with a sharpie date before they go out, says it saves him way more than the blade cost in grinding time.