 and the ends of the blade are what? Sharp. So if you've got a good sharp blade, you know the chances are you're making a cleaner cut than if the blade is dull. If it's dull, then you're kind of beating the ends of the grass blades off. But there's nothing holding that grass blade up. So even with the sharpest blade, it's a little bit less clean cut than you can get with a rotary mower, or excuse me, with a reel mower, because the way a reel mower cuts, the blade is stationary. The cutting bar is stationary, the bed knife.