Because our knives are made of high-carbon/high-chromium forged alloy tool steel, they will go significantly longer than the knives on most “bargain” chippers without sharpening. How long an edge lasts will vary widely with the hardness of the wood you chip and how much material you process. But, as with a chainsaw, you’ll know when it’s time: if the chipper “bogs down”, and/or vibrates, or if you find you need to force material downward into the chipper chute, it’s usually a sign that the knife is dulling.
While our chipper knives can be professionally sharpened, you don’t want your work to come to a halt while you take care of that. Switching a Rapid-Feed chipper blade takes about 15 minutes, and requires only basic tools (a 1/2″ socket wrench and 7/32″ allen wrench).