I've had mine for four years, I think, and I sharpen it with grinding
compound once a year. Unless you are really rough on it, there should
be no bent blades to deal with, which requires a special machine. If I
recall correctly, mine cost about $100 new, so if I ever try to mow some
rocks and damage the reel, I would probably just buy another mower.

The sharpening kit I got is very simple, and probably overpriced: just a
piece of tubing to use as a wrench, and a tin of grinding compound.
Grinding compound can be had at any auto supply store, so I would
suggest you remove the drive wheel and see if you have something laying
around the house that could be used to spin the reel backward. I use a
socket on an extension that I chuck into my cordless drill, how's that
for laziness?

Sonia Van Tassel wrote:

Hi,

We have a manual lawn mower. There is a place in town that will sharpen
them but is it better long term to by sharpening tools and figure out
how to do it ourselves? How often does it need to be sharpened
(assuming we mow 2x a month, normal sized lawn).

Sonia Van Tassel