As far as I can tell, what really cuts the weeds is simply force - a spinning metal blade vs weeds. Sure having a sharp blade is preferable for aesthetics, but who cares about weeds? If a dull blade and sharp blade both cut the weeds at the same height, job is done. Maybe (?) there’s more wear on the engine running a dull blade, but I’m not sensing any performance problems with the Ryobi since day one (May 21, 2022) even though the blade is chipped and dinged as well.