Scythe versus modern machinery | General Homesteading Discussion | Forums

Spotted-horses is spot on.

Scythes are traditionally made from low carbon/mild steel. They may be considered high carbon in some industrial circles, but not high enough to be suitable for sustained use as a blade.

Because of the low carbon content, they require  constant maintenance. Most farm workers would take a stump anvil out to the field with their scythe to peen it back to an edge and then subsequently use a riverstone to hone it. Theyll get nice and sharp, but they dull very easily. In that first video, youll see the guy with te scythe dig into the dirt on a swing towards the end. Notice how his last couple of cuts werent as clean... his edge dulled in the dirt. But a guy like that could probably peen and hone it back to sharp in no time.