I get longer life out Oregen blade they use hard bar to make blade from others use soft steel then heat harden blades they always softer. Hard bar blades are harder to sharpen but hold edge longer.

Not real familiar with "gator blades" myself, I recently learned from a mower dealer that referring to a gator blade is more of a generic term anymore. It describes the serrations in the lift section of the blade. Also, those serrations aren't sharp or assist in cutting. They are bent to direct the grass clippings toward the center to keep them in the cutting area longer. I too have an Oregon gator on my Honda. To my surprise they have come out with one that has the deep downward bends, and blade brake holes correctly placed to mount under a Honda deck. Snapper makes a "double wave" blade that MAY work on your mower. It does a good job. Sears themselves may also have a couple options. In fact I believe they too sell a gator type blade.

Thanks all for the feedback. Mowernut is correct that Sears sells a Craftsman gator-style blade -- that's what I went with and I like it a lot. Mulches very well, and the steel is much thicker than on the wimpy OEM blade I took off. A good investment of a few extra dollars.

Mowernut, does the Oregon Gator blade on your Honda HRC216HXA correct the random standing grass blades that the HRC216HXA is known for? I have a HRC216HXA and I'm still trying to solve that problem of random standing blades of grass after I mow.