Seems like it is some kind of manufacturing mishap. GAS were not aware of the problem but are working with me to resolve it. They are checking their stock.
I have a vague recollection that in the old days they were selling two different stepped blades under the same number. One was for clockwise rotation, the other counter-clockwise, and you had to specify which one at the time of ordering. But this begs the question, did any mowers ever run counter-clockwise? I have seen some odd looking blades over the years and some do indeed look to be "backwards" to my eyes.
I also remember a relative purchased some Rover blades many years ago which had been sharpened upside down. Must have been a late Friday arvo on the production line! I think he did use the blades but said they had a tendency to flatten the lawn instead of cutting it. LOL!
EDIT: I just noticed a mistake in my earlier post. The blades I recently purchased had been sharpened on the RH side on the lower surface beneath the step down. This is incorrect. They should be sharpened on the LH side of the lower surface below the step down, in order to be correct for a clockwise rotation. Of course, "LH" and "RH" are the way we see the blade from above, with the hole to the top (not the LH and RH of the blade itself!)
I will confuse everybody even more by posting a photo, which is taken from the underside of the blade, which means left is right and right is left!
I note that the same blades pictured on the OutdoorKing site show the blade in the correct position, provided the hole is on the
upper surface, the angled part is a step
down, and the blade is the
lowest surface.
Jetfast B22 Utility Blades
