Thread: Push reel lawn mowers

They are the straight razor of the lawn maintenance world!



I just got one to tend my in-laws new place. They have a small yard, so a push mower seemed like a good idea. No gas, no ear splitting noise, very little maintenance.

I must say, the sounds of the blades swirling away as you push it around the yard is quite relaxing on a nice summer day.

Grass aint nothin' but green whiskers for your lawn, get out there and get your yard BBS, the old fashioned way!

Originally Posted by Seraphim

They are the straight razor of the lawn maintenance world!

It's true! That's all we used to use when I was growing up and I loved it. Not the biggest yard to mow, but it was just so much fun using this type of mower- getting a workout in the sun on a nice day. Anyway, now I live in my fiancé's parent's house, they use a safety razor mower. You know the kind- motorized and no skill required to use. Needless to say, I won't go near the thing.

It's funny too, I have been talking to my fiancé about these mowers a lot lately.

I have one, and liked it initially, as it cut the grass cleanly and easily.

Now, I hate it, because it will not cut anything over 6" tall, including weeds, which grow about a foot a week, so unless I want to use it every 3 days, it's not a viable lawn grooming tool.

Originally Posted by jockeys

I have one, and liked it initially, as it cut the grass cleanly and easily.

Now, I hate it, because it will not cut anything over 6" tall, including weeds, which grow about a foot a week, so unless I want to use it every 3 days, it's not a viable lawn grooming tool.

+1.

And then you have rake all the grass on a heap, and then put it in a wheel barrow, and then move it to the compost heap or the trailer...

I can see how it is fun to use if you are someone like my deceased grandfather, who religiously maintained his little garden so that it was perfect, every day of the year.

My, I have so much work in the house that I can't really be bothered to do more than cut the hedges once a year, and mow the lawn whenever the weeds get too high.
The grass itself doesn't grow too fast, but the weed do indeed grow almost a foot a week.

I love 'em, the noise is the main thing that keeps mowing from being enjoyable for me. I'll agree though, they do demand a lot of attention. If they're not perfectly sharp or if the grass grows too fast, you're definitely out of luck.

Do you finish sharpen them with a Chinese 12K or Japanese waterstone?

Thats all we had when I was growing up. My dad did not like the gas powered ones and considered them unsafe.

I did not see the gas ones until we moved into the 2 acre property.

I've been using one for about 2 years now and love it. I've got a small yard so its pretty easy to keep up with. I would like to get a larger (wider cutting path) one some time in the future.

They're wonderful machines. When the grass gets too long for the reel mower, you get out your scythe (the wedge razor of the lawn care world).

It takes me 2.5 - 3 hours a week to mow my yard. Sometimes I can't get to it for a week or two due to the storm seasons that we get here in the sub-tropics, and by then it is long, thick and waterlogged and takes longer to mow.
I wish I could have one of those mowers, but it would turn an hours long task into an all day job.
When I bought my current mower, I was shopping for a reel mower, but was advised against it for the above reasons.


Mick