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?

I have a Sunlawn push reel mower, and I love it. My wife on the other hand hates it. the only problem I have, and it is only specific to my lawn, is the prior owner used a lot of wood chip mulch around the entire perimeter of the lawn, and my dog kicks the chips into the lawn. the blade then gets stuck on the mulch as I mow, and i am about to trade it in () for a toro or Honda or some other self propelled version of the gas hogs.

Originally Posted by kelbro

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

Unless you nick the blade a swaty or any other good finishing hone should do the trick. Chrome Ox with a paddle will get you BBS everytime, your neighbors will notice the difference too, all the birds and bees will be at your place!
Used to use these things when I was a kid, about the time Fred Flinstone got rid of his turtle mower, they work great as long as you keep them sharp and the grass doesnt get too thick or high, otherwise its like shaving with a badly honed razor, except all over the yard!

That's a great photo, Seraphim

I love these too, though ours need sharpening and I need to learn to do that. (Yes, that's plural. Through various circumstances, we have two or three.) Yes, they do get in trouble if the vegetation's too high--their only disadvantage in my opinion. I started using them when I was responsible for a fairly substantial lawn (front, back, side) around the corner condo building we lived in--I still saved time all in all, when you count stopping to refuel, yanking the cord a dozen times when the engine decides it doesn't want to start, cleaning the gunk out of the housing, and draining the gas in the fall.

Now we live on a block of bungalows with postage-stamp yards, and even though neighbors have seen me pushing my reel mower and expressed interest, I'm still the only person on the block who doesn't use--in order from least annoying to outrageous--an electric mower, a gas mower, or a freaking landscaping service!! Three or four guys pulling up in a truck, rolling these big honkin' pieces of equipment out of their trailer, then making so much noise it's a good thing Rosehill Cemetery is two miles away--they'd be waking up everybody in there--for fifteen minutes while working over a yard maybe twice the size of my cubicle here!!

Ahem. OK, rant over. Yep, I like your metaphor, Seraphim--straight razor of the lawn maintenance world.

~Rich