May 13 2010
Is A Reel Mower A Good Choice?
Posted by Jutta,
When I was a kid, we had an old fashioned push lawn mower – I think they’re called reel mowers. I’ve always thought they would be a better option for both environmental reasons, and for health reasons. I imagine you get a better workout pushing one of those around the yard than some self-propelled gas mower. How are they for cutting the lawn though? Do they work as well as a power mower does? And what about sharpening the blades? Do they need to be sharpened more or less often than a typical lawnmower, or are they about the same as any other style?
8 Responses to “Is A Reel Mower A Good Choice?”
I’ve been using a reel mower for years now, and unless I move to acreage someday I doubt I’ll ever go back to a powered mower. The exercise doesn’t hurt, but I find it makes a much cleaner cut than the gas mower I had before it. Plus, there’s something satisfying about doing the work “by hand”.
A reel mower is a great choice, as long as you don’t have too much space to cover. It’s eco-friendly, you get some good exercise, there’s no noise, and I find it makes a better cut as long as you keep the blades sharp.
I used a reel mower when I was a kid, and I don’t think I’ll ever touch one again. It was probably an old, junky mower but it was so much work and so hard to handle that it turned me off for life I think.
Push mowers are great, as long as you realize that they’re a lot harder work than gas or electric – especially if you let your grass grow a little long. The longer the grass, the more effort you’re going to have to put in to get it cut.
My husband uses a reel mower and he loves it, but something to keep in mind is who else is going to be cutting your lawn. If my husband can’t do it for some reason, I bust out the electric mower because the push mower is just too hard for me to handle.
One of the best things about my reel mower is the noise – or lack of it really. My neighbor uses a gas mower, and it drives me NUTS every time he fires it up. I can listen to my iPod while I mow, and have no problem hearing it.
Be prepared to do some blade sharpening if you get one of these. You need to keep the blades pretty sharp to make it work well. Gas & electric mowers can use “blunt force” to cut the grass when the blade is dull. No such luck with a reel mower.
Wow, I haven’t thought about these lawnmowers for years. I remember my dad having one when I was a kid, but I seem to remember it sitting in the garage while he pulled out the gas mower. I think he just had it to make himself feel good