We picked one up at a yard sale last summer for I think $20.00.It cuts the grass so much nicer and the kids can do it too and I do not have to worry about them.Dh has to oil it once in awhile and it is fine.I do not know what kind it is but I will ask tonight.We do have a gas push mower but it hasn't been used since we bought this one.Dh loves it and would never go to the gas mower again and he tells everyone all about it :)

I will ask more questions tonight and get back to you on it.

We had a small yard with our first house and a smaller budget when it came to purchasing our first mower. They are very economical especially when you consider gas prices. I had a 1-2 year old at the time and liked that I could mow/exercise for my busy husband and still watch the baby. It also makes for a nicer lawn because it cuts the tops evenly instead of shredding them. We purchased ours at Sears.

Some cons: I found that I would often have to go over some areas twice in order to get it all even. Weeds can be irritating esp. dandelions as they would just bend over under the mower and pop up after I passed. Be sure that all of your sticks or anything else is picked up in your yard that could jamb the rotation of the blades. When you're walking along and something gets stuck in there while your not paying attention, the rotation stops while you keep going and the bar will slam into your stomach.

Overall, I would probably still use it if we had a smaller yard (we now have 2.5ac).

Both my husband and I had used gas-powered mowers while we were growing up. When we got a house of our own with a smaller yard, we thought that we would give a reel mower a try, for many of the reasons you listed...no gas, cheaper upfront purchase price, opportunity for exercise, quiet, and safe.. After about 2-1/2 years though, we switched back to a gas-powered lawn mower.

A few things to keep in mind when using a reel mower...it is going to take you longer. How much longer depends upon your strength and stamina. It also depends upon how long your grass is. While you might be able to get away with only mowing once per week with a gas mower, you will find that your grass will be easier to mow if you do it at least two times a week with a reel mower. Our neighbor, who also used a reel mower, cut his grass every other day. If your grass gets long enough that it begins to fall over, you may find it very difficult to cut effectively.

A gas-powered mower can often mulch or collect clippings in a bag. You can get a tray sort of contraption that kind of drags behind a reel lawn mower (which I would recommend if you get one, unless you like raking up all of that dead dried grass that is going to collect along the top of your lawn), but you will likely have to carry it and empty it more often than you would a larger-sized bag.

With a reel mower, you definitely need to keep the blades sharp to be effective at all. Consider the cost of taking the blade to be sharpened when working out costs. It has been awhile now, but depending on how much grass you cut, the toughness, etc. you may need to do this a couple of times each year at the minimum.

Not that a gas-powered mower is any ace at getting close to edges, tight corners, etc., but a reel mower is even worse because it only cuts going in a straight forward direction. Expect to spend time trimming with some other type of gadget...likely noisy, gas or electric-powered, and requiring safety, unless of course, you decide to use scissors.

Hope this helps with your decision. I'm not saying that reel mowers are bad, but they aren't as simple as they appear to be either...not that a little elbow grease ever hurt any of us! (grin!) I look forward to hearing what model you decide to go with.

We recently had to purchase a new mower and dh chose a gas powered one for us (we mow a 1/4 acre though) he thought the reel mower would just be too much for me to mow that much grass. I think now that he was right esp since we have had lots of rain which means lot of growth for the grass(and the gardens) it takes me about 2 hours to mow with the gas powered mower I can just imagine how long it would take me to mow with a reel mower!
I used to mow my Great Grandmother's lawn with one back in the late 70's and 80's I loved that thing as long as the blades were kept VERY sharp if not it was a pain! She had a very tiny yard though.

We like it, but I wouldn't sugest it for a larger lawn. The area of grass we have to cut is 16x21 ft it takes about 15 min to do and we have to go over a couple of times sometimes to get a good cut. It works for us because our lawn is so small.

My grandad used a manual mower for 70+ years until he sold his house. We inherited both of his mowers and used them for a little bit until someone gave us a gas one. If I weren't pregnant and it wasn't 90 out, I'd be using it. ;-)

Keep the blades sharp, the parts well-oiled and the grass short. We found it was harder to mow longer grass. The newer models are a lot better than the old (we have one of each). It took Mike about four hours to mow half an acre, but that was during the spring rains when things were growing like crazy.

I've used grass shears to trim around flower beds to eliminate the need for a weed eater--just depends on how much landscaping you have. We're trying an electric weed eater for now.

Good luck! I'm cheering you on! :-D

We love ours! I wrote about it here:

http://be-it-ever-so-humble.blogspot.com/2008/05/old-fashioned-lawnmower.html

You can get a wide one with two sets of wheels, which is what we have. It doesn't do well with weeds or crabgrass, which we have in the backyard, so we keep a yard sale gas mower for the back. If your lawn is weed-free and nice, you'll love it! If it has a bit more character, you might want to consider a normal mower.

WE have a reel lawnmower and love it. I think it is a "Scott's" brand. We paid over $100 for it and the grass catcher...which we only used a few times. We have a double lot in town. It may take you longer to mow...it may not. Just remember if you let the grass get to high...it has a hard time cutting it...or it won't cut at all.

We love our push mower! We don't even have a lawn anymore, but we loved it so much, we're keeping it in storage at our apartment for now. It's a Great States "inexpensive" model that we got at Home Depot years ago for around $50. I don't think they carry that model anymore, though. I checked online, and they seem to have something different now.

Michele
www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com

and we love it! It doesn't take any more effort than a gas powered one. But I would make sure it has a bag to collect all those clippings for your compost bin!

We found an OLD one in my wifes aunts basement, and the wife wanted it, so we took it home.
Its OLD, made by Clemson, model E17.
I adjusted it and tried it out.
We have 175 feet by 175 feet, but lots of gardens, it was 98F and very humid, the lawn is kind of stressed out and not real thick, but we also have some thick zoisia spots, and I found it easier to mow with the clemson, it took a bit longer, maybe 1/2 hour, but I was fooling with the adjustments and height.
I never had such fun mowing, the mower went through thick spots easy, seemed to do a good job overall, but the lack of noise, dust, and fumes was fantastic!
Its also lighter then even the homelight mulching mower and easy on the back. I plan on using it except when the grass is way to long.
Its worth it in the lack of noise and dust, you can mow at 9am without disturbing people.

Brett

I have a Sunlawn push reel mower and I love it! I love getting out during the summer mornings and mowing my lawn without waking up my neighbors!

It is an excellent way to get exercise and honestly I find it rather relaxing. Sunlawn is a quality choice because the blades do not need to be sharpened for 10 years! (as opposed to some of the cheaper models)

The best part about having a push reel mower though is that it is an eco-friendly choice! When I finish mowing, I put all of my clippings in a composter! (Which is another great product by the way) I found this Tumbleweed Composter on CleanAirGardening.com and it composts easily with no bad compost smell!

All in all, I would highly recommend purchasing a push reel mower!...I think you'll be happy with your choice!

I really like using the push reel mowers because they are so quiet! I don't have to worry about waking up my neighbors if I want to mow in the morning.

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