Part I
I have been intrigued by reel mowers ever since I noticed Wally and Beaver using one on Leave It to Beaver re-runs. It was my job to mow the lawn growing up and the Cleavers always made lawn care look a lot more fun than it was for me pushing around a heavy gasoline-powered mower.
When we bought our first home, one thing that really didn't occur to me was that once again it would fall to me to keep the grass cut.Kids come by the house asking if they can do it, but at their going rate of $30 to $40 dollars, I usually ask them if I can mow their lawn instead.
In the process of renovating our home and yard, which had been left in not exactly the greatest shape by the previous owners, I quickly went through four separate gasoline-powered mowers, either simply wearing them out or by hitting upon (literally) hidden treasures like the remnants of a grown-over outhouse, or the mostly buried boiler in the yard that broke the engine of one of the mowers.I then switched to buying used ones for under $100 from a local guy, but soon tired of their inevitable refusals to start, usually just before we have guests or during the last mow of the season, leaving patches of uncut grass for winter.
A riding mower seemed like overkill and plus, I grudgingly like the exercise that I get from cutting the grass.I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a reel mower, figuring that at the least, I could use it as a back-up.My wife tried to warn me off the endeavor, remembering painful childhood hours spent pushing an old, rusty reel mower with dull blades on her family's farm, but I figured that it was worth the risk, given that they aren't all that expensive anyway, and took the plunge.
Doing research on which one to buy, was far from easy.Reel mowers are a product that people seem to either love or hate with equal passion.Lawns come in all sizes, with different kinds of grasses that vary in texture and of course, humans come in different sizes and strengths.
Ultimately, it appeared that there were two major choices, either a Brill-type mower or a Scotts-type mower, with the major difference between them being that the Brills did not need sharpening, while the Scotts-type mowers were recommended for higher, thicker grasses, due to the slightly different manner in which they clip grass.Apparently, the Brill-type mowers are big in Europe where lawns are far smaller and gas-powered mowers are used sparingly.Most reel mowers have five blades, but some of the ones for shorter grass varieties come with seven blades.
After a little more research, I decided to buy a Sunlawn MM1, from Amazon, which was a less costly five-blade clone of the Brill-type, and which also offered the ability to cut a bit higher than the Brill.I am not exactly sure what types of grass I have in my yard, but I think that they are mostly blue grass varieties that grow a bit higher than some Southern varieties, and so I did want the ability to cut above a golf fairway height.
I decided to purchase a Sunlawn MM1 and have used it for over a month, after buying it as a backup for my old gas mower that has already been serviced twice this spring and still refuses to start.
I have been pretty happy with the design of the Sunlawn and particularly enjoyed the soothing sound that its blades make while cutting grass, but I am afraid that Sunlawn must be in the initial stages of product production in China and quality control is apparently not good right now.Previously, some of their dealers have seemingly implied this, as they have delayed production of their new mowers in this style:
"Due to a major production issue with our supplier Sunlawn has been forced to refuse our shipments of the MM-2 model. As a result, availability of the MM-2 will be delayed until further notice. We apologize for the delay and the inconvience but Sunlawn insists that all of our quality standards be met or exceeded."
http://www.rewci.com/lux38freship.html
As evidence of these problems in my own case, the handle bars of my Sunlawn MM1 were warped right out of the box, and this made putting the unit together much more of a chore than it should have been, although Sunlawn was responsive about dealing with this in terms of sending replacements.
Unfortunately, however, after a little more than a month of use, the adjustable metal brackets for changing the mowing height, in the back of the Sunlawn MM1 mower, have both cracked in two, and the mower can no longer be used at all. This happened on Sunday.
It simply appears that the metal was not cured properly or otherwise Sunlawn is going to have to engineer this metal thicker.The Sunlawn has a 2-year warranty and I have no doubts that they will send me a new mower, but I have grass to mow immediately and hence I bought the Scotts Elite because it was available for pick-up at Home Depot for $84, which is about 2/3 to 1/2 of the going price for the Sunlawn.
I wasn't all that upset about having to invest in a second mower because I have really enjoyed using the Sunlawn mower and its temporary demise gave me a chance to try the Scotts type and to detail my experiences here.
One reason why there are so many varying opinions about these reel mowers is the different ways people use them.Some people in condos and townhouses and the like, have about 100 square feet of grass.I think virtually all of them could (should) be using a reel mower.
My yard is pretty large, probably about a quarter acre of grass, however, and I mowed all of it during the past two days with the Scotts Elite and was impressed.It may be preset a tad low compared to what many recommend but I have usually preferred to mow lower than most people so I probably will not fiddle with the height settings, as I think it is harder to change heights on the Scotts than on the Sunlawn, which had detailed height markings.When I get the new Sunlawn, I may leave it on its highest height setting and use the mowers in tandem.
My grass was about as high as it ever gets during the two days that I mowed it with the Scotts Elite and the Scotts was easily able to handle it, although it was quite a work-out for me.For comparison, the grass height would probably have choked and halted a 4.5 horsepower gas mower unless mowed very slowly, but the Scotts plowed right through it. For further comparison, I then mowed a patch in the front yard that was at a normal cutting height and pushing the Scotts through it was actually easier than pushing a gas mower, as they are much heavier than reel mowers.
I think I like the sound the Scotts makes even better than the Sunlawn.
The Scotts was also easier to assemble and seems better able to handle tall grass than the Sunlawn was, and as I said, my grass was very tall since it needed to be mowed several days earlier.The Scotts' cut may have also been a shade crisper. My Scotts Elite seemed to have more metal parts and to be better constructed than the Sunlawn.My only complaint was that the handles were uncomfortable to hold compared to the Sunlawn but adding some black electrical tape seemed to help.
Theoretically, it may be harder to sharpen the Scotts at some future point, but I obviously have not gotten to that point yet.The Sunlawn may only need sharpening every 7-10 years, as they claim, but there is scant possibility that the mower will last that long, if used on a large yard, although I guess one could get replacement parts after the 2-year warranty expires.
I would add one thing about aesthetics.Part of the fun of these is the throwback aspect, sort of in the same way that vinyl records and tube radios are making a comeback.
Scotts has two mowers under their name.The Scotts Elite, which is the 16-inch mower, seems to me to be more of what people think of when they remember classic reel mowers, with blades that are about shoulder-wide, and usually sells for $80-$100, which seems a bargain. I really like the look, sound, and feel of this mower which seem to embody what a reel mower is, or at least should be, to me.If anyone has read my earlier posting regarding record players, the Scotts Elite is the AR Turntable of reel mowers.http://quakerfox.blogspot.com/2008/08/reel-mowers-revisited.html
It has classic styling, simple engineering that simply works, and few if any extras to break or complicate use.
Scotts' other mower is the 20-inch Scotts Classic--so named, even though it looks less classic to me than the somewhat smaller Elite.The Scotts Classic is about twice the cost of the Elite, and to me, looks a bit strange as it is somewhat wider and has what look like training wheels in back, instead of rollers as on the Elite and on the Sunlawn MM1.
I did not like the look and feel of the Classic nearly as much as the Elite.It felt clunkier and as though it was shaped to meet the 20-inch width just for competitive reasons rather than principles of engineering, because many people who have never used a reel mower before seem to want the widest one possible because they think they will finish mowing quicker.
People forget, however, that getting the larger cutting area is not "free."Aside from the fact that the Scotts Classic costs much more than the Elite model, potential purchasers need to remember that given the laws of physics, it is probably about 25% harder to push the bigger 20-inch Scotts Classic than the 16-inch Scotts Elite.
I also notice on the box that the manufacturer is the American Lawn Mower company, which also makes mowers under its own name, which look similar.They are usually an attractive red in color, and the one for sale at Home Depot was...Read more ›
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Scotts 415-16S 16-Inch Elite Push Reel Lawn MowerBuy Now
Its very fast and easy to use, if you like being out doing yard work without the noise or fumes of a gas lawn mower then you will love this push reel lawn mower.
Pros:
I have a small yard that's 8 ft wide by 30 ft long. With the smaller size of this mower, I have no trouble. It went together easily and works like a charm. It's not very good on grass longer than 3 inches though. I had to trim areas down with my weedeater first before I could use it. As long as I cut the grass each week, I have no problems.
I have a small patch of lawn for a front yard, and a large patch for a backyard.I just HATED dragging out the big noisy gas mower for the front.
This mower is awesome, I can't believe I didn't know about reel mowers sooner. This is perfect for our small Arizona lawn. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to push (even my 2 year old son "helped" and pushed it by himself) and stays really sharp. Cutting was excellent and it is neat to see the clippings fly. I can't wait to have many years of great service from this mower. I will never go back to gas again!
I recently borrowed a friend's Great States Mower to try on my yard. He bragged on it and told me I should give it a try. 
Now I researched reel mowers for a while before my purchase.Here is what I found- American Reel Mower Company makes both the Scott's AND Great Lawns mowers.All are made in China now EXCEPT for model 1414-16!This one mower is still made in the US.It is heavier duty than the rest- cast iron construction.Yes, it is heavier, but mows better because of the weight.I called the American Mower Co. to verify all of this information.If you know what these mowers are all about (don't try cutting 6" high grass in one pass) then THIS is the mower to buy.I love mine and it will surely last for years!
I bought the Great States model 1415-16 mower from Amazon two years ago.The same company makes the Great States, American, and Scotts brands...You can't buy directly from Great States/American and Amazon has the best selection.From what I've read and experienced, buy the lightest mower with at least five blades.I'll tell you this.These aren't your father's reel mowers.Today's reel mowers are state-of-the-art.Once you buy one of these, you'll never go back to gas.The one I have can compete with any of the "best" gas-driven mowers on my street.It's easy to push, more gentle on the grass, and doesn't pollute.Best of all?No starting.No gas.No maintenance.I haven't had to sharpen the blades yet.This is one item I can recommend without reservation.
This item is not for everyone.If you have a relatively small, healthy yard that is free from debris then it will probably work for you.I am not a connoisseur of grass, but the variety I have has very slender, fine blades, and tends to flatten very easily (when walked upon, etc.).This is not a problem for a power mower, because the circular action of the blades works as a vacuum to pull the grass up before it is cut.The push-reel mower does not have that advantage, and grass that is not standing tall can easily escape the blade.Therefore, one pass does not yield an even cut, so it is usually necessary to repeat every pass from a different direction to get satisfactory results.For that reason, this item would not be very practical for a large yard.If your grass is of a thicker variety, as I think you may find more of in the south, then the mower would probably work more efficiently.
This mower is Beefy, it's got some good weight to it, not flimsly at all.A concern of mine when I ordered was that it would turn out to be a cheap plastic, this thing is all steel baby. Watch out for those blades, they will tear your arm off.Since I started using it my lawn has been growing at a phenomenal rate, it's basically overgrown in a weeks time.The mower makes no noise so I can cut the grass as early as I want.After the first mow it was so awesome I wanted to keep going and mow my neighbors lawn, but you don't mow another mans lawn!!It is still relatively new and sharp so I cannot comment on blades dulling or resharpening.Cleaning the mower of shredded grass is easier and safer with a leaf blower.Assembly was easy. 
I've used one of these for about fifteen years,a slightly earlier model 1414-16.
Keep in mind that this mower is 14" wide. Which is not much more than one foot wide. So if you have a "real" lawn just imagine how many trips back and forth you will have to do across your lawn. If you live in anything larger than a townhouse this is too small. If you really do not want to purchase a gas or electric mower, look at the larger push mowers (18 or 20in) but not this one.
This summer, sick of my dirty, smelly, loud gas-powered mower, I decided to purchase a reel mower. As someone who considers himself to be environmentally friendly, I no longer felt comfortable using a polluting machine on my lawn. At the same time, I didn't want to turn lawn mowing into a huge, difficult task. After researching every model on the market, I decided I would give the Scotts 2000-20 reel mower a try. My idea of lawn mowing has completely changed. What used to be a tedious, annoying task is now pleasant and relaxing, due to the ease of use and functionality of this mower. Out of the box, it is very clear how to put this mower together, and it should take no more than about 30 minutes to get the assembly done. Just remember to put some dishwashing detergent inside the rubber handle cover before you slide it on. Then you're ready to go. The height adjustment, which is located near one of the rear wheels, is very easy to access: you simply push a lever in and slide it to the correct height level. The height levels are clearly marked right on a dial (a lot easier than having to get out your wrench and screwdriver for most gas-powered mowers). In actual cutting, this mower is very smooth. With minimal energy, the blades spin with good speed and torque, easily cutting the grass down to size. I have a somewhat weedy lawn, and I was concerned that this mower might bog down, but it cuts everything with the same smoothness. My lawn also has several uneven spots, but this mower handled that nicely as well. The rear wheels keep the mower balanced as you push it. If you push faster, of course, the blades will run faster. However, at a casual pace, the blades definitely spin fast enough to take care of a typical lawn. I have even "let my lawn go" a couple of times this summer (it grew to about 6" in height at one point), but the mower handles it just fine. As you're mowing, you'll notice that there is a lot less dust flying around, no smell of fumes, and you can listen to birds and natural sounds the entire time you're outside. This reel mower cuts the grass more cleanly for sure -- you can see that the grass is greener when you're done, without brown tips. When I cut my lawn, I leave the cuttings there and allow them to mulch into the soil. The mower is light enough to lift and carry into a storage area. You don't have to keep oil and gas around, so this mower takes up the minimal amount of space. Here are the only disadvantages to this mower: (1) You can only get about 6" to an edge; (2) If a stick gets into the blade, you have to stop and pull it out; (3) You will not be visiting the local lawnmower repair shop every season for a tune up, spark plugs, air filter, and any number of other unpredictable problems. Since I started using this mower, several people have asked me if it's more difficult to use, if it's slower, or cuts worse. I assume potential buyers are asking the same questions. I will venture to say that it is actually JUST AS EASY TO USE A REEL MOWER AS IT IS TO USE A GAS-POWERED MODEL. There is NOTHING about a gas-powered mower than makes it easier to use, and gas-powered mowers do not save any time, espcially when you consider all the peripheral needs of owning one. Overall, this is an example of a simple, low-tech solution to a common need.