PrincessMommy Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Since we've moved into a house with a much smaller yard I would like to look into using a reel mower for part of our yard. Our front is super small so I figure I can at least do the front and sides with the reel mower and use an electric mower for the back. Anyway, If you use one what do you like/dislike about them? What feature do you wish you had gotten. Are some easier to push than others? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 My mom has one, but she says it's too hard for her to push. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jallison25 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 we used to have one. we have a decent sized yard and truthfully it was a pain. any little tiny stick would get caught and you would have to back the mower up and pull it out. it was hard to get in a grove b/c you were constantly stopping. Now, if you don't have a million trees in your yard like we do that may not be a problem for you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 My kids use one on our lawn. I like that I feel safe having them use it. They have even done other people's lawns with it for money. The biggest con is that if you let your lawn go and it gets too long that reel mower is not going through it at all. First mow of the season is better with a power mower.Then use the reel weekly for the rest of the season and you should have no problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraciWA Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Yep! And we don't have to worry about gas prices either! We bought one with a bag that hooks on. My oldest son and husband take turns mowing. I also think you can adjust the level on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Not being able to let it get long was my biggest problem when we had a yard and a reel mower. I loved using the it because it didn't smell and was so quiet. But them I had a miscarriage and wasn't able to mow on schedule and it was a problem because I didn't have another mower. My husband always hated that mower, but if we ever have a yard again, I'll get a reel mower. But maybe I'm a little crazy that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 They only work well on grass and clover. When we had one, our yard was at least half weeds. It cut the grass and left the weeds tall. It was also extremely tiring to use on any hills. I wouldn't recommend them to most people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 That's what dh uses for our little amount of grass. (We're in AZ; most of our front yard is rocks, and most of the backyard is patio and pool. We have a small "lawn" in front and another small "lawn" in back.) I'll have to ask him if he has any comments. All I know is, when we moved here, he went to Home Depot and bought a reel mower. (We left our gas lawnmower at our old house in FL for the new owners, who didn't have one.) Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 We have this reel mower (though we bought it at Lowes, not Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-6201-18-Inch-StaySharp-Mower/dp/B0045VL1OO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332513726&sr=8-1 What I like: No noise/can mow anytime without disturbing neighbors. No gas expense, no fumes. The handle on this one folds forward so it stores in a small space. This particular mower has blades that don't need annual sharpening and it should work fine with both our summer lawn (bermuda) and our winter lawn (rye). Easy to start ;) (this was a big problem with out gas mower). It doesn't kick up much dust or debris. It's kind of fun to use. What I dislike: It can be hard to push if the grass is long or lush. My (small) 11 year old cannot use it if it is set to take off much length, so we sometimes do multiple passes at different heights. I don't think it would handle hills very well. I would recommend one for a small, flat lawn, but not for a lot of serious mowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 If you have weeds it is a pain. If you have just grass they work okay. The novelty wears off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Everyone else has summed it up pretty well. My biggest problem is that if the grass gets too long, it won't cut it and merely knocks it over, even on the shortest setting. I do like it, though. Our yard has a hill, so it is a good workout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 thanks all. We have an electric mower we used at the old house to get areas the riding mower couldn't hit. Our front yard is flat but small. Our back yard is long but on a steep hill. My thought was that I'd do the sides and front with the reel mower and the hill with the electric. I've looked at a couple of reviews and it looks like the Scotts Classic or the Brill lawn mower would be best for my type of grass. I think the Fiskars looks lovely but from what I read it wouldn't be best for my area. Thanks again everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 We have a lawn that is probably half weeds, half grass and DH uses a reel mower. He seems very pleased with it -- he likes that it's quiet and doesn't use any gas -- and the lawn looks just fine to me. It doesn't have that manicured look, but that's not what we're going for anyway -- our aspirations are more along the lines of, "This house has people living in it.":D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I had one in college, and loved it. It was easy to push, didn't stink, and made a pleasing whirring sound. As others have said, you can't let the grass get too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 We have a lawn that is probably half weeds, half grass and DH uses a reel mower. He seems very pleased with it -- he likes that it's quiet and doesn't use any gas -- and the lawn looks just fine to me. It doesn't have that manicured look, but that's not what we're going for anyway -- our aspirations are more along the lines of, "This house has people living in it.":D We don't go for the manicured look either ;) I'm curious. What brand is your husband's mower? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I was going to recommend the Fiskars one as well. I've coveted that for a long time but our yard is just...well...not suitable. Everything Fiskars that I've ever had has been durable, and super-ergonomic. For instance, I have pruning shears by them that, as you squeeze them shut, the opposing handle rolls inward toward your hand. It's hard to explain, but details like that make unpleasant tasks much less effort. So I have faith that their reel mower is about as darned good as you're gonna get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 We have a Scott one that we bought at Home Depot a few years ago. We bought it for the express purpose that I could mow the lawn. I refuse to use a gas mower... for many reasons, but I always felt badly that my DH would work 60+ hours a week and then have to spend a few hours of his precious weekend time doing the lawn. So we bought the reel, and I've been using it ever since. It's blissfully quiet, it cuts well, and our lawn now is probably half weeds, half grass. (Going to do something about that this year.) It cuts through the weeds no problem, and we've never had a problem with it not cutting longer grass. I love it, love it, love it. It does have a narrow cut path though, so if you have a rather large yard, I might think twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 The Fiskars mower is on Amazon's deal of the day for 26 more minutes: $152.99, which is a great buy IMO. http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.