Consider this option in your life

[Teaching3bears]

A few years ago our gas lawn mower broke and we decided to get a push mower because of our child's sound sensitivity. I thought it would be hard to use and I was reluctant but now I wonder why more people don't use one. I should say that we don't have a huge lawn.

We got a better quality push mower but it was still cheaper than a gas or electric mower. It doesn't require gas or electricity so you save money there. It is really not harder to push! I was very surprised by this.

It is more environmentally-friendly by not using gas or electricity and by not making such a big noise that disrupts the lives of birds and other animals.

It is less disruptive to neighbours who might have sound sensitivity, work from home, have different schedules that require them to sleep during the day, students studying etc. It is more peaceful for the person using it. It is safer to use in general and also for older kids who want to help.

Cons: ours doesn't get around edges as well as our gas one did. I am not sure they are all like that. It doesn't work well when the grass is wet.

[mom2scouts]

It's been years since I've tried a push mower and it was harder to push and more work. I wonder if better design has made them easier to use now. Our yard is very uneven and hard to mow and I'm not sure if a push mower would be better or worse, but we often have to mow when the grass is still damp, so that might be a con. I wish I knew someone who had one and would let us try it.

[Guest]

Kudos to you for doing this! I would do this if we had a small lawn. When I once shared an townhouse with my (eventual) SIL, she had a push mower for the little lawn. 

[Selkie]

My fitness fanatic dh used one of those for years on our very big and hilly lawn. He said it was a great workout.🙂

[Sherry in OH]

We had a push mower years ago when we lived in the city.  It was okay for our small flat city lot.  When we moved to the suburbs we bought a self-propelled gas mower.  A push mower was too much work on our larger sloped lot.  We sold that mower prior to our last move.  We currently have a battery powered mower.  It mows as well as a gas powered mower and is safer to operate.  It is quieter than a gas powered mower but not silent.   Sons are able to mow the entire yard on a single charge.  

[lmrich]

We had one growing up. It was a large yard, but flat. We moved to a hilly and uneven yard and nope. My dad got a riding lawn mower and was so much happier. 

[hjffkj]

We currently have 2 working gas mowers for our just under one acre yard. If both died I'd seriously consider getting a push mower. 

[Melissa in Australia]

we got one. but our property is all slopes. pushing it up hill was very hard work.

[frogger]

We have 2 and an acre of land of which the majority is lawn er and clover. 🙂

 There are some weeds it doesn't cut as well but they also work all the time unlike the gas ones. A lot less maintenance than a gas powered one. Of course, mine is teen powered. We won't upsize our mower though when they leave, we will downsize our home. 

Edited June 20, 2019 by frogger
Unfinished sentence

[OH_Homeschooler]

I inherited all the yard work when ex-husband went away abruptly, and the first thing I found in the garage was a push mower, so that's what I've been using. Mostly because I'm afraid to try something more complicated or more likely to cut off a toe, even if it might make the work easier to do. Our yard is pretty small, thankfully. 

ETA: It is very bad around sidewalks. I didnt know if it was the kind of mower, or if all mowers were like that. But the last time I mowed I braved the weed wacker. Problem solved!

Edited June 20, 2019 by OH_Homeschooler

[ktgrok]

I'm actually looking into this right now! I just seeded bermuda in my yard, and once it is ready to mow I'm going to try this. Safer too, from what I understand. I'm glad to hear from another mom that it isn't hard to use, my front yard is about 3,000 sq feet all together (including side yard) and flat, so I think it should be okay. I'm looking at this one, as it has 7 blades rather than 4-5 like most of them, but isn't super expensive.  The 7 blade is recommended for warm season grass like bermuda. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYVKRI9/?coliid=I3BEC4L4NA2LYH&colid=1OGMCN1720PGJ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Edited June 20, 2019 by Ktgrok

[Melissa in Australia]

4 minutes ago, Margaret in CO said:

I have a self-propelled, with 4 hooves. 

we have a self propelled with 2 legs. a whole gaggle of them

 

 

Geese

[Selkie]

8 minutes ago, Margaret in CO said:

I have a self-propelled, with 4 hooves. 

Lol, we have five of those who are very enthusiastic about their job.🙂

[DawnM]

3 hours ago, Selkie said:

My fitness fanatic dh used one of those for years on our very big and hilly lawn. He said it was a great workout.🙂

 

I was going to add that.  My BFF and her family have used one for forever.  They do have to replace it every few years because the blades wear out, but they get their workout with it!

We have had 2.5 acres for a while and there would be no way, but maybe in our new house with only .75 acres????

Edited June 21, 2019 by DawnM

[ktgrok]

I'm also looking at getting a manual rotary edger, for along the sidewalk. What I'm reading is that it is plenty usable if you don't let the grass get overgrown. I'd rather use that, every weekend, than the gas powered one once every few weeks...I hate that thing. it always feels like it is getting away from me. 

[Katy]

My parents had one when I was a teen.  I remember thinking it was a good workout.  Also we lived in a humid enough area I'm not sure the grass was ever completely dry.  It was definitely faster to mow with but around edges and things you basically had to be at a full run AND go over the area multiple times.  And it was a pain around the crab apple tree. I remember using it all the time, we must have had a rule that I could use that one even if an adult wasn't home but not the self-propelled one. 

I think it got my heart rate up more than running the mile in gym class.   I remember my thighs practically throbbing afterwards.  I never had that kind of effect again until I was well into adulthood and had begun hiking with heavy packs (and weighed a lot more).

[ktgrok]

8 minutes ago, Katy said:

My parents had one when I was a teen.  I remember thinking it was a good workout.  Also we lived in a humid enough area I'm not sure the grass was ever completely dry.  It was definitely faster to mow with but around edges and things you basically had to be at a full run AND go over the area multiple times.  And it was a pain around the crab apple tree. I remember using it all the time, we must have had a rule that I could use that one even if an adult wasn't home but not the self-propelled one. 

I think it got my heart rate up more than running the mile in gym class.   I remember my thighs practically throbbing afterwards.  I never had that kind of effect again until I was well into adulthood and had begun hiking with heavy packs (and weighed a lot more).

The new ones are supposed to be MUCH easier to push - much lighter, roll better, etc. 

[EmilyGF]

5 hours ago, Selkie said:

My fitness fanatic dh used one of those for years on our very big and hilly lawn. He said it was a great workout.🙂

My grandparents had my uncle, then 13, mow their 5-acre lawn every Saturday. He was generally a bad kid and it kept him out of trouble. Of course he later got into trouble, but in his retelling, it was a good thing at that point in life. It took him 6 hours, he says. 🙂 

Emily

[Pawz4me]

We had a reel mower a few years ago, when we had a small yard. DH was NOT impressed. He didn't mind the work, but it didn't cut anywhere near to his standards. Now our grass was an incredibly thick and plush hybrid Bermuda--it was a regular occurrence for people driving through the neighborhood to stop and say it looked like a golf course--so that may have been part of the problem. Thick grass that holds water plus our high humidity meant it was almost never dry. And maybe the mowers are better now? That was probably seven or eight years ago.

[ktgrok]

10 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

We had a reel mower a few years ago, when we had a small yard. DH was NOT impressed. He didn't mind the work, but it didn't cut anywhere near to his standards. Now our grass was an incredibly thick and plush hybrid Bermuda--it was a regular occurrence for people driving through the neighborhood to stop and say it looked like a golf course--so that may have been part of the problem. Thick grass that holds water plus our high humidity meant it was almost never dry. And maybe the mowers are better now? That was probably seven or eight years ago.

My research says that the typical manual reels don't have enough blades for bermuda (what we are growing). The 4 or 5 blade ones are designed for cold season grasses like fescue. The 7 blade is for things like bermuda, but 8 years ago I don't think there were any 7 blade manual reel mowers. 

[itsheresomewhere]

They have gotten easier. If you have a yard that holds in the moisture and is thick, no matter what it just doesn’t work well. The grass bends and doesn’t cut well.  Also, if you are not handy finding someone to sharpen the blades is an issue. And if you have rocks, watch out as if you hit them just right it chips the blades.  

[Carrie12345]

I do love my push mower, especially the part about being able to cut grass early, before the sun can roast me!

Dh is considering adding a gas mower because our septic mound area is so large and steep. I have to admit that I hate attacking that part with the push mower.  But I think I’d continue to do our small front yard with the manual.  I don’’t like messing with smelly gas, anyway.

[Lady Florida.]

Good for you for making that decision! It really is healthier for the environment as well as for the person using it.

But...

I grew up using one and there is no way I'm going back. Especially at my age. Nor is dh. And though ds still lives here (and does our lawn with a gas mower) we don't know how long he'll be here and/or how far away he'll go when he does move out.

[ktgrok]

So, how easy is it to push? Check this out. She's 2 yrs old. (I planted grass seed 15 days ago, and that spot wasn't getting consistent water, but I tried it on the neighbor's lawn with actual grass and it was still super easy to push.)

 

Edited June 30, 2019 by Ktgrok

[Farrar]

I'm just so dubious about the ease! We have a tiny lawn so we got one when we moved in, nearly two decades ago. It got used ONCE. It got clogged with grass - and the grass was only mildly overgrown. Like, a week or two past time to mow, not a month past time to mow! It was useless. We went to an electric, plug in one and haven't looked back.

I like the idea of an edger though... that would be nice. Maybe I'll look at those and see how it goes with this supposed better design.

[maize]

I like push reel mowers but we get too many twigs in our yard--especially from the neighbor's willow tree. Too many to pick all of them up. The regular mower just chops them but push reels get stuck.

[KungFuPanda]

On 6/20/2019 at 5:24 PM, Teaching3bears said:

A few years ago our gas lawn mower broke and we decided to get a push mower because of our child's sound sensitivity. I thought it would be hard to use and I was reluctant but now I wonder why more people don't use one. I should say that we don't have a huge lawn.

We got a better quality push mower but it was still cheaper than a gas or electric mower. It doesn't require gas or electricity so you save money there. It is really not harder to push! I was very surprised by this.

It is more environmentally-friendly by not using gas or electricity and by not making such a big noise that disrupts the lives of birds and other animals.

It is less disruptive to neighbours who might have sound sensitivity, work from home, have different schedules that require them to sleep during the day, students studying etc. It is more peaceful for the person using it. It is safer to use in general and also for older kids who want to help.

Cons: ours doesn't get around edges as well as our gas one did. I am not sure they are all like that. It doesn't work well when the grass is wet.

They work that well as long as they are properly maintained and kept sharp.  That's another job itself.  My neighbors have always used one for their small front lawn.  I use a battery powered lawnmower,  It's so lightweight that it feels like a toy.  It doesn't make any more noise than a box fan and it bags the grass for my compost pile.  We get so many leaves in the fall that I can't get them to break down easily without layering them with grass in the summer.

[ktgrok]

Oh, regarding getting around edges, it does depend on the particular mower. Some have the wheels/blade arranged differently than others. 

As for sharpness, mine recommends applying wd40 to the blades after each use, and they do sell a sharpening kit.  I should order it soon to have on hand I imagine.