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davesimondotcom · Jun 22, 2006, 07:52 PM

So the old lawnmower was pretty much falling apart and my wife and I were at the hardware store and I "spontaneously" bought something I'd been planning on buying for a while. A "Great States" deluxe reel lawnmower.

Human power, baby! No gas, no oil, no spark plugs, just me pushing.

So I've now mowed my lawn twice with it (Sunday and today) and I have really enjoyed it. It's good excercise (you push it, it doesn't pull you) and it's quiet. I can listen to my shuffle without having it really loud.

And the lawn looks GREAT. Way better, IMHO, than with our old rotary mower, which ripped the grass rather than cutting it, leaving yellow tips.

I highly recommend if you don't have a huge yard.

f1000 · Jun 22, 2006, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

I highly recommend if you don't have a huge yard.

There's the rub.

Eriamjh · Jun 22, 2006, 08:57 PM

Sharp blades don't leave yellow tips.

Spook E · Jun 22, 2006, 09:00 PM

Have been thinking of getting one of those, how big is your block and how long did it take to mow?

Did you have to rake up all the cut grass or just leave it lying around? If left, does it go all brown and dead looking or just decompose quickly?

mydog8mymac · Jun 22, 2006, 09:36 PM

Picture(s) please. I'm a little confused. Are we talking old timey?

vmarks · Jun 22, 2006, 09:57 PM

A reel mower will do great things for your lawn. Golf courses use them with motors on them because they cut so well- But take the thing to get it sharpened seasonally.

Railroader · Jun 22, 2006, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

And the lawn looks GREAT. Way better, IMHO, than with our old rotary mower, which ripped the grass rather than cutting it, leaving yellow tips.

You just need to sharpen the blades on your mower. The blades on the reel mower will dull and leave yellow tips as well. They are a pain to sharpen.

Reel mowers don't mulch either. So if you aren't right on top of your mowing you'll have to rake the clippings.

I like reel mowers for their clean attributes, never have to buy gas and oil again! Also, the mowers have advanced enough that they are easier to use. But they do have their downfalls. Mine is set on it's highest cutting setting and I wish it had another 1/2".

I usually do my front lawn, which is pretty small, with a reel mower, and I do the rest of the lawn with a standard mulching gas mower.

davesimondotcom · Jun 23, 2006, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Spook E

Have been thinking of getting one of those, how big is your block and how long did it take to mow?

Did you have to rake up all the cut grass or just leave it lying around? If left, does it go all brown and dead looking or just decompose quickly?

Let's see, I'm trying to remember the size of my lawn... all together, front, side and back it's about 5000 sq. ft.

I just leave the clippings, and it doesn't look brown at all.

davesimondotcom · Jun 23, 2006, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by mydog8mymac

Picture(s) please. I'm a little confused. Are we talking old timey?

Pics coming later today after my workout... which I'm late for.

davesimondotcom · Jun 23, 2006, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Sharp blades don't leave yellow tips.

I know that.

But a rotating blade still rips grass where a reel cuts like scissors.

davesimondotcom · Jun 23, 2006, 11:58 AM

OK, here's the pics - first, the mower:

And the yard (this is the front, it goes around the left side, there is a portion to the right of the driveway and roughly the same amount in the back. Since someone asked about the size of the lawn.

production_coordinator · Jun 23, 2006, 12:37 PM

How much longer would you say it takes to finish your lawn?

How expensive was the mower?

IMHO, it looks as good, if not better than a traditional mower.

davesimondotcom · Jun 23, 2006, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by production_coordinator

How much longer would you say it takes to finish your lawn?

How expensive was the mower?

IMHO, it looks as good, if not better than a traditional mower.

Mowing takes basically the same amount of time. The first time I mowed the back it took longer because I had to go over it a couple times due to letting it get too long. But that would have happened with the other mower too.

Mower itself cost a cool $100.

karent · Jun 23, 2006, 01:04 PM

How easy are those things to push? I tried one when I was a kid and it was hard!

davesimondotcom · Jun 23, 2006, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by karent

How easy are those things to push? I tried one when I was a kid and it was hard!

Very easy to push compared to my old motorized mower. It's very light and manuverable.

I remember when I was a kid my parents had a reel mower that I tried a few times. Except it was made of heavy wood and steel and weighed probably more than a powered mower. And it was hard to push.

This thing is light and as long as the grass isn't long it isn't hard to push at all. Think of it like pushing a shopping cart with a few items in it.

seanc · Jun 23, 2006, 02:25 PM

I have an ancient powered reel mower in the garage that my next door neighbor gave me.
It works but I can't remember what finish it gave.
I guess I'm going to have to start using it instead, since my rotary mower is also literally falling apart, I can't mow my grass or my next door neighbors without either front right wheel falling off or the self propelling belt slipping off.

What size is that lawnmower you have there davesimondotcom, I think the old thing in my garage is 12", all I remember is it took me longer to mow the grass with it than the 16" rotary mower