Reel Mower Review
My new Scotts 20-inch Push Reel Mower arrived today, and I finished mowing the lawn about 30 minutes ago.
This mower has 271 reviews and received 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. Let me make this very clear: I have never been more misled by Amazon.com reviewers. For example, check out this review:
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.
This is absolute horse shit. This mower is easily 100% harder to push than my Toro gas mower. It took me nearly twice as long to mow the lawn. Mowing the lawn was my most intense workout in years.
The same review goes on:
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.
Liar, liar, pants on fire. Several things make a gas mower easier to use:
- The engine propels the mower forward
- The blade cuts through thick grass without bogging down
- They are faster
- Did I mention the engine does most of the work?
I Had Doubts…
I’ve been considering one of these mowers for at least three years now, and keep reading positive reviews like this. I waited so long to pull the trigger because I had this fear: Maybe these people are so gung-ho to save the environment, they are unable to provide unbiased, accurate reviews.
I now think I have my answer. Everything you recall about your grandfather’s old-fashioned reel mower remains true to this day. These mowers are hard to use. Damn hard.
Now What?
I paid $119 for this thing, and I still have my Toro. The truth is, I don’t know what I will do. I do plan to mow the lawn with this reel mower the next few times, simply because it provides a kick-ass workout. I need to lose weight, and what better way to get some much needed exercise?
If your lawn is small and flat, a reel mower is just fine. But my yard is 17,000 square feet, with a huge steep hill in the back. For a killer workout, this is good. But for mowing the lawn, it sucks.
The Future
I think battery-powered mowers are the future of lawn care, but current models poop out after 45 minutes to an hour. That is not quite good enough to handle my lawn. I suspect in just a few years, however, battery-powered mowers will finally become a practical alternative.
I really hate how much space my Toro consumes in the garage, and I do not like how loud it is. But until battery technology improves, gas powered mowers remain the best option for most people.
Not to ask a silly question, but did you try sharpening the blade ? We use a reel mower on our admittedly much smaller lawn and I don’t find the difference as big as you seem to. Having said that, there’s a huge difference in using the reel mower when the blade is getting dull and when it’s just been sharpened.
The UPS man delivered this mower today, so it is brand new and sharp. They claim it is “factory calibrated” and ready to use. I definitely plan to try adjusting the blade before next week’s lawn adventure. I hope that helps.
Those push ones probably work ok if you cut it fairly regularly so the grass stays short.
Of course you are missing the obvious solution – get rid of the grass. I’ve always hated the standardised suburban ideal. Replace it with some plants, shrubs, maybe some gravel, or just plain dirt.
I think those things are made for urban lawns where you have a 5X10 patch of grass.
So here a list of great excuses as to why it’s not so bad
1) What kind of grass do you have? Zoysia is tougher than Kentucky blue grass, right?
2) How level is your yard (you mentioned your hill)?
3) How strong are your arms and legs? You need more than strong keyboarding fingers to push this baby all day.
4) Did you convert from a self-propelled mover?
Honestly, just taking a look at the picture says, “No way in this lifetime will I get behind the wheel of that monster machine.” My back’s messed up enough as it is. My 10 year old wants to start cutting the lawn, but I keep replaying AC-DC’s “Who Made Who” in my head. Think I’ll stick to the self propelled Sears brand, and wait for a better rechargeable one. My neighbor’s got an electric one, but I can just see me running strait over the cord.
My 9-yr old – who can do 250 jumping jacks, 60 push-ups, 100 crunches, and 100 squats, could only push it about 5 feet. He was really disappointed because he wanted to mow the lawn for “easy money”. I’ll follow up after I adjust the blades later this week.
I also bought one of these after I moved. It didn’t take long to realize I had way too many weeds for this thing to work. I then bought an electric mower. I’ve been happy with it. It cuts just as well as a gas mower but I never have to get gas or change the oil. I do have to fiddle with the electric cord, but that has not been as bad as I thought it would be. My boys actually cut the lawn last time and didn’t run over the cord.
We had considered buying a reel mower when we got our new house, but we realized our new lawn is just too big. It takes me about an hour to mow the lawn now, and that’s with a self-propelled mower. It’s just too big for me to take the time a reel mower would require.
I would point out, though, that the first bullet in your list of why a gas-powered mower is easier isn’t necessarily true; not all gas-powered mowers are self-propelled.
@Lance but my Toro is.
I used a reel mower for a few years and then switched to an electric. One requirement of a reel mower is that there is sufficient surface friction so that the whole thing doesn’t just slide when pushed. In early spring, frequently I have to mow the grass when it is still damp and slippery. In addition I found that the reel mower didn’t properly cut this one kind of weed (it has a long thin wire-like stalk) so my yard would have short grass but a bunch of tall weeds all over. I’m happy with the electric.
I’ve been reasonably happy with my reel mower for the last couple of years for my suburban grass patch, but it does nothing for the knee-high quackgrass weeds that have taken over this year. It just pushes them down and rolls right over. Sounds like Neil was having the same problem.
This morning I gave up and gave $20 to the neighborhood gardener to mow my lawn.
Time to upgrade to an electric, I guess.
This morning I walked into the garage to find my Craftsman self propelled mover with a 2 foot stream of oil running out of it. I may be making me upgrade choice sooner than I planned.
Eric, Sorry, but I laughed at your write-up. I have 1/2 acre yard. We moved here 3 yrs ago. We brought a literally 1930’s wooden handle reel mower with us (as an antique) that had not been used in years. For some stupid reason I tried it 2 nights ago. I was panting after each pass, but finished my section after 1:15. Not one of my best ideas.
So today I am in Home Depot staring at the Scott’s 20-incher for literally 20 minutes, thinking “Should I throw $120 at this problem or just have someone cut my grass? Maybe this one will work well instead of my steel/wood battle wagon.”
I look forward to reading your second round with the Scotts. Otherwise it will be $350 for a cordless electric push mower and 2 batteries. Or $45 to the professionals for each mow…
We’ve been quite happy with our plug in electric for years now. The wife wants to “upgrade” me to a batter powered unit, but I’m just not sure it’s worth it. Yeah, there’s the cord dance, but frankly, it’s not all that different from the cord dance my mother taught me when she was showing me how to vacuum the house when I was growing up. So far, I’ve not cut a single one. I have ripped the end off one though, cause I got it caught on something and didn’t realize. Our yard sounds like almost exactly the same as Eric’s… especially the big hill in back. The only problem I have is that there’s no electrical outlet on the back of the house, so I’m plugged in on the side and the 75′ extension cord is just a couple feet too short to reach the very back corner by the wood line. I used to patch in a thinner 12′ extension just to finish it, but these days I don’t even bother and just leave that very back corner “wild” for the deer and bunnies to enjoy. (If I had my druthers, the last 20′ of our back grass would never have been cleared, and like the neighbors on both sides, we’d still have woods there… but some previous owner was an idiot. and pushed the tree line back.
Dude, c’mon. 17,000 SF with a reel mower? You’ll be getting done about the time you’ll need to start over. These things are made for postage-stamp yards, weed-free, with soft fluffy grass. If anything, the new ones are worse than Grandpa’s. Now that China is making them for us. That said – we should equip armies of prisoners with reel mowers and let them maintain our highway medians.
Larger issue is the reliability of online “reviews”. Since Amazon doesn’t even limit their comments to people who have actually purchased the product from them, it’s all highly suspect IMO. Other sites have ‘verified buyer’ or similar – but even that doesn’t stop the marketing dept. for some company from buying up one of their own products so they can enter their “unbiased” review.
Moo
@Tom’s message holds the key, at least in my experience. When I was young (in the 70s, say), I often mowed my Grandmother’s yard with an ancient reel mower. The thing probably weighed 30-50 pounds. However, it had a flywheel action so that once you got it spinning, it kept spinning for seconds, and kept spinning, even when you pulled it back. You had to be careful of the whirling blades of fury. It had very large wheels, and its weight gave it sufficient friction to keep the blades spinning, rather than just sliding along on top of the grass. It wasn’t fun to mow with, but it certainly did the job.
In contrast, I was at a Home Depot a few years ago and saw a reel mower something like your photo. I laughed out loud when I pushed it, and declared it would never serve to mow a yard. The very design prevents it being effective. Perhaps the one you’ve pictured is better, or better ones exist, but I know the one I tried was ridiculous.
So, if you really want to use a reel mower, return your current POS and see if you can find an antique one in good shape. If it runs smooth, you should be able to get the blades sharpened and have a proper reel mowing experience. It will still wear you out, but you will be using a fine machine made for the job.
Glad I found these comments. Was looking at this mower at Amazon but have been considering buy a Sunlawn model: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/sunlawn-reel/lmm40-reel-mower.htm. My lawn is flat, takes about 50 mins to cut with my Craftsman that is currently leaking oil in my garage and won’t start. Not sure what to do but it’ll cost $50 to get the mower fixed (and 2 weeks wait time). Just hate the idea of always putting maintenance money into the gas powered ones and I don’t have the tolerance for an eletric that would take a 100′ cord to reach the length of my lawn.
Went out and measured my lawn, roughly 13,000 sq. feet which is about 5,000 more than what’s recommended for these reel mowers. Looks like I’ll be ponying up the repair dough for my Crapsman mower. Grrr.
I’ve got a battery powered mower for a 1 acre lot. What I do is just have two batteries and just swap them out when the first one runs out of juice.
I like the battery powered ones much better than the gas powered ones.
Hey Kyle, I purchased the exact sunlawn mower you were looking at, it’s got the same problems as the Scotts brand, although I found if I rinsed the blades with water before I mowed, i was much easier to push, my lawn used to take me about 30 minutes, now its about 45 and i’m having to mow every 3 or 4 days. I think i’ll be looking at an electric in a year or two.
I’ve mowed twice now. The second time around, I loosened the blade guard and it is definitely easier to push. However it was *too* loose, so I had to tighten it a bit. After some fine tuning, it is “moderately” hard to push, but still misses quite a few grass blades. So you have to overlap and essentially mow the lawn twice. Having said that, the front lawn looks really, REALLY good right now. Not sure if that is because of copious rain this spring, or perhaps the reel mower’s scissors-like cutting action really is better for the grass like they say.
My definition of “moderately” hard to push? Neither of my boys can push it (ages 5 and 8), nor can my wife.
@Eric time to trade in your wife. What use is she if she can’t cut the grass while you sit on the couch eating bonbon’s watching the Stanley Cup finals and sipping iced tea….
why don’t you buy a battery powered reel mower like the Brill?
“But my yard is 17,000 square feet, with a huge steep hill in the back.”
holy sh**, please disregard my previous statement. Push mowers aren’t good for more than 8000 ft2
Dear Sir:
I add my own opinions here about reel mowers, though I’ve never used the Scotts 20-inch mower you write about. (I’d actually gone to a Home Depot one evening to buy one, but the sales staff was so insulting – they called me “stupid” for wanting to buy one – that I left it there.)
I use a Sears Craftsman reel mower, with an 18-inch cutting width. Brand new, it was about $88, with tax. While it is fairly heavy, it is not very hard to push. Thus, I can push it up steep hills, and through fairly tall grass (6-8 inches). I’ve used it to cut yards as big as half an acre, though that takes 2 days. My biggest effort with the mower to date is cutting my neighbor’s yard, about 10,000 square feet. He let the grass grow too long, and was having trouble cutting it with his power mower. Though the grass (and weeds) were up to 8 inches tall, I cut it all. I did it by setting the mower at its maximum cutting height, and just “bulling through”. After cutting everything once, I went back over it again at a much lower cutting height. So, you can say I actually cut 20,000 square feet (10,000 square feet twice). That took 2 days. And, it’s quite possible to cut tall weeds, including dandelions, as I did it for his yard.
I also have a rental home that has a lot of about 1/3 of an acre (about 15,000 square feet), and I’ve cut the whole lot, repeatedly, with the Sears Craftsman reel mower. Again, plowing through the first batch of high grass and weeds was not easy, but once the vegetation is at a more reasonable height, it’s not so bad to cut it.
All this talk of reel mowers being only useful for “postage stamp” size lawns is ridiculous. It’s not impossible to mow a large yard with a reel mower. And, it’s easy enough to mow with the one I have I’m thinking of advertising for grass cutting jobs in my neighborhood with it, for extra money. And by the way, I’m also going to be 51 years old in August.
I’m also looking for someone to custom build a much larger reel mower for me, one with a 36 inch, or even a 48 inch wide set of blades. Such a mower would be heavy, but it would drastically reduce the time needed to mow a lawn. And I don’t doubt I’d be equal to the task.
I recently bought a 16″ American Lawn Mower from Ace Hardware for $89. My lot is 100′x120′. My 7 y/o mowed my lawn last week. Cuts grass fine — doesn’t do a good job with dandelions. I really like, but only wish I bought a bigger one.
I bought a Sunlawn to try out on my new house with the 26,000 sf lawn. I knew it was a huge lawn with a high probability of failure, but it’s also ideal from the point of view of being perfectly level and without obstacles; practically a golf course.
The reel mower worked beautifully in the early Spring, I was really believing the hype; but by early May the grass was taking off quicker than I could keep up with it. I borrowed my parent’s gas mower to get it back down to viable height, then tried again. Again, so long as one kept up with it, pushing the reel mower wasn’t a chore, was actually fun; but the grass just grew too fast.
The final problem defeating the reel mower was that I subscribe to the school of thought that says the grass should be mowed high, around 3 inches, to stay healthy; we’ve had severe drought in the last 2 seasons so letting the grass photosynthesize is important for recovering dead spots. At this height the reel mower can’t keep up even at it’s maximum height without daily mowing.
So it was fun while it lasted, but the push mower is now just for fun when conditions are ideal. I do think, however, that someone with a tiny level condo lawn or something like it could succeed with the push mower–but don’t ever let down your guard, the grass knows and grows…
Amen, brother!
I was also misled by all the positive horsecrap on Amazon about the Scott’s Classic reel mower! Yes, it is definitely harder to push than my old gas mower which, by the way, is NOT self-propelled. It takes me twice as long to mow my 1/3 acre with the reel mower than with my old gas mower, mainly because I’m still trying to adjust the #$@&* blades that were NOT calibrated at the factory like the manual claimed. The first time I used it, half the grass I “mowed” remained untouched. Finally, after hours of adjustment, I got it to cut fairly well, until the next time I mowed when somehow it got out of line again. Guess the screws slipped. Unfortunately, I bought this mower from Amazon, so I can’t really return it very easily. The whole idea is a good concept — good exercise, good for the environment, quieter, no exhaust fumes, etc. — if only it worked well. Maybe I’ll try again. Guess I’m a glutton for punishment. Oh, and something else that bothers me — although it says “Scott’s”, it’s made by the American Lawnmower Company — in China. How American is that??!! Guess I’ll wait for longer-lasting battery powered mowers, too. By the way, don’t even bother with the corded electric mowers. They’re a royal pain in the butt to use. Ridiculous concept.
Scott
If you have a small, very flat lawn and look at your lawn as something you want nice but you are not striving for perfection, a push reel mower is for you.
The tree hugging, good for the environment reasons are valid, just don’t believe that you can get the same performance from a bike that you can from a Porsche.
If your grass is high and you plan to cut more than once every 5 days, a manual reel mower is not going to work for you.
I actually don’t find it harder to push than using a gasoline powered mower…this being that you are cutting very little of the grass blade. However, let it grow too high and either it will bog down, or worse, push the blades of grass down without cutting it.
To be fair only front or rear drive mowers are self propelled. My Old Gasoline powered manual push Lawnboy died last year after 18 years and I found it comparable to the reel mower as far as strength requirements to push it and the time it took.
My only complaint with a reel mower- ANY reel mower- is that they don’t pick up leaves and twigs. Sometimes they break up and mulch them, but in the fall, you really need something that can pick up the leaves if you live in an area that leaves fall.
I purchased a Remington Electric, which works fine for me, but if you have a large property, I would wait a year or 3 eo see if something better comes along. My whole grass cutting area is a puny aproximately 1000 Square feet. The majority of the time I use the manual push mower as I prefer the look better over the Remington.
You guys putting down the reel mowers just do not understand there are some differences you have to learn or get used to. As already mentioned you can’t allow the grass to get too long. A reel mower is not going to peform well if you are cutting more than 1″ or so. Longer and the grass will tend to just flop over and roll around the reels. If you are used to waiting a week and breaking out the rotary mower with a bag to cut the grass and don’t want to change your habits, then reel mowers aren’t for you. They are for finish work and regular maintenance. The are not intended to be used in the same way one would typically think of using a rotary (i.e. once a week, etc.).
And they do in fact cut better like a scissors, which is better for the grass. Some you can even get with self sharpening blades or blades that require little regular sharpening. Yes you have to periodically check and adjust the bar, but what mower doesn’t require periodic maintenance? Even a rotary requires periodically checking bolts, the mower blade and especially removing and sharpening the blade (a task that most people used to rotary mowers tend to put off). A dull blade on a rotary mower wacks and tears grass instead of cutting it which can lead to disease. Then there’s the inevitable spilling of gas from a leaky fuel line or whatever, not to mention gas is now $4+ /gallon.
As for not being worth it unless you have a postage size lot–that’s nonsense. We have 5000+ sq feet and it took about 1.5 hours to cut it, and that’s using a proper overlap (and we don’t even have a perfectly flat yard–a good sized slope in the back yard actually) You just have to have a different mindset to use these things. It’s true you do have to keep up on the regular cutting and it’s helpful to alternate directions for a more even cut. It’s beneficial if you cut only 1/8″ to 1/4″ or so at a time and don’t use a catcher. This very small amount of cut grass breaks down quickly, putting a little nitrogen back in your lawn. If you want to wait longer, you can always use a catcher on a reel mower. If your grass grows too tall too fast, consider cutting back on the N in your lawn fertilizer, possibly switching to an organic which typically will have a smaller N. Reel mowers are used on golf courses btw, where of course they are always keeping up on the maintenance.
The point is that people defending reel mowers say things like “There is NOTHING about a gas-powered mower than makes it easier to use, and gas-powered mowers do not save any time, especially when you consider all the peripheral needs of owning one.”
These people are liars. The Scotts reel mower is about 2x the work.
I have to agree that my Scotts Classic takes twice as long to use but my lawn looks great! The first two weeks I was mowing either very early or very late at night so my neighbors couldn’t see what I was using. But after a few of them commented on how nice my yard was, I am now mowing in broad daylight! I have not fertilized since early spring and my grass is very green and healthy. And I also agree that it is a serious workout (I am 43 & female). My 67 year old mom can even use it, just not for very long. I did not make any blade adjustments to it and my grass is Bermuda. After six weeks I have noticed sometimes it feels like it is a little bumpy or slippng. I’m hoping it just needs WD40, since I haven’t done that at all and the instructions said to do that every time. So far, I have been really happy with it-and I’m finally getting some exercise!
I bought a TaskForce 20″ reel from Lowes last fall, and it has worked great. A gas powered mower IS easier to use, and it is faster.
But I truly enjoy the reel mower, and I think my lawn is slowly getting healthier because of it. It’s great exercise, and it only takes me perhaps 10 more minutes than with a gas pushmower.
I’ve got a 20 inch reel mower (name brand chinese knockoff), I mow 1/2 acre once a week. I have very a tall grass bahia, bermuda and weeds/sticks galore.
After 3 months of owning it, I’m fit enough to mow the entire yard in 2 hrs 15 minutes.
IT IS HARD WORK, and worth it. I have a desk job which would turn anyone soft, but now I’m so damned tuned up I can sprint to my car through the rain, and I don’t even get winded. It used to kill me.
This thing weighs 30 lbs, and in heavy grass I have to lock my arms and lean into it. When the grass is very dense, it leaves the edges of a swatch a bit ragged, but the cut is still very clean. I use motor oil on the blades 2 or 3 times during the mow, and it really helps.
Also the sweat you work up is so intense, its actually cleansing. I come in the house WITHOUT A SHRED of grass or dust on me, and absolutely BLASTED! I’m not even sore anymore.
There are folks who do well with thick grass, and large yards! I won’t be using a gas engine mower again, unless I’m coming back from a 2 week vacation.
It leaves the wildflowers intact, and baby never wakes from her nap when I mow. Thatâs a nice plus, cause she likes to pick wildflowers.
I canât store gas in the house Iâm renting, no need for gas anymore.
I canât afford the time or money for a gym membership, and donât need a membership anymore!
I never rip my arm off starting it.
I never feel like tis going to drag me into the ditch
It never throws debris like a missile
I never worry my feet will get chewed off
I come in CLEAN after mowing, thatâs a first. I used to get allergy attacks on my riding mower. Try sneezing while driving a lawn tractor around trees.
I just purchased a Scott’s Classic despite the negative reviews here. I live in a single wide trailer on a normal lot with lots and lots of small broadleaf weeds. Impressions from my first mow:
Overall I am pleased, but the handle is a POS! Do they make better aftermarket handles?
Performance is adequate. A traditional powered mower seems to cut better (though I cannot quantify it), marginally faster (barely noticeable on my small lot), and requires less muscle. But what do you expect, the traditional powered mower represents a quantum leap in technology. The thing is, in a small yard like mine, the disadvantages of the new technology far out way the benefits.
I purchased the mower because it uses no gas, and requires little maintenance. I am definitely no tree hugger, so the $4/gallon, the mess, and the need to keep a gas can in the shed meant more to me than the environmental impact. Although I would not call it “fun” to mow with a reel mower, there is satisfying feeling that comes from the quiet mow, the low environmental impact, and using muscle power
After one mow, I am happy with my purchase.
To the original entry writer
I have not laughed so hard, matter of fact cried while reading your post in a long time. I too am in the market for buying my first lawnmower and have seriously considered buying the Scott’s 20″ reel mower.
Yes, I’am sure it’s all hard work because the pusher is in fact the engine. However, my question is at the end of cutting your lawn, was the appearance nice and neat? Also, do you by chance live in Miami, Florida where I can see your reel mower and try it on my lawn. If so, please e-mail me so I can perhaps buy your reel mower.
Again, thanks for giving us the honest 411 on reel mowers. I tell ya, Iam going to re-read your post. You are one funny dude.
Take care,
Guillermo
Miami, Florida
Golly, what delicate flowers some of you guys must be. I am a 47-year old female with a pretty big yard, and I am using a Scott’s Classic. I love it. I love how it sounds, how it feels, and the fact that I don’t get pebbles exploding in my face. I love that if a neighbor walks by I can stop and talk. Or continue mowing and talk.
If you were expecting a reel mower to be as easy as using a walk-behind gas mower that propels itself, then that’s just silly. Why would you think that? We have a landscaper type gas mower that you have to push with your own power, and the effort it takes to push the Scott’s is comparable to pushing that type of mower. And I don’t think it takes that much longer, either. Now I do think that 17,000 square feet is probably a bit much. The only bad thing for me is that it won’t cut those stalky weeds that grow faster than anything else. And if you have a lot of sticks, you probably want to rake beforehand. But those of us who love their reel mowers–we’re not lying.
OK, I am a 5 ‘ 2″ mid-30’s female, and I have used a reel mower (Scotts, the smaller, cheaper one) for five years. I was overweight when I started…not anymore. It takes me about 30 minutes more to mow my 1/3 acre hilly lawn than when I used a gas mower, but then it starts when I want it to, it’s quiet, it doesn’t smell horrible, and I don’t have to constantly stop to refuel, clean anything out, or, well, do anything other than have a nice walk on my lawn. Even the very first day I used it, I was amazed at how much easier it was to push than either of my gas mowers, and how much better I felt afterward. Oh, the lawn looks better than ever, since the grass is being cut, not chewed.
Maybe, sir, just maybe, some of us actually do prefer a reel mower and can operate one without whining…or maybe you’re right and it’s some kind of conspiracy on Amazon to mislead YOU personally.
Since few people seem to be responding to what I actually wrote, and now people are attributing words like “conspiracy” to me…things I never said…comments are now closed on this entry.