Foo - Thoughts on manual reel lawn mowers?

The other day, I was killing time at the nursery while Ms. MillCreek was searching for bedding plants. I saw this very interesting looking Brill reel mower from Germany. It was pretty different from the cast-iron Scotts reel mower that I had used as a kid 35 years ago. My yard would probably be amenable to a manual reel mower. Any thoughts or recommendations on the subject?

If you go manual, mow frequently.

my yard isn't good enough for a reel mower.

I don't really see them being used by home owners, only on baseball fields and golf courses.

I did some Googling and learned that manual reel mowing is considered a viable option if your yard is relatively flat, under about 7500 square feet and does not have sticks or stones to get caught in the blades. There are some grasses in the Southern USA that are sufficiently thick as to not be a good candidate for a reel mower. The grass up here in Western Washington would seem to work.

The websites that sell the manual reel mowers emphasize that current technology is far more lightweight, easier to push, and some brands (Brill and SunLawn) can go for 8-10 years without re-sharpening since the reel does not contact the bedknife. It does sound pretty different from that old Scott's mower.

The Brill and SunLawn brands are mentioned most consistently as being the best. I am seeing a lot of posts from people recommending against the American Lawnmower brands sold at the big box hardware stores. They seem to be heavier, are not built as nice and require annual sharpening. The Brill model that I saw was selling for $ 265, although I see on the web several vendors selling it for about $ 20-30 less with free shipping.

I used to use one when I had a house a few years ago, doing it on the hilly bits was a nice workout. ;)
I grew up with reel mowers and like the snip-snip sound of the blades rotating.

They work really well as long as your lawn is even and you keep the blades sharp.

I see them all the time here within Minneapolis. There is an old one in our garage, but something is really messed up with it and all it wants to do is try to cut my leg off.

I really want a new one, though, but they seem to cost more than a regular lawn mower, unless I am thinking of something totally different.

I see them all the time here within Minneapolis. There is an old one in our garage, but something is really messed up with it and all it wants to do is try to cut my leg off.

I really want a new one, though, but they seem to cost more than a regular lawn mower, unless I am thinking of something totally different.

Are you sure you are thinking of the same thing?

http://www.sustainableisgood.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/05/28/reelmower.jpg

I used to use one when I had a house a few years ago, doing it on the hilly bits was a nice workout. ;)
.

I would pay to see Ms. Incredible "doing it on the hilly bits." Yes, yes I would.

Are you sure you are thinking of the same thing?
Yep, same thing.

When I looked into them a few years ago, they were well over $100 and I found a power lawn mower for $110 so I bought the latter instead.

The one in our garage from previous tennants is broken on one side and when you push it, there is give and the blades sort of fan out and come at me. It's really scary.

On my block alone there are three people using the manual mowers I have seen so far this year.

If you go manual, mow frequently.

Big time, and don't set it too low. (2 wks is pushing it here through PNW spring but definitely get to appreciate grass' dormant phase starting Julyish...)

Otherwise I am a big fan. Have been using the same one for ~15 yrs. It was of indeterminate age when I acquired it. Moved it coast-to-coast twice. (largest yard in that time as ~1/6 acre, including the building). Proper sharpening is important. Use grinding paste to sharpen the reel together with the bar it spirals across. Hardware store here insisted they only need to remove the bar and sharpen it on a grinder, they are wrong. But anyway a good sharpening should at least last 2 seasons if not more.

I did some Googling and learned that manual reel mowing is considered a viable option if your yard is relatively flat, under about 7500 square feet and does not have sticks or stones to get caught in the blades. There are some grasses in the Southern USA that are sufficiently thick as to not be a good candidate for a reel mower. The grass up here in Western Washington would seem to work.

The websites that sell the manual reel mowers emphasize that current technology is far more lightweight, easier to push, and some brands (Brill and SunLawn) can go for 8-10 years without re-sharpening since the reel does not contact the bedknife. It does sound pretty different from that old Scott's mower.

The Brill and SunLawn brands are mentioned most consistently as being the best. I am seeing a lot of posts from people recommending against the American Lawnmower brands sold at the big box hardware stores. They seem to be heavier, are not built as nice and require annual sharpening. The Brill model that I saw was selling for $ 265, although I see on the web several vendors selling it for about $ 20-30 less with free shipping.

Wow that is expensive but an 8-10 yr sharpening gap would be sweet. And a c-note premium above a wally world power mower doesn't seem so bad if you don't need to feed it and breathe its exhaust. Flat, it doesn't have to be too flat. In WV our yard was riddled w/ ramps (wild onions) that defeated our reel mower, just bounced back up like a weeble. Here there is an amazingly tough crab grass but it also defeats neighbors w/ power mowers (maybe those people need to get their blades sharpened too).

I am currently using a Yard Man gas rotary mower that I bought from Costco for $ 250 a few years ago. I have discovered that the cheaper gas rotary mowers are essentially disposable. I get about four or five years out of it (with an annual blade replacement), and then the engine craps out beyond my ability to repair. This is still a lot cheaper than using a yard service for $ 100/month for the eight months a year that we mow up here in Seattle. The large and expensive Toro and Honda mowers are overkill for my small yard, although they would last longer, and I was unenthused with the Black and Decker corded electric mower that I had.

I would not mind finding a mower that will probably last a long time and is more eco-friendly.

I forgot to mention: www.peoplepoweredmachines.com was probably the most useful website I looked at. A lot of information there.

When I looked into them a few years ago, they were well over $100 and I found a power lawn mower for $110 so I bought the latter instead.

Wow, prices have really gone up. :(


I would pay to see Ms. Incredible "doing it on the hilly bits." Yes, yes I would.

:notamused: :lol: :lol:

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Farm%20Fog/Farm-Fog-Pano-II.jpg

Too much yard for a reel mower to be practicable for me. We use self guided, bovine mowers. Bit smelly, but they are cheep to run, polluting though.

a lot of the modern rye grasses which are raised in Oregon and ubiquitous in most grass seed mixes these days are pretty tough - they are bred for power mowers, not reel mowers.

a lot of the modern rye grasses which are raised in Oregon and ubiquitous in most grass seed mixes these days are pretty tough - they are bred for power mowers, not reel mowers.

I wonder if that's what the weedy stuff in our neighborhood is. I wonder what would be good to replace the current cover crop with. Roundup the bejeezus out of it all, cover it w/ plastic for a year to nuke out the seedbank, and put something else in. 2 neighbors on the block have no grass in their yards but they have all these other froo froo things that require watering. I just need something soft enough (and tough enough) for the kids to jump out of the rhododendrons onto.

If it's shady try moss

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/garden/01moss.html?scp=1&sq=moss+lawn&st=nyt

Grass selection is important, which why I recommend low-maintenance, drought-resistant crab grass. Yes, choose crab grass and your green, carefree lawn will be the envy of your neighborhood.

I have a Sunlawn MM-1 bought from peoplepoweredmachines.com. It works well if you mow at least once a week. It will not do anything tall, and you have to overlap quite a bit to get an even mow. This goes for any reel mower though.

The blades come extremely close to the cutting gate, but don't contact it. This is how it can go 10 years without sharpening. No contact. Quiet and easy to push. It does cut well. Makes a nice sort of scissoring sound.

For me, who hates lawns and doesn't find time to mow every week, I just couldn't do it anymore. After three years, I just bought an electric mulching mower. I don't mow often enough, my yard is just too bumpy, and I have so many other projects to do that take precedence over my lawn.

If your yard is smooth and you are willing to mow often and take twice as long when you do, it will work great. I do love the lack of fumes and noise.

If anybody is in the Twin Cities, MN metro and wants to buy a Sunlawn MM-1 with three summers on it, PM me!

*edit* Rant: I hate the idea of a manicured lawn. We waste so much water on grass and use so many chemicals that end up polluting lakes, streams, etc. (I just let it turn brown and weedy) I see mowing as a necessary evil. I'd like to turn my yard into just plantings of perennial native plants.

Grass selection is important, which why I recommend low-maintenance, drought-resistant crab grass. Yes, choose crab grass and your green, carefree lawn will be the envy of your neighborhood.

Oh man, that stuff has been slowly taking over our lawn for the last 10 years...

I have ordered 13 scythes for use on the fincas. We currently use weed whackers but we are going to switch over. A good scythe is as fast as a weed whacker, and doesn't take fuel, and is much nicer to use - as long as you keep them sharp.

Here are the people I am buying from. Very interesting site, and good people. Our workers are very interested in the idea. Use a comercial weedwhacker for 6 to 8 hours a day and you will know why...

My Source for Scythes (http://www.scytheconnection.com)

Oh man, that stuff has been slowly taking over our lawn for the last 10 years...

It's no use trying to smoke it. Just saying.

The sweet thing on a scythe, if the grass gets long, it doesn't matter. The motion is very Tai Chi like it seems. Might be good for me to do an hour a day or so to get back a youthful waistline... :lol:

I hate doing excercise for excercise sake, this just might be the ticket.

It's no use trying to smoke it. Just saying.

You speaking from experience? :lol:

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Farm%20Fog/Farm-Fog-Pano-II.jpg

Too much yard for a reel mower to be practicable for me. We use self guided, bovine mowers. Bit smelly, but they are cheep to run, polluting though.


Yeah, with a yard that big you'd be mowing until the cows come home.

(Sorry. Someone had to say it. It's not easy being Doolally sometimes.)

I can't promote reel mowers enough.

First, I dislike 2-stroke engines with a passion. There's NOTHING that can ruin a nice weekend like a neighbor trying to get their lawn mower to keep running...the smoke, the noise, AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaargh! :crash::crash::crash:

:notamused:

Second, it's not that hard to mow with a reel mower, and it's great exercise. I have had my reel mower, bought used, 8 years ago. It works great, as long as you keep it adjusted properly.

I've heard Brills are nice. As are Scotts. American makes Craftsman, which is what I have. It too works great.

I live just south of you. Until this year, I've never had it adjusted properly. In previous years, I had to mow twice a week, and couldn't mow if it got too long. It got so long once that had to ask a friend to mow with the gas engine.

This year, I took my mower to a mom-and-pop lawn mower place in Ballard. Best $35 I ever spent. The lawn was 3 weeks long mid-March when I got the mower back from the shop, and, mowing that lawn was like cutting butter with a hot knife. I was giggling with joy, it was so amazingly smooth and effortless compared to the unadjusted mower. Now that it's adjusted properly, I don't have to worry if the lawn gets too long.

The shop said it should stay adjusted for 3 years. That's less than $15 per year maintenance.

FWIW, I have 0.25 acres, very approximately 1/2 in grass. I can mow my yard in 40 minutes.

[edit:] I just read your comment on American mowers. Yes, heavy, but, it works, it was cheap, and I don't mind the exercise, and I can go 2 weeks w/o mowing, if I have to.

It's not good to mow stones, with any kind of mower. My mower is currently cutting through more stick than it did when unadjusted. It still doesn't cut Doug Fir cones.

I forgot to mention: www.peoplepoweredmachines.com was probably the most useful website I looked at. A lot of information there.

Thanks for the link; this is great.

FlowerBlossom, I find it very encouraging to hear your story about how well a reel mower worked for you, with Western Washington grass. I am giving serious consideration now to buying one of the Brill models.

care to drop the shop's name that did you proud?

$265 is a lot of money. I recently had to buy a lawnmower and I went electric. I don't regret the decision in the least. I did think about a reel mower.

Reel mowers are not good at taking down tall grass and weeds. They will roll over them and just sort of push them over.


I did some Googling and learned that manual reel mowing is considered a viable option if your yard is relatively flat, under about 7500 square feet and does not have sticks or stones to get caught in the blades. There are some grasses in the Southern USA that are sufficiently thick as to not be a good candidate for a reel mower. The grass up here in Western Washington would seem to work.

The websites that sell the manual reel mowers emphasize that current technology is far more lightweight, easier to push, and some brands (Brill and SunLawn) can go for 8-10 years without re-sharpening since the reel does not contact the bedknife. It does sound pretty different from that old Scott's mower.

The Brill and SunLawn brands are mentioned most consistently as being the best. I am seeing a lot of posts from people recommending against the American Lawnmower brands sold at the big box hardware stores. They seem to be heavier, are not built as nice and require annual sharpening. The Brill model that I saw was selling for $ 265, although I see on the web several vendors selling it for about $ 20-30 less with free shipping.

We re-landscaped our yard about 5 years ago, increasing the size of the garden and shrinking the size of the grass. We ended up with so little grass I felt ridiculous owning a power mower so I ditched it for a manual reel mower.

Best thing I ever did!

I used to dread mowing -- especially the noise; wrestling with the bulky power mower; getting gasoline on my hands; smelling the smoke. I always seemed to get dirty when I mowed one way or another and felt hot and sweaty afterwards.

But with my reel mower I can just yank it out into the grass and start cutting. I *especially* like the lack of noise. It doesn't cut as neatly as a power mower, but that's likely because I'm not very good about keeping the mower sharp enough (I ought to go take care of that....).

I should have switched years ago...

I bought a reel mower in 94, after my older boy killed the gas mower for the 3rd time. Spent $100, and, remembering using one as a kid - thought "that will teach him not to pick stuff up before mowing!". NOT. What it taught him was the kids aged 3 to 6 LOVE to push that darn thing, and they don't mind picking up stuff off the lawn, and babysitting PAYS. The lawn DID look great, tho.

On some of the reel mower websites, they make a point of saying that the Brill and SunLawn machines turn out to have a lower cost of ownership since you don't have to get the annual sharpening. You can buy the Brill for $ 240 or the SunLawn for $ 170 with no annual service costs for 10 years, or you can buy the Scotts for $ 130 and pay $ 30-50 per year to have it sharpened and adjusted. So after a few years, the total cost of ownership for some brands will exceed the initial higher cost for the Brill and SunLawn. I have seen a lot of recommendations for the SunLawn models as having the no-contact reel knife system as the Brill, and therefore representing the more cost-effective option.

Interesting topic! I used a now-forgotten brand bought from the BORG (big orange retail giant) in the 1980's or early 90's. One definitely needs to rake the fallen twigs and such stuff first. My yard at the time was also huge and not very level, so I mostly used the manual mower on the flat front yard. The grass was St. Augustine, which is not the best for a manual reel-type mower, but it is feasible if cut often, and the area covered with two passes from differing directions. I presently use an electric mulching mower, and have such a tiny yard that is mostly tree-covered, and therefore constantly littered with fallen twigs, so there is little reason to buy a manual mower, but if I ever again have a large, level yard, I will almost certainly get another reel-type manual mower.

http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Farm%20Fog/Farm-Fog-Pano-II.jpg

Too much yard for a reel mower to be practicable for me. We use self guided, bovine mowers. Bit smelly, but they are cheep to run, polluting though.

When we were kids my sister raised a lamb each spring for a 4H project. I wish she'd done a steer instead. They eat more grass.

I hate mowing lawns and refuse to do it.

Mowing would mean I'd been "domesticated". F-that.

Fixed gear, 2-speed blender, black coffee, manual lawn mower.....
I like the simple life.

The college kids down the street let their yard get about a foot tall before they mowed it. Last weekend I saw them out attacking it with an older-looking push reel mower. It looks hideous now. :roflmao:

Another option for a small yard is an electric mower. The cord is a minor hassle, but if you get busy for a week in the spring and find the grass getting too tall for the push-reel type, it will handle it better. Quieter and cheaper than gas, too.

they're still burning gas or coal or whatever down at the local power plant to run your electric lawnmower, w/ a 50% transmission loss before the power even gets to you...

Couldn't AllenG whip up a cycle-mower? Maybe out of bamboo (appropriately, a grass)?

That would seem to solve several problems--higher revolution speeds would provide a cleaner cut. You could ride the thing around like your fat neighbors on their lawn tractors. And, you could hook up a device to produce that annoying power mower whine.

http://bikehugger.com/photostream/culture/lawn_mower-photo.jpg

http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=lawn%20mower%20bike&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

http://bikehugger.com/photostream/culture/lawn_mower-photo.jpg

http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=lawn%20mower%20bike&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

:lol: Mower hell, I want that thing for my commuter!

they're still burning gas or coal or whatever down at the local power plant to run your electric lawnmower, w/ a 50% transmission loss before the power even gets to you...

Is it any better if your power is hydroelectric?

Is it any better if your power is hydroelectric?

I guess, if you don't mind killing salmon and other fish

I guess, if you don't mind killing salmon and other fish

They do make good lawn fertilizer.

get 'em while you can

I love my reel mower! I got mine in 2003 and have been happily snipping the tops off my grass ever since.

No problem starting it...it goes when I push it. The mower is never out of gas half way through the job. Plugs/Oil/Air Filter and $4.00 gas for my yard? No Thanks.

Downside: You MUST mow more often, and reel mowers hate twigs(what Rex G said).

they're still burning gas or coal or whatever down at the local power plant to run your electric lawnmower, w/ a 50% transmission loss before the power even gets to you...

Typically only around 30% loss actually (Wikipedia says less than 10%, but I think that was misinterpreted by the editor and isn't the whole system loss). And the motor on the mower is around 90% efficient, while those little Briggs and Straton's probably run around 20% efficiency, and only that high because they're two stroke.

In this area, half the electricity comes from hydroelectric dams, mostly lower river dams with good fish ladders. In other parts of the country, around 20% comes from nuclear power.

Plus electricity is cheaper per kW-hr than gasoline.