Push Reel Mowers: The Green (and cheaper) Way to Mow Your Lawn
Ranked #12,422 in Home & Garden, #203,597 overall
Get Ready For Summer With A Reel Mower
Using a push reel mower is a smart way to save money, take better care of your lawn and help improve the environment.
Today's reel mowers are lighter and easier to use than ever before. They make a great alternative to gas or electric mowers, especially if you have a small yard.
The next time your power mower breaks down or the price of gas rises...consider getting a reel mower.
Today's reel mowers are lighter and easier to use than ever before. They make a great alternative to gas or electric mowers, especially if you have a small yard.
The next time your power mower breaks down or the price of gas rises...consider getting a reel mower.
Advantages and Benefits of Using a Reel Mower
- Good For The Environment - Reel mowers run on people power. There's no use of fossil fuels to pollute the environment.
- Quiet - No loud noise to wake your neighbors or frighten your pets. You can have a conversation or listen to music while you mow the grass.
- Better For Your Lawn - The scissor like action of the blades cuts the grass cleanly which is healthier than the hacking done by a regular lawn mower blade. A reel mower leaves the clippings on the lawn which acts as a natural fertilizer for your lawn.
- Low Maintenance - No oil changes, no tune-ups, no trouble starting after the winter. Sharpen the blades every couple years, spray a little WD-40 on it occasionally and you're set.
- Cheaper - You can purchase a high quality reel mower for less than the cost of a low end gas mower. Plus you'll save on fuel and maintenance costs every year.
- Good For You - Pushing the mower provides you with light exercise free of breathing in the exhaust fumes of a gas mower. Your ears will appreciate the quiet.
- Less Space Needed To Store - Reel mowers are less bulky than a gas or electric mower. Lean it up against a wall and it's out of your way.
- No Blast Of Debris - Unlike a power mower which can hurl rocks, sticks and clippings out the side, your reel mower will just calmly snip the grass as you walk along.
Did You Know?
"One hour of lawn mowing with a gas-powered lawn mower produces as much pollution as driving your car for four hours."
Source: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
20 Inch Push Reel Mowers
18 Inch Push Reel Mowers
Do you own a reel mower?
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16 Inch Push Reel Mowers
14 Inch Push Reel Mowers
Things to Consider Before Buying
- Not As Good Cutting Tall Grass - When your grass gets to be 4" or higher the mower will have a tougher time cutting consistently and you may need to make multiple passes. Mowing frequently will help avoid this.
- Best For Smaller Yards - Using a reel mower can take a little more time than a power mower. Most experts advise using a reel mower if your lawn area is less than 4000 square feet.
- Tougher To Get A Manicured Look - Depending on the height of your grass, you may need to make multiple passes or increase the overlap of each pass in order to get that "manicured" look to your lawn.
What is your favorite feature of reel mowers?
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Reel Mower Accessories
Sharpening kits and other accessories for your new reel mower.
Reel Mower Manufacturers
- American Lawn Mower Company
- American has been in the lawn mower business since 1895 and also manufactures the Great States line of mowers.
- Sunlawn
- A company founded to make environmentally friendly lawn care products.
Reel Comments
What do you think of reel mowers? What convinced you to buy (or not buy) a reel mower?
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SquidJigger
Jun 1, 2011 @ 10:36 am | delete
- I love mine so much, I made a lens about it! I'm surprised they're not more popular, with all the environmentally conscious people out there.
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livingfrontiers
May 13, 2011 @ 8:58 am | delete
- Mowing in the morning, with a wet lawn, and taking your time between sips of coffee...bliss in your yard!
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BizGuides
Dec 23, 2010 @ 7:58 am | delete
- I'd buy an old Billy Goat instead!
I had to mow as a kid about an acre with an old, old, old, ...did I say old push mower.
If,...mind you, if you do not keep those blades sharp,...buy the goat!
I do not know many people who can sharpen them let alone a basic knife.
You must have a very well raked yard...must!
The list goes on.....I need a drink!
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Mac33
Dec 23, 2010 @ 7:31 pm | delete
- A goat will do the job...but it'll require clean up and will eat more than just the grass.
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BizGuides
Dec 27, 2010 @ 6:49 pm | delete
- That may not be a bad thing! Think Green.
Naturally processed fertilizer.
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TommyTexas
Nov 5, 2009 @ 12:26 pm | delete
- I just ordered one for my medium size lawn. I'm looking forward to the exercise and getting rid of my pollution belching gas mower; look for it on craigslist.
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CCGAL
Apr 16, 2009 @ 11:09 am | delete
- Nice lens! I was pleased to see you told both sides of the story, because using a reel mower is difficult if your grass grows fast and you have a lot of yard and not a lot of time. I've tried more than once to maintain a large lawn with just a reel mower, and have failed miserably each time. However - that said, it's great exercise, pushing a reel mower, and if you have to take a walk for your heart anyway, why not make your walk back and forth over your lawn 3x week with a reel mower? Solve 2 problems at once!
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Brooks
Apr 8, 2009 @ 8:13 pm | delete
- I actually enjoy mowing with a reel mower. Gas and electric, a chore. Keep electric mower for mulching leaves and REALLY tall grass.
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Graceonline
Feb 22, 2009 @ 9:51 pm | delete
- If we have to have carpets of lawn, the push reel mower makes sense, and you can't beat the exercise.
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TheGreenerMe
Dec 29, 2008 @ 9:31 am | delete
- I could use a push reel mower workout once in a while. Nice work!
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by Mac33
Mac33
I enjoy yard work but am tired of the noise, pollution and cost of my gas powered mower. It's time to consider a reel mower.
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Fiskars 18 inch 5 Blade Reel Mower
Fiskars 6201 18-Inch StaySharp Max Push Reel Lawn Mower
Amazon Price: $174.99 (as of 02/16/2012)
The 2010 winner of Popular Mechanics Green Design award. This reel mower has a cutting height range of 1 - 4 inches and is highly rated by Amazon customers.
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