Lawn Mower Supplies

Review by Micheal Albert "Big Al" : My new best friend

Reviewing 5 minutes after its inaugural mow. It takes about 5-10 minutes to set-up. There are 8 bolts that attach the handle pieces together and two cotter pins that hold in the assembled handle to the cutting-unit which comes fully assembled. I read the previous reviews, and they convinced me to purchase this over an electric reel mower. Glad I took their advice. This baby mows very well, true one pass cutting and that was the biggest surprise. I live in the Pacific Northwest and my yard is 50% moss, and with my old Leave-it-to-Beaver-Reel-Mower I was forced to cut very high and in multiple passes. The Fiskars ate the moss up at the 1" level. Parts of my yard look like a shaved chia pet. I was pushing and it was spitting out gobs of moss. Another review said it, and he is correct, the Fiskars makes mowing really fun. I was hoping my neighbors would come outside so I could show them- my guess is that there will be many orange mowers in my neighborhood before summer's end.

Review by JBS : Glad I took the leap and didn't buy into the negative reviews.

After looking at local stores and learning there is none in the KC Metro area, I decided to order from Amazon. We have Prime and it only cost $3.99 for overnight shipping! We got it yesterday and it took me about 20 minutes to get it out of the box, read the directions and have it up and 'running.' The manual states it only takes an 11mm wrench, but I found that using a 10mm wrench on the bolt and an 11mm wrench on the nut helps to tighten it down snuggly. We used it today to mow most of our 1/4 acre lot for the first time of the spring. It did great! Due to it being the first mowing, we ended up going both ways in order to catch all of the sneaky blades that popped up after we walked by. Through some trial and error, and reading the directions, you do need to walk 'briskly' as the manual says. And no, certain weeds and types of grass don't get cut. After using it I will need to tighten the handle bolts down again and maybe use some locktite. The manual stated not to tighten them too tight to avoid stripping, and I didn't get them quite tight enough. the $200 we spent on this Fiskars mower would be our fuel bill on our older gas engine mower it replaced for the year. We also thoroughly enjoyed the lack of noise (just a slight 'whirring' noise) and ease of use. Pros: Cost, Ease of Use, Lack of Fuel, Lack of Noise, Exercise Cons: Certain weeds and grasses not cut, Small cut width, No bagging capabilities Only 4 stars given due to the cons....not everything is perfect.... I WILL recommend it too EVERYONE

Review by Andrew Simon : Best mower I have used

I have had several reel mowers (scott's, etc.) and found the Fiskar momentum to be the best by far. I have used it for two seasons and it continues to roll easily and cuts evently with little effort. It is heavier than other reel mowers and slightly less maneuverable due to the 4-wheel design. It is perfect for my small, flat yard and my grass is very healthy. Highly recommended.

Review by P. Benda : exercise, environment, and economy

We Americans like optimized solutions for singular, discrete problems. This isn't one of those items. By contrast, this device scores big by addressing a combination of multiple, disparate issues really well: it cuts your grass about as well as a gas-powered push mower, it's clean environmentally, it's safe, you get a good workout (probably better than a regular gas-powered mower, and much better than a self-propelled gas mower), and it's economical. At the risk of repeating what many others have already stated in their reviews: 1-This may not be the complete solution for mowing: (a) if your grass is too high, you may need to borrow your neighbor's gas mower to get it down to size for the first mowing; (b) because it only mows when it's moving, it won't trim as closely to walls and around trees when you slow down and/or stop, versus the gas mower that keeps spinning as you nudge it closer/ around obstacles; so: plan on buying a string trimmer (I bought the Earthwise ST00015 6.25 amp Electric String Trimmer, which is ok but not great) to do extra clean up; i only trim on every 2nd or 3rd week so it doesn't take on a life of itself (c) Gas mowers create a vortex inside (due to the spinning blades) which (in my experience) sucks air in and acts like a vacuum; for the first mowing of the year, or after a strong wind, when mulch chips, leaves and twigs are in the grass, the gas mower will suck them up and mulch them, and this mower won't do that, so you may want to borrow a gas mower for that first mow in the spring, or after a storm. 2-if you have uneven terrain, it's helpful to mow thicker grass going downhill so that your momentum is sustained by the slope; 3-the mower spews cut grass ahead of itself, and slightly to the left; if you mow the left edge of grass, this will result in the cut grass going more into the already-cut lane, rather than into the lane that you will be cutting next time. 4- I thought I wouldn't like the handle bar, but it works well, and I can step into it with my torso when I need some extra push 5- The cut grass looks as good as a gas mower, but a bit different. Where gas mowers may leave grass a little uneven across the mowing lane, this mower tends to mow evenly but will leave a few blades standing here and there; I take a few minutes to run over stray blades after the main mowing, then the grass looks as well-mowed as any gas mower. Because a reel mower cuts the blades of grass, while a gas mower rips/ shears the grass, the reel mower leaves the lawn looking more finished upon close inspection (the tops of the blades aren't as ripped up). The clean cut is also supposed to be better for the grass. 6- The mower will leave tracks where the wheels push/ bend the grass down. Unlike a gas mower, the wheels have to push into the grass to get traction to turn the cutting blades; the higher the grass, the more traction it needs. So cutting higher grass results in more pronounced tracks. The traction wheels (the big ones) are behind the cutting blades, so grass is bent down generally after it has already been cut. I really love this device for getting exercise. Instead of relying on personal motivation to go to the gym once or twice a week, the growing grass forces me to go out and do it. The mowing takes no longer than with a gas mower (I paced myself against my neighbor, whose lawn is about the same size...<1/6 acre), but there is more physical effort involved (depending on how fast your grass grows). To mow effectively with this device, you need to maintain a steady walking pace. You get an aerobic workout, and it builds upper body strength. Why buy a club membership (or a P90X DVD) and pay a lawn service at the same time? It's far safer than a gas mower (no unstoppable torque behind the spinning blades, no gas fumes, no extra container of flammable substance in the garage, the blades stop when you do). There's no startup and clean-up is faster than with a gas mower (I wipe dry each of the five blades with my gloved fingers after each mowing, and then spray the blades with WD40 for rust prevention). I'm sure the useful life is at least as long as that of a gas mower, and I anticipate little or no maintenance costs, and no cost for fuel, oil, and filter. The environmental impact of gas mowers is very high, this mower has no impact. I rate this 5 stars not because it's absolutely the best grass mower, but because it's a pretty good grass mower that is excellent environmentally and from a health standpoint. This mower also has features that may make it superior to other brands of reel mowers, but I cannot offer a side-by-side comparison.

Review by Griffin : exaclty what I was asking for

I have had no problems with this mower at all and have even cut grass in damp conditions on a sloped lawn. Does it cut grass that is above six inches? not well, but I knew that going in, so I can't blame the mower for me not getting off my back end in time. I like the fact that it goes as fast as I can. I will often sprint back up a hill or across my lawn with clippings flying in the breeze. I probably look silly, but it's fun. This is not a mower for someone who is thinking about a little extra exercise and knows they will give up, as the mower will end up replaced by something powered. Now, if your lawn is flat, this would be a easy. Since I have no flat lawn at all on a half acre, it adds a little more spice to the game. I did find that I could cut the tall straggling bits of grass by lifting the front end off the ground and running through my lawn, since the blade spins by motion from the back wheels. Though it's much better to mow the lawn before this becomes needed. I do not do double passes as long as I mow the grass regularly. Pros: 1. Cuts cleanly if adjusted properly and the grass isn't too tall. 2. Good exercise. 3. a lot of fun. 4. looking silly sprinting across the lawn. 5. No gas, fumes or noise pollution. 6. Projected lower maintenance. 7. I can hang it on my garage wall. Cons: 1. takes longer than powered mower. 2. see 2 and 4 above. 3. recovery time from sprinting with it. 4. people who like to use a laser level to check their grass height may be disappointed. 5. Any mower where a person walks can be harder on joints, especially if you are putting more force into the mow. 6. frustrating in an area with a lot of obstacles because stopping and starting as well as clipping at low speed is tougher. I gave it five stars for being exactly what I was expecting.

Review by Sarah : Workout while mowing the lawn

I definitely would NOT recommend this for everyone. Do see the significant downsides I list as well as my reasons for giving it 5 stars. [See updates below for the reason I am now giving it only 4 stars.] I chose this mower because I hate the sound and smell of gas mowers, and I have no idea how to tune an engine or change a spark plug, and did not want to be bothered with filling the tank and changing the oil and so on. I have nothing against gas mowers, and am not the eco type, so my decision to buy this was nothing to do with any alleged environmental benefits. I have used an electric mower in the past and did not have any problem not running over the cable, but that was in a smaller lawn. In the case of my current lawn, an electric mower seemed really not very practical for me because I have an acre, and although at least half of that is not lawn, it seemed very daunting to think about how long an extension cable I would need, and I think it might have been difficult to get around all the trees and beds here without getting the cables tangled up. I rejected the battery-powered mower idea because apparently they are very heavy, and I'd have to charge the battery, and it probably wouldn't be enough charge for me to mow the whole lawn, and so on. A reel mower, to me, seemed like a better option, because there is less to go wrong and less technical knowhow is needed to operate and maintain it. It is a simpler beast. I found the videos of this mower in use very persuasive. It looked so easy, quiet and pleasant to use, and, well, more interesting than the other reel mowers available. I did once try another reel mower and it didn't really work at all well. This one does actually mow the lawn. If you have a very flat, bowling green like lawn, I think this mower would be beyond compare. It is quiet and very pleasant to use on long flat runs. I mowed my lawn at 5.30am recently without disturbing anyone. However, if, like my lawn, yours is hilly, full of landscaped fiddly bits, and not perfectly even, or if you have huge numbers of tall pine trees dropping pine cones and debris, or if you have clay soil that makes part of your lawn waterlogged a lot of the time, as I do, and you don't have the time to check that your grass is thoroughly dry and only mow when it is dry, this may not be the best choice. Despite the fact that all these reasons not to buy this mower apply to my lawn, I still would still choose to buy this mower again if I had had the chance to try it on my lawn before I bought it. For a start, I think the challenges of my lawn would be challenging with any other mower. Part of the reason I bought this mower was that the lawn service I was using was damaging my lawn by mowing when it was wet, and even when they used a gas push mower rather than a ride-on one, it still damaged it. Why pay $50/week for someone to damage my lawn and no doubt bring my lawn diseases and weeds? Do note that this mower is not light. I personally like working out, and I use this mower to get a low-intensity aerobic workout. It gives me great pleasure to mow the lawn and get a free workout and save $50 all at the same time. If you have no desire to workout, then unless you have a simple flat lawn like the one depicted in the videos demonstrating this mower, my advice is to get a self-propelled mower of some kind. The workout I get from using this to mow my hilly, complicated lawn is really quite good, because it uses my legs, core, and upper body, shoulders and arms (a bit like the VersaClimber, costing thousands of $$$!). It is a bit of a drag to turn the mower around at the end of each run, unless you think of that as part of the workout benefit of this mower, as I do, but again, that applies to many other mowers too, not just this one. When the lawn service was mowing my lawn, they would mow it in the same way each time, the easiest, quickest way, rather than taking the trouble to mow it in straight lines parallel to the house one week and perpendicular to the house the next. It is better for the lawn, and looks much nicer, to change directions each time you mow. If I were to mow the lawn the easiest, quickest way instead, it would be a lot easier with this mower, but even doing it the obsessively neat way I do it, it is still very doable for me. I have tall fescue grass that an expert told me needs to be cut at 3.5 inches. Apparently many mowers can't do that. This one can. I do wonder whether it might be easier to mow if I kept the grass shorter, like on the videos I've seen demonstrating this mower, but on the other hand, with all the pine cones littering my lawn, keeping the cutting height high may be a good idea for times when I don't notice a pine cone and mow straight over it, as has happened many times without any problem. I go around after mowing and clip the few tall grass weeds that have been missed by the mower. Again, I think it is a mistake to think that other mowers would handle those tough tall bits better. Certainly the lawn service mowing left a few tall uncut stems, and they were using professional equipment. Call me strange (as my neighbours do!) but I still really like this lawn mower, and actually enjoy mowing the lawn for the first time ever in my life. I am very glad I chose this one despite everyone having told me it would be a huge mistake to get a reel mower. UPDATE: I recently left the lawn uncut for longer than usual, and many very tall (like 9 inches or more) tall tough stalks were left uncut by the mower. I went around the whole lawn manually cutting all the long tough uncut stems, and it took me the best part of the afternoon to do it, and I was beginning to think maybe the lawn service wasn't such a bad idea after all!! However, the next couple of times I came to mow, there were only a few tall stalks to cut manually and it was easy. I have concluded that it is quite important to cut weekly or more and be sure not to ignore any tall tough stalks left after mowing, if you want to keep the lawn under control and you are keeping the lawn long (3-4 inches). Finally, while it took me three sessions to mow the lawn the very first time I used the mower, my grass-cutting fitness has apparently improved, because I can now do the whole lawn including manually cutting the tall tough stems in one session that is not too long. It certainly takes a lot longer than the lawn service take to do it, but it is really not too bad, and it is still fun to use this mower. I love the way the grass shoots out the front, and dances in the wind if there is wind. Several friends have offered to GIVE me their mowers, but I (still!) prefer this one even to a free high-quality self-propelled gas one! It is strangely satisfying. FURTHER UPDATE: I just want to mention, for the benefit of anyone thinking of buying this mower, that the problem identified by some who have given this mower a bad review (one star, for example) is true. It really doesn't cut the tall tough bendy stems. I am currently experimenting with different possible solutions for this problem and will update again when I find a good solution. Currently, I am cutting my grass almost twice a week, and manually cutting those tall stems every time I mow. I do find that if I mow twice a week, changing the direction (from parallel to the house to perpendicular to it, for example) that the mowing is much easier and few tall stems are left uncut. But if I leave it a week, it is a bit of a disaster. I do one straight row, then turn the mower round and do the next row, using the wheel track left by the previous row. This of course leaves whatever was under the wheel tracks uncut, but I tried mowing between rows and it did not really help because the grass had been flattened under the wheel track so still wasn't cut, and doing that made it take longer too. So I minimise the wheel tracks by using the same track in the next row of mowing, then the next time I mow, a few days later, I go perpendicular to the previous mowing tracks to get the grass uncut in the previous mowing but which has by then risen again. This seems to work well as long as I mow twice every 3 or 4 days or so. But there are still some tall stems. I have now bought a string trimmer for those times when serious cleanup of tall tough stems is needed after mowing. I do wonder, though, whether my grass is unusually fast growing and tough compared to other grass. I have never seen anything like the tall stems that shoot up in my current lawn. Despite the need for a string trimmer to trim the uncut stems I STILL like this mower, and STILL would choose it over a gas, electric or battery-powered one, but when I fail to mow for a whole week I do start to question my decision to give up the $50/week lawn service! But apart from the tall stems this mower does do a really good job. I LOVE the look of the neatly-cut rows of grass. I am reducing my rating to 4 stars because the tall uncut stems problem does now seem quite significant, but I still don't feel remotely inclined to switch to another mower, even one of the ones my friends want to give me for free. FURTHER UPDATE: When my parents were visiting recently, my father took a look at the mower and he said it was a miracle that it was cutting anything at all: the blades were not connecting at all. He said the only way it can have been cutting anything was by ripping leaves of grass as I was running behind the mower. Now that he has made the adjustments (actually easy to do, and he said I should re-adjust it REGULARLY) the mower is less silent than before (more of a chugging noise) but it cuts like a dream. When I heard the chugging noise as my father checked his adjustments before handing it over to me, I was worried that it would be harder to push and that the blades would get worn down. In fact, to my astonishment, even though my father had reduced the cutting height to 2 inches, it was EASIER to push than before, and the grass is being cut into much shorter little pieces somehow. My father said that blades do get worn down, and that there is no way around that if you want a cutting device like this to work, and he said that the same would be true for all other lawn mowers, not just this one. So glad I got this one! I bought an electric leaf blower and already the extension cable has a large gash in it, and I find I am not using it because of the tediousness of hauling out the extension lead each time. So glad I didn't get an electric mower. I am tempted to put my review back up to 5 stars again!

Review by Mary A. Wheeler : Not at thrilled as I hoped

I have used reel mowers for some time. Formerly I had a smaller one and I needed to cover more area, so I bought this one last year. It is expensive for a reel mower, but I read the great reviews and figured it would be worth it. It is a well-made item, but we haven't had the great experience some others had. The mower pushes easily and cuts lower grass well, but even set high it doesn't do higher grass and it just pushes down the tall weeds like dandelions. The worst part for me is that we don't get the 18" mowing width I was looking forward to. The sides push down the grass and leave only a narrow actual cutting width. This annoys my teenage son so much that he actually went back to using the older 16" mower. I still use this one myself, but I agree it mows a super-narrow strip and you have to overlap the strips or you end up with stripes of tall grass. The first few times this happened we couldn't figure it out, but now I know I have to overlap by a couple of inches (which further narrows your mowing area).

Review by andrkuc : For all the trouble we were told we'd have, it was a breeze!

We got our Fiskars reel mower at Lowe's (same price, easier to return if need be), and are completely satisfied with it. Even though I put the handle on upside down (which made it difficult), the mower cut just fine. We moved into a house with a backyard full of 4-6" weeds, which it took easily. It seemed to do better on the thicker, denser ones than the little, lonely weeds. Sure, you have to re-run some rows to make sure everything gets cut, but to not have to figure out the mechanics of the mower and not use gas/electricity, it was definitely worth it. And take note - if you have a yard with pinecones, debris, or those dreaded sweet gum seeds, this mower is for you--it runs right over them, without them getting caught in the workings or getting thrown to the side, like a regular mower would! BIG advantage in my book. We have about 1/3 acre, it took me about 40 minutes. Setting up the mower took about 5 minutes--all you need is a wrench and a pair of pliers, the instructions are pretty easy to understand.

Review by Shannon Matteson : An excellent choice!

Forgive the length of this review - it is intended to be what I was looking for (comprehensive information) before I bought my own.If you're paying attention and have the right wrench, it shouldn't take more than about 5 or 10 minutes to assemble. Adjusting the blades takes another five minutes. Then you can start playing with it. I say playing because this isn't work. It's too much fun to be work. Strange, but true.I learned quickly that the ease with which it is pushed through and cuts grass depends proportionately on how much of that grass's height you cut at one time. Reviews and research say that you should never cut more than 1/3rd the grass's height at a time. They tell you it's for the health of the grass. It is also for the health of the person pushing the mower. Get the mower set too low, and it's not very easy (or fun) to push. Get it set too high, and it's super easy, but nothing happens. Get it set just right, and there's light resistance, and it's going to town.A good idea is to set it to cut off between 1/2" and 1/3rd of the total grass height for the first pass, whichever is more. Then keep lowering the cutting height 1/2" to 1" at a time and keep making passes until you get a lot of resistance pushing it when you lower it any further. Then, wait a couple days, and go out again and mow at the height you had trouble with previously. Keep doing this until your grass is where you want it. From there, it's a breeze to keep up with.I can't believe I was paying $70 a month to have someone come in and mow my lawn when I could have been using this. It's so simple and easy! Here's my assessment. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best:Is it easy to assemble? Yes. 9/10. Just follow the simple directions. The only way to make it easier would be to have it come pre-assembled, but they don't do that because it makes for a much smaller box if you assemble the handle yourself.Is the handle comfortable? Yes! 10/10. The design allows you to hold it in various different ways. I like holding it in such a way that I am gripping the vertical part of the handle, which is much more natural, comfortable and surprisingly, less fatiguing than a horizontal handle.Is it easy to adjust the blades for perfect cutting? Yes. 7/10. It might take some fine tuning and fiddling to get it just right, and I found this slightly confusing at one point. But when you see your lawnmower slicing paper cleanly without the blades touching, it's pretty impressive and well worth the effort. Which, by the way, you only have to make once a year. Is it easy to adjust the cut height? Ridiculously. 10/10. Just reach down and adjust a knob on the right side. It's not even hard to move the knob! No wrenches necessary. It literally takes about 3 seconds.Is it easy to adjust the handle height? Very. 9/10. (Just be careful not to drop the cotter pins when you're doing it.) You can adjust it super low for the very short, all the way up to comfortable for the very tall. I am 5'8" tall, and the recommended position 3 is where I like it. My 5 year old cousin can use it when it's set to Position 1. (Yes, it really is that easy to push when the grass isn't overgrown.)Is it easy to push? When adjusted properly for the height of the grass, yes. 9/10. Even if you are small framed and spend your life sitting at a computer doing nothing but typing, you will be able to use this mower fairly easily. The only exception will be if the mower is being pushed through a very deep carpet of grass, which its weight will make a bit more difficult to do because of a tendency to sink into the grass bed.Does it do a good job in one pass? Yes. 9/10. While you will get more grass that gets cut if you make a second pass, even at the same height, it's not necessary in most cases unless the grass was very tall to begin with. If the grass is more than 2 or 3" higher than the cutting height setting, but still low enough for the machine to mow, a second pass in the opposite or a perpendicular direction is worthwhile. The first pass does almost all the work. When I mowed my grandfather's 1 acre yard, I made one pass, period. He was very impressed with how well it cut through even the thick stuff in one pass, without needing a second pass at all. So was I.Does it cut tall weeds? Usually. 7/10. If the weeds are not more than about 6 to 8" taller than the cut height, and pointed in the right direction (usually straight up or toward the mower), it will usually cut them but may need multiple passes. Taller weeds should be pulled out by hand. I have been pleased with how well it handles 6 to 8" tall weeds in one pass even when set to cut at 1.25".Is it quiet? Yes. 9/10. It's nearly - but not quite - silent. Front wheels squeak some on mine. When the height is set properly, it can be somewhat louder than you might expect when going through thick spots. Almost silent going through thin spots, or during a second pass - unless you're mulching the previous pass's heavy clippings. I was able to mow an inch off my grass at 9:30 PM without any of my neighbors ever noticing.Is it a good workout? Yes. 10/10. Not effortless, and not too hard when properly adjusted, this mower will definitely make you work up a sweat (I was mowing in still 70 F air after dark and sweating a moderate amount), but at the same time, it also won't make you feel exhausted unless you have it set to cut too low. And because of how quiet it is, you can mow when it's cool. I have mowed my grass at night or in the evening on a few occasions, and it makes it much more comfortable to mow than in the heat of the day.Does it handle clippings well? Very. 9/10. The clippings might actually bog down the machine if the grass is thick and you try to cut too much off at once, or make too many passes in the same day while lowering the machine with each pass in overgrown grass. That's why it's suggested that you mow, wait a couple days and mow again a little lower: gives the clippings time to dissipate. As for dispersal, I can not tell where they go after mowing, except when they get in the driveway. They just... disappear. Literally. I love that.Do the blades stay sharp? Yes. 10/10. This mower will only require sharpening every 5 to 10 years, according to the company, but I am not sure I can see the blades needing sharpening in anything less than 8 years, after taking a close look at how this thing is made. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it went for a lifetime without needing sharpening.Is it good for large (1+ acre) lots? Yes. 7/10. If you are not trying to mow too much off in a day, and you don't mind spending some time mowing the grass and getting some exercise, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to mow multiple acres with this in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, the bigger your lot, the more obstacles, and the higher/thicker your grass, the longer it'll take. It took me about 75 minutes to mow my grandfather's 1 acre yard, which is 99% St. Augustine grass with a house and moderate number of obstacles. One acre a day at that rate, or maybe one in the morning and one in the evening, would make short work of even a four acre plot. But I can see where a riding mower would be popular with more than an acre, since you really need to mow once or twice a week to keep grass under control with a push mower.Is it fast? Yes! 9/10 I was very impressed with how quickly I was able to mow my yard. It happened so fast I was disappointed, because I was having so much fun doing it. In fact when I mowed my grandfather's lawn, he told me I finished his entire lawn faster with the Momentum than he could with his riding lawnmower, which very much surprised me.Is it maneuverable? Quite. 8/10 It's easy to maneuver, but the front wheels do not turn, so you have to lift them up to turn the machine on its back wheels. It does become a bit challenging at times when space is at a premium, such as next to a fence or in a corner, but it is no more difficult than any other push mower, powered or not.Is it good for edging? For a lawnmower, yes. 8/10 I haven't had any trouble with edging on concrete driveway edges when I overlapped the mower on the grass and the concrete. It's good along fences if you keep it straight and steady and keep the fence to your left. Then again, who tries to edge with a lawnmower? That's what weed eaters are for. I can trim the grass to within 2" of my fence without a problem as long as I keep the fence to the left and the mower straight.Does it handle different types of grass well? Yes! 10/10 I used it in several different types of grass and weed: Bahia, St. Augustine (Floratam, etc.), Zoisia, Crab Grass, and Bermuda grasses, as well as a type I cannot identify (wide, hairy leaves) and thick clover and dollarweed. It performed flawlessly in each. In fact it's even easier to use in healthy St. Augustine grass because that type of grass is stiffer, which makes for a perfect match to the scissor action of the mower. Is it fun to use? Yes! 10/10 So much fun that I mowed my own yard three times this week (during winter) and went over and mowed my grandfather's 1 acre yard. Then I mowed my uncle's yard, and snuck over to mow the back yard of the bank-owned house beside mine. It's probably more fun for me than it would be for most people because I work for myself, and I spend all my time in my office, so getting outside is a treat. Still, there's something strangely and endlessly satisfying about seeing the grass pour out the front and just disappear, all without much effort. Kids seem to enjoy using it too.Would I buy it again? Absolutely. 10/10.Is it a good value? Yes! 10/10. So far, I am very pleased with it's build and performance compared to what it cost me. Presuming that it lasts me only 10 years, it really only costs $20 a year to own. However, I fully expect that it will last something more like 80 years, making it's cost per year (if we factor in blade sharpening once every 10 years) about $5 per year. That means that if I cut my grass twice a week, it costs me 4.8 cents per cut over it's estimated lifespan of 80 years. Compare that to the $20 or $30 I was paying someone else per cut previously, and it's not exactly hard to see the value.Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely. 10/10. Get one for yourself, and start enjoying your lawn mowing. Seriously. I only wish I'd had this when I was a teenager!How does it compare to other push reel mowers? It is clearly the best-in-class. 10/10. The ever popular Scott's 20" (6/10) can't hold a candle to it. That mower is almost a nightmare to use, adjust and maintain in comparison, between the full-contact blades that make for more resistance, resharpening each year, more noise while mowing, problems with the handle and much less easy adjustment of the mower. The Brill RazorCut 38 (9/10) is a very good mower, and comes close, but is only about 15 inches wide. There is simply nothing that matches this mower in it's class.Bottom line: I'm not one to really much care how "green" a solution it is. The "green" movement is great and all, but has become too politically motivated in a lot of ways for my taste. I'm a pragmatist. What I like is that it's built well, works well, is easy to adjust, quiet, pleasant to use, does a good job, gets me out of the house, gets me some sunlight (when I mow during the day!) and good, but not unreasonable exercise, saves me a lot of time and money buying gas, danger from storing gas, cleaning from getting gas on me, time and money having the mower serviced, money paying someone else to come mow a 1/4 acre lawn with a riding lawnmower when the grass is only 2" tall to begin with, blah blah blah, yada yada yada. In short, it's a clearly superior solution from a purely practical point of view, whether you're thinking green or not.Do you want one? Yes you do. 10/10. Go git 'em.UPDATE 03-01-2011: I have learned that set to less than about 3" cut height, pinecones sometimes jam it. At 1.5" to 2", it starts catching larger sticks. At 1.25", it starts catching on smaller sticks and can nick standard garden hoses. At 1", it catches on acorns and will sometimes scalp your lawn if it's not perfectly flat. Places where cars park, in soft soil can become uneven like that. The most useful cutting heights seem to be between 1.5" and 2", unless the lawn is overgrown. Probably most people would be happiest with 2" cut height.Every time I use this thing, I love it more. I think the only way I could be happier with it is if it had been given to me for free.UPDATE 04-15-2011: Still thrilled. The amusement factor of using it has balanced out at "I'm cutting the grass", but when I do use it, it makes mowing the grass a truly relaxing experience. People stop and marvel, and nobody can believe how well it works. It's a great way to meet neighbors. I also find it more and more irritating when I hear my neighbors cutting their grass with gas powered mowers now. I wish they'd get a clue about reel mowers.UPDATE 07-05-2011: I have noticed that for my mower, the blades need adjustment back to optimal for cutting about every 2-3 months, not once a year as I was originally led to believe. They get too far apart and don't cut all the grass blades after that. This wouldn't be a problem, if I could find it easier to adjust. If the adjustment settings were numbered, perhaps it would be easier. As it is, finding a setting that cuts paper on both sides but does not make any contact with the stationary cutting blade is either next to impossible, or I'm thoroughly confused how to do it - which seems preposterous, since it should be pretty simple. I suspect the misalignment happens because of hitting sticks while mowing. Also, I'd like to see the height adjustment notches marked for what height they represent. Otherwise, it's still mowing my yard, my uncle's yard and my grandfather's yard like a champ.UPDATE 07-25-2011: I have concluded that the difficulties I was having with adjusting the blades were the result of me not reading the directions before attempting to adjust them. There are two bolts on either side that must be loosened before you adjust the cutting blades, which I was not loosening prior. Now it's set just right and cutting like a champ again, although I have two kinds of grass dominant in my yard and they prefer different cut heights, which is making things interesting.Update 11-07-2011: Just returned home from an unexpected 8 week journey, and found my grass was insane when I got back. I spent some time using this mower to the best of its ability, and it did cut some of the grass, but half the front yard was both ridiculously tall and of that one type of aggressive grass that resists this mower's cutting ability. To mow the majority of the lawn, only took multiple passes. I went across and back four times per swath and that handled the sane grass that was "just too tall". For the resistant grass, which I'll be sodding over soon, and the tall seed pods, I got out my electric weed whacker. I am really surprised how good a job this mower did with such an overgrown lawn, although I do use a special technique to help. You push it over an area, and then drag it backwards. Then some grass will be bent in half, and if you push forward that grass will get cut because of being bent by the mower going backwards. It has to be partially caught under the mower for this to work. Then repeat, repeat, repeat. It's not the fastest way, but it cuts grass much too tall to cut otherwise. Long story short, no borrowing a neighbor's gas mower - but it took a couple days of work with all that weed whacking the ditch area with that horrible new type of grass getting so much water.

Review by T. Jones "random guy" : I enjoy cutting the grass again

I've been using this mower for a few months and so far I've been loving it. No noise and no more fumes. Its nice to be able to cut the grass while talking on the phone or listening to music. I can cut the grass early in the morning before it gets hot without disturbing the neighbors. The mower adjusts from 1" to 4" so I can cut my fescue at 3-3.5" which is higher that my old gas mower could cut. This mower weighs around 35lbs or so, which makes it much heavier than other reel mowers on the market. However the flywheel and the extra heft allows you to easily push it through thick grass. It doesn't produce that perfect cut like a gas mower, so you will have a few stray blades that didn't get clipped, but it cuts the blades so cleanly that its almost like someone cut the grass with a pair of scissors :) I'm amazed at how well it cuts without stressing the grass. My old gas mower is forsale on craigslist and I don't think I'll ever own another gas mower. My yard is roughly 1/4 acre with a fairly steep hill in the back yard and it only takes about 10 mins longer to cut using this mower than my old gas mower. The only downside is that this mower doesn't handle overgrown grass very well. You will have to set it to its highest setting, and make multiple passes, so be sure to cut regularly. PROS: - No Noise - No fumes - Can cut higher than most gas mowers - Only reel market on the mower that can go as high as 4" - Adjustable handle to suit your height - Much lighter than a gas mower, so easier to push on inclines - Cuts grass into confetti/ribbon strips for easy grass-cycling - Transports easily (handle quickly detaches using 2 cotter pins) CONS: - Very difficult to cut overgrown grass - Difficult to cut wet grass. - No way to collect clippings which could be an issue if you have a lot of weeds. - Would be easier to turn and handle dips if rear wheels were larger. - Doesn't cut tall/bendy weeds well. They bend under the mower and pop back up. Spring 2011 Update: This mower has made me a victim of my own success. The yard looks better than ever but I now have to cut 3 times every 2 weeks to keep the grass in check, and if we've had rain, my tall fescue is on steroids and I get a real workout. My grass cutting time has increased as tall leggy weeds have popped up in the back yard. They bend and go under the blade and pop right back up. So I have to back up several times to get the head of the weed in the mower just right to cut it. My front yard has few weeds, so this isn't a problem. However its a real pain in the back yard. This will get better as the turf improves. However if you have more weeds than lawn, a reel mower might be very frustrating.