I've been under the weather the past week and have been in a bit of a funk. Hence the lack of blog entries this week. Nothing lifts my spirits like a new gadget/ toy to play with so my mood brightened considerably when my new push reel mower arrived via UPS from Amazon. Our old gas mower had given up the ghost and I had decided long ago that when the time came for a new mower we would go with a simple push mower and a little muscle to keep the yard in shape.
After surveying the stock at Home Depot and Lowe's I checked out the offerings on Amazon.com and settled on an 18 inch mower from Great States. The reviews were good and it offered the simplicity I wanted with the ability for height adjustment. It was a breeze to assemble, weighs just 27 pounds and is easy to store. Best of all there is no gas or oil to fill, no spark plugs or filter to replace and fewer things to break down which has been a constant issue in this household. It is quiet and instead of inhaling gas fumes I can enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass.
After assembly my son took it out for a spin around the yard and found it was really not any more difficult to push than our old, clunky mower. I will still have to use the weed eater for edges and tight spots but for the most part I was quite pleased with the results. We had to go over a few spots twice and you don't want to let your grass get too long as reel mowers are not suited for very tall grass. While not a manicured lawn by far, this mower produced a neatly cut yard with no more effort than our previous gas mower at a cost of just under $100 including shipping. Burn some calories, save some green and go green all in one shot. Happy Mowing!
I remember my dads old push mower-it weighed a ton. I hated it . But, I have had my eye on one of the new ones. Keep us posted on your thoughts several months into using it.
ReplyDeleteWe almost got a push mower but after some research found out our type of yard wouldn't work very well so we got an electric mower. It's awesome. No fumes, no oil, no gas. It's also very quite.
ReplyDeleteI've mowed a lot of grass with the push mowers, and by and large, they work just fine. Back when I used them, though, we didn't have thick farm-raised sod lawns and the yards were small. After extended use, you will find that they will need sharpening and fine tuning. The tension on the cutter blade against which the reel blades spin will have to be adjusted occasionally. Twigs and gravel and pine cones, etc. will jam it occasionally. And watch out for your toes when you reach down with your foot to spin the reel backwards to unjam it. And some of the stronger stemmed stuff like plantain stems won't cut so easily. But you keep at it my frugal, hardworking little ant friend.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sick of fighting with lawn mowers that I am sorely tempted by this. I'm scared though because we have 1/3 acre...eeeek...
ReplyDeleteWe made the jump to a push mower two years ago. It works great for what we have here. The Old Grey Egg is right...it does need maintenance...but at least it doesn't need gas or a spark plug!! All tools worth having need regular love and care!
ReplyDeleteHey - hope you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteHow's the lawn mower doing now? It's almost a year since. Hope all is well.
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