# Questions about Hand Push Reel lawn mowers



## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

So I think I have to get a mower soon as mine craped out on me last year and it would cost about $65 to fix it. So I can find a decent used one for less then that or I could do what Im thinking about and getting a Reel mower for about $90. I have less then a quarter acre to mow. So is this stupid? Would it just take too long for it to be worth it to save the gas and oil this year, {I think it would save about $100 or so this year which would be about $70 in savings}. I have never used one and just wanted to get your thoughts on it. My current mower is a small push mower so walking is a non issue.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

They suck! Used one when I was a kid. Personally, I'll spend the money fer a noisey one. Maybe why I hate mowin so much!


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Most suck, there are good ones but they tend to be $$$. I know some people who mow a huge yard with them, they say it is forced exercise. 
We use a variety of 4 legged self propelled models.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

cowboyhermit said:


> they say it is forced exercise.


If you work at a desk all day I would say there are certainly benefits in that respect, but I too had to use one growing up at home. It sucked! Every little stick in the yard would jam it. I'll stick with the power mower, chop up the sticks and sharpen the blade now and then.


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## Friknnewguy (Jun 30, 2012)

Had one as a kid , but we had a really small yard , wouldn't even consider it now .


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Work poorly on bumpy ground. Work very poorly if grass gets too tall.


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

OMG... I have one ....UNDER the shed...LOL! Ya wanna buy it? LOL...It is great if ya have a postage stamp size yard....


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

I have one and love it but I also have a very tiny yard.


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

Buy a good pair of scissors, it will be faster. I bought one years ago and a good one, guess I wanted to copy my grandfather......now that I think about it, he even went to a gas powered one....geesh. It was awful and I only tried using it on flat ground!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I think that mosquitomountainman and Gypsysue have and use one, you might PM them and get their input on it.

My grandparents had one when I was a kid, hated it when I had to mow their yard.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

They work best on level ground. You have to keep the grass short which means cutting it every couple of days during the rainy season. They are good exercise, very quiet, economical and if you have allergy problems, they stir up very little dust and pollen (for me that's a big plus!).

Get a good one. We have three. The two "antiques" work great. The new one is a cheap POS. We also have a power mower that we use if the grass gets too tall.


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I agree with mosquitomountainman in that the new ones are POS's! I was looking at Craftsman models the other day at sears and they are not what I would call quality! they start at about $130 here at sears in Hawaii but that is island price i am sure. I also seen that these have a little bag for catching grass on them, if you are composting this is a definite plus. I compost my grass clippings, leaves and sticks and whatever else gets cut up in my riding mower but we mow over an acre back home so that is a lot of compost making materials! 
In the fall I mow up the leaves with the grass, chops the leaves up into small pieces and mixes it nicely with the green grass, kind of like premixing compost as you are riding. The bags get emptied about 25 times every time the lawn is mowed, needless to say we have a compost hill now but the stuff coming out of the bottom of this "hill" is prime compost though! I was considering buying a manual push mower just in case go go juice gets more expensive or hard to find a SHTF scenario! Maybe storing some may be in my near future, gotta get off this Pacific rock first though!


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Yep, like MMM said, we have three and we use them on a large amount of yard. The bumpy parts are tougher, and if the grass gets too tall it's hard to mow. But other than that, they're wonderful. We often mow at the same time, and the peace and quiet is great. There's just the slight 'whirrr' as the blades spin. 

We also hand-trim with lawn shears, around the house and trees and stuff. Sure beats a noisy weed-wacker and getting splattered with plant bits. 

You have to have patience. Both the mower and the shears take more time, so you need to have the time to spare, then relax and enjoy being out in the sunshine getting a nice work-out. I mowed last summer with a toddler grandson in a backpack.


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## eddy_dvyvan (May 8, 2012)

If you have kids that mis-behave alot then get 1.


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

I have both a manual rotary push mower and a gas powered mower. The rotary mower makes for a more enjoyable experience. The gas powered mower gets the job done faster. So, I guess it depends on what you want. I use both. If I only had one, I suppose I would want it to be a gas powered mower.


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

I bought one at a yard sale. It is a newer model and doesn't do well on tall grass. It is for just in case - I bought a new gas one last year with a mulch bag. I like and dislike the mulch bag. I liked the clean look of my yard and the leaf mulch on my garden, but cleaning out the bag every two rounds was a PITA.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

eddy_dvyvan said:


> If you have kids that mis-behave alot then get 1.


Oh my gosh why didn't I think of that! A prepper item that would work if needed and discipline in one...thanks!!! :laugh:


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

LilRedHen said:


> I bought one at a yard sale. It is a newer model and doesn't do well on tall grass. It is for just in case - I bought a new gas one last year with a mulch bag. I like and dislike the mulch bag. I liked the clean look of my yard and the leaf mulch on my garden, but cleaning out the bag every two rounds was a PITA.


I don't think any of them will do well on tall grass. You have to keep it mowed often.

Our new one cuts okay but I've already had to do some modifications to keep it working. The "gears" on the new one are plastic and poorly designd. The only thing I've had to do on our old "antiques" is repair the roller on one and sharpen them both.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

I have almost a 1/4 acre n LOVE lOVE LOVE my push reel mower...Ive had a few different models over the years. 

here is what I like about them:

no gas, low maintenance, alot quieter, can stop n chat without fuss, easy to use..good exercise too...they are alot better nowadays than the old ones... 

ok..now the bad :

you have to keep up on the grass, if it gets to long they wont cut it.

there is a handle design that works better n is sturdier than another. Find one with a handle neck that is held together back to back. envision the handle bar that you push with..the neck of it that goes down to the mower reel part you want to buy one like a T shape. 

make sure you keep the tension screws to the blade part rust free so you can adjust it. I use wd-40 ..its a real bummer when they freeze up with rust so keep it clean after use jsut like any tool. 
good luck!


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