Although both the rotary and reel type of mower may be used for trimming, we recommend the reel mowers for their scissor-like method. The best types of reel mowers will have at least 4 different adjustable heights that will make grasses between one inch to 4 inches. If you ever need to take your mower apart—to fit it into a compact space like a car trunk or a small storage area—we found that the Scotts was easy enough to disassemble, too. The coating prevents the blades from rusting. The steel blades on this model are always sharp and ready to trim grass into a lush carpet. You can choose from nine different height slots. The five-blade reel cuts the grass into a fine mulch, helping to promote a healthy lawn. Based in Florida, Kimberly Sharpe has been a full-time web writer since 2006. Best Reel lawn mower are traditional mowers that have been in existence even before the gas, battery and electric lawnmower. At 34 pounds, it lands in the middle of our test group in weight but manages to hit the sweet spot between maneuverability and stability. The Greenworks 40V 20 inch cordless lawn mower is a powerful mower that has a wide cutting deck and dual steel blades that will make your work of cutting your bermuda grass lawn very easy. Consider your storage options, too; a larger reel takes up more room when not in use. View the Best Reel Mower, Below. 7. With most reel mowers, the spinning blades pass over a stationary bed knife, which is where the actual cutting happens. The StaySharpe Max Reel Mower stays sharp and cuts with ease. The mower is a two-in-one because it has both mulching and rear bag capabilities. The reel mower’s reel is attached to drive shafts located on the mower’s wheels. It features 5 blades that make it effective in cutting most of the grass types and giving your yard a uniform look in the process. How hard is it to push? Reel Mowers. Fiskars 362050-1001 Stay Sharp Max Reel Mower. Image: howstuffworks.com. Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower. We spoke with Jason Kruse, assistant professor of environmental horticulture and turfgrass specialist at the University of Florida. Scotts Classic comes among the top in our list of the best manual reel push mower for a number of reasons. He explained that reel mowers can cut much closer to the ground than rotary mowers. The Great States 415-16 is well known as one of the best reel mowers on the market. 3. Using it keeps your lawn looking precise and clean like it had just gotten a professional cut. NOW is a really good time to order your Mclane Reel Mower! If you want a mower that screams simplicity, then you’ll fall in love with the reel mower. For testing, we enlisted the aid of the grounds crew of the Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, New York, a bunch of people who are serious about mowing. We've revisited this category several times since 2014, and the Scotts mower still remains our top pick. When this model arrives, assembling is effortless - it requires no tools. It's built to be solid, but the reel mower's design is not overly heavy (at 34 pounds), meaning you won't get tired when mowing. Over the next three hours, we pushed all four mowers back and forth on different-height grasses. It’s critical that you understand how these features impact the way you cut. A collapsable handle lets you store the reel lawn mower when not in use. What We Like About It: We love the design. Naturally, the more expensive options are equipped with great features. One of our long-term testers said that their mower “often totally misses taller strands of grass” and that they “have to go back and snip those with a pair of shears.” Also, on most reel mowers, the blades are inboard of the wheels, so you’ll have a wider gap of unmowed grass against a fence or a stone wall. There’s no suction effect as there is with a gas-powered mower. 4.4 out of 5 stars31. Luckily, the reel mower provides a silent operation. For the healthiest grass. Whether you’re purchasing an American Lawn Mower Company mower, the Staysharp cutting system, or some other brand, always look at the mower’s weight. Most homeowners with small or medium lawns with a flat terrain prefer using these mowers. Best Reel lawn mower are traditional mowers that have been in existence even before the gas, battery and electric lawnmower. When the grass is too long, even the best mower can’t cut it. Because you hand-push the mower and it isn’t motorized, it takes effort to use, especially if you have a large lawn. With a broader blade, you will only take a few passes to complete. The easy-cutting action guarantees grass-cutting success. So the task is not as simple as, say, pushing an empty furniture dolly, where you’re pushing the wheels and nothing else. You can change the height with a single lever, and it can adjust between 1 inch and 4 inches, the largest range of any mower we looked at. It has a 5 blade ball-bearing reel with 8.5-inch composite wheels. Other reel mowers allow such adjustments, as well, and the golf course crew told us it’s a matter of preference. Cents. American Lawn Mower Company 1815 Lawn Mower; 3. The cutting action on reel mowers is significantly different than that of a traditional engine-style mower, which creates a vortex beneath the cutting deck as the blades spin. Manual push reel lawn mower features quick,... Blades of the manual hand push... 2. This is attached to the cutting deck, which spins. It produces an even cut that’s very clean and fresh in appearance. It is also the best reel mower for creating aesthetic borders around the boundary of your lawn. Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. The Scotts 2000-20 is covered by a two-year warranty, and user reviews suggest that the manufacturer, American Lawn Mower, issues free replacement parts whenever a problem crops up. Best value. Remington RM3100. Manual push reel mowers are also environmentally-friendly, and no noise pollution plus mowing this way is a better aerobic exercise. Anyone with more than a quarter acre (roughly 10,000 square feet) will find weekly mowing with a reel mower exhausting. The reel mower on the other hand cuts grass like a pair of scissors. Fiskars marketing suggests that the StaySharp system prevents the blades from ever touching, so they’ll never need sharpening. Looking at this model, you'll believe you've been whisked back to a simpler time. Good … This will make a cutting path through any type of grass. Buy on Amazon Buy on Home Depot Buy on Lowe's. Richard . The reel mower on the other hand cuts grass like a pair of scissors. They focus on creating lawn mowers that require very little, if any, maintenance. You can effortlessly push the mower and lift it when needed. So reel mowers are quiet, peaceful, healthy, and good for your lawn. After MANY models and much testing, Doc finally made his top pick for best reel mower. We decided to test only the top Fiskars reel mower, assuming that the others would offer comparable or worse performance—and in fact, none of them can match the StaySharp Max’s 4-inch maximum cut height. While reel mowers are good for the overall health of the lawn (as well as the person pushing them) and need little maintenance, they require much greater diligence in keeping to a mowing schedule, and they work best for small, flat lawns. In this photo you can see where the Scotts model’s blade just touches the bed knife. The metal deck has even been treated for rust resistance, so the reel mower stays looking fabulous year after year. They’re not self-propelled, and you cannot ride on the apparatus. The contact-free 5-blades are very quiet, so you never have to worry about bothering your neighbors. The best thing about push reel lawn mowers is that they are extremely silent. Another Fiskars reel lawn mower makes it to our top ten best manual push lawn mower list. Manual Mower, Sun Joe MJ502M 20 in. Imagine the money you'll save on costly blade sharpening or - if you have a push mower - blade replacement. Besides, they are quite lightweight and easy to roll around. While being manual and environmentally-friendly, the reel mowers are lightweight and very easy to use. We investigated the plastic-gear complaint by removing the wheel of the Scotts mower and taking a look at the gear. All you’ll need is a bit of muscle. Scotts Outdoor Power Tools Reel Lawn Mower. In the video below he tells you the rules you should follow which include certain reel mower features to look for. With the threat of climate change, many individuals are looking for ways to make a difference. Special insert wheels let you extend the mower's width, so you don't have to worry about uncut strips near fences or foundations. Here’s our list of the top 10 reel mowers that we’re sure you’ll love and want to own for your small to medium-sized yard. What We Like About It: We love the classic look of this reel lawn mower. It's also 30 percent easier to push, thanks to its Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Mower design. There are a number of different places you can get a Scotts reel mower. Reel lawn mowers don’t require electricity, batteries, or gas, making them sustainable and quiet. Our best model from the list is the American Lawnmower 1204 reel. This is 51 calories more than someone weighing 185 pounds pushing a mower with a powered blade for the same amount of time. The rollers are always in operation and help cut grass to the required height. (184) $134. Frankly, even a quarter acre seems a bit ambitious, especially in the spring when the grass grows quickly and may demand twice-a-week mowing. The mower doesn’t have a motor but instead depends on manual pushing power. You don’t have to worry about maintaining an engine with the reel mower. While it would be nice if both the wheel and the gear were made of metal, such a design would likely add money to the price tag and a significant amount of weight to the mower. The vast majority of reel mowers top out around 2 inches, so we appreciated the ability to go taller, either for the health of the grass or for a less manicured look. What We Like About It: We fell in love with the Fiskars StaySharp Max cutting system. For about $75 to $80, you can find basic reel mowers and feel relatively confident that you’re purchasing a durable machine that … The large 10-inch front wheels and the smaller six-inch rear wheels are great. We looked for models with a history of robust user reviews. The machine has a 16-inch cutting width, 10-inch composite wheels, 7 blade ball bearing reel, and an unbreakable steel side blade. Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower, Our pick: Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower, Runner-up: Fiskars 18-Inch StaySharp Max Reel Mower, plastic gear in the mechanism stripping out, American Lawn Mower Company 1815-18 18 in. This accessory is a superb feature if you don’t want to rake your grass. Reel mowers should be light. But the average homeowner isn’t cutting the lawn for use as a putting green—in fact, cutting your lawn too low is terrible for its health. In fact, the results in general may not be what you expect. This will leave the lawn looking jagged and ragged. The Scotts is easy to assemble, and doesn't require any tools—the bolts that attach the handle have large plastic wing nuts, so tightening by hand is simple. According to University of Florida assistant professor of environmental horticulture Jason Kruse, “The scissor-cutting action of the reel mowers results in less damage to the leaf tissue, which in turn puts the plants under less stress.” He continued, “They lose less water, are less susceptible to disease, and generally look better when cut with a reel mower.”. Metal is heavier and can rust if not corrosion-resistant, but the added heft works well for thicker grass types. Turf experts suggest never cutting off more than a third of your grass’s length. The 14-inch cutting width is ideal for small yards. It's also remarkably easy to push. When you push the self-propelled tool, it slices through grass, twigs, and leaves to give you a clean cut. However, the walk-behind reel mowers are the best choice for most people because this eco-friendly machine does not require any maintenance or fuel. The Snow Joe is easy to push and maneuver, which makes it ideal for small lawns. Check price on Amazon. A close reading of the user complaints suggests that owners who were using the Scotts mower on tall or tough Southern grass had the most problems, but such difficulties are likely to be common among all push mowers and not just the Scotts. Mowing your lawn and mowing your lawn to perfection are two altogether different things. Here at Wirecutter, we’ve been covering lawn equipment since 2014. Keep in mind that the turning wheels are what rotate the blades, which adds to the resistance. It's also easy to maneuver with a 14" cutting width. Quiet Cut Reel Mower and the Sun Joe MJ1800M Manual Reel Mower both cut to about the same height as the Scotts, but they each have fewer height settings—five in the case of the Sun Joe and only three for the Earthwise. It'll feel just like the 1950s when every suburban home had one of these beauties. In contrast, the other mowers would leave a bunch of blades sticking up like chimneys after a house fire, requiring the testers to back up and go over the area again. One of the great things about this reel lawn mower is the versatility. Or view the top gas string trimmer tools. This is a product that does a decent job for a decent amount … The clean scissor cut created by reel mowers is hard to beat for appearance. We’ll help you choose the best reel mower, ensuring your lawn looks sharp and green all season. Reel mowers are eco-friendly. Best Gas Powered Reel Mower. Best Reel Mower Reviews 1. We mowed everything in between. Here’s everything you need to keep your yard tidy, no matter what winds up on the ground out there. It screams modern and eco-friendly with its bright orange color. Our testers also gave the Scotts 2000-20 high marks for overall usability. It will help you to decide which Mower is suitable for your needs. There’s no need for gas, oil, or spark plugs. You never have to worry about wasting money on costly fuel and oil or the machine breaking down. The Best Reel Mower for Your (Small) Lawn. The ergonomic handle has a soft cushioning, which lets you grip the mower with ease, preventing your hands from becoming tired. The Scotts is a 20-inch-wide mower, the widest size available (the measurement refers to the blade width, not the overall width). Reel mowers are available in numerous widths. You should also pay attention to the blade adjustment, which can shift over time. Typically, the longer the grass, the greater the friction on the cutting reel, so you’ll have a hard time pushing the mower. We have provided full product reviews here which you can follow to know the details about these models. 1 Our Recommendation Of The Best Powered Reel Mower. The last on our list of the best reel mowers, the DuroStar DS1200LD is an inexpensive but reliable option. Its easy height adjustability and lightweight quality allow precision-cutting in a short amount of time. In addition, all of the adjustments on the Scotts mower are easy to make. Anyone with more than a quarter of an acre (roughly 10,000 square feet) will find weekly mowing with a reel mower exhausting. Fiskars 362050-1001 StaySharp Reel Mower; 4. Reel mowers have a lot to offer anyone, but if you’re environmentally conscious, crave something that’s easier to push than a gas model, and value quiet operation, then this might be the type for you. Compare. Reel Mower, Sun Joe MJ501M 18 in. This way, you can control the reel lawn mower without making your hands sore or tired. For a supposedly easier option, you can opt for a string trimmer (see here). Most homeowners are happy with a 5 blade function. Classic Scotts 20 inch push no-motor manual reel... Quick-snap 1"-3"... 3. It has a maximum cutting height of 1/81 inches and a minimum cutting height of 0.88 inches. It also has a wide, 20-inch cutting swath—the widest we found—as well as height adjustments between 1 and 3 inches, which is a more versatile range than we saw on almost all of the other available reel mowers. Important to note though, the simple design and lower price doesn’t mean lacking in … The adjustment is easy, and usually involves just a couple of set screws, depending on the model. How to Assemble and use American Lawn Mower 8″ Children’s Reel Mower Nick May 5, 2020 Leave a Comment Take a look at this brief video on the best way to teach your kids how to mow the lawn. But they provide exceptional cut quality and a completely unplugged mowing experience, so they offer things no other mower can. With the Fiskars Staysharp max reel, the models are 30 to 60 percent easier to push, even when large. You might think you’re getting the best reel lawn mower based on the high number of blades. 1.2.0.1 How to assemble the machine You don’t have to worry about rope pulling, push-button starts, keys, gas, oil, or harmful emissions. Second, a reel mower demands diligence and a strict adherence to a regular cutting schedule. Below is a review list of some of the best manual push reel mower that you should have for your yard. Mower guide websites recommend the Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower and the Fiskars 18-Inch StaySharp Max Reel Mower as two of the best reel mowers in the market. You don’t need a fancy gas or electric lawn mower to keep your yard looking pristine. Great States 415-16. The reel mower was one of the first commercially available lawn mowers. It’s also the narrowest mower here, so you’d need to do more passes to mow your entire lawn. At 34 pounds, it’s light and easy to turn around at the end of each mowing row, but it’s heavy enough that it doesn’t bounce around on slightly uneven turf. American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 Mower. 1.1.0.1 How is the design? Choosing between the Scotts model (made by the American Lawnmower Company and usually marketed under the Scotts name) and the Fiskars mower (made by the Finnish company known for its orange-handled bladed tools) was initially quite difficult, as both did an excellent job cutting grass. A gas-powered mower can be dangerous, kicking up rocks that turn into deadly projectiles. © 2021 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company. Sun Joe MJ501M Manual Reel Mower; 8. The wider the deck, the harder the mower is to push and maneuver. Cutting Performance. And in this photo you can see the blade of the Fiskars model not quite touching the bed knife. In addition, the cut’s fine precision helps the grass hold in moisture and prevents disease or damaging organisms from harming the grass blades. The wide width of 16 inches means you make fewer passes when mowing with this classic 5-blade lawn mower. If you encounter a rock or debris, the blades stop instead of throwing the item. If the blades are too far from the bed knife, they won’t cut grass; but if they move too close, they’ll hit the bed knife harder, making the mower difficult to push and rapidly dulling the blades. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning. One of the first things to look at when checking out reel mowers is the cutting deck width and height. In this article, we’re going to explore the best reel mowers for your yard. A number of models had cut heights between 2½ and 2¾ inches, but given that the Scotts has a 3-inch capacity and it cut so well, we dismissed them. Cutting width. The Earthwise reel mower is among the best reel mowers this year, due to its combination of affordability and exceptional features. It's one of the best reel mowers on the market. Best Manual Push Reel Mower 2021 To Buy. How A Real Mower Works. The Ryobi RY142300 2,300 PSI Brushless Electric Pressure Washer is the best pressure washer we found after 60 hours of research and testing. The additional number of blades provide a much cleaner cut than a gas or electric mower.