Michael
My dad already has a riding mower and just needs a push lawnmower to clean up around the edges where it's hard to maneveur the riding mower.
Ideally, looking for well designed, well built lawnmower that is reasonably priced (couple hundred dollars?)
I doubt my dad is going to do routine maintenace like oil changes and air filter changes.
So I guess a lawnmower that can take that type of neglect and still continue to work fine might be best.
Answer
Here is something most people dont know. Most stamped steel lawnmowers are built by the Roper corporation (even if they have a fancy name on them). Grass clippings are very acidic and will cause the average steel mower to rust through within 3 to 5 years even if they are kept in the garage. Now the main difference is the engine. These engine manufacturers produce engines to different mowers specifications and can differ greatly even though they look identical on the outside. One Briggs and Stratten is not the same as the next. Honda makes the best mower engine hands down but can be pricey. Briggs and Stratten is second but due to demands from low budget manufacturers they will vary as well. Tecumseh has historically been the bottom of the heap with minimal adjustments and frequent need for service. Go to Home Depot and get the best steel deck mower in your range. Their version of the John Deer is a good buy. Change the oil every forty hours of operation max! Always clean around the dipstick before checking the oil so nothing falls into the motor. Replace the air filter at the beginning of every season and more if your area is exceptionally dusty.Wash the clippings out from under the deck before you put it away. Never put STP or oil additives in the oil, air cooled engines work different than your car (the oil gets hot enough to fry fish) and this stuff kills. Follow the engine manufacturers guidelines and you will be OK no matter what you buy.
I worked for Toro for five years at the distributor level as a warranty mechanic and although I like Toro, I think Snapper makes the best mower on the planet.
Go figure.
Here is something most people dont know. Most stamped steel lawnmowers are built by the Roper corporation (even if they have a fancy name on them). Grass clippings are very acidic and will cause the average steel mower to rust through within 3 to 5 years even if they are kept in the garage. Now the main difference is the engine. These engine manufacturers produce engines to different mowers specifications and can differ greatly even though they look identical on the outside. One Briggs and Stratten is not the same as the next. Honda makes the best mower engine hands down but can be pricey. Briggs and Stratten is second but due to demands from low budget manufacturers they will vary as well. Tecumseh has historically been the bottom of the heap with minimal adjustments and frequent need for service. Go to Home Depot and get the best steel deck mower in your range. Their version of the John Deer is a good buy. Change the oil every forty hours of operation max! Always clean around the dipstick before checking the oil so nothing falls into the motor. Replace the air filter at the beginning of every season and more if your area is exceptionally dusty.Wash the clippings out from under the deck before you put it away. Never put STP or oil additives in the oil, air cooled engines work different than your car (the oil gets hot enough to fry fish) and this stuff kills. Follow the engine manufacturers guidelines and you will be OK no matter what you buy.
I worked for Toro for five years at the distributor level as a warranty mechanic and although I like Toro, I think Snapper makes the best mower on the planet.
Go figure.
What are some of the best reel push mowers available?
Matthew
I have a couple of lawns lined up to cut. I want a push mower for the exercise and the fact that I won't have to pay for gasoline. I've just heard that some of them don't cut very well no matter how much muscle you put into it. Suggestions would be appreciated.
Answer
I'm in the market for one too. We bought one second-hand to check things out and get a real feel for this type of mower. Here's what we learned. Most reel push mowers are good to maintain short grass, which is no good if you want to control weeds. I want my lawn to be 3+ inch high. When the product specs say you'll need to sharpen once a season, it means 2-4 times a season. The blades on our Great States mower were sharpened before our first mow and after mowing three times, the ends of the blades of grass looked riped (and our lawn is small - 1200 sq ft). If you're obsessive about having your lawn cut evenly (like me), you'll get your cardio workout in by mowing your lawn (and it still might not end up even- argh!). My approach to mowing the lawn is I don't mind mowing 3 times a week, if I only have to do it for 10 minutes each time; but the results have to be clean and even.
The main thing to remember is if your lawn is level everywhere (ie no pot-holes anywhere) and free of hidden rocks and twigs, you can consider a manual reel mower. But if it's not, then you'll either have to fix it or restrict yourself to the more expensive manual reel mowers. However, don't confuse price with quality: we thought that a Brill was the top of the line. Not so. First figure out what kind of lawn you have and the kind you'd like to have and maintain, and what you're willing to put up with, then choose the best mower for you.
After some research, I've decided that the Fiskars Momentum is the one for me. Problem is, it's not cheap. Lowes has them at the cheapest price around: $200. Or maybe I'll go for the Scott reel mower for $130. Which boils the question down to: will I be irritated at myself the next four years for saving $70 on the initial price of the mower? How much do I value 4 years of peace of mind, little to no sharpening of the blades and an easier mowing job for an evenly cut lawn? Kind of a biased question, I know.
You might decide to do like we did and check craigslist for a second hand mower to figure out what you like and what your lawn is like to mow. Then, when you're ready to get "the one", go for it and sell old one again on craigslist for a slightly lower price than what you paid for. Turned out to be a pretty cheap "rental" for us.
Here are the sites that are helping me choose:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2010/02/product-preview-fiskars-manaul-reel-mower-black-decker-lawn-mower-ratings.html
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2010/03/best-reel-mowers-consumer-reports-reviews-scotts-200020-fiskars-momentum-317736-easun-naturcut-class.html
This page is awesome: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/mower_compare.htm
and here's another review of the Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower:
http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2009/11/fiskars-momentum-reel-mower-review-part.html
That's part 1. You can link to part 2 from that page.
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/fiskars/index.htm
Here's info on grass cutting height:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/4000/4020.html
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/info/lawn.htm
http://www.american-lawns.com/lawns/mowing_heights.html
Enjoy!!
Anna
I'm in the market for one too. We bought one second-hand to check things out and get a real feel for this type of mower. Here's what we learned. Most reel push mowers are good to maintain short grass, which is no good if you want to control weeds. I want my lawn to be 3+ inch high. When the product specs say you'll need to sharpen once a season, it means 2-4 times a season. The blades on our Great States mower were sharpened before our first mow and after mowing three times, the ends of the blades of grass looked riped (and our lawn is small - 1200 sq ft). If you're obsessive about having your lawn cut evenly (like me), you'll get your cardio workout in by mowing your lawn (and it still might not end up even- argh!). My approach to mowing the lawn is I don't mind mowing 3 times a week, if I only have to do it for 10 minutes each time; but the results have to be clean and even.
The main thing to remember is if your lawn is level everywhere (ie no pot-holes anywhere) and free of hidden rocks and twigs, you can consider a manual reel mower. But if it's not, then you'll either have to fix it or restrict yourself to the more expensive manual reel mowers. However, don't confuse price with quality: we thought that a Brill was the top of the line. Not so. First figure out what kind of lawn you have and the kind you'd like to have and maintain, and what you're willing to put up with, then choose the best mower for you.
After some research, I've decided that the Fiskars Momentum is the one for me. Problem is, it's not cheap. Lowes has them at the cheapest price around: $200. Or maybe I'll go for the Scott reel mower for $130. Which boils the question down to: will I be irritated at myself the next four years for saving $70 on the initial price of the mower? How much do I value 4 years of peace of mind, little to no sharpening of the blades and an easier mowing job for an evenly cut lawn? Kind of a biased question, I know.
You might decide to do like we did and check craigslist for a second hand mower to figure out what you like and what your lawn is like to mow. Then, when you're ready to get "the one", go for it and sell old one again on craigslist for a slightly lower price than what you paid for. Turned out to be a pretty cheap "rental" for us.
Here are the sites that are helping me choose:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2010/02/product-preview-fiskars-manaul-reel-mower-black-decker-lawn-mower-ratings.html
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2010/03/best-reel-mowers-consumer-reports-reviews-scotts-200020-fiskars-momentum-317736-easun-naturcut-class.html
This page is awesome: http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/mower_compare.htm
and here's another review of the Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower:
http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2009/11/fiskars-momentum-reel-mower-review-part.html
That's part 1. You can link to part 2 from that page.
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/fiskars/index.htm
Here's info on grass cutting height:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/4000/4020.html
http://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/info/lawn.htm
http://www.american-lawns.com/lawns/mowing_heights.html
Enjoy!!
Anna
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