What are some of the best reel push mowers available?

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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

What kind of lawn mower should I get?

AM86

I'm moving into a new home that has a lawn. Its an average sized lawn that isn't too big at all. This is my first time having to maintain a lawn and I was wondering what type of lawn mower I should get? Which is better? I've been shopping around and I've been seeing gas or electric. I'm leaning more towards a push mower but just unsure about brands, features, and gas or electric.

Answer
For a push mower I would look at a Toro. Definitely a gas mower is preferable. You dont have to worry about finding an electrical outlet and you get more power. I would get a model that is self propelling unless you love a lot of hard work. If you want more information on picking one look in the May or June issue of Consumer Reports Magazine (free in a library or you can subscribe on line for a fee). They rate lawn mowers and their features. You can find a good mower for $300- $350

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Who has decorative wood chips as a lawn?

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Our lawn mower broke, we can't afford to get another one right now. Our grass never really took so it's not a beautiful lawn anyway... So I was thinking of taking all the grass out and laying decorative wood chips down. Do they stay or would they blow away in the wind?

Answer
I put down cedar mulch. . .supposed to be better and not float away when it rains. I put down plastic that absorbed water and then tons of cedar chips. Now years later the cedar mulch has broken down into compost and everything is growing on top of the plastic. I'm switching to lava rocks and stone walkways and a good deal more cement. If you have a large yard, it will take a fortune to put down chips thick enough to stop the grass from growing through. It is the plastic that really helps with that. Look for a used lawnmower or if your yard is small, use your weedeater. I'm slowly adding beds and getting rid of grass. I want a huge garden. . flower garden. . .I also have a huge veggie garden. I'm slowly making islands of plants surrounded by mulched walks that will become stone (cement) walking paths. I have less grass every year and bigger gardens. And love it.
Almost forgot the down side. . .bugs, termites and lots of $.

What should I know before building a garden shed in my backyard?

Korey

For my senior project, i a building a garden shed i my backyard. I was wondering what i may need to know or what questions i should be asking myself regarding this project. Where should i start??? Any advice will be appreciated!

Answer
Your first step should be to check with your city or town office. There may be restrictions on the size of a shed or you may have to have a building permit. You don't want to get the shed built and then find out it does not meet the specifications that are required by your city.

Once you know that, that ask yourself the following:

What will I be storing in my shed? This will determine the size you want to build. Is it just for a few garden tools? Or is it for a lawn mower, snow blower, wheelbarrow, chainsaw and bicycles?

Will you be using the ground as the floor or using an elevated floor made with sturdy planks? I would suggest an elevated floor so that moisture stays away from the floor of the shed. You might want to consider placing your shed on skids - that way - it can be easily moved around the yard.

And consider using some eavestroughs on the shed and feed them into some rain barrels.

How big a door do you need? You don't want one that is too small and find out you can't get your lawn mower in there. Also, ensure that you can lock the door to help prevent theft.

Do you want windows for ventilation or just some vents? And if you put windows - consider putting bars in place so that vandals can't break in.

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