Eco Friendly Lawn Mower

Thursday, June 12 2008

This weekend I bought a Reel Mower otherwise known as a manual push mower. My lawn had not been mowed since last year and the previous owners failed to leave there lawn mower as promised.

Home Depot had a couple of styles. I chose the Scott's Elite 16" which got better consumer ratings for the North East. The 20" is slightly heavier and didn't fair as well in peoples opinions.

After bringing it home it took about 5 minutes to put together and I was off mowing. It had exactly 3 bolts and a set of washers. Let's see you put a push mower together that fast!

My lawn was rather tall so I was expecting to have problems. In reality it did a fantastic job. There were occasional tall weeds that got pushed down and didn't spring back up to get cut, but for the most part it worked just fine.

As far as pushing it, I found it to be lighter than a push gas mower and even in tall grass easy to push. It is also much easier to turn and, if needed simply pickup. My lot isn't level and I found running across steep grades was very easy and didn't elicit any sense of danger that you typically get with a gas mower.

The mower is quiet. I can hear my kids while they are running around outside and they can be in the same part of the yard I am without having to worry about flying debris hitting them.

Why a reel mower you might ask. I'll quote the guide at the link above:

7 Reasons to use a reel mower

1. They're light.
2. They're quiet.
3. They're environmentally friendly.
4. They're better for your grass. (Rotary mowers tear the grass. Reel mowers cut the grass like scissors, leaving a fine spray of cuttings as mulch for your yard.)
5. They're maintenance free.
6. They're as easy to push as much heavier motorized mowers.
7. They don't blow exhaust into your face while you're mowing.