With our sole intention focused upon helping you find the best reel lawn mower, we meticulously researched and came down to the 3 premium picks, based on their quality, durability and ability to mow the lawn with precision leading to excellent end results.
To choose a reel lawn mower, you must know exactly how this product functions.
Nothing complex!
Reel mowers work just similar to a pair of scissors. They are excellent in cutting grass blades. It comprises of multiple sharp blades which spin as you move the machine forward. The spinning pulls the grass into the mower and then the cutter clips them evenly.
The choice entirely depends on what type of grass you grow in your yard. So, please keep in mind the grass types when choosing the reel lawn mower, your key focus should be on following things: blade, width, weight and accessories.
Reel mowers come in a different number of blade facility. It may have 4, 5 or 7 blades. If your lawn has Bermuda/ St. Augustine type of heavier group of grasses that are bent, you will need a 7 blade reel mower.
Fescue/ Kentucky bluegrass falls in the group of thinner and fine grasses, you can opt for the 5 blade mower. Certain mowers comprise of tempered alloy blades that cut the grass blades through friction.
You have the option of picking from 14 to 20 inches wide reel mowers. The widest is the fastest mower, i.e., compared to the 14-inch width, the 20inch-wide mower is 30% faster.
If you are worried about the weight considering the fact that manual reel mowers need to be pushed around, it is such a relief to know that the heaviest product weighs 50 pounds.
Grass catcher and sharpening kit are great choices.
The grass catcher gives you a tidier end result if you don’t want your mower to leave behind nutrient-rich clippings. It can be attached to the back of the mower. All the chopped portions that you do not wish strewn on your lawn will be collected in the grass catcher.
The sharpening kit includes tools that you need at regular intervals for keeping the blades sharp. Therefore, mowing is effortless and all the grass are clipped proportionately.
If your yard has old trees, and lots of branches and twigs fall in your lawn regularly, then you might need to rake your lawn first before mowing as the majority of reel mowers cannot cut through branches and twigs.
On the flipside, if you have a huge lawn, more than one acre in area, then this is probably not a befitting choice for you. Mowing a bigger lawn needs a high-tech mower or else, the task can be pretty taxing, exhaustive and too tough to finish.
The reel lawn mower has some mowing limitations. If you have fenced up your space and decorated with flower pots, rocks, pebbles, etc. this mower is incapable of reaching the lawn edges. Therefore, to get that complete finished look, you would have to get a trimmer.
With a reel mower, you should get your lawn regularly trimmed and keep checking whether the grass stays below 4 inches. If your grass outgrows to more than 4 inches then reel mowers become useless. Reel mowers can’t cut grass in such situations; and therefore you would need to cut it with a power mower first.
Irrespective of the ease of storage, the main drawback of these products is that most of them don’t come with a bag. Since mowing isn’t a daily necessity; a bag is needed for starting the mower and keeping the machine clean and tidy.
Soak up all the fresh early morning air by mowing at dawn. On the plus side, you will get your exercise done. The neighbors will be stunned to always find your lawn impeccably maintained. If you are looking for a lawn mower, the following reviews will help you finding the best mower as per your requirements.
Picture | Product | Our Rating | Price |
---|---|---|---|
American Lawn Mower 1415-16 16-Inch 5-Blade Hand Push Reel Mower | |||
via amazon.com
The Great States 415-16, 16 inches width, which comes with 5 blades might catch the customers’ eye for its simplistic and sleek design. Nothing fancy! This slim eco-friendly reel mower comes across as an easy-to-handle, light-weight device that can be maintained effortlessly.
Being just 25.38 pounds, this apt mower for small lawns can be moved without difficulty. The classic design in black and silver combination looks quite chic.
via amazon.com
It is possible to adjust the height from 0.5 - 2.5 inches, as per convenience and requirement to get the beautiful finely-trimmed green turf. Raking the lawn before starting to mow can be helpful as twigs and branches can jam the mower.
What we like:
What we didn’t like:
via amazon.com
The American lawn mower 1415-16 measures 16 inches in width. Besides, the height adjustment feature (0.5- 2.25 inches) makes it quite handy to trim down the luscious green turf to the desired length.
When pulling this reel mower over concrete, do it backwards as the 4 spider with 5 blade ball bearing reel don’t move when pulled backwards. It safeguards the blades and does not leave any marks on your concrete floor.
via amazon.com
This eco-friendly reel mower is very sturdy with all the tempered alloy steel and unbreakable side steel plates that goes into the machine. The 10-inches radial tread tires are reliable and don’t wear out over multiple uses.
One of the best features of the American lawn mower 1415-16 is its welded shrub bar that brushes the twigs, sticks or branches falling along the way. This is perfect for small lawns and in case the mower gets jammed by any twigs or branches, slight backward pulling can clear them out.
What we like:
What we didn’t like:
via amazon.com
The Fiskars 17 Inch Staysharp Push Reel Lawn Mower (6208) comes in a stylish design. This eco-friendly mower gives a neat cut and makes your green lawn look beautifully maintained.
This is a one-time expense. No oil, no gas, no batteries or electrical charging to mess with. You can mow your lawn very fast with StaySharp Reel Mower as advance technology goes into its precise design.
via amazon.com
This product comes with a lifetime warranty assuring the premium quality. If your lawn has weeds, sticks, branches, twigs, and difficult-to-reach corner then this is the right pick for you.
What we like:
What we didn’t like:
via amazon.com
All these 3 products are great but my personal favorite is American Lawn Mower 1415-16 16-Inch 5-Blade Hand Push Reel Mower. This one is quite simple in design, which makes it totally easy to manage, carry and mow.
Fiskars 17 Inch Staysharp is much heavier compared to American 1415-16. I prefer lighter mowers as it is easy to push and maneuver, simple to store.
I also highly recommend American 1415-16 for its sleek design which still has that classic reel mower vintage charm. Although, Great States 415-16 looks similar yet, American 1415-16 is much more robust owing to its tempered alloy steel and unbreakable side steel plates.
The welded shrub bar in the American 1415-16 brushes away all the sticks, branches and twigs that come in the path of mowing. This saves me ample time and effort as I don’t have to rake the lawn before mowing. None of the other two product have this feature.
Finally, out of all the top 3 reel lawn mowers, American 1415-16 costs the least while having all the features required for mowing a small lawn of around 8,000 square feet perfectly. You can check out other reviews here if you want to read more about reel lawn mowers.
If you like this post, like it and pin
I'm Ann, I have dedicated most of my life in gardening. This is a subject I enjoy the most. Since then, I committed to developing my website to be the best guidance when it comes to taking care of flowers and plants. I am trying my best to be well-versed with plants found in desert areas, tropics or Mediterranean. I still need to be knowledgeable about so many kinds of botanical life.