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It makes mowing a lot easier. I insert a piece of paper and if I don't get a clean cut I adjust the bar and / or sharpen the blade. It's really not hard to do- a small paintbrush, some lapping compound, change the gear and push the mower. My Scotts mower was purchased brand new and it didn't pass the paper test. Spent about 1/2 hour adjusting and sharpening and it goes across grass like a hot knife through butter.
Yes my family had one all while I was growing up. I genuinely had no idea my family were hippies but we were, when it wasn't cool. But we had it because it was cheap and didn't have any exhaust fumes. They will literally last a lifetime (compared to a motorized lawnmower that might last...what? 15 years with yearly maintenance?). They are completely safe for kids to use--I was mowing the lawn when I was in grade school).
And now my condo association has one. We are a self-managed building. I'm not sure where our reel/push mower came from, but it sat in the storage area for years and about 5 years ago we stopped paying people to mow for us and began doing it ourselves.
It doesn't do a perfect job--there are tougher grasses that it doesn't cut. And you really can't let it grow too long or it won't be able to cut.* But we like it overall---it saves us about $100/mo and our grass is healthier (the service we used cut it too short and fried it), it's good exercise, there's no exhaust or electricity consumption to damage the environment, and there's virtually no maintenance or things to break**. We don't have to buy gasoline or charge batteries (plug-in isn't an option at our building).
I've only used them on small urban lots--very small postage stamps of grass. I probably wouldn't want to try to use it if you've got a quarter acre lot or something like that.
*One downside, we can't participate in "no mow May" as the grass will grow too long.
**We take it to a local farmer's market every few years to get the blades sharpened.
Hows Indy? lol
anyways, asides from needing superhuman strength in tall grass or zoysia, (which you covered) I would not call them safe for kids, fingers near a blade and someone moves the wheel, since its overdriven to get blade speed = fingers laying on the ground...
global warming and all that yuck yuck aside, for most residential lawns a fairly modern 'torqueless wonder' briggs mower and 2 gallons of gas, gets you mostly thru the season. in the same period of time you will produce many times CO2 just living.
sheep work tho...and they feed the lawn for free! and then at the end of each season you can make sweaters and have months of MLT sandwhiches.
I bought one along with my first house, but couldn't really get it to work (ironically). You basically have to have a perfectly flat, level, even lawn with no bumps or ruts. I've never had a lawn like that then or since. Maybe a big, strong man could wrangle that thing around the yard, but it was way too much effort for me.
I often use a manual serrated straight edge weed cutter to attack the tall stuff. I bought it years ago for half the price it is now. https://www.amleo.com/ames-double-si...944fde3823ead9. It gives me the sensation of being on a golf course when I give the pole a hefty swing and send the cut weeds flying. My electric weed eater is easier and faster but not nearly as satisfying as a good workout with my manual weed cutter.
We have one of these too! I tried to use it once but our grass is in narrow sections so I run the risk of either hitting the building or a passing pedestrian. It's another one of those things that's been in our building's storage/maintenance area for years. At some point there must have been someone in our building who was very into environmentally-friendly maintenance.
With el cheapo crappo gas mowers starting at $300 anymore.... Get an all metal deck push mower (not self propelled) with honda engine, take care of it and last 20 to 30 years. The Honda engines all come with fuel shut off, use it and make sure carb is dry for over winter storage. Doesnt take extra ordinary powers to keep them reliable. Now finding an all metal deck in 2022 might be problem. Manufacturers love plastic. And in inappropriate places, like supporting handles and front axle.
Reel mowers fine if you have a flat postage stamp lawn and no sticks or tall/heavy growth. Small stick can jam up a reel mower in nothing flat. But hey if you dont mind the downside, and can maintain one, then go for it. As to electric, I am just not a rechargable battery kind of person, seems an expensive way to go when you replace batteries that are high percentage cost of a new mower, IF you can still find the particular replacement battery at all. Tends to be forced obsolescence. And having to frequently buy NEW mower isnt environmentally friendly at all. if forced to do electric, for me, its going to have a cord. For smaller lawns those old American ones from 60s and 70s lasted forever. Just the hassle of keeping cord out of the way so didnt run over it. I doubt the current Chinese made ones last more than couple or three years. Longevity in modern world seems to be a dirty word as it means less profit unless original price was in stratosphere. Longevity is environmentally friendly. Short lived electric tools arent friendly just cause they are electric. The big pollution is in the initial manufacture, not the use. Any mower whether muscle power, electric, or gas is friendly if it lasts 25+ years.
Yes. Things with blades to cut generally need sharpening to cut effectively.
Especially if they are muscle powered.
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