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Anyone use a old-school Reel Mower? How do you like it?
I have a very (4500 s.f. of grass, approx) small yard and an even smaller shed ( a mower barely fits in the shed). I had a cordless electric Homelite which crapped out and I am considering replacing it with a reel mower. Most of my grass is St. Augustine and I have read varying reviews about using a reel mower on this type of grass. To not have to deal with gas and fumes, and to save space, would be great if this mower is feasible.
We use a reel mower out here in Sacramento. First time for us, we always had gas power mowers in the past, but our current lot is small so we figured to go with the reel mower.
Basically, I wouldn't recommend it for anything above 1500 total square feet of grass area. It doesn't cut nearly as well as a power mower, and you frequently have to mow over the same area a couple of times.
Anyone use a old-school Reel Mower? How do you like it?
I have a very (4500 s.f. of grass, approx) small yard and an even smaller shed ( a mower barely fits in the shed). I had a cordless electric Homelite which crapped out and I am considering replacing it with a reel mower. Most of my grass is St. Augustine and I have read varying reviews about using a reel mower on this type of grass. To not have to deal with gas and fumes, and to save space, would be great if this mower is feasible.
I'm guessing you mean 450 s.f.? I wouldn't think about tackling 4,500 s.f. with a reel mower. That aside, go with a Brill. Stay away from Scott's and Sunlawn. Sunlawn is a Chinese importer based out of a house in Colorado. Something goes wrong with a Sunlawn mower and you are screwed. Scott's product's are pretty average across the board.
I don't know about your particlar species of grass but what someone said about having to keep the lawn cut is correct. If it gets away from you, as it has for me this Spring, you'll end up borrowing your neighbor's gas mower. My reel mower came from Ace Hardware, I think it's the house brand.
I used to have one in the city. We had a very small very flat lot. I loved it because it gave the grass a great looking cut. I could cut the lot in about 15 minutes. But I would not use one on any slope-y lot. It wasn't too strenuous.
St. Augustine is tough to cut if you don't have a self propelled mower I learned this when we got our first mower it lasted 1 year and I had to get a self propelled one
I can just imagine how hard it would be with a reel mower
You would probably get quite the workout especially in the heat of mid summer.
St. Augustine is best when let 3 1/2 " to 4" high especially if your in a drought situation, can a reel mower be adjusted this high ?
You would probably have to mow more often sine it may not mulch as well as a power mower
You could always give it a try just save your receipt
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