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Those are fine and dandy for a very small lawn with no long grass, weeds, leaves, or twigs, but pretty useless for much else.
That's exactly what I found when I started looking at sites (even those that sell reel mowers, not only reviews-only sites).... most of them contain phrases like "For use on manicured lawns" and so forth.
I also found informative caveats like this one (again, from a site that sells all brands of reel mowers including Brill and Scotts): "Manual reel mowers don't cut tall weeds well. Because of the design, the reel will roll over tall weeds and dandelions without cutting much." Also "Brill mowers are lightweight, which makes them perfect for most types of grass. However, thicker grasses such as St Augustine, Zoysia, or Bermuda will typically pose problems for Brill mowers."
I definitely need a mower than won't balk when it comes face-to-blade with things like crabgrass, dandelions, plaintains, clover, leaves, twigs, bumps, and dips.
I'm doing comparison-shopping research for a cordless (battery operated) lawn mower, have narrowed it down to four, and would like opinions from anyone who owns/has owned any of them. Thanks in advance!
Neuton CE 6.2
Worxx Eco24
Solaris or Epic 21" (these are essentially the same, other than that the Solaris is frontwheel-drive self-propelled and the Epic is rearwheel-drive)
Remington PowerMower, model MPS6017A
As of now I'm leaning toward the Remington because it also has a corded option which boosts the power, supposedly enough to allow it to handle leaves (which will be a must) and small twigs.
The Solaris/Epic is the only self-propelled one but it is also the heaviest, at 124 lbs (no doubt because of the steel deck). The Remington is the lightest at 60 lbs. Weight is a factor because I tried a self-propelled 98 lb gas Toro last weekend that belongs to a friend and had both lower back and shoulder/arm pain for hours afterward. Unfortunately the Remington also has the smallest cutting width: 17" whereas the Neuton is 19" and the Solaris and the Worxx are both 21".
We have a new, old fashioned reel mower. Its gas/elec. free.. Works great!! Just have to keep the blades sharp, as with any mower.
Wow, I never realized Husqvarna was involved in such devices. I'm going to be near the city of Jönshöping at the end of the month and the town Husqvarna is only about 5 or 10 minutes away. Maybe I should pop over and see what they've got.
Now if someone really wants to be REALLY SUPER Green, then I suggest the get one of these models.
Got to keep it cleaned oiled and lubed regularly and it'll work just fine if you've got that simple and easy lawn.
An older mechanic friend of mine told me if you have one of the older reel mowers, the best way to sharpen the blades is with valve grinding compound. Put a little on the cutting surface and run the blades over it at different levels.
I have the Black and Decker cordless mulching mower, it cuts good as well as the previous gas mower I had. The battery is on its 6th year. It starts to poop out by the time I am done with the lawn, city lot. The thing is that is very heavy which makes for a good work out. But if you have trouble with your right arm.... I would no doubt about it...go with the self propelled. I didn't have that option, now I have a bad neck and have to hire someone to mow my lawn(neighbor boy) because the mower is too heavy for me to mow the whole lawn. Also, I am a women so not as strong a man.
Last edited by Pink flamingo; 06-10-2009 at 04:08 PM..
Reason: added a line
I hope many of the posters here realize what their respective power company's energy profile is. You might be plugging into polluting fossil fuels in the long run. I keep a minimum of lawn(saves on water resources, too) and use a reel push mower.
The thing is that is very heavy which makes for a good work out. But if you have trouble with your right arm.... I would no doubt about it...go with the self propelled. I didn't have that option, now I have a bad neck and have to hire someone to mow my lawn(neighbor boy) because the mower is too heavy for me to mow the whole lawn. Also, I am a women so not as strong a man.
Same here. What makes me hesitate is that the only self-propelled battery mower (the Solaris/Epic) is also by far the heaviest at 124 lbs. That is 25 lbs heavier than a typical gas mower, ouch! What I don't know and can't find any information on, is how many "push-pounds" (for lack of a better word!) the self-propelled option negates.
In other words, for instance the self-propelled gas Toro that I tried recently weighs 98 lbs and I had problems after using it. But I don't know how much "actual weight" that I was pushing around. Obviously it was less than 98 lbs because of the self-propel option... but how much was it? 80 lbs? 75 lbs? 60 lbs? No clue, no way to know.
Let's assume that hypothetically the self-propel option on any mower "removes" about 25 lbs of "pushing weight". If that is true, then when I used the Toro I was moving 73 lbs of mower around. If I were to buy a Solaris/Epic which has a starting weight of 124 lbs, and if its self-propel negated 25 lbs of that, I'd still have to move 99 lbs of mower around the yard... 26 lbs more weight than the Toro that I had problems with! Ouch.
Conversely, if I were to buy the Remington which is not self-propelled but weighs 60 lbs, in either case it would be easier on my body than either of the self-propelled models.
The catch is that I have no idea how much weight the self-propelled mechanism actually negates in any mower. It would be nice if the manufacturers of those models included that information! Something like: "Shipping weight 98 lbs, self-propelled operating weight 65 lbs". But of course none do.
Same here. What makes me hesitate is that the only self-propelled battery mower (the Solaris/Epic) is also by far the heaviest at 124 lbs. That is 25 lbs heavier than a typical gas mower, ouch! What I don't know and can't find any information on, is how many "push-pounds" (for lack of a better word!) the self-propelled option negates.
In other words, for instance the self-propelled gas Toro that I tried recently weighs 98 lbs and I had problems after using it. But I don't know how much "actual weight" that I was pushing around. Obviously it was less than 98 lbs because of the self-propel option... but how much was it? 80 lbs? 75 lbs? 60 lbs? No clue, no way to know.
Let's assume that hypothetically the self-propel option on any mower "removes" about 25 lbs of "pushing weight". If that is true, then when I used the Toro I was moving 73 lbs of mower around. If I were to buy a Solaris/Epic which has a starting weight of 124 lbs, and if its self-propel negated 25 lbs of that, I'd still have to move 99 lbs of mower around the yard... 26 lbs more weight than the Toro that I had problems with! Ouch.
Conversely, if I were to buy the Remington which is not self-propelled but weighs 60 lbs, in either case it would be easier on my body than either of the self-propelled models.
The catch is that I have no idea how much weight the self-propelled mechanism actually negates in any mower. It would be nice if the manufacturers of those models included that information! Something like: "Shipping weight 98 lbs, self-propelled operating weight 65 lbs". But of course none do.
I hope many of the posters here realize what their respective power company's energy profile is.
If you read the study I linked to that's not the case corded vs. gas lawn mower. Frankly I was surprised by that as usually producing energy at the point it's needed is the most efficient. Those small gas engines must be very inefficient. As the report mentions though it's the lead in the batteries that is the bigger concern for electric mowers.
Seriously, I've never seen anything quite like it. Is it a mower?
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