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I had a Reel type mower for my house in Savannah. I was on one of the marshy islands and it was perfect for my .24 acre lot - which was actually smaller than that because the back yard had no grass. totally tree covered and nothing grew there - all the Live Oaks dropped their acorns and leaves in there.
I actually own a reel mower, but it's no-go on my current (and I hope last) lawn! Maybe I should hang on to it in case I end up retiring to Savannah?
13 in. 11 Amp Corded Electric Walk Behind Push Mower - Ryobi
I would think "corded electric" would be a huge pain; you'd be tethered to the house, and heaven forbid you accidentally run over it! Besides which, I have no outdoor outlet, so this wouldn't even be an option for me. Those rechargeable battery-powered ones look easy to use, but they are very expensive unless you can find a decent one used (and even then)...
We have plenty of power outside but this particular model is only sold by Home Depo, as far as i know. We do know that some reputable companies make lower grade products for cheap Home Depo sales so I am wondering whether it worth it?
Our lawn guy retired early and I did find a Fiskars push mower for $50 on Craig's list which I am considering but wanted to check out the Ryobi first.
I have a Ryobi battery powered, had it for over five years now, works great.
I love my Ryobi (NOT the self propelled version) and am glad to hear it's lasted you 5 years already. I'm on my 1st full season (started it last August)
Are you still on the original battery too? I have two batteries because I have the snow blower too.
I also have a reel mower, that I used at my previous home. It's over 20 years old but still works fine.
Last edited by catsmom21; 06-11-2021 at 07:58 PM..
I have an actual push mower, that you push. No, kids, the kind where the pushing action makes the blades turn. Think of it as "green technology"
It works perfectly well for a small yard. I actually have a big yard and I use a 17-hp tractor to mow it, but there are a couple of areas where the manual push mower comes in handy.
If the lawn is small and flat and the REEL MOWER blades are sharp and properly adjusted, then its fine. You just dont want to let the grass get very long or it turns into punishment. Lot incentive to mow frequently once you try mowing it long with a reel mower couple times. They also dont like sticks and leaves.... just saying.
When I moved from my suburban house to a city house with a small lawn in Texas, I used my gas powered mulching mower exactly once, as it was too large and heavy for the small lawn, gouged a portion of it, and left tire tracks when it was wet.
I switched to a small craftsman push-reel (no motor) which was cheap, light, maneuverable, took up less storage, and really was ridiculously easy considering I would have had to maneuver the larger power mower through small spaces and still do cleanup with a weed eater in places that it couldn't fit into. It became a conversation piece with neighbors (most who had lawn services) and passers-by commenting about the olden days when they were kids and had to use an old mower. Some people (for some reason mainly Hispanic women) would just stop and watch me, as I think many never saw a push reel before (or a homeowner in the neighborhood actually cutting his own lawn, to tell the truth).
I used to work with a city landscaper during summers in college, who believed that rotary power mowers should only be used on large lawns as he said the fast spinning blades would rip and damage the grass, and that reel mowers were his preference. He always kept a small reel push mower for use in small areas rather than larger power tools or mowers.
I used the push mower for over 10 years until I moved again (lawn duty is now shared with a 70+ year old who insists on self-propelled). Per the previous poster, keeping the blades sharp (easy enough if properly adjusted) and ensuring sticks and the like are picked up before cutting makes all the difference.
For now I fight the self-propelled mower when its my turn (its a small sloped lawn with narrow sections between houses, can't use self-propelled when wet due to wheels gouging lawn), but I'm not ready to take over 100% of the lawn work just to use a push mower.
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