On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:35:17 GMT, Salty Thumb
wrote:

Has anybody done any push reel mower shopping recently? I am about to take
the plunge and get a Scotts 20-2000 for $120, mainly because of the 20"
cutting width. There was some message on the group about staying away from
Scotts and some other people saying they were looking for the 'Scotts
Classic'. There is also a 18" American brand for $100 that I'm considering
as an alternative. Yeah, they are from box stores, but I'm open to other
sources if someone can tell me what they are.

I did this shopping last year. I heard good things about the 'Scotts
Classic'. But only that one. No one gave rave reviews for the other
Scotts mowers.

Also remember that you will be pushing this thing. It's essentially
only on two wheels which makes it harder to push. And the wider the
blade the more friction it provides, once again making the mower
harder to push. Not to mention that the large ones get quite heavy. I
know a gas mower might be a heavier beast but it's easier to roll
along on 4 wheels especially since you don't have the blade friction
to deal with.

I found some reviews on Amazon.com, mostly good, but who knows if they are
just shill posts. In the group, there was also some guy raving about
German engineered push reel mowers (and another about some electric push
reels that I'm not interested in).

Reel mowers are great. I love mine. It was a tossup between the
Scotts classic and the lee valley mower for me. I went for the Lee
valley one. It's only 18" but my wife needs to use it too and the
Scotts one was getting kind of heavy. (price in Canadian)
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...&ccurren cy=1

Some specific questions, I am a cheapskate, do these things ever go on
sale? Do these things still work okay when pushed at a running (vs.
walking) speed? I've been wasting a lot of time lollygagging behind a
gasoline mower and I'd to try shaving the lawn at brisker pace.

I never saw them go on sale. They're kind of a specialty item so
stores don't bother.

Why do you 'lollygag' behind a gasoline mower? can't you push those
at a running pace too?

If you're only cutting a very small amount off your grass (1/2 inch or
so) then you should be able to run as fast as you can push it. If
you're cutting any more off your grass you'll have to go at a slower
pace so that the grass has time to stand up into the blades to be cut.

Like i said i love my reel mower. It doesn't work well on long grass.
It doesn't work well on wet grass. It doesn't work well if you try to
cut off too much at once. But it's quiet (i mowed my lawn at 5am
once), better for the grass (cuts instead of ripping), and of course
environmentally friendly.

Kevin