On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 03:26:06 GMT, Salty Thumb
wrote:

kevins_news2 wrote in
:

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...ory=2%2C2160&S
ID=&ccurrency=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


Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the tips. I am starting to think the Scott's 20-2000 might be
also be a "Classic" mower, although it has 4 wheels. You are right, it
is HEAVY, at least it is while still packed in a box. I didn't they'd go
on sale, but thought I'd ask anyway ... can't be a cheapskate without
doing as such.

When I could push the gasoline mower at running pace it doesn't cut as
well ... going really fast, I imagine it has the same problem you
mentioned with the grass not popping back up fast enough to get a clean
cut. I'll probably mow more often with a reel mower, so it shouldn't be
a problem.

Luckily the local temperatures took a real dive, so I've have more time
to look and waffle.

I mowed the yard when I was 14 or so with a push mower, I even managed
to mow overgrown areas, but it required pushing the mower into the
jungle repeatedly until it ate through it all. If I was in any kind
of shape to mow at all now, I'd prefer a push mower just because it's
quiet. I have a self propelled gas mower because I figured if I was
ever to get anyone to mow here, it would require that I own a mower.
I need to get someone to try to start it though. Same with a gas
weedwhacker. Push mower would be nice though! I saw some for around
$98 but doubt they're as wide as the one mentioned waaaay up above ;-)

Janice