I purchased a Brill Luxus 38 push reel mower a few weeks ago, and here's my
observations for anyone who might be interested in retiring their gas-powered
mower.

The mower is a blast to use. I've got a small lawn - probably 2500 square feet
- and I find myself mowing 2 or 3 times a week just to use the mower! The
mower is extremely light (16 pounds) - despite the fact that it is a precision
tool, its small size makes it look almost like a toy. It's easy to push
through low grass, but requires some effort when the grass gets long. It seems
to shear the grass precisely, although a second pass will still cut grass.
From what I understand, reel mowers by nature cut the grass in varying heights,
probably accounting for the fact that a second pass will still cut grass.

I find it more difficult to cut in straight lines - for the more anal sorts -
although this mower, because of its light weight - does not leave pronounced
wheel lines in the grass. In fact, after a day or so, the wheel lines almost
disappear. Several neighbors have commented that my grass looks like that on a
golf course. Because the blades reside inside of the wheels, its tough to get
close to edges, and I've found that my need for trimming has increased (I have
a gas trimmer. Running it more negates some of the green benefits of the
Brill).

My wife, who is only 5 feet tall, had a tough time using this mower (I was
hoping to Tom Sawyer her into this chore!). To get enough leverage to push the
mower, especially through higher grass, she has a tendency to lower the handle
past its range thus lifting the mower wheels off of the ground. This, of
course, stops the blades. To get the mower to work, she must use more arm
power than body power, which could get tiring for those cutting bigger lawns.

The mower cuts to a maximum height of a little less than 2 inches. I'm waiting
to see how my lawn reacts to this during the dog days of a Chicago summer. Oh,
when adjusting for height, you've really got to tighten the adjusting knobs as
they tend to slip in the shorter direction.

I don't understand why there is only one distributer for this mower in the
Chicago area - this is one cool machine and they should be able to sell gobs of
them here. I heartedly endorse this product for anyone with a smaller lawn or
those who like to mix a little exercise with their weekly chores.

BP.