It occours to me that we would all like the finish of a cylinder mower but most wont Pay the price tag. If cylinder mowers were the same price as rotarys, would you buy one or is price the only issue??

The instructor wrote:
It occours to me that we would all like the finish of a cylinder mower
but most wont Pay the price tag. If cylinder mowers were the same
price as rotarys, would you buy one or is price the only issue??

Do you mean a reel mower? Why would anyone want to use one of those?

On 4/16/2014 7:52 PM, Bob F wrote:
The instructor wrote:
It occours to me that we would all like the finish of a cylinder mower
but most wont Pay the price tag. If cylinder mowers were the same
price as rotarys, would you buy one or is price the only issue??

Do you mean a reel mower? Why would anyone want to use one of those?


Yes. Had to look it up myself. There are motorized ones. Advantage is
cleaner cut but disadvantage is having to cut more often. I've never
seen a motorized one in the US and last reel mower I saw a couple of
years ago was being pushed by an Amish woman.

Yes a reel mower is the same thing. Usually for the quality of cut and finish they give. They are used mostly by private estates and sports clubs to cut Fine turf or sports turf but they are used by gardeners who want to produce a high quality lawn.

The cutting action is much cleaner than a rotary which tends to hack grass off whereas the reel mower cuts more like scissors using two cutting blades passing by each other. Obviously a rotary with a good blade will give an 'acceptable' finish but for lower heights of cut and that bowling green finish it has to be a reel mower.

The reel mower also sports a rear roller which leaves the lines but this is achievable with a rotary as well but always looks better in short mown grass, usually below 1 inch.

The main benefit is the health of the grass which recovers better from cylinder cuts than rotary cuts and is less prone to disease infection due to easier recovery from more surgical like cuts.

On 4/16/2014 6:52 PM, Bob F wrote:
The instructor wrote:
It occours to me that we would all like the finish of a cylinder mower
but most wont Pay the price tag. If cylinder mowers were the same
price as rotarys, would you buy one or is price the only issue??

Do you mean a reel mower? Why would anyone want to use one of those?


If you have a low-growing creeping grass lawn - say, bentgrass - a
reel mower provides a closer, smoother cut. It doesn't make as much
different on standard bluegrass/fescue lawns, where the usual practice
is to mow to a 2-3 inch height, instead of a 1-2 inch height.

The other drawback is blade sharpening and replacement. At least in
the US, it's not too easy finding places that know how to sharpen the
blades, and that sell replacment blades.

[quote=Frank;1000940]On 4/16/2014 7:52 PM, Bob F wrote:
The instructor wrote:
It occours to me that we would all like the finish of a cylinder mower
but most wont Pay the price tag. If cylinder mowers were the same
price as rotarys, would you buy one or is price the only issue??

Do you mean a reel mower? Why would anyone want to use one of those?


Yes. Had to look it up myself. There are motorized ones. Advantage is
cleaner cut but disadvantage is having to cut more often. I've never
seen a motorized one in the US and last reel mower I saw a couple of
years ago was being pushed by an Amish woman.[/QUOTE

They've moved on a bit...

Garden Dreams: Reel Mower | Chiot's Run

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