A good sharpening kit, fine oil, and a file is all you need for reel mower sharpening. Read these instruction carefully and make sure to follow all the steps otherwise your reel mower’s blades might not cut grass as well as at the beginning. The lawn will be uneven and grass clippings all over the place. When the blades are well sharpened the cut is fast and clean. As the reel mower’s blade are getting dull so does the work. You will notice a big difference between sharp mower blades and dull ones.

Photo courtesy of pigsonthewing.

• First step: start with the mechanism oil and the file. Oil the blades well for the reel mower sharpening to proceed smoothly. Use the file as directed, keeping a slight incline of 10 degrees, and pouring oil from a straight gauge. Let the blades cool down when they become too hot during sharpening but do not use water or other coolants. Continue the reel mower sharpening until the blade’s edge is sharp enough to cut 5 inch grass through and through.
• Second step: adjust the backlapping sharpening kit for your reel mower brand. Fiskars usually needs a firm grip while Scotts can make gains with a medium one. Once adjusted, keep the blades together and have them degreased. Greasy blades are not recommended for reel mower sharpening. Have them oiled after the grease has been removed. Using the sharpening kit continue adjusting the reel mower’s blade while keeping the distance constant. Stop adjusting when they are 5 to 6 inch apart. Bring the file from step one and sharpen the blades for 6 to 7 minutes or until sharp enough to cut oiled paper with grass clippings.
• Third step: turn the lawn mower on its side, loose the screws holding the blade cover, and tap the blades lightly with a claw hammer. If the sound made while tapping is too loud then the reel mower sharpening is not finished. Continue as outlined on step two until the sound made by the mower’s blades while tapping them with a hammer is soft and pleasant to the ear. That will ensure perfect pitch grass cutting.

What to do after reel mower sharpening

Maintenance: for longer blade life and uniform lawn grass height keep blades well oiled while in use. Store the reel mower after the grass cutting is done in a cool, dry, shaded place, away from direct sun and humidity. Employ rust free oil compounds when using the mower in humid weather, with less volume needed if in dry environment like Arizona or Nevada. The reel mower sharpening should be completed at this point.

Photo courtesy of miggslives.

Further along the mowing routine, reel mower sharpening should be employed every few months, or every other month if you mow a lot of lawns. Keep the reel mower in good shape and the results will speak for themselves.

That being said, reel mower adjustment is even easier. Of course it depends on the reel mower’s brand as the ones your buy at Home Depot might give you a bit more hassle than necessary. While reel lawn mowers blades can be adjusted on a John Deere with a push of a level, other mowers need you to adjust screws, nuts and bolts. Some of them make it as difficult as having to set all four of them at the same position or level, for the reel lawn mower not to tip over while cutting grass.

Compared with motorized lawn mowers, the reel lawn mowers are low maintenance and can get the job of cutting grass and mowing your lawn just as good. On top of that, one gets to exercise by walking around on the freshly cut grass while pushing the reel mower.

Photo courtesy of alisharusher.

To begin with, buying a reel lawn mower from Home Depot or Sears should suffice. You don’t need to go all fancy and get the very expensive ones when an entry level one will do. After all, we’re talking here about a $70-$90 piece of hardware, it is not like you’re buying a new car. Once you get the hang of it and maybe decide this first reel lawn mower is not enough for your lawn size, or your grass cutting requirements, you can easily sell it to a neighbor or put it up on Craigslist. With the proceeds you get from the sale, just go ahead and buy a better reel lawn mower. Now you know exactly what you are looking for.

Photo courtesy of Dan4th.

Reel lawn mowers with a motor

A friend was asking if I have seen reel lawn mowers with a motor. Yes, it is possible, but in my personal opinion that defeats the whole purpose of a reel mower. If you want something noisy, with an engine, running on gas and for which you have to keep changing oil, then get a regular commercial lawn mower. Keep the reel lawn mower spirit alive and don’t bother with motors. That’s just silly. Specialists might argue against it but that’s how I like to trim my lawn.

Right out of the factory the paint color choices for reel lawn mowers are limited. What’s up with all the red and green? Seriously is that the best we can do?

I painted my reel lawn mower deep blue with a shade of crimson while my wife had hers painted pink (yeah, i know). There are as many options are there are paint colors and lawn mower blades. Make your mower stand out, let it be a patch a color on your green lawn. Think like Forrest Gump:

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get

It could be a pink reel lawn mower for all I know.

Hoping I gave you several good ideas on choosing and repairing a reel lawn mower for parts and accessories, don’t hesitate to ask questions in the comments. We answer them all.

I’ll briefly list some of the benefits you get with a push reel mower then I’ll over them in detail:

• beneficial to the environment
• helps you exercise and keeps you in shape
• low running costs
• no more buying gas!
• cheap maintenance
• low noise

As you can see there are quite a few benefits that come with owning a push reel mower when compared with other grass mowers. Let’s take it further by discussing each topic.

1. Push reel mowers are beneficial to the environment

Unlike other powered grass lawnmowers, the push reel mower needs no fuel and is powered just by the effort you exert when pushing it. Having no engine and no need for gas, automatically there is no need for engine oil. The environment is kept intact, unaffected by smoke emissions and poisonous used engine oil. The only thing you have to worry about are the grass clipping – bit those are organic things that will decompose and sink back into the earth eventually. No harm done.

2. A push reel mower helps you exercise

You have to push it! There is no engine to keep it running while dragging you along around the yard. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t suit lazy bums, but don’t you want to live long enough to enjoy your house and the well manicured lawn? Exercise didn’t kill anybody but lack of physical activity did. So rather than hitting the gym every now and then just take the best of all grass mowers out for a spin. The grass gets cut and you get the exercise: it’s a win-win! Oh, and don’t worry, it’s not really that hard pushing the lawnmower. Even my wife can do it. It’s not like you have to push a garbage truck.

3. Low running costs for a push reel mower

You see, it’s not only a cheap lawnmower but also cheap to run. There is no tank to fill up with gas and no engine oil to replace. You might have to take it to a professional. for maintenance once in a while but it’s mostly worry free. How can it get cheaper than that?

4. No more buying gas!

I knew you would like this one. With the high price of gas nowadays and no end in sight (gone are the days of full tank on the cheap) it starts becoming expensive to trim your lawn. With a push reel mower you can cut grass as many times as you want even if the whole world runs out of gas.

5. Cheap maintenance

Truth is, the only major thing you have to look after with a push reel mower is blade sharpening. You will find instructions on our site on how to do that and you will easily get the hang of it. It’s not as easy as sharpening a knife but it’s not much more complicated either. Then, as long as you keep the mower’s blades sharpened, you’re good to go. There is no engine to maintain and no oil change needed – this lawnmower can run for ages!

6. Low noise

Ah! here comes my favorite part. One thing I hate most when my neighbor goes about trimming his lawn is the noise. It’s like a whole gang of Harleys descended upon our neighborhood. I literally have to lock up the house and go do something else. But not with the push reel mower. It’s not entirely silent but the only noise you will hear while mowing your lawn will be the sound of the blades cutting grass. Oh, and your feet shuffling through the freshly cut grass. Sounds to good to be true? Give it a try.

Now, if we didn’t convince you to at least try out a push reel mower before you go out and buy a lawnmower, I don’t know what will. If you still have questions, ask away in the comments. We’ll be happy to reply.

When choosing an electric reel mower make sure you follow the same advice you would for a normal reel mower. Buy a good, reliable brand with extended warranty and well known service parts. Getting a cheap made in China hardware might save you money at the beginning, but in the long run you will spend more cash with maintenance and having to repair it frequently. Get an electric reel mower that will last, does a good job and it is maintenance free.

The big difference between various brand of electric reel mowers like Brill, Gardena or WORX is their electrical prowess. How long do they last on a single charge? Can you mow your lawn several times or do yo have to recharge it every 100 yards? That is important and you want to make sure to have all the details before investing in an electric reel mower.

Electric reel mower from three brands reviews

Brill does an average job when it comes to battery life but their electric reel mowers are good at cutting grass and keeping the lawn well maintained. I was able to go around my 450 sq ft mass of grass around my house in Atlanta on a single charge with the Brill Accu 380ASM Rechargeable electric reel mower. While not exceptional, it is a good starting point and it will help get the mowing job done. Just don’t think you can use it on manual mode once you run out of battery because that is not going to happen – the plastic wheels are flimsy – and the grass height adjustment should be checked regularly as it has the tendency of changing under the blade’s weight.

Gardena 4025-U Lithium-Ion Cordless push reel lawn mower on the other hand, is the real deal. My cousin from Michigan can mow his lawn 5 to 7 times on a single charge with the Gardena. The grass covers about 300 sq ft of his yard and he is very happy with the results. Grass clippings are neatly gathered together and he doesn’t have to think about recharging the mower for a long time. Now that is flexibility and peace of mind!

The electric reel mower from WORX is almost as good as the Gardena, lasting a good amount without having to plug it into an electrical outlet and we’re talking about the WORX WG783 Lil’ Mo 14-Inch 24-Volt Cordless 3-In-1 electric reel mower here. One difference is the height adjustment for the grass cutting works better on the Gardena, while for the WORX lawn mower each wheel needs to be adjusted independently. Otherwise an impressive piece of hardware and we couldn’t be more happy to have it. If you are hard pressed to choose between the two of them, go with the Gardena, but if you like the WORX design and price better or you find a sweet deal don’t hesitate to make the purchase. They are both excellent electric reel mowers and they come highly recommended from us.

One last thing – keep your reel mower’s blade sharp and in tip top condition. That is your main tool for trimming the lawn and it has to be in the best of shapes. Sharpen regularly or if you don’t know how to do it, just take it to a professional. Otherwise, see our instructions here on site on how to properly and safely sharpen the blades for an electric reel mower and you can do it yourself with a little bit of work. Your lawn will thank you for the extra effort and your neighborhood will look so much better!

Reel lawn mowers come in a variety of colors and with prices for all budgets. You can get a cheap new one for around 40$ and an used one for even less. If you can afford and have a choice, I would recommend picking a reel mower color to suit your mood. I mean, seriously, do you want to show up with yet another green reel mower, the same color your whole neighborhood has?

Stand out for a change, even if it’s only through your reel lawn mower. Make a statement. After all, you might take your reel mower our for a spin more often than Bill takes his sports car. Do you feel adventurous? Want to attract the ladies? Go with a striking red reel mower. Driving a convertible? Pfua! Old news. Mowing your lawn with a crazy red reel mower while wearing a tight muscle shirt – now that’s what I’m talking about!

Need some peace? Maybe mowing the lawn is like a yoga practice for you, a meditative state. Settle for a deep blue or malachite green reel mower. Go out there and cut the grass slowly. Feel the grass blades with your bare feet. Enjoy the sun’s heat on your bare back. You are one with nature, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Now if you just want to have some fun while trimming your scenery, splurge on an orange or bright yellow reel mower. That would definitely put the F in fun. Push it with ardor, jump a little while at it, take fancy turns, the lawn is your oyster! Don’t settle for the same old grass cutting patterns your boring neighbor is using. Get creative, fancy moves are not only for ball rooms and tattoo parlors.

Let’s say you can’t find the a particular reel mover with the perfect color. Get a paint job! Either take it to a professional, like the ones doing paint jobs for cars or if your budget is tight, do it yourself. Take a trip down to the hardware store, ask your friendly seller what would he recommend for a reel mower paint job, get enough supplies so you don’t have to go out twice and get to work.

Painting the reel mower yourself is even better as you can induce all those crazy patterns you’ve seen on The Fast and the Furious or Martha Stewart show (seriously). It doesn’t have to be an identical replica – as long as it fits the purpose and you enjoy the end result – it’s all grass and sunshine on your lawn. Hose it down, add some sprinkles and you’re ready to go.

You see, once you start showing up with a pimped out reel mower on your front lawn, the neighbors will go nuts! Pretty soon you will see each and every one of them coming up to ask how did you do it or if they can buy it from you. Most people lack imagination and think you need an arts degree, an expensive canvas and a truckload of colors to express yourself. Wrong! The humble reel mower is all you need. That, and love of course.

Now that you are on the right track and have the proper sharp blades and colors, don’t stop here. Experiment with the grass patterns, trim your bushes the wild way, add some funky painted rocks. Your lawn will brighten, your neighbors will be envious and life will only get better. All from that cheap, lonesome reel mower you just wanted to be done with.