# Allett owners on here?!



## Hoghead22 (Jul 1, 2021)

How many Allett owners do we have on here? Curious as to how y'all like them. I like the cartridge idea but how good is it? Any regrets in the purchase? Pros to cons. Any personal comparisons to Allett, Toro, JD etc…… I'm looking to purchase my first reel mower working the next couple months so I'm just curious yalls opinions.


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## FrankS (Jun 19, 2021)

A couple of owners chimed in here.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

We should start at Allett thread similar to the ones out there for toro, baroness, JD...

Few of us on here have Alletts. @Austinite @JayGo

I enjoy my machine and cartridges a lot. I just bought a GM1600 but will keep the Allett as I consider that my swiss army knife.

Tons of pros, few cons that come to mind are that there is a ton of plastic on the machine which is fine since it's a residential machine.

Good luck with your search!


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## FrankS (Jun 19, 2021)

JerseyGreens said:


> We should start at Allett thread similar to the ones out there for toro, baroness, JD...
> 
> Few of us on here have Alletts. @Austinite @JayGo
> 
> ...


https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6692


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

FrankS said:


> JerseyGreens said:
> 
> 
> > We should start at Allett thread similar to the ones out there for toro, baroness, JD...
> ...


Meant to say someone should start one such as this:

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=102


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6692


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## JayGo (Jun 13, 2019)

Aside from one issue, I absolutely love my Kensington 20H. I am currently working with Allett (both the US & UK offices) to hopefully resolve my issue, so I'm hoping I'll be able to report a glowing review of how well they take care of their customers. They're super friendly folks and very communicative.

There is quite a bit of plastic on the machine, but I knew that was the case when I bought mine. Some folks have mentioned that the plastic throttle has broken on their machine, and I've seen a couple of reports about folks breaking the plastic cover that goes over the gears and belts by hitting it on fences or flower bed borders.
I haven't had this issue, but I tend to "baby" my mower.

Folks have complained about how difficult a time they're having when it comes to finding a shop that will service an Allett cartridge reel. I just think Allett is still too new and shop guys haven't seen one yet. I think this'll eventually change, though, as the client base grows.

But again, I love my mower. The interchangeable cartridges are what sold me. Currently, I only own the 6-blade reel and the scarifier. However, I am considering the verticutter and the 10-blade reel to experiment with mowing below 1/2". I'm just waiting to see how Allett handles my warranty claim.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

My biggest complaint is the adjustment for the reel to bedknife on the cartridges especially the 10 blade. I have 2 of them and on both no matter what it takes an insane amount of contact to get even cutting down the reel. The middle will start cutting quick but to dial in out to the edges it requires more contact than I like or should require. Swardman did a better job in that department having 3 adjustments on the reels instead of 2 so you can take some out in the middle and not cup or cone the reel faster. I wish there was a way to dial in the front roller to rear but I haven't found a way and mine has a subtle dip lacking two adjustment points. The front roller is fiddly and will run wobbly if the retaining bolts aren't tensioned just right. You can ditch the screws in the plastic cover over the pulleys and just install some strong magnets. That makes it way less painful not dealing with those 4 bolts. Only other complaint is lack of transport wheels. I have a long concrete driveway so the paint on the rear drum was gone day 1 and the drum gets all scratched and rusted. Otherwise honestly the swardman and the allett unless you are in a holy war are of about the same build quality. I'm hoping to find a solid grooved roller to replace the tin can roller that came with the 20H, I think one that @Reelrollers makes for the California trimmer might work with a different bearing insert. Maybe we can convince Lee to test it, or I'll buy one and test it if he will let me return it if it doesn't work.


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## Todd762 (Jul 23, 2021)

New member here. Spoke with Allett USA. Has anyone received a discount from them as I inquired if they had any specials or discounts and I was told no. I was getting ready to checkout on a Liberty 43 and the fact I also have to purchase a battery/charger separate and get hit with a $280 shipping charge kind of rubbed me the wrong way.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Todd762 said:


> New member here. Spoke with Allett USA. Has anyone received a discount from them as I inquired if they had any specials or discounts and I was told no. I was getting ready to checkout on a Liberty 43 and the fact I also have to purchase a battery/charger separate and get hit with a $280 shipping charge kind of rubbed me the wrong way.


PM sent.


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## Hoghead22 (Jul 1, 2021)

Todd762 said:


> New member here. Spoke with Allett USA. Has anyone received a discount from them as I inquired if they had any specials or discounts and I was told no. I was getting ready to checkout on a Liberty 43 and the fact I also have to purchase a battery/charger separate and get hit with a $280 shipping charge kind of rubbed me the wrong way.


I was wondering the same thing. Did you happen to find anything out @Todd762


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

Another Allett owner here, checking in -- Liberty 43. Quite happy with it.

Re: Battery & Charger. My opinion, buy a high-quality [probably the rapid] charger with a fan (they may all have fans, I don't know). Then spend ~$150 on a high-quality 6AH battery. And then spend another $60-100 on a third-party 5-6AH battery to use as a spare/to keep charged for the rare occasion you run out of juice. FWIW, I've been able to scarify my entire Bermuda lawn ~3-5X over & _still_ have enough juice to give it a solid mow. I now have a second (off-brand) battery just in case, but I've yet to *need to use it.

Feel free to PM if you'd like a discount code. Also more than happy to answer any questions or discuss specifics, etc...


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## monsonman (Dec 9, 2020)

Another happy Liberty 43 owner here as well

I noticed the reel to bedknife issue that @HungrySoutherner mentioned but after bcklapping, I was able to keep the contact much less "tight" and it has been cutting fantastically.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

monsonman said:


> Another happy Liberty 43 owner here as well
> 
> I noticed the reel to bedknife issue that @HungrySoutherner mentioned but after bcklapping, I was able to keep the contact much less "tight" and it has been cutting fantastically.


The brand new reels that are being sold from Allett do not have a relief grind so so backlapping was not an option without making issues worse. All 3 bed knives were warped and they tried to rough grind them at the factor to flatten them out but based on the design it would be impossible to get even contact across the entire reel and bedknive without some serious regrinding on the reel and knife. I'm sure for most people the fact that the best cut is occurring in the middle and correct cutting won't occur out towards the end is fine but I've given up on it.


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## ADanto6840 (Apr 1, 2021)

HungrySoutherner said:


> The brand new reels that are being sold from Allett do not have a relief grind so so backlapping was not an option without making issues worse.


What/how would I determine if my reels have the needed relief grind?

I have two reels, the standard 6-blade that it came with (quite sharp & no complaints), along with a 10-blade that I purchased as "clearance" from Horizon Distributors. I have not yet used the 10-blade at all but, to the eye/touch at least, it seems like it's nowhere near as sharp as my 6-blade was/is. I don't know if the angles are just different or something, or if it was maybe a demo unit that has been dulled down a bit (Roland @ Allett said he'd expect both to be equally sharp upon delivery, but I haven't yet gotten to try the 10-blade)

That said, I'd like to know if I'll be able to back-lap my reels or not. What am I looking for, as far as "relief grind" is concerned?

I also have to admit, I've been curious -- is there any reason you can't sharpen the reels like you would a [regular or higher-end] kitchen knife? Meaning, with a whetstone and/either/or a belt sander (or grinder) with a relatively fine [and progressively-finer] abrasive material on it [ie high-grit sandpaper, or a high-grit/polish-level grinder blade]? Is it just difficult to get it right, or what's "the magic" that golf shops use?

I'm guessing it's mainly expertise & experience [that they have & that I certainly don't] --- but I can't help but ask! =D


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

If a reel has a relief on it you will see the distinct secondary bevel on the edge. When they are spin ground the cylinder has a very flat face and it maintains the even shape of the reel, then the bedknive essentially has an equally flat face and the goal is to get a clean cut between the sharp corners of the those 2 flat faces passing each other, typically without contact to help preserve the the geometry of the sharp edge on the knife and cylinder. With a relief you spin grind to get the reel in a cylinder shape and then come back on each blade and add an angled edge like a knife or scissors. Then a similar angle is added to the bedknife. With a relief grind it is design for light to medium contact of the knife and reel just like a pair of scissors passing each other to cut. With that secondary bevel on the reel, you can backlap with compound because you are running it in reverse and the two angles brushing past each other is essentially honing the edges without out destroying it to keep up the edge longer. If you backlap a spin grind all you are doing is actually rounding off and removing the cutting edge with is just the corner of the reel that meets the bedknife. A lot of manufacturers have switched to spin grind because it is less work. Swardman actually had a smart idea to the issue of a spin grind an not being able to backlap by making their bedknives affordable and sacrificial, so mid season you can swap the knife on their reels and at least have one fresh edge to cut with. Lots of great pictures etc on the web of what the two differences are and look like.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

ADanto6840 said:


> ...
> 
> I also have to admit, I've been curious -- is there any reason you can't sharpen the reels like you would a [regular or higher-end] kitchen knife? Meaning, with a whetstone and/either/or a belt sander (or grinder) with a relatively fine [and progressively-finer] abrasive material on it [ie high-grit sandpaper, or a high-grit/polish-level grinder blade]? Is it just difficult to get it right, or what's "the magic" that golf shops use?
> 
> I'm guessing it's mainly expertise & experience [that they have & that I certainly don't] --- but I can't help but ask! =D


The magic is a pair of machines that cost tens of thousands of dollars and restore the precise shape of the reel and bedknife regardless of any wear experienced.

This vid gives a pretty good idea of how the process goes and just for fun, shows a very old school towable unit being sharpened by some old school grinding equipment.


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## ccomp83 (May 27, 2020)

Hey allett owners! Im looking to see if there are any Kensington 17 owners who want to sell their verticutter cartridge (good condition)? I got bermuda and would like to have this in my tool box.


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## MrT (Jul 30, 2021)

In the, Uk an Allet 17 inch verticutter cartridge without tax costs 291 sterling (405 US dollars) on the US Allett site without tax it's listed as 649 US dollars. This represents an increase of approximately 66 percent.

The 17 inch scarifier cartridge without tax costs 174 sterling or (242 US dollars) on the US site without tax it is listed as 489 US dollars. This represents an increase on approximately 102 percent.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

MrT said:


> In the, Uk an Allet 17 inch verticutter cartridge without tax costs 291 sterling (405 US dollars) on the US Allett site without tax it's listed as 649 US dollars. This represents an increase of approximately 66 percent.
> 
> The 17 inch scarifier cartridge without tax costs 174 sterling or (242 US dollars) on the US site without tax it is listed as 489 US dollars. This represents an increase on approximately 102 percent.


@MrT all of your posts since joining TLF last Friday have been focused on airing this same grievance (in multiple threads) with Allett pricing in North America. Suffice it to say you have made your point. Please move on.


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