# Reel mower



## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Well, very disappointing news. I finally got my Swardman, but it was DOA. They are going to take it back, but they have informed me that are no new Electras until next spring at the earliest. I was offered an Edwin or a refund.

Any suggestions on what to do? Take the Edwin? Wait? Find something else?

I'm not opposed to a greens mower, but the entire hassle of finding one used and servicing it seems time consuming. While I have time (sort of), I kind of don't want to deal with the hassle. I do 100% want a drum mower that will stripe well. The dethatch/scarify function with a simple cartridge swap is also very appealing. I want cut heights from ~1/2 to 1.5 inches, and will probably spend most of my time cutting at 7/8-1.5 inches. I obviously don't mind spending some money on the mower - Swardman's are pricy.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@bernstem have you considered a Toro Prostripe or Masport Rotarola instead of a reel?


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

@Spammage Cutting low gets difficult with a rotary due to the nature of how they work. Add in the improved cut quality from a reel mower and I would strongly prefer something with a reel. There is a very good reason that golf courses use reels. If striping was the only criteria, a striping kit added to my current Honda would be the way to go. For a new mower, the Prostripe would be an easy choice for a non-reel mower.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@bernstem I totally get it. I'm using a reel myself. I just didn't know if you were aware of the rotary options. :thumbup:


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

You could get the Edwin and some cash back, too. 
Have you considered the Allett?


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@bernstem Man!!! . I can't give you an 'educated' advice, but my personal (if I was you). I would get the gas! And will ask for a rebate. Fall is approaching, hell know what Covid is going to bring us and complicate even more logistics. I would get whatever I can now and reel mow. Just reading you, I feel so disappointed!


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## 94Spartan (May 8, 2020)

That stinks. I'd be looking forward to using the Swardman too. There are some options for reel mowing maintenance and sharpening. I had a broken grinding unit at the club I managed, and had to have a mobile reel servicing tech come to our location a couple times a year. They charge a good bit, but it was well worth the investment. I had no hassles, or down time, and his equipment was tip top so all reels, bedknives, bearings were good as new. He even helped my mechanic reinstall them on the walk mowers and set the HOC.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

What was wrong with it. Can't they send you parts to repair it. I have never seen one but it looks well designed and probably modular. Wouldn't it be easier to fix it than to send it back to Europe? 
I would be willing to take a look at it for you.
PS: my day job is repairing much more complex gear.


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## Brou (Jun 18, 2020)

gene_stl said:


> What was wrong with it. Can't they send you parts to repair it. I have never seen one but it looks well designed and probably modular. Wouldn't it be easier to fix it than to send it back to Europe?
> I would be willing to take a look at it for you.
> PS: my day job is repairing much more complex gear.


It's a bunch of electronic doodads. They probably don't want him to unseal any of the control boards.


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## Passat774 (Oct 9, 2018)

Get a used greensmower, make some buddies at a golf course. I went through the same battle before purchasing my mower.

I am very glad I passed on the Swardman, to many issues for the money.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

My apologies,
I got caught up in reading your journal and should have posted here, so I placed it below.

I'm sorry to hear of your plight. If you were dead set on the Electra, maybe ask them if you could have an Edwin to use for the rest of the mowing season, with the opportunity to trade it in next year towards an Electra when one comes in.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

I know that most people will only post reviews online when they're not good, so hopefully there are A LOT more positive experiences out there than what I've come across online. It seems like there sure are a lot of issues with that Electra model. I know that I'd be ticked/disappointed to pay that much for a machine, wait a while for delivery and then after I finally get it there are issues that make it unusable.

I hope that all the kinks get worked out, the Swardman is a pretty slick setup with the interchangeable cartridges.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

As someone new to this hobby, but with new zoysia that I want to keep golf course low, I looked at a few different options over the past couple of months and ended up deciding on an Allett Liberty 43. They were a few reasons I chose it over the Swardman, the $1000 differential in price was a big one. There is also a pretty significant, or at least moderately significant, dealer network out there for this British manufacturer. Horizon reps them and has a good number of local branches around (including Florida where I am) so this helped my decision as well. I chose electric over gas since I only have 2500 sq ft to handle and I wanted the lower noise and easier maneuverability of the electric version. A huge bonus in my mind is that this model also uses a very easily obtainable and widely used lithium ion battery from greenworks. I bought an additional 6 Ah battery for $75 on Amazon. The Allett comes standard with a 4 Ah (which I find is enough to complete my 2500 ft.² without a problem).

In any case, if you are having difficulty getting a swardman anytime soon, perhaps an Allett is something to think about. Many of these have been out of stock as well, but the rep I got mine from said more were coming in in early August.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

> It's a bunch of electronic doodads. They probably don't want him to unseal any of the control boards.


I would think that Swardman would be interested in avoiding roundtrip schipping. It's a motor and battery controller set up, not a moon shot.


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## Brou (Jun 18, 2020)

gene_stl said:


> > It's a bunch of electronic doodads. They probably don't want him to unseal any of the control boards.
> 
> 
> I would think that Swardman would be interested in avoiding roundtrip schipping. It's a motor and battery controller set up, not a moon shot.


It's probably going to be repaired in Georgia with parts coming from Europe.


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## Brou (Jun 18, 2020)

Gilley11 said:


> I know that most people will only post reviews online when they're not good, so hopefully there are A LOT more positive experiences out there than what I've come across online. It seems like there sure are a lot of issues with that Electra model. I know that I'd be ticked/disappointed to pay that much for a machine, wait a while for delivery and then after I finally get it there are issues that make it unusable.
> 
> I hope that all the kinks get worked out, the Swardman is a pretty slick setup with the interchangeable cartridges.


These Swardman threads are an eye opener for me. This one in particular because appx two weeks ago I cancelled my Electra order which was _supposed_ to ship in late July. This broken Electra could easily have been shipped to my house. And after waiting months I would be LIVID if I received a dud and was told no replacement would be available until next year. I can't even imagine the frustration...sheesh.


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## Lp_chazychaz (Jun 15, 2020)

Kamauxx said:


> Gilley11 said:
> 
> 
> > I know that most people will only post reviews online when they're not good, so hopefully there are A LOT more positive experiences out there than what I've come across online. It seems like there sure are a lot of issues with that Electra model. I know that I'd be ticked/disappointed to pay that much for a machine, wait a while for delivery and then after I finally get it there are issues that make it unusable.
> ...


I saw you got a California trimmer instead. How do you like it?


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## Brou (Jun 18, 2020)

Lp_chazychaz said:


> Kamauxx said:
> 
> 
> > Gilley11 said:
> ...


I'm enjoying it. I don't have another powered reel mower to compare it to but it's certainly better than my manual reel or Timemaster.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Thanks for all the feedback. One problem I have is that there really aren't any dealers for reel mowers here in St. Louis. Texas, Florida, Georgia have lots, but aside from Toro and John Deere there isn't much here. My understanding is that they are going to send it back to Swardman to get looked at, but it is hard to say. I'm guessing it may be an issue with the control board in the mower, but like @Kamauxx says, it is basically a motor and control board. Not much for the end user to tinker with.

The Allet mower look nice, but I have the same problem as Swardman with no local dealer. More thinking to do... First it is off to work to deal with some emergencies.


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## weirj55 (Apr 13, 2020)

TampaBayFL said:


> As someone new to this hobby, but with new zoysia that I want to keep golf course low, I looked at a few different options over the past couple of months and ended up deciding on an Allett Liberty 43. They were a few reasons I chose it over the Swardman, the $1000 differential in price was a big one. There is also a pretty significant, or at least moderately significant, dealer network out there for this British manufacturer. Horizon reps them and has a good number of local branches around (including Florida where I am) so this helped my decision as well. I chose electric over gas since I only have 2500 sq ft to handle and I wanted the lower noise and easier maneuverability of the electric version. A huge bonus in my mind is that this model also uses a very easily obtainable and widely used lithium ion battery from greenworks. I bought an additional 6 Ah battery for $75 on Amazon. The Allett comes standard with a 4 Ah (which I find is enough to complete my 2500 ft.² without a problem).
> 
> In any case, if you are having difficulty getting a swardman anytime soon, perhaps an Allett is something to think about. Many of these have been out of stock as well, but the rep I got mine from said more were coming in in early August.


Thank you for this post. I have been researching for a while and find it hard to find some real world Allett Liberty 43 experience out there. I am glad you enjoyed it up to the point of this post. Would love to hear more about your thoughts now, after having it a while longer?


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

@weirj55 .....So far so good with the Allett. I have been using it pretty much daily here and have not encountered any issues with it yet at all. My yard is about 2500 ft.², and that included battery, 4 Ah, does that easily. Many times I cross cut the yard, and a single charge of that battery is still more than sufficient. I ran it one time as long as I could to completely drain the battery and its probably 2.5-3 times doing my yard. As mentioned above, I also bought a second battery for convenience and that one was 50% larger and the standard one at 6 Ah. I have never completely drained that one.

Coming from a manual push cylinder mower, the quality of cut with this is obviously far superior (and needless to say) is physically much much easier. This one also seems to do a pretty good job of getting almost all of the clippings into the collection box upfront.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

One other thing I should note, that is very convenient, is the simple dial speed control. It ranges from 1 to 6 (I usually keep it a little over 5) but being able to turn it down a little bit when doing tight areas, following an irregular mulch bed landscape border edge, etc. is very easy. I understand that Allett has synchronized the cylinder speed with the drum speed such that the linear cut rate remains the same.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

@TampaBayFL Allett appears a solid competitor to the Swardmans. How is reel maintenance on the Alletts? ReelRollers has a mail in sharpening service and for most people it seems the reels need to be sharpened 1-2 times/year.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

I have not had to sharpen my reel as of yet, but initially I plan to simply backlap it using a drill and valve compound. I'm going to inquire with my local golf course about having them do a sharpening sometime later this year.


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## weirj55 (Apr 13, 2020)

@bernstem I emailed Allett.us that same question and got a response stating that they will do a "reel exchange" for $150. Ship you a sharp reel and take your dull one and sharpen it for the next swap out. You also have the option of back lapping.

Thank you @TampaBayFL for your insight. I am ready to get mine ordered. Glad you are loving it!


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

@weirj55 .....I'm not sure who you are ordering it through, but I got mine through Horizon. They seem to be a national outfit that reps Allet in quite a few locations. The reason I bring this up is that they may have a demo unit they will sell you for a little bit less than new. The rep offered me a demo unit that was used a couple of times and I saved 200 bucks. It comes with all of the same warranty, etc. as new in the box.


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## weirj55 (Apr 13, 2020)

@TampaBayFL Thank you for thinking of that. I ordered directly through the Allett.us website. This company, Tri-State Pump & Control Inc., must be the importer for Allett stateside as that is who the receipt came from. I think that is who Brett Satterfield, the face of Allett US, works for??? I did not order the charger or battery as...

I am planning to order the battery from Amazon (cheaper vs buying direct through Allett). I will probably get the 6ah one like you have. My lawn is 5032 sq ft. While I think the 4ah battery would probably get me through one mow, having a little extra juice for $25 more seems smart. Eventually I will get a second battery. I will probably wait until I get a Greenworks string trimmer and a landscape rotary scissors to pick up the additional battery. Put it on the X-mas list!!!

I picked up a Greenworks battery charger on clearance at Walmart last month. It was like 10 bucks, or less, I can't remember. In trying to decide between the Allett and the Swardman, finding that deal on the the charger was a sign and swayed me over the top to the Allett!!! Haha.


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## DFWLawnNut (Jul 7, 2020)

Im debating between the Liberty 43 and a CalTrimmer myself. I have a manual reel and an Ego and really like the electric mowers for how quiet they are, but having a hard time with the price difference between the two. Or should I say having a hard time of figuring out how to convince the wife. Id really like the separate motor controls and swappable cartridges. I could get rid of my sunjoe and make more space as well.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

@weirj55 ......I did notice that it appears like Allett UK does not seem to include a battery and charger with their units, but Horizon in USA does seem to include the battery and charger as standard (at least they did with me). I bought my demo unit for $1800 including the 4 Ah battery and charger. With your size lawn, I think you will probably want to have two batteries to be safe. I will post a link to the battery I bought on Amazon as I can confirm it works beautifully.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)

DFWLawnNut said:


> Im debating between the Liberty 43 and a CalTrimmer myself.


I had the same internal debate as well. I was so so close to just buying a cal trimmer through Home Depot since it would be easy, but in the end the fact that I would still need to buy a front roller with the Cal trimmer and also really wanted a battery powered machine, swayed me to the Allett electron powered unit over the dino juice powered Cal.


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## TampaBayFL (Jul 24, 2020)




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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@bernstem Hi. Did you decide on anything?


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

@Babameca I opted for an edwin this season. It should arrive in ~4 weeks.

The Alletts looked very attractive, but I didn't see a huge difference in them and the Swardman. They are both cartridge mowers. The Allets have been around longer and have a larger dealer network, though no dealers near me. The Swardman has a more attractive design, and ReelRollers have been reasonable to deal with if a bit slow to respond at times. I am attributing that to Covid, but it certainly was something I thought about before I made my decision.

I ultimately decided I didn't want the tinkering and maintenance of a used greens mower, though I am certain I could manage it all.

Caltrimmer and Mclane don't stripe as well and don't have a cartridge system for dethatching.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@bernstem I am glad you ended up with a long trusted drive train... Oh, how much fun you gonna have with this!


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Babameca said:


> @bernstem I am glad you ended up with a long trusted drive train... Oh, how much fun you gonna have with this!


You have a good point. Electric is the future, but it is a new technology. Small gas motors are everywhere and a mature technology. Right now, I just want to get my HOC down to 7/8. With cooler temps, I could have started already and would probably be that low in 1-2 weeks. Sadly, I am waiting for the mower still.


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## weirj55 (Apr 13, 2020)

TampaBayFL said:


>


I looked at that battery, but went with the Greenworks brand 6ah version. Glad to know for the future that you are satisfied with the performance from the off brand battery.

I am excited to receive the machine and the battery. I cleaned and rearranged the garage yesterday in preparation. I wall mounted the charger. I feel so cool 🤪

I am thinking about doing a video review as I haven't seen too many videos about the Allett Liberty 43. First it has to arrive and I have no idea when that might be happening.


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## Tassoty (Oct 2, 2020)

TampaBayFL said:


> @weirj55 .....So far so good with the Allett. I have been using it pretty much daily here and have not encountered any issues with it yet at all. My yard is about 2500 ft.², and that included battery, 4 Ah, does that easily. Many times I cross cut the yard, and a single charge of that battery is still more than sufficient. I ran it one time as long as I could to completely drain the battery and its probably 2.5-3 times doing my yard. As mentioned above, I also bought a second battery for convenience and that one was 50% larger and the standard one at 6 Ah. I have never completely drained that one.
> 
> Coming from a manual push cylinder mower, the quality of cut with this is obviously far superior (and needless to say) is physically much much easier. This one also seems to do a pretty good job of getting almost all of the clippings into the collection box upfront.


@TampaBayFL Have you noticed any difference in the cut between the left and right side when you do two passes in the same direction?


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## cleohioturf (Jul 20, 2020)

call up all the local golf courses and see if any are looking to offload this fall in anticipation of new leases or purchases.

The swardman deal sounds brutal and every time you hear of an issue with one it seems like a PITA to fix.

The toro/JD/jacobson's are easy with parts since they are everywhere in commercial golf course settings. There is a reason these things still run at 20 plus years of age.


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