# A Swardman Journey



## bauc54 (Feb 27, 2018)

What a crazy world we live in. It's nice to have a place like TLF where we can come and have some semblance of "normal life."

I want to chronicle a little bit of my journey with Swardman in this post. I purchased the first Swardman Edwin mower that was sold in the US. Right from the start Lee of ReelRollers(@Reelrollers ) provided me with fantastic customer service. I purchased the mower in February of 2018. I got an Edwin 2.0 with a 6 blade reel, scarifier, verticutter and rotary brush. At some point, I like many on this forum, decided I wanted to mow Reel low. This required me to purchase the 10 blade reel and the difference that made in the quality of cut at low HOC is amazing.

As an early adopter you have to expect some bumps along the road. This Edwin had the rubber tread on the rear drum. Unfortunately, the extra traction provided by the rubber tread caused a few problems most notably that a set screw sheared off and effectively disabled the mower. Not to worry though. I contacted Lee and he let me know that Michal(@SwardmanGuy ) from Swardman was going to be in Texas and he would make a special trip to Lubbock(middle of nowhere west Texas) to fix the mower for me. After a good amount of work, Michal got me back up and running. This fix lasted for quite a while but near the end of the first season the new set screw also sheared off. So, Lee, again providing great customer service, paid to have a demo Electra sent to me. My Edwin mower was great but the Electra is on another level.

The Electra provides some advantages over the Edwin at least in my opinion. No oil or gas means the machine is much cleaner. The electric motor is near silent and most of the noise comes from the cutting action of the reel or whatever cartridge you have installed. There are several other benefits but suffice it to say the Electra is a great option for homeowners. I used the demo Electra for most of the 2019 season but ultimately I was ready to move into an upgraded Electra.

So this week I got in an upgraded Electra with the HD casters, HD handlebars, and a new HD 10 blade reel. These changes make the machine feel much more sturdy. The upgraded reel alone is a huge difference and I believe it will be much more durable than the previous reels. So much so that I am going to upgrade my backup reel to the HD version as soon as I am done scalping.

A few things to point out. Yes, Swardman launched a mower that had a few issues but they have since done what is necessary to upgrade the mowers to be more heavy duty. These upgrades will help the mowers stand the test of time. Kudos to Swardman for being agile enough to make the changes when other companies would not have been able to do so. The real star here is Lee and his team at ReelRollers. Not only is Lee willing to personally make sure everything is handled appropriately but he has the fortitude to communicate with Swardman and let them know of the changes that needed to be made.

You may read this post and think "Why would I buy a mower that has problems like that?" But I'm here to tell you that the problems have been fixed and future problems that arise will also be fixed. Beyond that, Lee and the ReelRollers team will stand behind the product and make sure you are well taken care of. Thank you Lee!


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Thanks for posting...


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## Ren (Aug 29, 2019)

Great post. So at what height of cut are you seeing a benefit to the 10 blade reel over the 6 blade? Im very interested in an electra, i kinda wish they made a 26" one.


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## Tinsmith292 (Oct 2, 2018)

Great post. I have said the same about Lee. Terrific man


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## bauc54 (Feb 27, 2018)

Ren said:


> Great post. So at what height of cut are you seeing a benefit to the 10 blade reel over the 6 blade? Im very interested in an electra, i kinda wish they made a 26" one.


My personal experience is anything below 0.5" although I'm sure someone on this forum can provide more insight on clip rate. I just see more waves in the lawn if I use the 6 blade reel at or below 0.5"


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## Ren (Aug 29, 2019)

That makes perfect sense. On my 11 blade reel i was really not happy with the cut at .75 but now that ive got it in the .45 ish range it seems to cut way better.


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## Reelrollers (Feb 6, 2018)

@bauc54 thank you for the support and I'm excited to see pics of the yard this year.


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## PokeGrande (Mar 25, 2018)

bauc54 said:


> Ren said:
> 
> 
> > Great post. So at what height of cut are you seeing a benefit to the 10 blade reel over the 6 blade? Im very interested in an electra, i kinda wish they made a 26" one.
> ...


I concur here. If grass is really thick/dense, the 10-blade reel may even start to look better once you go below 3/4", definitely at 5/8".

I will also concur that @Reelrollers is fantastic with the customer service.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

What is better about the new reel? I've damaged my ten blade with a rock and a nail (thank you handyman who left it camouflaged in the grass) and it's going to need to be replaced anyway but what differences did you notice with the new one vs the old one?


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## bauc54 (Feb 27, 2018)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> What is better about the new reel? I've damaged my ten blade with a rock and a nail (thank you handyman who left it camouflaged in the grass) and it's going to need to be replaced anyway but what differences did you notice with the new one vs the old one?


The new HD reel is more durable than the previous reel. The blades are thicker and I believe the blades are made using a different process that results in harder steel. Another thing I have noticed from the new reel is that the grass is thrown into the bin evenly across the blade. With my old reel I would have to dump the grass more frequently because it bunched up on one side of the bin. Not a major factor but it is certainly more convenient.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

New Edwin 2.1 owner here and I'm so happy to have picked Swardman as my first reel mower knowing that Reelrollers is just a 45 min drive for me if needed! Hopefully I don't have to visit except for blade sharpening or buying more cartridges. I agree Lee is awesome :nod:


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

bauc54 said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> > What is better about the new reel? I've damaged my ten blade with a rock and a nail (thank you handyman who left it camouflaged in the grass) and it's going to need to be replaced anyway but what differences did you notice with the new one vs the old one?
> ...


Great...now I need to buy the new reel. Haha I also hate that it throws the clippings so far to one side. I've taken to stopping the mower and moving them over so I don't have to empty it as often. I'm on an incline so it's way worse one direction than the other. More durable sounds better. I've already lost the right two inches of my reel due to a hiding rock and then a hiding nail. My poor reel has been through the ringer this season. I'm contemplating a 6 blade since I don't think I can mow as low this year and the ten blade is meant for really low mowing.


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## harmonjw (May 29, 2020)

@Bermuda_Newbie How much of an incline are you having to deal with? I have a pretty substantial hill in my front yard and I am worried about not being able to go up the hill or slipping when going perpendicular or 45 degree's across. Are either an issue?


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@harmonjw

We're hosing off rugs today so that's why they are on the grass drying. I tried to take three pictures to show the angle because I'm not sure numerically what the angle is. 






My yard is in progress. I'm waiting for my landscapers to finish the grading down below so I can sprig. They are waiting for trees to come out. It's a long process. For some reason, the pictures make it look less steep than it does in person. Hopefully you can see what it looks like with the retaining wall. The grass is only 8 weeks in so it's a little rough.

The slope has been a little frustrating with the swardman. My cal trimmer does a little bit better job gripping the hill. It's easier without the grass catcher. I can only go from side to side. It gets sort of stuck if I go from the bottom to the top and spins. I think part of the trouble that I'm having is that I don't have grass right at the base of the hill so that end stretch has the mower halfway off the grass. I also can't get any kind of "running" start with it, I just am starting from standing in place towards the base of the hill. Once grass is down below I think I can cut the whole thing at an angle and it won't be too bad. I just have to push and slightly lift if I want to go up the steepest part in some spots. It does slip a little bit in places but I just push through and it's not too bad. Definitely easier side to side than straight up and down.


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## harmonjw (May 29, 2020)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> @harmonjw
> 
> We're hosing off rugs today so that's why they are on the grass drying. I tried to take three pictures to show the angle because I'm not sure numerically what the angle is.
> 
> ...


Appreciate the pictures! Dang, that wasn't what i was hoping to hear. I believe my hill is that steep if not greater. This is the only thing that is keeping me from getting a reel mower. Any other thoughts on how to reel on a hill?


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

harmonjw said:


> Bermuda_Newbie said:
> 
> 
> > @harmonjw
> ...


Yes! Get a caltrimmer or a Tru-Cut. Those have a rubber grip on the back and do fine on hills. I think the Tru-Cut is probably nicer but my caltrimmer was free.


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## Millennial Mower (Mar 23, 2020)

bauc54 said:


> What a crazy world we live in. It's nice to have a place like TLF where we can come and have some semblance of "normal life."...............


Love this. I hope you are apart of our Facebook page, Swardman Fans!


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