# Manual reel mower?



## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

So a gas powered reel mower is not in the budget for a while. Thoughts on using a push reel mower like the ones in the link? I'm using a Honda push right now, and I've got a pump in my backyard that makes it hard to mow without scalping on accident.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoor...ent-Lawn-Mowers-Reel-Lawn-Mowers/N-5yc1vZc5av


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## cwrx82 (Sep 16, 2018)

I'd just save the money you'd spend on a reel mower and put it towards a greens mower. Keep using the Honda until you have the funds and then scour the used markets for a Toro or JD.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

Don't bother with those cheap push mowers. You won't be happy with the cut. You'd be surprised how cheap you can get a used greens mower for if you are handy to repair it.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

If you want to try it, check Craiglist. I've seen some for $30.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

With bermuda, I think mowing with a manual reel mower would be tough.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

g-man said:


> If you want to try it, check Craiglist. I've seen some for $30.


Fully agree with this. If you end up liking the cut you will most likely be wanting a engine powered one because of how dense the turf gets. This way you save on your initial purchase some and can put that to a gas powered REEL of some sort.


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## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

alright thanks for the input guys. Brand new house with a brand new lawn, so I've got bumps and divots everywhere from the ground settling, and my soil sample came back crappy, so I've got a lot of work to do before I gettin to the reel mower.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

swimm397 said:


> alright thanks for the input guys. Brand new house with a brand new lawn, so I've got bumps and divots everywhere from the ground settling, and my soil sample came back crappy, so I've got a lot of work to do before I gettin to the reel mower.


You can still put the right practices in place now though. Scalp it down to the lowest setting on the rotary, and then cut at least twice a week on the second notch. That will help the grass to get thicker and make your transition to a reel easier.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

Spammage has the right suggestion.


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## adgattoni (Oct 3, 2017)

If you do get a manual reel, I would recommend one of the small lightweight ones. I thought I'd be fancy and get the fiskars before I got a powered reel, and damn that thing is heavy when trying to push through bermuda.


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## Jeff20 (Jun 30, 2017)

I'll speak up for the manual mowers out here, I have a scott's 16' from H.D. and for the price you will be surprised. It is a better cut than you think. For the $ it want hurt. I just got a TC H20 that I have yet to try. But say give it a try.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I have a Fiskars that I used for a couple of months. The trouble with it for me is it's crazy hot here which made it not possible for me physically to cut the grass all the time unless it was early in the morning. It would get up in the 100's for most of the summer. This is probably just my own issue with getting overheated and being out of shape. I did like what the workout did for my legs.

As far as the quality of cut, it was good but it only went down to 1" and there was some washboarding that was occurring which required me to double or triple cut in different directions which took a long time even for my 1500sq ft lawn. As the lawn came in and got thicker, this was a bigger and bigger problem. I had to cut it every day in order for it to be manageable and not to difficult to cut. However, I'm a 100lb female so this may not be an issue for you like it was for me. I eventually switched to a CalTrimmer that I got for free and put a reel roller on it. It was a much faster job now and I didn't have to cut it every day to stay on top of it like I did with the manual. I'm also able to cut it much lower which I prefer. Another benefit of it was if the grass got a little long, I could adjust the height easily because the fiskars has a level that moves up to 4".

I did like how quiet it was and that I could cut part of the grass while my daughter played in the yard and then stop when I wanted to. I felt like it gave me something to do while I was outside without having a dedicated time to do the yard. That worked for me but it doesn't work for everyone. It was a good intro into reel mowing and taking care of my yard. Now I'm saving for a Swardman Electra.


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## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

I was looking at the Scott's 20inch. Looks like it drops down to .75" Gunna use it to scalp. If I like it I'll keep it, If not return it. If anything, I get a scalp out of it.


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## Mrsamman (Jun 12, 2018)

swimm397 said:


> I was looking at the Scott's 20inch. Looks like it drops down to .75" Gunna use it to scalp. If I like it I'll keep it, If not return it. If anything, I get a scalp out of it.


Do you also buy a new tv before the Super Bowl and return that after you have used it?

Scott


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

Mrsamman said:


> swimm397 said:
> 
> 
> > I was looking at the Scott's 20inch. Looks like it drops down to .75" Gunna use it to scalp. If I like it I'll keep it, If not return it. If anything, I get a scalp out of it.
> ...


Of course! LOL


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## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

I dont....but damn that's a good idea! Haha


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## Ral1121 (Mar 19, 2018)

I started with a manual reel mower and got rid of it real quick. If you have Bermuda and want to cut below 1 in,. You will not be happy with the cut quality. As a few have mention is you will get washboarding because the clip rate is not fast enough and walking faster will not speed it up either. I got rid of mine really quickly because of this


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## ram82 (Dec 19, 2018)

how do these manual reel mowers work on scalping under an inch?dont like putting stress on my mower.i use a rotary that only goes down to 1" on common bermuda.


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## nt5000 (Jun 13, 2018)

Scott's works fine for me. Took the back wheels off and it scalps pretty short.


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## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

Do you have the lever setting to the lowest?


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## nt5000 (Jun 13, 2018)

Yes with the back wheels off the bed knife is basically dragging the ground (just doing this for scalping). Normally it only goes to 1" but I switched them out for roller blade wheels and now I can get .5", which is what I plan to maintain with.

You will need to double/triple cut when the grass is thick because of wash boarding from the 5 blade reel and floating. But it's so fast, cheap, and easy so who cares!

It's not hard to push at all. Light weight and quiet. Stopping and starting is easy with no motor.

I mow barefoot with toddlers playing in the yard and never have to worry about it.


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## Symbiont01 (Nov 20, 2018)

I also use a manual reel mower. Its a Great States 16" (5 blade) that I bought specifically because it cuts from 0.5" to 2.5" (be sure you know your range before you buy). To get the best cut out of it, you have to maintain a brisk pace when walking and you need to go over it from at least 2 directions for the best results. Its quite a workout, especially in the hot Texas summer during those evening mows and as the lawn thickens up it can be tough to push. Still, you cant beat the price (I paid $68 for it last year brand new on sale), and for those of us watching our budget and cant afford a used greens mower right now its a good option. It may not be for everybody, but it works for me.


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## ram82 (Dec 19, 2018)

thank you for the idea.


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## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

So i noticed on the Scotts that if you take off the wheel, and the axel, you can adjust it so that the HOC will go down to .75 without removing the back wheels.


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## swimm397 (Dec 27, 2018)

So dropped the Scotts down as low as it could go. Was pretty impressed with how well it turned out. Cut it 4 ways to make sure it didnt miss anything. The grass catcher bag it comes with is helpful picking up most of the grass, but enought that it didnt add too much to the dethatching that needs to be done. I've got a lot of highs and lows in the lawn, as the house was just completed last year, and the ground is settling. Did not have to many issues with that.

So if you are on a budget, not a bad tool for scalping if your not going for a super low cut.


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## joeker (Oct 4, 2018)

I'm pretty happy with my Earthwise 7-blade(1715-16EW). Lowest setting is 1/2". I use it to mow around utility boxes, around mulched trees, and the sidewalk areas where its cumbersome to move my 220 E-Cut.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

I used a sunjoe 16" manual reel all last season. The results are nice, just check my journal out, but! And its a BIG BUT! That joker is a workout especially in the dead heat of the summer! Never again. I bought me a Greensmaster 1000 and I am not looking back brother!

I'm still keeping the mower though, you never know when you might need it!


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## Paul (Jul 17, 2017)

If you want a manual reel, find a McLane greens push mower. Front roller, 10 blade reel, and can cut down as low as you need for Bermuda. I found one on Craigslist for reasonable. New they are pricey for something that doesn't have a motor.


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## NoslracNevok (Jun 12, 2018)

Buy a cheap used push reel and see how you like it. There's a plethora on facebook market place. I just picked up my second push reel for $30 to try another model, plus it included a blade sharpening kit. In the meantime, save for a powered reel mower. This what I'm doing.

*If you cut sub 1" you will likely see wash boarding as others mentioned. I've found double cutting each mow, and mowing even more frequent will minimize this. I do this for my front ~1500sqft.


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## Visitor (Jul 23, 2018)

I have used the fiskars, Remington, and McLane manual mowers. The McLane is drastically superior to the others and I maintain at .5-.75". Scalping gets to dirt and I barely ever washboard. However, floating is an issue sometimes. I am going to rig up some weight to combat this yr.

FWIW the manual McLane mowers seem to be scarce.


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

has anyone successfully sharpened one? i just bought my neighbor one for $15 (earthwise 16") and thought i would get it in prime shape. doesn't appear they have relief grinds (but i am no expert). from what i can tell, looks like a carbon copy of the scotts, great states.

went to grab the compound and realized the lid must not have been tight and my "clover" was nothing but sand 

edit: the receiver has zoysia matrella so being sharp is important.


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

If I'm mowing in the 1.5" range would one of these manual reel mowers provide a better cut vs a rotary? Thought about buying a manual reel for my 400 ft test plot area, but didn't know if one of these cheaper ones would even provide as good of a cut as my Toro.


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## nt5000 (Jun 13, 2018)

ksturfguy said:


> If I'm mowing in the 1.5" range would one of these manual reel mowers provide a better cut vs a rotary? Thought about buying a manual reel for my 400 ft test plot area, but didn't know if one of these cheaper ones would even provide as good of a cut as my Toro.


definitely.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

swimm397 said:


> I was looking at the Scott's 20inch. Looks like it drops down to .75" Gunna use it to scalp. If I like it I'll keep it, If not return it. If anything, I get a scalp out of it.


😳🤔😳🤔


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## smurg (May 30, 2018)

Problem you're going to run into with thick dense growth is washboarding. I've heard the good McLane push mowers avoid it with higher clip rates, but the cheap Amazon/HD/Lowes ones won't.

I had decent success with increasing my clip rate with a higher blade count. The best cheap solution I found was the Earthwise 16" 7-blade. Still gave washboarding during peak season but it was improved over my original 4-blade.


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## Dcg4x (May 16, 2020)

nt5000 said:


> Yes with the back wheels off the bed knife is basically dragging the ground (just doing this for scalping). Normally it only goes to 1" but I switched them out for roller blade wheels and now I can get .5", which is what I plan to maintain with.
> 
> You will need to double/triple cut when the grass is thick because of wash boarding from the 5 blade reel and floating. But it's so fast, cheap, and easy so who cares!
> 
> ...


@nt5000 did you have to build an adapter for the rollerblade wheels? Not sure what size axle the mower comes with


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