# Reel mower suggestions



## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

Alright, so this board has already caused me to spend some bucks in the month since I've discovered it :lol: :lol: :lol: .. But now I'm thinking about going to the next level, at least on my front lawn.. So my front lawn, which is terribly unlevel at the moment, but it's only 1200 sq ft or so of Bermuda, 300 or so of soon to be fescue.. It would be a very easy/quick mow with any mower once level. So, since I've spent some bucks lately on yard renovations and equipment, what would you guys suggest for a reel mower that is a budget/wife friendly price? I keep reading to avoid the manual ones at all cost, especially once the yard gets thick. I have U3 Bermuda, but after seeing what Red's looks like, I have pretty high hopes.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Wife friendly? Whatever powered mower you can find on Craigslist..


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## Llano Estacado (Jul 18, 2017)

Craigslist. The OKC Craigslist has many reels on it. Just make sure the reel has life in it. I made the mistake of buying a used one and later learned the reel was worn out and needed replacing. Still was cheaper than a new unit by quite a bit but, not as good a deal as I thought it was.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

Llano Estacado said:


> Craigslist. The OKC Craigslist has many reels on it. Just make sure the reel has life in it. I made the mistake of buying a used one and later learned the reel was worn out and needed replacing. Still was cheaper than a new unit by quite a bit but, not as good a deal as I thought it was.


Yeah, I see there are quite a few on there, but that's my exact worry... I don't know a thing about the reel mowers, or what to check for to be comfortable enough to get something off CL. I'd probably have to have someone over my shoulder to inspect it....


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## Llano Estacado (Jul 18, 2017)

Trucut 20" in Moore


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Well, I have about 3k square feet and I just got a Toro GM1600. It's absolutely massive, and way more than I need.

If I had it to do over again, I'd be looking at a Swardman, or a JD 220 e (electric motor for different reel Vs ground speed) in that order.

At the slowest speed, my GM1600 is still almost too fast to reliably maneuver around my small yard, but it produces a fantastic cut.

I recommend looking at some in person before you choose. If you go new and get a Swardman, great, if you get used, look up "prairie turf equipment" and talk to Greg.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Well, I have about 3k square feet and I just got a Toro GM1600. It's absolutely massive, and way more than I need.
> 
> If I had it to do over again, I'd be looking at a Swardman, or a JD 220 e (electric motor for different reel Vs ground speed) in that order.
> 
> ...


Is that in Manitoba?


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Yes


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Well, I have about 3k square feet and I just got a Toro GM1600. It's absolutely massive, and way more than I need.
> 
> If I had it to do over again, I'd be looking at a Swardman, or a JD 220 e (electric motor for different reel Vs ground speed) in that order.
> 
> ...


On the GM walkbehinds, there is a throttle stop adjustment. I followed the throttle cable back to the engine and found it. I adjusted mine so I could just about drag my feet. First time trying it out out throttle stops not adjusted, I almost ran over my roses. Those guys mowing greens are almost running behind the mower.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

Llano Estacado said:


> Trucut 20" in Moore


That's actually right by my house... Interesting... So if I went to look at that, what specifically would I need to look for to make sure it's up to par?


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Many people on here own CalTrimmers and like them. Brand new and reliable for a good price. Let me know if your interested and I can give you more info via PM. Could even throw in a TLF discount if you're nice :thumbup:

Most Craigslist finds are going to be hit or miss. Personally I'm 2/4 in finding good working REELs that need no work. But if you can find a TLFer that can come with you to look that would be a great option!


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## Jericho574 (May 24, 2017)

I have a small yard as well. Had a GM, and currently have a Tru Cut. While I love the rear roller on the GM, it was just way too big and heavy to maneuver around a small yard. The Tru Cut moves around similar to a rotary in that you can start/stop/feather the throttle for speed purposes whereas the GM is either stop or go. It's like driving a stick shift around a small yard. That being said, if I had a bigger yard, I'd definitely get a GM or Swardman.

If you ever go GM, you best be handy or have a truck/trailer as they are not easy to transport.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

Jericho574 said:


> I have a small yard as well. Had a GM, and currently have a Tru Cut. While I love the rear roller on the GM, it was just way too big and heavy to maneuver around a small yard. The Tru Cut moves around similar to a rotary in that you can start/stop/feather the throttle for speed purposes whereas the GM is either stop or go. It's like driving a stick shift around a small yard. That being said, if I had a bigger yard, I'd definitely get a GM or Swardman.
> 
> If you ever go GM, you best be handy or have a truck/trailer as they are not easy to transport.





SGrabs33 said:


> Many people on here own CalTrimmers and like them. Brand new and reliable for a good price. Let me know if your interested and I can give you more info via PM. Could even throw in a TLF discount if you're nice :thumbup:
> 
> Most Craigslist finds are going to be hit or miss. Personally I'm 2/4 in finding good working REELs that need no work. But if you can find a TLFer that can come with you to look that would be a great option!


I messaged the guy on the trucut 20 inch and he said it's negotiable and that it runs great.. I'm sure the blades probably would need sharpened. I could always throw 375 at him and see if he took it, if things looked okay.

Yeah, I don't want anything over kill for my front yard. I would just continue to rotary mow the back.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

w0lfe said:


> I messaged the guy on the trucut 20 inch and he said it's negotiable and that it runs great.. I'm sure the blades probably would need sharpened. I could always throw 375 at him and see if he took it, if things looked okay.
> 
> Yeah, I don't want anything over kill for my front yard. I would just continue to rotary mow the back.


Nice! The blades just may need a backlap. I'd ask him when the last time it was sharpened was. Under 400 bucks would be a great deal for the TruCut with a Honda. I owned the P-20 once and it's a nice REEL! I think it mentioned that there is no grass catcher. You can order a front roller from forum friend @Reelrollers and you will be set :thumbup:


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

SGrabs33 said:


> w0lfe said:
> 
> 
> > I messaged the guy on the trucut 20 inch and he said it's negotiable and that it runs great.. I'm sure the blades probably would need sharpened. I could always throw 375 at him and see if he took it, if things looked okay.
> ...


Can you tell the specific model of this? Is it the P-20?


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Honda engine with the double wheels on the front casters. I'm pretty sure that's the P-20. It is an older model based on the shape of the chain guard. 10+ years old I would guess.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

I'm curious about that mower, because I don't think that TruCut offered the larger GX160 on the 20" version. The pics of the reel do show what looks like a decent cutting edge, but are unfortunately to far away to get any real idea of the condition.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

SGrabs33 said:


> Honda engine with the double wheels on the front casters. I'm pretty sure that's the P-20. It is an older model based on the shape of the chain guard. 10+ years old I would guess.





Spammage said:


> I'm curious about that mower, because I don't think that TruCut offered the larger GX160 on the 20" version. The pics of the reel do show what looks like a decent cutting edge, but are unfortunately to far away to get any real idea of the condition.


I've asked both of these questions to him... The model and age, but he hasn't responded as of yet.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

It's going to be hard to nail down the age. Most accurate thing you could do would be to call TruCut and ask when they stopped producing the thin chain guard.

Im 99.5% sure on the P-20.


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## Llano Estacado (Jul 18, 2017)

The casters are the best indicator that its a P-20. The P and C models have dual double casters and the H model has a dual single casters.

If you go look at it check to see how wide the blades are. This is the reel off the 27" model I bought and my repair shop is not sure if he can sharpen it or not, I'm going to replace the reel, but thats about $400.










You can see where the blade is welded to the disc that is welded to the center rod. Make sure the blade is a good 1/2" or so past that disc, mine is around a 1/4". I'm still a rookie to reels but I've messed with mine enough to have learned a little. Could the reel in the picture be sharpened? I'm not experienced enough to know for sure, I'll have to take the shops word for it.

Ask the owner to demo it for you.

Tru cut's are nice, but they are a pain to adjust. If you're a mechanically inclined person you'll be ok. If you don't like to tinker you might want to look at a Trimmer or McClane. I love my TruCuts, the ability to feather the clutch and control the speed and the center diff that makes turning corners a breeze. But there are things that I hate, mainly the reel to bedknife adjustment. It has gotten easier the more I do it, but its still a pain.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Llano Estacado said:


> The casters are the best indicator that its a P-20. The P and C models have dual double casters and the H model has a dual single casters.
> 
> If you go look at it check to see how wide the blades are. This is the reel off the 27" model I bought and my repair shop is not sure if he can sharpen it or not, I'm going to replace the reel, but thats about $400.
> 
> ...


I never knew that 1/2" rule. That's great.

Also great simple comparison of the homeowner REELs!


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## MarkV (Mar 22, 2017)

I found a late 70's early 80's 20" McLane in the fall of 16 for $100 in Edmond on Craigslist.

I put $50 into a roller and ~$150 into a new motor (30+ year old starter broke) the summer of 17. I'm pretty happy with it. The roller helps a lot with an unlevel yard.

I keep my U3 at 5/8" with it and it looks pretty sharp.


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## Llano Estacado (Jul 18, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> Llano Estacado said:
> 
> 
> > The casters are the best indicator that its a P-20. The P and C models have dual double casters and the H model has a dual single casters.
> ...


I don't know that its necessarily a rule, but my repair shop seemed to think there needed to be more blade than what mine had. He may just have not wanted to mess with it.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> On the GM walkbehinds, there is a throttle stop adjustment. I followed the throttle cable back to the engine and found it. I adjusted mine so I could just about drag my feet. First time trying it out out throttle stops not adjusted, I almost ran over my roses. Those guys mowing greens are almost running behind the mower.


Thanks for this bit of information. I'm going to adjust mine a bit slower. I take a pretty quick step, and need to slow down the pace a bit.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> It's going to be hard to nail down the age. Most accurate thing you could do would be to call TruCut and ask when they stopped producing the thin chain guard.
> 
> Im 99.5% sure on the P-20.


Oh, I agree completely that this is a P-20. My curiosity concerns why the engine was replaced. Honestly, on a unit this old with what at least appears to be a replacement engine, I would be concerned about the clutch life remaining. A new clutch assembly will run $400+.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Colonel K0rn said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> > On the GM walkbehinds, there is a throttle stop adjustment. I followed the throttle cable back to the engine and found it. I adjusted mine so I could just about drag my feet. First time trying it out out throttle stops not adjusted, I almost ran over my roses. Those guys mowing greens are almost running behind the mower.
> ...


I take my GM into lawns as small as 300 sq ft. With a lot of tropical foliage and rock work all around them. Crashing into things at 2..5 MPH is not good. Neither is ramming into cars parked on the hell strip or driveways next to a lawn. Running behind a mower is not impressive to me. The slower one is moving the better the rollers are able to follow and negotiate irregularities in the lawn.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Llano Estacado said:


> SGrabs33 said:
> 
> 
> > Llano Estacado said:
> ...


They cannot relief grind without cutting into the reel spiders, that is what the discs are called. I have heard the same thing from even my golf equipment service centers. They cannot relief a reel with less than 1/2" of blade. A reel that small in diameter is also prone to clogging if the grass is a little thick.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

MarkV said:


> I found a late 70's early 80's 20" McLane in the fall of 16 for $100 in Edmond on Craigslist.
> 
> I put $50 into a roller and ~$150 into a new motor (30+ year old starter broke) the summer of 17. I'm pretty happy with it. The roller helps a lot with an unlevel yard.
> 
> I keep my U3 at 5/8" with it and it looks pretty sharp.


Man do you have any pics of the yard from last year at that height?


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Spammage said:


> SGrabs33 said:
> 
> 
> > It's going to be hard to nail down the age. Most accurate thing you could do would be to call TruCut and ask when they stopped producing the thin chain guard.
> ...


Ah, I got ya. It's got the bigger Honda that's usually on the 27" REELs.

Looks like a new clutch from Dolphin is 301.59 without tax or shipping. I could never find a good checklist to check when inspecting the clutch to see how much life was remaining. I did have to replace mine on my 27" last year when it seized(prob not enough grease).


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

SGrabs33 said:


> Spammage said:
> 
> 
> > SGrabs33 said:
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When I was checking a couple of months ago, Dolphin appeared to be out of business. I had to get my parts from Plano Power Equipment.


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## MarkV (Mar 22, 2017)

w0lfe said:


> Man do you have any pics of the yard from last year at that height?


Do I have pics? What are you a comedian. 

This is probably my best one. Comically it has my mower in it too. Taken 7/8/17.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

"you want pictures?, I got pictures." Nice.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

That reel is shot


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

MarkV said:


> w0lfe said:
> 
> 
> > Man do you have any pics of the yard from last year at that height?
> ...


Haha I know, rhetorical question around this place!! Looks great though!!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Colonel K0rn said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> > On the GM walkbehinds, there is a throttle stop adjustment. I followed the throttle cable back to the engine and found it. I adjusted mine so I could just about drag my feet. First time trying it out out throttle stops not adjusted, I almost ran over my roses. Those guys mowing greens are almost running behind the mower.
> ...


I'm gonna look into this as well... At the lowest setting mine was OK.. but I'm not sure how slow is "too slow" for the reel to still cut properly.


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## w0lfe (Mar 19, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> That reel is shot


The one I posted?


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

w0lfe said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > That reel is shot
> ...


Looks like it, yeah.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Colonel K0rn said:
> 
> 
> > Greendoc said:
> ...


The beauty of the Toro GM 1000 and 1600 is that the reels and transmissions are synchronized. You cannot slow the engine down to the point of it not maintaining the clip rate. I know you cannot because one of the first things I did to mine was install the clip kit. This consists of a small pulley and a large pulley to be installed in place of the stock pulleys. What this does is slow down the rotational speed of the reel. I also know that it increases the torque on the reel. I can be running my mower literally dragging my feet and it still produces the same quality of cut. In fact,, quality of cut declines when I run it too fast because the front starts to lift up and the mower starts to bounce. I mow some lawns that have not seen sand and probably never will. It is in the homeowner's means for me to keep the grass short, green, and weed free. It is not in the budget to pay for the 10+tons needed to sand cap and level.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> The beauty of the Toro GM 1000 and 1600 is that the reels and transmissions are synchronized. You cannot slow the engine down to the point of it not maintaining the clip rate. I know you cannot because one of the first things I did to mine was install the clip kit. This consists of a small pulley and a large pulley to be installed in place of the stock pulleys. What this does is slow down the rotational speed of the reel. I also know that it increases the torque on the reel. I can be running my mower literally dragging my feet and it still produces the same quality of cut. In fact,, quality of cut declines when I run it too fast because the front starts to lift up and the mower starts to bounce. I mow some lawns that have not seen sand and probably never will. It is in the homeowner's means for me to keep the grass short, green, and weed free. It is not in the budget to pay for the 10+tons needed to sand cap and level.


Oh that's right, you do it commercially! Maybe we should PM about that, because that's something I'm looking to get into. And don't want to derail this thread


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

I think this is relevant to the discussion. The majority of lawns I deal with were condemned to being hacked with string trimmers because they were too uneven to mow with a McLane or Tru-Cut. Almost every lawn mowing crew in Hawaii has one of those two mowers. I have tried using Mclanes, Tru-Cuts, and Trimmers. So far, Toro wins for ease of operation. To me, a Tru-Cut is more like trying to drive a car with a manual transmission. You have to constantly play with the drive clutch to get it to go forward. My hands got tired trying to mow with a Tru-Cut. I would reconsider the Tru-Cut if it were geared such that when the drive clutch is locked, it operated at a similar speed to a Toro. McLanes and Trimmers. Those are mowers that operate similarly to a greens mower where the rotation of the reel is synchronized to the travel speed. Their downfall is the usage of wheels on the sides of the mowers. All three of those reels are made of very soft metal. Their bedknives are also soft. In addition, the bedknife adjustment mechanisms are not on springs. On any given lawn, I hit small gravel, bits of coral, etc. The Toro ignores that and maintains the quality of cut. Hit something like a little bit of coral with a Tru-Cut or the other two, that is an adjustment and backlapping at the minimum. Given my experience with a greensmower, I do not think a yard is too small for a 22" greensmower. Slow it down from the running across the green so 5000 sq ft can be mowed in 20 minutes or less and it is a very usable piece of equipment for a small lawn. I know, because I do it 5 days a week.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

That's awesome. Around here in SC nobody does reel cutting. But I have a theory that some people might like it.

Specifically what I'm trying to determine is, let's say they have Bermuda cut at 2" their whole life. And I'm gonna come in and scalp their lawn to a half inch and maintain at 0.75 to 1".

How long does their lawn take to "adjust" to that, and how do I get them to accept "Ok your lawn is gonna look like crap for awhile, but it's gonna look GREAT in X months"


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

PM me, maintaining a reel low lawn on a commercial basis involves more than just mowing. I"ll reply when I get back in from maintaining my reel low lawns.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

I'm glad someone else asked this question. I was skirting at this question in the Equipment forum a few months ago. My question was pertaining more to what features should be pursued and why. For those reels with the casters on the front, do those not ever catch and dig in? I am just thinking of my experience moving every rolling piece of furniture across a rug.


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> That's awesome. Around here in SC nobody does reel cutting. But I have a theory that some people might like it.
> 
> Specifically what I'm trying to determine is, let's say they have Bermuda cut at 2" their whole life. And I'm gonna come in and scalp their lawn to a half inch and maintain at 0.75 to 1".
> 
> How long does their lawn take to "adjust" to that, and how do I get them to accept "Ok your lawn is gonna look like crap for awhile, but it's gonna look GREAT in X months"


If its a femaie, tell them "It's like getting a facial exfoliation, it has to look worse to look better."


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Movingshrub said:


> I'm glad someone else asked this question. I was skirting at this question in the Equipment forum a few months ago. My question was pertaining more to what features should be pursued and why. For those reels with the casters on the front, do those not ever catch and dig in? I am just thinking of my experience moving every rolling piece of furniture across a rug.


The short answer is, unless your lawn is granite countertop flat, casters will find every irregularity in the lawn and catch, then the reel will either gouge or else show strips of grass cut at different heights. A mower on rollers like a greensmower or the Swardman, will negotiate the irregularities a lot better.


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## Llano Estacado (Jul 18, 2017)

Spammage said:


> SGrabs33 said:
> 
> 
> > Spammage said:
> ...


FWIW I just called Dolphin before faxing and order. They answered the phone and said they'd watch for my fax. Appears to be business as usual at Dolphin OPE.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@Llano Estacado good to know! Google is showing their business hours and phone number again. When I was looking before, Google showed them to be out of business. I would have called, but was able to get a discount at PPE to offset the slightly higher prices.


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