7 Best Reel Mower For Your Lawn

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Last Updated on January 5, 2023 by Urska

If you are a homeowner who likes to keep your lawn well-manicured, then it is time to invest in the best reel mower to make your work easier.

Reel mowers are not meant for everyone! They are designed for homeowners who have small, flat lawns. These mowers take some effort to push them around. But they provide an exceptional cut from an unplugged mowing experience.

Though lawn mowers have advanced by leaps and bounds in the present days, there are still many reasons why a reel mower still stands out.  Let’s have an in-depth look at these reel mowers and learn some important details about them.

What is a Reel Mower?

Reel mowers are synonymous with the classic manual push mowers. These were once an excellent solution before their rivals took over the market. Even with the gas, battery, and electric lawn mowers taking over the market, the manual push mowers still have their favorite users. Small and medium-sized homeowners still treasure these mowers.

With modern technology, reel mowers have new features that make them more efficient. They are quiet in operation and contain zero emissions. This makes them more environmentally friendly than gas and electricity. This has seen a resurgence of reel mowers back to the market making them a great option.

The Reel mowers are a great option for anyone looking for a maintenance-free alternative to other powered mowers. They have 2 or 4 wheels with a cutting reel that has 3 to 7 blades. The blades are made of durable metal or resilient tempered steel for long-lasting sharpness.

A reel mower is manually pushed, so it doesn’t have a motor. It is very silent during use and does require any maintenance. It is a simple yet effective mower. And a preferred choice by many homeowners who want an affordable mowing alternative.

The Top Best Reel Mower

Here is a list of the top best reel mowers that we know you will love and want to own for your small manicured lawn.

Scotts 2000-20 Inch

Scotts reel mowers have a wide cutting width of 20 inches which makes mowing easy and fast. It has a rear-wheel which makes maneuvering easy reducing drag while helping speed up the lawn mowing process.

This reel mower is stable and easy to operate with its10 inch dual tracking wheels. It has 5 steel blades that are heat-treated and very sharp. They make scissor-like cuts that every homeowner looks for to maintain a well-manicured lawn.

Scotts reel mowers offer 9 cutting heights that range from 1 to 3 inches. These heights offer you a choice of the perfect cut height that you want to maintain. The mower has a foam grip handle that makes it easy to push it around. It has a sturdy build that will last over a decade.

This reel mower is sure to leave behind totally trimmed grass that is evenly cut.

Pros

• Affordable
• Easy to assemble
• Firm build
• Offers 9 cutting heights
• Foam comfortable grip
• Has the widest swath of 20 inches wide
• It is light and easy to push around

Cons

• Does not work on a bumpy lawn
• Parts begin to fall off in 2 months

American lawn Mower 1815 18 Inch

This is one of the best reel mowers manufactured by the American Lawn Mower Company. This reel mower has a sturdy build and an 18-inch cutting width that allows you to mow with ease. It has 5 tempered steel blades and a ball bearing design. It makes defined cuts on the grass with each pass.

The reel mower weighs about 29 pounds, good weight to move it around with ease. The wheels are 10 inches, powerful for a steady move. It has an adjustable cut height from ½ inch to 2 ¾ inches giving you a precise cut depending on the length of grass on your lawn.

Pros

• Has an 18-inch cutting swath
• Folds its handles during storage
• Weighs 29 pounds

Cons

• Will need to make 2 or 3 passes when working on thick grass

EARTHWISE 1715 16 Inch Reel Lawn Mower

EARTHWISE 16 inch reel mower comes with 7 blades. These blades are sharp and offer excellent cutting performance. This reel mower has a 16-inch cutting blade providing a great balance between the size and the cutting performance.

Pros

• 2-year warranty
• Comes with alloy steel blades
• Decent sturdy build
• Offers 10-inch composite wheels
• A decent cutting height range of 0.5 to 2.5 inches

Cons

• The plastic part breaks with few times of use

FISKARS StaySharp 18 Inch Max Reel Mower

FISKARS is a premium brand of power tools that have been in the market for a while. Though slightly expensive, their reel mower is a decent tool that has outstanding features.

It comes with a decent 18-inch cutting blade with a total of 5 blades that are highly sharp. These blades make a clean cut leaving the lawn looking beautiful and leveled.

Pros

• 3-year warranty
• Sturdy durable build
• Unique wheel system that causes ease of movement
• Comes with a reversible grass chute
• Has a StaySharp cutting system technology for keeping the blade sharp
• Inbuilt grass chute
• Loop design handle for comfort
• 1 to 4-inch cutting height

Cons

• Needs 2 or more passes to completely cut thick grass

GREENWORKS 25072 20 Inch Reel Lawn Mower

GREENWORKS is a brand of power tools that are highly reliable. Its reel lawn mower offers a great build that lasts you many years. It comes with an inbuilt grass catcher that comes in handy. The grass catcher collects all the grass while cutting making your work easy. You do not have to clean the lawn afterward.

The GREENWORKS reel mower has a 20-inch cutting blade with a total of 5 blades. It has 10-inch wheels at the front and 6 inches at the rear. It offers an adjustable cutting range of 1 ¾ to 2 ¾ inches.

Pros

• The price is affordable
• 20-inch cutting width
• 5 cutting blades
• Sturdy durable build
• 4 years warranty
• Has an inbuilt grass catcher
• 2 in 1 cutting modes
• 10-inch wheels at the front and 6 inches at the rear

Cons

• Needs a lot of care to last longer

GREAT STATES 815-18 Inch Reel Lawn Mower

The GREAT STATES is one of the most popular brands of garden tools. The 18-inch reel lawn mower offers a large-sized blade at an affordable rate. It has a total of 5 cutting blades offering excellent cutting performance.

This mower has a durable sturdy build with large sized 10 inches composite wheels. They have a cutting height range of 0.5 to 2.0 inches that is enabled by the large-sized wheels. It has a loop design that is ergonomic and comfortable to use.

Pros

• 18-inch cutting width
• 0.5 to 2.0 inches cutting height
• 5 cutting blades
• 1-year warranty
• Affordable price
• Loop design handle
• 10-inch wheel size

Cons

• It struggles to cut tall thick grass that is taller than 3-4 inches
• Has soft handle grips that slide when working

American Reel Mower 1204-14 Inch Reel Mower

This 4 blade classic reel mower is manufactured by the American Lawn Mower Company. It is a durable choice that has 8.5 inches of composite wheels. This mower is light in weight and easy to push around. It has an adjustable height of 0.5 to 1.75 inches for an excellent performance.

The blades come from heat-treated alloy steel that keeps them sharp for a long. The American reel mower has high quality 4 blade systems. This blade cuts various grass types like fescue, bluegrass, and rye with utmost precision.

It comes with a T-shaped ergonomic cushioned handle that provides an easy comfortable grip while working. This 4 blade reel mower does a great job in a quiet manner with zero hassles.

Pros

• Easy roll wheels that make the mower easy to push and maneuver
• Efficient scissor-like grass cutting strength
• 4 smooth spinning blades that cut off the grass without damaging it
• Height adjustable blades of 0.5 to 1.75 inches for maximum performance

Cons

• Tough to mow the thick turf
• Might need to go over twice over a patch for proper a leveled lawn mowing

Reel Mower Advantages and Disadvantages

Here are general pros and cons that can help you make an informed choice when shopping for the best reel mower.

Reel Mower Pros

• Helps eliminate lawn diseases like a brown patch that leave your grass dead
• Compact and light in weight
• Low maintenance requirements
• Affordable but quality
• Free of emissions making it environmentally friendly

Reel Mower Cons

• Not designed to mow areas with thick grass growth
• Takes you additional passes to mow your yard and maintain the grass level you desire

Cutting Tall or Thick Grass with a Reel Mower

Reel mowers are excellent for maintaining healthy and well-manicured lawns.  But one major problem many users experience is trimming overgrown lawns with tall or thick grass.  The reel mower can be tough to push forward if the grass is taller than 4 inches.

You can still use the reel mower but you have to exercise a lot of patience.  The best way to do it is by overlapping.  This means you go over the grass one time then turn back and mow the same place again.  This ensures no high streaks of grass are left between each mowed row.

You may also use a checkerboard pattern. This means you mow the lawn once then the second time you mow in the opposite direction.  This pattern ensures that there is no grass remaining uncut.

Conclusion

Having looked at different types of reel mower, we can say it’s a great choice for many homeowners. If you are looking for a more affordable, low maintenance, and healthier choice of a lawnmower, this will be the best investment you ever make.

Reel mowers are ideal for the small or medium yards up to 3,000 square feet. To make your reel mower give you the best service, always keep the blades sharp to use it for long.

Using a reel mower is the easiest affordable way to take care of your lawn. Use the above guide to choose the best reel mower that fits your lawn needs.

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