From the Manufacturer
The power source behind our mowers hasn’t changed much in 100 years. It’s still readily available on demand. You can still fuel it for the price of a banana and a glass of milk. It always works when you want it to, and it doesn’t leave any residue for the environment to absorb other than a couple of foot prints in a perfectly cut lawn. People- the power behind our mowers in 1895, and the power behind them today. What has changed is the product available to the people. At Great States, we’ve applied a century of technology to a good old fashioned idea: the reel lawn mower. Today’s reel mowers are lightweight and easy to maneuver. They’re ideal for today’s smaller lawns, and today’s hectic lifestyles. [Read More...]
Buy Great States 415-16 16-Inch Standard Full Feature Push Reel Lawn Mower With T-Style Handle And Heat Treated Blades at Amazon
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September 12th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I have a small patch of lawn for a front yard, and a large patch for a backyard. I just HATED dragging out the big noisy gas mower for the front.
I am still a bit taken aback at the price on reel mowers… but after using it, I understand.
This is no flimsy hunk of aluminum and plastic. This is a nice heavy chunk of metal. The blades will stay sharp for years. It made short work of my lawn and was NOT tedious to push around. The reel spins smoothly and is pleasant to listen to… compare it to the din of gas mowers.
I’ve already had a neighbor ask me where I got it.
I gave this mower only 4 stars instead of 5 because:
1. The T handle was difficult to attach to the reel. I had to whack at it with a hammer to get it into the correct position on the reel.
2. It does NOT work well on taller grass. Anything too tall just gets rolled over. (Incentive to keep the lawn in check.)
But these negatives do not outwiegh the positives.
Overall, I’m glad I got it!
September 12th, 2009 at 1:00 am
I purchased a similar 16″ reel mower by Great States because I have a very small lawn and didn’t want the hassle, cost, noise and environmental problems from the gas mowers I grew up with.
It took about 30 minutes to put together, with some detergent to slip the handlebars on and some elbow grease to get the nuts and bolts fastened.
When I started cutting with my mower for the first time, my neighbor saw what I was doing and rushed over saying, “you’ll rip the blades of grass with that thing. You can borrow mine (big, gas-powered rear-bagger) until you can afford a REAL lawn mower.”
I politely declined as he went into the house shaking his head, thinking I was nuts.
The mower cut pretty good - I had to do a few spots over again, because the cut was uneven, and it does a poor job of edging. I cut the tall grass around the tree in front of my house and edged around the sidewalk and my garden with a pair of hand shears. That took about 15 minutes.
When I was finished, I hung the mower up in my garage.
Using the reel mower was an adjustment after growing up with a big gas mower at my parents’ 1960s suburban home, but my lawn is small, and I hate the hassle, noise and cost of the gas mowers (not to mention the environmental issues), I’m planning on keeping the reeel mower, but I would also recommend a good weed whacker and some grass shears.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:55 am
I have used conventional, gas-powered, walk-behind rotary mowers my whole life. Having just recently moved to a townhouse with a smallish lawn that is in relatively good condition, I decided to experiment with a reel-type mower.
I was not expecting much, but was EXTREMELY pleased with the results. I believe this type of mower can give you a BETTER cut than you can get with your common gas mower.
On my lawn, at the 2 1/2 inch height setting, pushing the mower takes little effort. The sound this machine makes is sweet and satisfying: a sharp, whispery, snickering sound. Cutting with this instrument feels more PRECISE than with the common gas mower. You are manicuring your grass, not just ripping it to a shorter height.
The other benefits are just gravy: it costs next to nothing, it hangs in your shed, it is very light, it is safer, it takes no gas, requires no starting, and you could mow at night were you so inclined.
There is a certain simple sophistication about this kind of mower. If you have the right kind of lawn situation, getting this machine is a no-brainer.