Manual Mower

[BookBizMom]

We are looking into getting a manual mower.

Does anyone use one? Recommend any brands?

Thanks in advance!

[superstella]

ha, I just bought one for $10 from an antique store! My dh hates it, but I think it's great! We've been through 3 gas powered mowers already this summer (I don't know what he's doing to them!) so I got this manual one. I think the blades need sharpened as it doesn't cut tall weeds, but it does great on the grass. I don't know the brand so can't make a recommendation there, but check your antique stores for sure!

[gmvh]

We have a Brill Luxus and love it. It's German, lightweight, and a breeze to use. Found it at cleanairgardening.com

[Em T]

Yes. Our power mower went out & we'd had this ancient manual one for years. Dp just started using it a few weeks ago & really likes the way it does the grass. Mind you, we have a very small front yard, nothing to mow in the back, it's flat & not difficult to do quickly.

[blizzard_babe]

From what I've heard, the old ones are better than the new ones. Heavier, yes, but more durable.

But I have no recommendations on a brand since I'm not a homeowner yet and therefore have no yard to mow.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I have a Gardena. We are very happy with it although I haven't tried any other brands. It's lightweight and has lasted well for 5 years with no problems so far. We have a fairly large yard too.

[BookBizMom]

Do those of you who have one have a mulching blade? This seems to be a must with dh. When I've looked online it doesn't mention it much...

[mosesface]

i have a scotts classic and i absolutely love it. like most reel mowers, it doesn't tackle tall weeds, just knocks them down, so weedeating first is a good idea. otherwise, those weeds just perk back up when you're not looking!

my dh was reluctant to get a push reel mower at first, so i borrowed one and had a race with my neighbor who uses a conventional gas powered mower. without even trying too hard, i beat him by 2 minutes.

[simplehome]

Originally Posted by gmvh

We have a Brill Luxus and love it. It's German, lightweight, and a breeze to use.

I was about to post that we have the same one, until I realized that gmvh is my sister, who recommended the mower to us.

We don't expect perfection in our lawn, and we bought our house with the expectation of using a reel mower (small areas to mow). We manually pull weeds, and sometimes go over the same areas a few times if there are some tough spots. One thing that is important is not to let the grass get too long----it makes it VERY hard to mow with the reel mower!

All that said, we LOVE ours and wouldn't buy a gas mower for all the money in the world. We found ours on craigslist.