Post by Mahnarch on Jun 28, 2008 18:21:42 GMT -5
www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=227682-53393-26113&lpage=none
I just recently purchased a 'Task Force' reel mower and finally gave it a try today.
For those not familiar with reel mowers:
With fuel prices as high as they are and an old, nearly expired gift card to Lowe's, I picked up one of these manual reel mowers for the decent price of $89.98 + tax.
It comes in a box - assembly required - but, assembly is quick and easy, requiring only a ratchet and socket, or a combination wrench to assemble the handle and squeeze it onto the head.
All bolts and nuts are included.
Assembled it weighs in at about 15 pounds, unless my muscley arms are deceiving me.
The box says that the reel mowers are for 'well manicured lawns', which, mine is.....let's say, on the farther end of that spectrum.
I liked it, for the most part.
Pros:
It's quiet. I can actually hear the cars coming down the road, instead of having them sneak up on me and honking, only to have me have a heart attack as they wave and drive past, laughing.
It uses no gas.
I usually fill a 5 gallon container and have to fill it back up every 2-3 mowings.
Also, when you buy gasoline part of that is 'Road Duty'.
You pay 'Road duty' to mow your lawn.....? That's not right.
You can run the mower up the side of your trees and get under bushes without a big motor sitting on the top meaning it virtually eliminates the need for a weed whacker. (notice I said "virtually")
With it's light weight I was able to maneuver it quite easily, even with my small frame.
There are no worries about the blades picking up a rock or whatnot and throwing it out the side at 100mph+.
The blade stops, immediately, and with a quick push with your foot, you've unleashed the stick/root/branch/dog toy/neighbor's cat/etc...
It has a 16 inch blade (6 inches less than my gas mower) but, with the maneuverability and faster forward speed, I was still able to mow my yard in the typical hour and a half time frame.
Stopping to pick something up - or, ingest a minor amount of adult beverage - is not a hassle.
You can let go. Imbibe. And get right behind the mower and start pushing like nothing ever happened.
There's no smell of exhaust or sweating so bugs don't hover in my face as I move.
It's light and small enough that I can hang it on the wall or shove into a corner of my garage and struggle or need an helper.
No spark plugs.
No air filters.
No oil.
No pull string.
Cons
The handle could be a little bit longer.
I found my back starting to ache after a little while and ended up pushing it with my hip for a bit.
Also, there could be a stopper above the handle's pivot so when you run into something that seizes the blades you don't almost fly over the whole unit.
Taller grass and weeds tend to get pushed down and lay flat as the blades safely pass overhead (which is where the 'well manicured lawn' part comes in, I suppose).
To get the taller stuff you have to do a 'snap' - shoving the mower forward and lifting it into the air at the end of your arm's length.
With the blade sitting inside the wheels you have to be conscious of where the ends of the blades are.
For years I've used the wheels to judge my next 'strip'.
With this unit you have to run the 'inside wheel' in the taller grass - I left a few small stripes of taller grass behind me until I figured that out.
The grass comes out of the back, at your feet, to the left instead of coming out of the right side (must be a British model ;D) so, you have to mow "backwards", as it were - if you mow in a square, that is so you don't constantly re-cut the same shavings over and over again.
The mower goes into neutral when you pull it backwards.
I'm one of those guys who likes to drag the mower behind him, walking in the tall grass and looking for foreign objects before the mower gets to it. (I'm also lazy)
The girl in the advertisement doesn't come with the mower and mow the yard for you......
In the end, I still think I'll use both the gas mower and this one but, in a 1:5 ratio, respectively.
I just recently purchased a 'Task Force' reel mower and finally gave it a try today.
For those not familiar with reel mowers:
With fuel prices as high as they are and an old, nearly expired gift card to Lowe's, I picked up one of these manual reel mowers for the decent price of $89.98 + tax.
It comes in a box - assembly required - but, assembly is quick and easy, requiring only a ratchet and socket, or a combination wrench to assemble the handle and squeeze it onto the head.
All bolts and nuts are included.
Assembled it weighs in at about 15 pounds, unless my muscley arms are deceiving me.
The box says that the reel mowers are for 'well manicured lawns', which, mine is.....let's say, on the farther end of that spectrum.
I liked it, for the most part.
Pros:
It's quiet. I can actually hear the cars coming down the road, instead of having them sneak up on me and honking, only to have me have a heart attack as they wave and drive past, laughing.
It uses no gas.
I usually fill a 5 gallon container and have to fill it back up every 2-3 mowings.
Also, when you buy gasoline part of that is 'Road Duty'.
You pay 'Road duty' to mow your lawn.....? That's not right.
You can run the mower up the side of your trees and get under bushes without a big motor sitting on the top meaning it virtually eliminates the need for a weed whacker. (notice I said "virtually")
With it's light weight I was able to maneuver it quite easily, even with my small frame.
There are no worries about the blades picking up a rock or whatnot and throwing it out the side at 100mph+.
The blade stops, immediately, and with a quick push with your foot, you've unleashed the stick/root/branch/dog toy/neighbor's cat/etc...
It has a 16 inch blade (6 inches less than my gas mower) but, with the maneuverability and faster forward speed, I was still able to mow my yard in the typical hour and a half time frame.
Stopping to pick something up - or, ingest a minor amount of adult beverage - is not a hassle.
You can let go. Imbibe. And get right behind the mower and start pushing like nothing ever happened.
There's no smell of exhaust or sweating so bugs don't hover in my face as I move.
It's light and small enough that I can hang it on the wall or shove into a corner of my garage and struggle or need an helper.
No spark plugs.
No air filters.
No oil.
No pull string.
Cons
The handle could be a little bit longer.
I found my back starting to ache after a little while and ended up pushing it with my hip for a bit.
Also, there could be a stopper above the handle's pivot so when you run into something that seizes the blades you don't almost fly over the whole unit.
Taller grass and weeds tend to get pushed down and lay flat as the blades safely pass overhead (which is where the 'well manicured lawn' part comes in, I suppose).
To get the taller stuff you have to do a 'snap' - shoving the mower forward and lifting it into the air at the end of your arm's length.
With the blade sitting inside the wheels you have to be conscious of where the ends of the blades are.
For years I've used the wheels to judge my next 'strip'.
With this unit you have to run the 'inside wheel' in the taller grass - I left a few small stripes of taller grass behind me until I figured that out.
The grass comes out of the back, at your feet, to the left instead of coming out of the right side (must be a British model ;D) so, you have to mow "backwards", as it were - if you mow in a square, that is so you don't constantly re-cut the same shavings over and over again.
The mower goes into neutral when you pull it backwards.
I'm one of those guys who likes to drag the mower behind him, walking in the tall grass and looking for foreign objects before the mower gets to it. (I'm also lazy)
The girl in the advertisement doesn't come with the mower and mow the yard for you......
In the end, I still think I'll use both the gas mower and this one but, in a 1:5 ratio, respectively.
