Reel Lawn Mowers

Know your options. There are basically three choices of "green" mowers, each with its own set of pros and cons.

• Push reel mowers are quiet, never need charging, and don't pollute. But they can fall short on tall grass.
• Electric mowers can leave you feeling tied up by cord length, but they're a good, quiet, reliable option.
• Battery-powered mowers are cord free, but you may run out of juice before the job's done.

Decide what features are important to you. How wide do you want the cutting deck? The wider the cutting deck, the fewer passes it will take, but it may be harder to fit into tight spaces. Do you want a mower that mulches and bags? Add the clippings to your compost bin for easy disposal. How about height adjustment? If you have rough terrain, you may want to consider a mower with larger wheels. This will make navigating easier.

How much maintenance is involved? You should clean the mower after each use. Getting the gunk out will make for a smoother mow next time. Keep the blade sharp. Many of our push reel mowers can go years between sharpening. If you have a cordless mower, you'll want to be sure to keep the battery charged. Pretty simple, huh? We thought so.

1. A common misconception about the reel mower is that they are still hard to push. This simply isn't the case. Modern reel mowers are super lightweight with large wheels and finely engineered moving parts, making the weekly mow a breeze.

2. We offer properly designed, high-quality reel mowers with low friction cutting where the blade comes within about a milimeter of the bedknife. This scissors-like cutting style means you can go years without a sharpening.

3. The cordless electric lawn mower is getting a lot of attention these days. Consumer have been quite positive about these products, ranking them a solid choice for environmentally friendly mowing options with yards too big for a push reel mower.

4. An added perk to using "green" mowers is how remarkably quiet they are. Whether you use a push reel mower or electric mower of any kind, you'll marvel at how early you can get up to mow on Sunday without waking the neighbors.

5. Though formal studies have not been conducted, it is said that electric mowers and push reel mowers are a million times less likely to cause back spasms and shoulder strain from pulling the starter cord. Mostly because they don't have starter cords.

6. Most push reel lawn mowers are light enough to lift with one arm and hang on the wall in your garage or shed. Finally room in the garage for that Harley? Probably not, but less clutter is nice.

7. The cordless electric mower is the way to go if you are thinking electric. Its worthy ancestor, the corded electric mower, was a good effort by manufacturers, but we all know it's just a matter of time until you sever that cord and go back to the internal combustion model sitting in the shed.

8. Some electric mowers are like the Swiss Army Knife of your backyard. Mulch or bag is a decent set of options, but further searching will reveal electric mowers with cool trimming attachments for getting two jobs done at once.