From the manufacturer
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Push manual lawn mower that is versatile enough to cut grass yet lightweight and maneuverable.
1204-14: Reel Mower Key Features
Ideal for grass length of up to 4″
The blades on this reel mower can be adjusted from 0.5”-1.75” depending on preference. Cutting grass 4″ or greater will require multiple passes. Recommended to be used on flat lawn when the grass is dry.
Clean cut leaving a healthy green lawn
Manual grass cutter blades made of heat-treated alloy steel that stays sharp for years. The walk behind reel mower cuts grasses like a pair of scissors, keeping your lawn green and healthy.
Lightweight and low maintenance
Using a reel lawn mower helps reduce carbon emissions caused by routine yard maintenance. You can forget about costly maintenance since reel mowers are virtually maintenance-free.
American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower American Lawn Mower Company 1815-18 18-Inch 5-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower American Lawn Mower Company 1415-16 16-Inch 5-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower American Lawn Mower Company 1304-14 14-Inch 5-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower American Lawn Mower Company 1725-16GC 16-inch 7-Blade Reel Mower American Lawn Mower Company 16-Inch 5-Blade Vintage Reel Lawn Mower Cutting Width 14 in 18 in 16 in 14 in 16 in 16 in. Cutting Height 0.5-1.75 in. 1-2.75 in. 1-2.25 in. 1-1.75 in. 0.5- 2.5 in. 0.5- 2.5 in. Blades 4 5 5 5 7 5 Wheel Size 8.5 in. 10 in. 10 in. 10 in. 10 in. 10 in. Tool Free Assembly ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Weight 20 lbs 27 lbs 25 lbs 22.5 lbs 21 lbs 20 lbs Handle Style T-Handle Loop Handle T-Handle T-Handle T-Handle T-Handle
American Lawn Mower Company reel mowers give you an lawn maintenance free solution that has been around for over 120 years. Even though the original design is over a century old, our brand gives you modern upgrades to classic lawnmower designs. We spent over 120 years perfecting our craft and helping reduce carbon emissions caused by routine yard maintenance. You can forget about costly maintenance since reel mowers are virtually maintenance-free. The walk behind reel mower cuts grasses like a pair of scissors and you can keep the reel mower going by simply pushing it with your own energy. This is the cleanest form of energy that our lawn mowers can run on. Despite modern technology and advancement in gardening tools, a walk-behind lawn mower is still the best way to cut grass because it cuts blades of grass, rather than shredding them. American Lawn Mower Company is committed to giving you the highest quality of planet-conscious reel mowers crafted from the best possible materials to ensure the durability and maneuverability of our designs.
The American Lawn Mower 1204-14 14″ 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower is an easy-to-use mechanical lawn mower that will cut grass up to 4 inches tall. The mower is easy to assemble and has blades that can be adjusted to help cut grass to the users’ desired length. The durable cushioned handle is comfortable and gives users a perfect grip when in motion. The American Lawn Mower Reel Mower is lightweight, low maintenance, and will make mowing the lawn easy.
When using a reel mower, tall grass means more work. It’s better to mow smaller amounts more frequently than it is to let the grass get long. A push mower only cuts what gets between the reel and the cutter bar. Ensure a proper cut by not allowing your lawn to reach a height of much over 3-4 inches. For best results when using a reel mower, mow no more than 1/3 of the grass blade, so that deeper roots are encouraged. Increase the amount of overlap while using your push mower if your lawn reaches a height of 4 inches or more. Try not reel mower when the grass is wet or on non flat lawns as it usually produces a very uneven cut.
Jazmine –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long lasting
Easy to use, long lasting, motor free, etc. It was amazing for a small yard except it has a hard time getting over long grass, does not cover a lot of area with each passover and cannot get the edges well.
Michon Zurita –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product!
Let me start by saying I have wanted one of these manual mowers literally for YEARS. This summer brought my son and I the perfect excuse to buy one, as we picked up a couple yards to mow/maintain, and neither of the weed-eaters provided were either very reliable, or worked at all. Also, the yards are cut up into many different configurations, if that makes sense, and the large riding mowers provided were not capable of getting in close to the buildings or other ornamentation.Enter this excellent “old-fashioned” tool. I love being able to find tools like this that are well-made with attention to quality and last-ability, if I may coin a word. My kiddo is steeped in the electronic, tech age and to see the ingenuity and resourcefulness of times past really thrills him. Every time he uses it, he gets great exercise, learns attention to detail in the way he has to manipulate it to get every last blade of grass, and afterwards, he has such a sense of accomplishment! He repeatedly tells me, ‘I am IN LOVE with this machine!’ Also, I have to say, it handles longer weeds or overgrowth pretty darn well, with a bit of effort and elbow grease! Wouldn’t recommend it for cutting that all the time, but in spurts it works really well on taller grass. Just be patient and go at it in sections and it will handle the cut quite well.Couldn’t ask for better craftsmanship. Heavy and substantial materials that appear to be made to last. The cut is crisp, clean, and precise. The only thing I could wish was that the rollers were made of heavy duty rubber rather than thick plastic. I think they might hold up better over time that way. Love the adjustability of the height of the cut! A bit of work to rig it the first time, but super steady afterward.Also, putting it together wasn’t too tough, but the little locks that hold the base of the handle to the actual machine were just adequate, however. I’m afraid they might wear down rather quicker than I’d like. Also, if I may be so bold as to suggest it, including four of them might be a great customer service perk. Just in case one gets bent or lost, or one wears out faster than the other. I don’t really want to place an order for two measley locks, y’know what I’m sayin’? I suppose I could run to Home Depot or our local hardware store to get something I could rig to work, but including a couple sets would just be nicer all ’round.In conclusion, BUY THIS if you’ve been wanting/needing a really efficient, cost-effective, non-fossil-fuel, non-electric, well-built and sturdy mower for your yard. Do be very cautious about twigs and stones or rocks, though. You wouldn’t want to muck up these blades, and if anything will do that, it would be those two things. But if you set your cutting height to the highest cut (which is really best for your grass), twigs, etc., aren’t really much of an issue unless you never rake your grass or have a plethora of older trees that drop lots of stuff into your yard.
5 people found this helpful
Northern Virginia –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great little mower
Reason I took one star away is the grass catcher is made for this model and a larger one. Therefore it is wider and doesn’t fit as well as it could. The front edge of the catcher also sits too low to the ground (vs being even all the way across – it kinda sags on the side closest to the blades). This sometimes causes the catcher to get caught on twigs/sticks, etc. or get displaced when I’m mowing some uneven ground in my yard.On to the good stuff.Love the color! Easy to assemble. Lightweight and very maneuverable.Cuts grass nicely. Has adjustment settings on how short to cut grass as well.And . . . Excellent Customer Service. Had a problem with the mower blade getting stuck every so often. Rep explained to me what was happening and that solved the problem.Too much stuff on bar behind the blades. Need to empty catcher more often and not let the grass build up. Probably not explaining this well, but he understood and helped me solve the problem.As you can tell, I’m not familiar with mowing the lawn – ha! Using our power mower was out of the question as I am a petite woman and do not have the strength to pull the cord to start the darn thing! Let alone control it on the big hill section of our yard.Sooo, this manual mower is just what I needed. Just need that grass catcher to fit a little better and it would be perfect.I DO recommend this mower
32 people found this helpful
Rooster7 –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gets the job done with a little more effort
I haven’t seen a reel mower used for the last 20 years and was skeptical to make this purchase. I’m very surprised how well this machine works. We live in a trailer with a small yard that’s become overgrown since our landscaper is out on medical. While I wouldn’t recommend cutting anything over 3″ with this mower, it gets the job done as long as you put the effort in! And despite the weeds it wouldn’t chew through no matter the number of passes, I don’t think I’ve noticed our yard looking as good as it is after this first cut. This is a great way to unplug and enjoy being outdoors as well as getting some much needed exercise. My SO might complain how hard it was to push but I think she’s just lazy. I on the other hand only struggled to chop down the 5-7″ overgrowth. It’ll get snagged on different weeds and grasses occasionally but I think taking a little extra time is worth the difference in paying for gasoline and extra cost of a rotary mower. At $80 ish, the price of a pair of new shoes or some jeans I’m honestly thinking about buying another so we can team up and get it done faster/spend time together.My only gripes are that changing the deck height was a bit difficult to do by myself as the roller pin slipped out while changing the other side and the bracket flipped 180. Maybe there’s a model with an easier adjustment for when my SO is home alone and needs to change it? And, the handle is a bit short for my 6′ frame. If I was any taller I’d be breaking my back or looking for something to manipulate/rig the handle length.We’re in our 30’s by the way, and I’ll say young or old anyone who can walk a decent pace could easily use this.
42 people found this helpful
nsmith –
5.0 out of 5 stars
this product has saved me a lot of money!
I cut my own lawn now front and back saves me $30 a week from paying the lawn guy (Who never cuts the grass short enough) this is a great product..it slides through grass like butter.: I love it… just remember to keep the blades oiled after each use and it will last a long time.:
Prince Reginald Leonardo Burthope IV of Bath, Duke of SomersetPrince Reginald Leonardo Burthope IV of Bath, Duke of Somerset –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review after two summers worth of use
So far, I am very pleased with how this mower cuts and holds up. While it is certainly not the best mower you can buy, for only $60 it is hard to beat.Now, on to the nitty-gritty. First off, if you think that this mower comes anywhere close to the speed and cutting quality of a gasoline or electric push mower, then you might want to reconsider buying it. It really all boils down to how much you like mowing grass and the amount of time you are OK with spending to do it. That being said, I enjoy mowing and find it a relaxing and rewarding task. Therefore, all the negatives that come with this particular type of mower don’t bother me. But you are probably not me.THE CONS:1. Cutting ability. This mower does not cut as well as modern engine/motor driven mowers. Straight up. And it never will. It is literally why modern mowers were invented. It takes multiple passes before you get a nice even-looking cut all around. This mower does not, and will not, generate suction like its modern brethren. As a result, it will not cut grass lying flat on the ground and also has trouble cutting grass higher than 6 inches (15 cm). Cutting performance is highly dependent on the type of grass in your yard. Things like twigs will jam up the blade mechanism. It will not cut through brush, so don’t even try.2. Labor and time required. While I have no trouble pushing this thing around, I can see it being tiresome for others. The width of the cutting area is also quite small compared to modern mowers. And like I said earlier, it will probably take multiple passes before the yard looks decent. This mower really only makes sense if you have tiny front or back lawns.THE PROS:1. The noise. This mower makes hardly any noise. It may squeak if you let it get rusty, but that’s about it. I can now stealth-mow at 2 a.m.2. Money savings. Forget having to spend extra on gas, oil, or new battery packs. This mower is fueled solely by the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell).3. Low maintenance and high reliability. For two years I have sprayed mine off with the hose, let it dry, and put it back in the basement closet. The blades are still sharp, and there is no rust that I can see. If you take care of it, it will take care of you. Keep it clean and out of the rain and elements like you should do with any equipment.4. ZEN!? I love mowing. I love it. I cannot lie. This mower makes me love it even more, probably because of the lack of loud noises. A good lawn mowing is one of those few things in life you can look back at when finished and know for sure you did a good job, right? It’s not like raising kids or writing emails for 12 hours a day in a cubicle. (Just joking… or am I?) Some say I have an unhealthy obsession with mowing, and that might be true. But you know what? Nothing gives me more joy than when the orderlies unlock my room and let me mow the thin strip of lonely grass in front of the hospital sign. Just me. Me and my trusty American Lawn Mower 1204-14 14-Inch Deluxe Hand Reel Mower.
86 people found this helpful
Avanpelt –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works way better than nagging
I bought this 2 years ago because our power mower was always breaking down. I wanted a new power mower, but my husband, a mechanic would always insist that it was a simple fix. Maybe it was, but getting him to actually fix it was not so simple. So, tired of nagging, I ordered myself a mower with no motor to fix, ever. It does take a little longer and a little more elbow grease, and it does not cut the grass as short or even BUT the thing works every time! My favorite feature is my husband hates it. Now when the power mower breaks down I do not nag. I simply pull this trusty old school mower out and go to work. It pisses him off and by the time I finish the front lawn he has the power mower fixed and is working on the back lawn. No nagging required.
4 people found this helpful
Sonja Johnson –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sometimes old IS gold
I’m very pleased with this product. We needed something that even I could use to mow the lawn (I have a bad back), and something inexpensive. This thing is STURDY, but it’s also light weight and really very simple to use. Assembly was a little bit fiddly – there are rings meant to help lock the handles in place, which don’t want to go on there, hah! But the mower works fine. We knew already we were going to have some planning in order to really make the best use of it: we’re coming at this first time mowing after far too long leaving our grass alone, and we live in the Southeast US, so every week means a ton of growth.We don’t have a tiny yard: that means this lawnmower is going to require a LONG time to mow. We knew that going in and so our expectations are not upset by it. But even with patches of grass three feet tall the blades still cut a significant amount of that, and once we do get the mess tamed, I’m confident that we won’t have any trouble keeping up with the lawn afterwards. I have a son and a brother who can help, and even if we have to take turns or mow more frequently, that’s not a problem.It’s nice not having to mess with gasoline or oil, or batteries or gods forbid an electric cord (which would just get run over and ruined). The blades are quiet, so we could mow at 5 in the morning if need be and the neighbors wouldn’t be disturbed. There are a few issues that folks should beware of though. Mostly a case of “know your lawn,” because the way this thing works, if you have “dips” in the lawn – sinkholes, swampy spots, or places where stumps used to be – you’re going to encounter snags and stops as the mower really doesn’t like not having a relatively flat path to traverse. But even so it WILL still cut in such places, you just have to take it slow and use the correct amount of force.
44 people found this helpful
Anastacia –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Push mower
Pretty easy to put together. Work decent for the price and if you have a small area or yard to keep up.
One person found this helpful
Joseph R. Kennedy –
4.0 out of 5 stars
The handle bolt unscrews and they don’t tell you to use thread locker.
I used it a few times, I liked it, and then the chrome covers to the normal wheels fell off. THEN the handle you push it with kept swiveling and unscrewing, no matter how many times I tightened it. I have now used VibraTITE on the threads of that bolt, so we’ll see if that holds it. Screwing that in became difficult because the nut in the middle of the handle tore the wood around it and now it spins as you try to tighten the handle … still I found a way to hold it still.Get the one with the other handle style.
One person found this helpful
JCV –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works great! Awesome cut!
I was surprised at how well this cut out lawn, it takes a couple passes to “mulch” but the cut looks so much better. This is perfect for a small yard/condo/townhouse yard. I’d give it five stars us the handles and wheels were of more robust construction, nothing has broken but this certainly isn’t a “buy it for life” product.
BooksDevoured –
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is fun for the whole family LOL
I go this, because I have a steep enough slope on my front yard, that I dont want to do zero turn, and a push mower is hard. This makes super light work of it, its also apparently fun. Because my neighbors wanted to try it, and were acting like kids again with it. I have had one neighbor borrow it multiple times. About to tell them to go buy their own! lolThe only complaint I have is there is one type of grass it doesnt cut, and so I have to reach down and pull it out by hand. Its Bahiagrass , the tall stick like grass with the black seeds on it. It wont cut that those stem pieces. I also wish it cut backwards and forwards. But I will defintely buy it again, if I need one.
9 people found this helpful
Pam –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect
Just what I needed.
Patrici –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cheap hardware
Returned it after using once. One of the mounting screws lost its threads rendering the bolt useless. As a result, couldn’t get the handle to stay tight onto the blade section and made the mower kind of useless. Probably an easy fix with better hardware.Also came without any instruction manual. I didn’t know how to lower the cutting height.
One person found this helpful
seesaw –
4.0 out of 5 stars
it is not i expecting
I thought it is light, but it’s heavy. I thought it will cut grass good but it’s not.
Chas –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, for what it is!
I have a very steep and rough slope (mole hills, washouts) as part of my yard. I’ve been mowing it for years with a push motor-powered mower. When trying to cut the slope horizontally, the weight of the mower causes it to slide down the hill, or almost tip over and roll down end over end. If I try to cut vertically or diagonally, the thing is very heavy to move up and down the slope. A real dilemma. I wear spike shoes to keep from sliding myself and it is difficult to wrestle the mower. The surface area is way too much to weed eat.I ran across this mower and thought, why not give it a try? It arrived, was light and was easily assembled. I took it to my slope and, although it takes more passes, seemed much easier to handle. I was pleased! I mowed the rest of my yard as well, and had some observations:it doesn’t cut quite as well as a gas mower – there were sometimes pieces of grass sticking upthe path is not that wide, so it will take longerthe wheels take up a fair amount of space on both sides, so I am not able to get as close to edges as I can with the gas mower.I had read other reviews that stated that when they hit a stick with this mower, it ground to a halt. I didn’t really experience this. My yard is not super smooth at all, and it does a pretty good job, actually.For the money, and realizing what you are buying, absolutely. If you have a small level yard, a no-brainer in my mind.
20 people found this helpful
Boom Boom –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for Cardio
Works like a charm and works you out too
JK –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for renters. Small dog that thinks its a big dog.
I just moved into a rental duplex with a yard of about 3,000 square feet to take care of. Not huge, but not a postage stamp either. Being a rental unit, the “grass” in the yard is mostly dandelions, crabgrass, and broadleaf weeds, with the occasional patch of dense fast-growing grass. In other words, a whole lot of exactly what this mower supposedly can’t handle. But it is light enough and the cutting path is narrow enough that you can power it through, and if it stalls, back up a couple of feet and try again. It’s a very well-made mower, the blades are pre-sharpened, the reel turns easily and smoothly, and the mower cuts cleanly even through the heavy stuff with very little effort. It took me about 40 minutes, with plenty of overlap between passes, to complete the neglected and overgrown yard.The only change I made was to set the reel to the highest mowing level, 1 3/4 inch, which is around what most gas mowers cut at by default. The lower preset level would probably cause the mower to constantly bog down in the thickest part of the broadleaf weeds. At the highest level, it just takes the tops off of them. For a rental yard, the results look fine, about on par with the neighbors’ gas-mowed yards.I wouldn’t want to tackle a large yard with this little mower. It would be easy, but would take forever. For a smaller yard, it’s well-suited. The actual cutting width is about one foot. If you figure on 1/2 or 1/3 overlap between passes, you’re really only cutting 6 or 9 inches width per pass. So, even a smaller yard will take a while. But the mower is remarkably easy to push. Not much harder than a full-sized self-propelled gas mower, seriously.Assembly is quick. You’ll need a pair of pliers or vise grips. Assemble the handle sections by attaching them with bolts and locknuts. The locknuts have plastic wings on them so you can tighten them by hand. Slide the foam grips onto the upper handle sections. The completed handle assembly then slides onto two inward-facing pegs at the top of the mower section. The outward pressure of the handle lower arms pretty much keeps them in place on the pegs, but there are C-clips to push onto grooves in the pegs to keep the handles in place. You’ll need the pliers to squeeze the C-clips into the grooves. That’s it, the mower is assembled.Adjusting the height of the reel involves removing two bolts and locknuts that hold the back rollers in place. You’ll need a wrench to do that. There are holes in the vertical supports for the back rollers, and holes in the back of the mower. Remove the bolts from the preset holes, move them to other holes, replace the locknuts. It took me longer to move the reel to the highest setting than it did to assemble the mower.As the instructions suggest, hit the blades and reel with plenty of WD-40 before and after each use to keep them rust-free and also to help keep the grass from sticking to the moving parts.Overall, I’m very pleased with this little mower. It’s a small dog that thinks it’s a big dog, and it gets the job done. For the price, the quality is remarkable. It’s surprisingly easy to push and use. A great value. Recommended.
57 people found this helpful
Rose Hookins –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous Mower
I love this little lawn mower. I don’t need to worry about gas or electricity – I love that it’s red!
Gil & Liron Bronstein –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love my new lawn mower!
I got my mower yesterday and I had to try it right away. Assembly was very easy and straightforward, took me about 5 minutes. I have a patch of grass in the backyard that was waiting to get mowed, because the terrain is not very even and there is a lemon tree in the middle it was always a hassle to mow it with my electric lawn mower. With this push reel mower, it was super fast and easy. Even though it does require some extra effort to overcome uneven areas, it did the job, and in about 10 minutes my backyard lawn was trimmed and looked fabulous! Because there is no engine it is so easy to operate, all those areas that could use some attention but you keep postponing the work to a “better time” now will be taken care of with ease. Did I mention I love this lawn mower?
3 people found this helpful
This fruit slicer is so easy to use. I like to dehydrate apples by myself. This mandoline slicer is very easy to use and easy clean. Save a lot of time for cutting. Price is reasonable! –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it
This is product is easy to use. It is great for a lawn without leafs. It is easy to use when grass is not high. But it is not suitable when there are some tree leaves on the grass since leaves will clog the blade and stop it. Each time I will have to remove the tree leaves stems before proceeding cutting which was pain a neck.
MicahMicah –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly reccomend!
Okay first of all, I’d just like to say that I am autistic, and I absolutely LOATHE mowing the lawn. The mower is too loud, the vibrating of the handle makes my arms go numb, and I can never quite pull on the cord hard enough to get it started by myself. I always have to find someone else to turn it on for me. And not to mention the fact that the smell of gasoline gives me a headache.So I finally decided to see if any old-fashioned mowers still existed, because I would much rather deal with something slower and time-consuming if it meant I wouldn’t have to deal with using a normal lawn mower.Imagine my surprise when I found that there are /new/ manual lawnmowers, and I can just order them from Amazon!So I decided I had nothing left to lose, and I would give it a try.Best. Decision. EVER.NOTE OF ADVICE: If you have difficulty putting it together (specifically, attaching the handle to the blade part), find someone with more upper-body strength to help you. They’ll get it done in two seconds. (it took me half an hour of attempting to do so before I gave up and waited for my sister to get home so she could help me)Also: it only cuts while you’re pushing it forward, so all you have to do to move it when you’re not cutting is to pull it along behind you.As for cutting grass? I love it. It works perfectly, aside from a few snags on branches that I didn’t notice. If you move it forward and back a few times, you can cut even tall weeds! Much easier than pulling them out by hand in the areas that the normal gas mower can’t reach.It’s not silent, but it’s also not the deafening roar of a gas mower. If I had to describe the sound, I’d say it’s a whooshing sound, and much much quieter than a gas mower. Plus, you don’t have to deal with your arms vibrating or constantly having to turn the mower back on!No more buying gas, no more struggling to pull on the cord hard enough to turn the mower on, and no more complicated wire-pulling to turn it off.All I have to do is push forward, and the grass gets cut. Stop walking, and it stops cutting. It’s easy to maneuver, and it’s not so heavy that I can’t pick it up and carry it up a flight of stairs to my porch if I need to.I’m never using a gas mower again.
2,161 people found this helpful
April –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Does the job
I don’t know why hubs decided he wanted one of these va a traditional mower, but he did. I purchased this and hoped for the best. He put it together and the rest is history. I’ve watched him use it a handful of times and it does the job. He has no complaints. My observation. Don’t let the grass grow too tall between mowings.
A Photographer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you’re “allergic to grass” this will cure you of that. Cure you of your gas bill, too.
I’m not knocking people with allergies; I have food and pet allergies and they suck, and it sucks when people make light of them. But with my former gas powered mower, I was convinced I was allergic to grass. Sneezing fits galore. Every. Time. $#%^ you, cut grass.With this, I might, MIGHT, sneeze once. Because there’s no gas exhaust fumes blowing up into my face, there’s no huge kick up of whatever I just mowed: dirt, grass, whatever.So my point is, you really might not be allergic to grass. You might be allergic to gas powered mowers. If I could cure my food and pet allergies this easily . . .I’ve bought this twice. They do require a bit of a learning curve. Like do not go over rocks or roots, flip this over so that the rear stabilizer wheel isn’t touching the ground when going over sidewalks or driveways (and the blades won’t spin). I didn’t do that with my first one, and compromised the rear stabilizer wheel, which you need to run this. It’s expensive to replace, near $40 with taxes and shipping from the company’s website, so I just bought a new mower. I did get 4 years out of my first mower, so I got my money’s worth.The new mower seems like they addressed that issue; the rear stabilizer wheel looks much tougher. The blades are also sharper than my previous one (you can sharpen these with sharpening compound by removing one wheel and cranking the mechanism backwards; I’m sure there are detailed instructions out there on the vast Internets, and you can do that with ALL of these, including the wooden ones from the 50s you might find at yard sales for pennies). I anticipate, now that I know what I’m doing, the new one will last me far beyond 4 years.Another huge plus is you save on gas here, because this requires no gas. You also save on a gym membership, as this is quite the workout but not undoable. Like pushing baby carriages or shopping carts. And saves on time! No more filling the tank (and spilling gas) no more checking the oil and pressing the primer and pulling the rip cord and unclogging the clumps of cut grass from the blades and cursing the stupid, much heavier gas mower for not working (and sneezing, sneezing, sneezing all the while). This takes me about the same time as the gas mower did, and I’m just mowing here, casually walking along appreciating nature.It’s super easy to put together, no crazy hand or wrist strength required (future sharpening of the blades will require some hand and wrist strength). About the only downside is that twigs and leaves and other small objects can get caught in the blades and will stop this. Full stop. It’s more of an annoyance, as your nice momentum will come to a sudden jerking halt. But it’s part of the learning curve if you don’t want to rake your lawn every time.Love the red color. Amazon offers these at the cheapest prices I’ve come across (remember I had to look for a replacement, was even waiting for the VINE gods to drop one, which never happened *boo*) and they often fluctuate low, even appear on Amazon’s warehouse “used” (my second one only had a damaged box mwhahaha, love the warehouse sometimes).So I highly recommend this. Really a beautiful piece of engineering that I wish I’d taken a chance on sooner. Take care of it a bit and it’ll take care of you.
149 people found this helpful
Linsey Simon –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great little mower.
So I recently bought this little mower and have now been able to use it several times.Normally my husband would be dealing with the upkeep of the yard or my brother would offer to take care of it seeing how my husband works over the road and is gone for eight weeks at a time. Now that my brother works with him, the yard is now up to me to maintain. (Which I am not complaining about.)With that being said, you can imagine I don’t have a lot of experience with mowers and what not. I bought this one for multiple reasons.1. I don’t like to mess with the gas and oil. I have two littles 18 months apart who like to get into everything and unfortunately we don’t have any good places to store that stuff. (Something we are hoping to have fixed this summer.) Plus, twice now someone has stolen our gas cans and with the price of gas right now, I’m not about providing free gas for someone else.2. Maintenance in general. If something breaks on our gas mower, I’ve no idea how to fix it. I don’t trust someone else to fix it and fix it right without over charging me.3. The lack of noise is a major plus. Last year while mowing my two littles managed to wiggle out the side gate and I didn’t hear them over the mower running. Luckily I’m constantly looking around me and spotted them just as they took off around the side of the house. This mower is a lot quieter and I’m able to keep a better ear out for them. Which in turn, makes things a lot less stressful for me.4. I’m having surgery done this summer. So with this having great maneuverability and being light weight, I can easily drag it back an forth from the frontyard to the backyard and vice versa without straining myself too much.5. I’m really loving the fact I don’t have to ask or depend on someone else coming over to take care of the yard before it gets over grown. The upkeep of the yard is my responsibility anyways and it’s nice being able to accomplish that on my own. With everything I’ve got going while my husband is away, the yard is the last thing I want to have to stress about.I have a small front yard and medium sized backyard. It took me only a fraction of a bit longer to mow just for the simple fact that you do need to make sure any and all sticks and rocks are picked up. They will stop you dead in your tracks if they catch the blades just right. Each time I’ve used this mower it’s taken me roughly 45 minutes to do both the front and backyards all together.Overall so far I really like it. It was super easy to assemble and it only took me a couple of minutes to adjust the height for which I wanted the grass to be cut at. I know a lot of men like to look down on those who use a mower like this vs a gas powered mower, but honestly I don’t care what they think. I’m trying to make things easier on myself while trying to keep up with two little boys who are constantly on the go and this mower did just that.As far as sharpening the blades go. Check with the nearest golf courses. They often use these and can do it.So as long as you don’t mind your neighbors giving you the side eye for going old school and don’t have an issue with combing through your yard for sticks and rocks before hand I recommend giving this mower a shot. You might find that you like it.
76 people found this helpful
Ben Hando –
3.0 out of 5 stars
I wanted to like this
When I was a young child, my father made me cut the grass with a mower like this. As I watched my friends cut grass with gas mowers, I learned to hate the push mower and even resented my father at times for making me use it. Fast forward 40 years and I found myself in the market for a small mower for our rental house. I didn’t want to deal with gas or pay the hefty price of an EV mower. So why not try a push mower? It arrived quickly after ordering and was easy to assemble. The first cut was on a cool sunny evening with dry grass – it was great! I bragged to my family about how smart we were to use such an ecologically friendly device. “Who needs those disgusting gas mowers! This has no oil! No mess! It’s so transportable!”. But by the 3rd mow, the honeymoon was over and I began to get the sinking feeling that I recalled from oh so many years ago. For one, the sticks. It seems to find any stick in your yard. Even a small twig, barely visible to the naked eye can jam this thing up, causing the handles to break your wrists or worse, nail you in the lower abdomen. The first couple of stops are fine, almost endearing. But after an hour of only cutting 50 feet of grass, you begin to tire. Today was the final straw – I cut the grass in the beating sun of San Antonio Texas. We’ve had a lot of rain, so the grass was long that day…..long and wet. I actually thought I might die trying to finish a small patch of bermuda in our back yard. The ol’ gal couldn’t handle more than 1 foot of grass. I went through the five stages of grief trying to finish the backyard. I have finally arrived at ‘acceptance’. After 3 hours of mowing what would normally take less than 30 min with a gas or ev mower (no exaggeration), I can tell you that I will be giving away this relic of the past. Let these push mowers go the way of the horse and buggy, the abacus, and the oil lamp. Sure – there’s something quaint and even romantic about these anachronistic tools from a bygone era. But any appeal is shortlived when they’re put to the test. In the end, the inexorable march of technology cannot be turned back. I’ve accepted this, and so should you. I will be purchasing a powerful EV motorized mower this weekend and putting this mower out to the curb for freecycle.
45 people found this helpful
MsJoy –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth it, for small and regularly maintained yards
I’m a single mother of 3 girls and it’s perfect for us and our yards. We don’t have acres and acres, decent sized front and back yard and this mower is truly perfect. We dont let our grass grow too high so it’s never longer than 30 mins to an hour for both front and back yard. No gas smell, no inconvenience. Great buy.
Jacob GonzalezJacob Gonzalez –
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Floridian Review
I initially thought I made a mistake buying this mower, but after routine lawn maintenance for a few weeks I’ve decided I’m actually obsessed with this mower. I’ll be totally honest, I saw every warning and review about not cutting tall, thick, wet grass with this mower and I should have listened. My grass was about 7” tall, and if you live in Florida then you know we have very dense, thick grass. With that being said, it took me 3 days to trim it all down, and you can see I have a pretty big back yard in the pics. I ended up trimming the grass down with the electric mower and have been using the rotary mower to maintain it once a week.Now that I’m on a routine maintenance schedule and making sure not to let the grass grow taller than 4” before cutting, this thing is awesome. It’s not hard to push at all, less a few denser areas that might take another pass or two. The grass has a very clean scissor cut look, and I’m now growing huge patches of grass where my yard was previously dead. I can go over my entire front and back yard in about 40 minutes, and I’ll typically do two passes over the yard.It does take some effort with some of the taller weeds or heartier vines of grass, but nothing crazy by any means. You’re definitely going to want to clear the yard of any sticks or debris, as they tend to stop the blade pretty easily. If you have hills or uneven terrain, don’t buy this mower unless you plan on getting way more exercise than what’s probably necessary lolAll in all, if you buy this mower, plan to mow once a week at least to hold its value. If you mow on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, stick to a modern gas or electric mower. If you enjoy being outside and spending time with your yard, it’ll be your best friend. I really do love mine, but only after lots of trial and error.
25 people found this helpful
P G –
5.0 out of 5 stars
perfect for my uses, and frankly kind of fun
First of all, I love that this mower doesn’t require gas or electricity. No fumes, pretty quiet.It was extremely easy to assemble. The manual was not all that useful / a little aggravating, but assembly manuals tend to be. There are three screws you use to assemble the handle — make sure to use the shortest one for the single hole (towards the top of handle assembly), not that it’s a big deal if you accidentally put it in the wrong place. I finger-tightened the plastic knobs… no tools required for that. I was a little confused by the e-clips so I looked at a very short video on Youtube to see how they might be put on. I used needlenose pliars for that. I was careful doing that because, as many people have pointed out, the blades are very sharp. You put the handle on the metal orange nibs (I also was a little unclear on where to attach the handle, though a glance at a different Youtube video helped me see that clearly).Normally at this stage in my life, I’m not a big procrastinator. But I have to admit that I had been procrastinating doing anything about the back yard here, where I moved in late November (about four and a half months ago). I moved from a 99 year old house where we had landscaped our tiny yard to have no lawn, into a newer structure built on red clay. Never understimate what can grow in red clay! It might not be what you want, but plants will grow. Through late fall and winter, and really until fairly recently, the back yard was largely mud — It’s been another rainy year. Then things started growing, and I was curious to see what would emerge. Also, the pollen has been noxious, so I’ve not wanted to spend a lot of time out there (used a bandana over mouth and nose to reduce breathing pollen). I knew eventually I was going to have to figure out what to do back there. It isn’t a large yard but is at least twice the size of my previous yard. Still not sure what all I will do, but now I have a way to keep grass and weeds at bay.I feel like it works pretty well on weeds. There are both weeds and grass in the back yard. I’m not looking for a manicured lawn back there, I just want to keep growth somewhat in check. There’s a quite small area that had gotten very dense and long, and the mower actually did a good job cutting that long grass and weeds, though after I raked it (for ‘fun’), I did notice I’ll need to go back over some of it again in a couple of days. With long stuff, it wraps around the axles (?), so I had to pull grass / weeds out a couple of times (it’s a good idea to wear work gloves for that, and even be careful wearing the work gloves… and I used the needle nose pliars again, to do that, before storing the mower in a shed that I now see is kind of damp and probably not the best place to store it).Definitely keep pets and children away from it. My dog would have followed me around the yard with it but I made her stay in. Again, the blades are sharp.If everyone would use mowers like this, we wouldn’t have such anal lawn maintenance to compete with 😉 Not that it doesn’t so a great job of mowing. It does. I’m just not very picky about things sticking up here and there. Also, we’d have less noise and fumes from mowers (though of course I realize there is environmental impact in its production).I was so anxious before mowing … Had let things get a little beyond where I would have liked. Was actually excited about this mower when I ordered it, and I rarely allow myself to feel excited. Now that I’ve used it and gotten the back yard somewhat in check, I feel relief!Strongly recommend!
20 people found this helpful
d –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lightweight but doesn’t cut well (on a Florida lawn)
The mower was pretty simple to assemble, and is light and maneuverable (bought for a 12 year old to learn lawn care). The height adjustment is difficult because you have to partially disassemble the wheels to adjust, but that’s mostly just annoying. The real problem is that it doesn’t seem to cut well at all. The blade busily whirs and little bits of grass fly up, but you have to go over each section several times to make it look tidy. It’s an exercise in frustration.——————–P.S. After reading the other reviews, I think it may be an issue with my yard composition moreso than the design. I live in Florida, with tough creeper-filled grass mixed with palm seeds, sticks, and Mexican Petunias, and lots of uneven spots. I think it could work nicely with a flat yard with the tame soft grass found in other regions.
3 people found this helpful
Josh S. –
4.0 out of 5 stars
They’re all going to laugh at you…
Bought this because I have a fairly small yard, didn’t want to deal with trying to find a cheap mower on Craigslist and pay for the maintenance, and any time I mow my toddler wants to help so I figured this would be safer. I’ve had it a few months and its great. Easy to put together, cuts the grass well.Cut: Some reviews mentioned it doesn’t cut as well as a gas mower. I think you just have to be ok with all the grass not being the same length and there being places that don’t cut perfectly. This took some getting used to, but as my yard has grown and filled in, I’ve started to prefer it. Come spring, the yard will look like the outfield at a baseball stadium.Weight: I usually mow with one hand, so I can hold a beer with the other. Occasionally, I’ll end up having to hold the toddler and mow. i.e. this is lighter and more nimble than a gas mower.Looks: You’re spouse/family/friends/neighbors will laugh at you. Be prepared. But, as you whisper around the yard and it starts looking like a professional job, the cackling will… ya so they’ll still laugh at you. I swear its worth it though.Noise/Safety: Won’t cut sticks, throw rocks, get hot, make noise, etc. Essentially all the things that make walking around your yard behind a gas mower unpleasant, this won’t do. I have conversations with my wife and daughter in the yard while I mow. The other day, my daughter fell asleep in the Ergo carrier while I mowed the yard. Try that with a gas mower.I took it down 1/2 star because I think there are better rotary mowers out there that have wider coverage which probably makes mowing quicker. But, that’s really being nitpicky. If you’ve never used a rotary, this is a great starting point and well worth it.
1,503 people found this helpful
Steph GSteph G –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to use and worth buying!
My yard it small and I don’t want to store gas or worry about a battery dying. This was just what the doctor ordered! No loud noise, no gas smell or yanking the cord to get the mower started.My yard is 60% clover, 40% grass (yes, I seeded a clover lawn on purpose!) and I’d yet to cut the grass. Of course it rained a lot in one week and the grass got tall, maybe 5 inches, plus the lillies and hosta that were supposedly dug out last fall came up this spring. The manual push mower handled it all no problem!My husband swore up and down that it was going to suck from his previous experience with one as a teen but I did my research on Google and read reviews on Amazon. And guess who was salty? My husband. 😆Let me put this in perspective: I’m 4’10 and pushing this manual push mower was easy. I, not my husband, cut the grass in about 25 minutes, mostly because I’m a perfectionist and some grass was laying down and I was determined. 😆 In 2 weeks, when I cut it again, it’ll take 10-15 minutes. Cross your fingers the damn lillies and hosta die from constant mowing and I don’t have to dig them up.The only negative is stick, even small ones will stop it dead in its tracks. BUT there’s a simple solution- quickly rake the yard where any sticks fall. And then get your treat trimmed of any dead branches. That’s what I did to my neighbor’s tree that hangs over my yard. Worth every penny because now there are only a handful of small sticks that fall instead of 20 or 30 every week.Also, it was pretty easy to put together.So, if you’re still here after all that, then thank you! 😊 I hope this helps you decide what to buy. Enjoy the photo of my yard cut. Don’t mind the high grass along the fence. I have to chop it with my hedge clippers. 😆 I’m serious about not dealing with gas or batteries. Well, you’ve reached the end of this ramble. Have great day/ night!-Steph G C
10 people found this helpful
VC –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for a tiny lawn!
I got this to replace my corded electric mower. I used it in my townhouse end unit lawn the day it arrived, and even though my grass was way overgrown due to the prior mower’s death, it still worked like a charm.One negative: the assembly instructions were worse than useless. Would recommend just looking at the picture of the fully assembled mower for most of it, and then looking up YouTube videos for the super annoying E-bolts (I held them in place with a fingernail and used pliers to push them down. Before that, they just kept popping off like jumping beans)Positives: so quiet! Uses no gas or electricity! Great price point!Who should buy this: someone with a small lawn, who likes to conserve resources and doesn’t mind that it will take a little longer to cut the grass.Things to consider: as with any lawnmower I have used, there is a margin between the blades and wheels, which means you may need a weed whacker or edger to get really close to hard surfaces. It has a small rotor (14in), so consider the size of your lawn. You might make many passes back and forth. If you have a very overgrown lawn, well, borrow someone else’s heavy duty lawnmower the first time and then use this one often to keep it trimmed. If you have a lot of sticks/mulch/clumps of really intense grass, you’ll want to rake first.If you prefer a super powered mower that can mulch anything in its path, this may not be the product for youBut if you like quiet, lightweight things the fit easily in small spaces and can me moved with one hand,If are annoyed by heavy, loud machines that vibrate your arms and create hand blisters,And if you like to mow fairly frequently, this is a low-cost, low-power mower at a great price.
3 people found this helpful
Yes we can –
5.0 out of 5 stars
No more Home Depot visits
Gets the job done. Also included is a workout.
Shopping Chick –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Does The job as Intended
I was so nervous about getting a lawn mower due to the pricing of lawn maintenance equipment. I saw this and was hopeful. Not too bad. I got it and the only thing to put together is the handle and attach it to the base. IT was pretty simple with the exception of the little metal c clips. Those where a struggle, but I do know they aren’t going anywhere soon. Adjusting the height is simple. Just used a wrench and adjusted one side at a time. Pushing it across the lawn was easy enough. Sometimes it would miss patches of grass that were too flat or too tall due to the bar in front of it. That would bother me. But the grass got cut. The equipment does make a low slicing noise as you push it. If your street has weird echo like mine, that may get annoying, but better than the loud lawn mower later in the day. Four not five stars due to it sometimes missing patches of grass that were too tall. I’ll give an update later on.
10 people found this helpful
paula –
4.0 out of 5 stars
eco friendly and quiet
This machine is light easy to lift and move around. I have a large yard so I pick up any yard debris then do both the flat and the hill with this mower. small twigs could cause the blade to stop but it’s only a mild inconvenience compared to grass clogs in a gas mower. the majority of assembly is easy enough but the handle grips are a pain in the butt to get on and I still haven’t really got them on all the way so I just wear gloves.
2 people found this helpful
Cody and McKenna Hughes –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
Have been needing a lawn mower and with my husband it is easy to use.
Renata lader –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy
It’s easy to operate, no gasoline or electricity needed.
Independent Queen –
3.0 out of 5 stars
make sure it never gets wet
we used it 3 times, great for a small yard. She’d fell on ours and now we can’t make it turn.
One person found this helpful
Joseph J. Gries –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice little reel mower
My old gas mower finally kicked the bucket and I was looking for a new mower. I came across these manual reel mowers and it got my interest. What particularly got my interest is reading that reel mowers are better for the grass than rotary mowers. Plus not needing gas or oil is a huge plus. So I decided to get this one since it was cheap and had good reviews, so I could try out using a reel mower before I invested in a more expensive one.Pros:- Super easy to assemble, had it unboxed and put together in about 10 minutes. All you really have to do is attach the handles to the base.- Cuts grass much cleaner than a rotary blade. My grass already looks healthier after one cut.- Quiet. I can cut my grass anytime of the day now and don’t have to worry about waking up my 1 year old when I cut in the evening.- It’s a good workout actually. The mower is lightweight but you will be sweating by the time you finish mowing.- No gas, no fumes, no oil.- Your neighbors will think you are crazy. One of my neighbors asked if I wanted to borrow his mower lol.- It’s strangely satisfying to use a manual reel mower.Cons:- Adjusting the blade height is kind of a pain. The rollers are attached with two bolts that need to be removed and reattached to adjust the height of the cut.- Cut heights are very limited. Only goes up to 1.75 inches.- REALLY struggles cutting anything above 3 inches. Though you really shouldn’t be taking that much off in a single cut anyway. My lawn was a little overgrown because I was down a lawn mower for over a week so there were some long patches.- The distance between the edge of the blades and the outside of the wheels is a few inches, so you will have some trimming to do around your edging.Some people complained about it jamming on sticks. I didn’t have this happen once, but my yard is pretty clean of debris. It’s not really a good idea to run over sticks with any mower IMO.Overall, I’m pleased with it. For the price tag especially. I will use this little guy the rest of this summer and fall, but I think I will upgrade to a Fiscar’s for next spring though.
3 people found this helpful
Julie Wheatley –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Is it good? It depends
My review is more for the people that are curious about the concept of reel mowing itself, rather than a differentiation between this mower and competitors.First thing I’ll say is that this thing is astonishingly compact, weighs very little compared to a gas mower, and is very easy to put together. No problems so far, construction seems to be pretty solid.The deck is 14” which is tiny for a lawnmower. I mowed a 60×60 area in about 45 minutes with this thing, and a gas mower would have done it in a third of the time. I’ll say if you have more than 1/4 acre of grass to mow, I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you’re into it and don’t mind. There is something to be said about the experience though, it hums right along kicking up that grass… it’s all push powered so you’ll arms will get a bit of work too. If you like the experience it can make up for the extra time (which I do)The most important thing I think in determining if this mower type is right for you is your grass type you’ll be dealing with. If your grass Is any combination of sparse, thin, clovery, or fast drying after a rain (looking at you, Florida!), then it should do just fine. If your grass Is thick, broad, lush, and wet then you will be stopping occasionally to backtrack. If a gas mower has trouble with it wet then this will have trouble with it dry. When that wheel stops moving in its regular Rhythm that’s when grass spots get missed and you have to back it up and do it over. It’s doable with those thick grasses but you have to have patience and not have enough of it to ruin your patience and enjoyment.Sticks will jam the thing sometimes, even small ones.I would highly recommend policing your lawn first for that stuff before you start mowing, it keeps you in the rhythm.You will NOT have a fun time on rooty and bumpy ground. This mower is made for flat surfaces (it can do hills and slopes, I’m just talking flat along the width of the mower and sudden elevation changes.That’s about all I can think of. I enjoy my time with this mower and it’s certainly not a flawed or defective product, I just think people should know what kind of lawn these really are meant for
3 people found this helpful
hudfam –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Work and No Good Bag Options
Honestly, it’s one of the best push mowers I’ve come across. Although it may be difficult to gain momentum initially, it’s not tough at all to glide it across your lawn. I’d probably only suggest it if you have a super small lawn. I thought I had a small lawn, but I ended up having to order an electric option. Also, mine didn’t come with a grass catcher/bag. The bundle option was unavailable. When I went to order a bag, the reviews told me not to waste my time or money. I tried Home Depot and Lowes but none of those bags worked either. They’d fall off at any bump or turn.The truth is that it’s a lot of work to trim the grass and then have to rake and pick it all up, which is why I’d only suggest this for smaller spaces.The weight, the style, and the effectiveness of the mower are its pros! Not to mention, the grass looked it’s best when cut with the push mower. It’s just so much work. Unfortunately, setup wasn’t too easy, not having a bag is super frustrating (especially in extreme weather), and it can’t compete against my new electric option when it comes to ease.
3 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good But Only For Perfect Lawn
My mower died, thought I’d try this. Cuts as described. Very light. But handles bent already: Any uneven space stops you in your tracks and can cause this. Its not a bad product, just made for golf course, flat lawns. I have an old mower handle I will try attaching. Definitely a cardio work out and leg exercise.My only complaints:handles could be stronger (some of us dont have perfectly flat lawns)And need to be 6 inches longer. I am 6’3”. I tend to step on the mower… lol
J. P. –
4.0 out of 5 stars
It cuts too short…
When I first received this mower, it cut so low that I couldn’t get it through the grass. I followed the direction (which I didn’t find that easy to follow) and raised the mower to its highest cutting level. It still cuts too short. I cut and the grass sometimes gets brown because it still cuts too low. This is very disappointing for me. Otherwise, it would be a good mower.One more note – when sticks get caught in this mower’s blades, you don’t usually have to bend over and pull out the stick with your hand. Take your foot and “back-pedal” the blade toward you and the stick will usually pop out. Here’s how to do it. While remaining in the push mower position, put your foot on a blade, then briskly and firmly step down toward yourself on the blade. This rolls the blades backward and usually releases the stick. Just a tip…
21 people found this helpful
Heather Yaun –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gift
I got this for my 7-year-old for Christmas. He has been asking for a real lawn mower since 2/3. I settled with this one. He has used one like this before and liked it. If you have any type of debris (leaves included) in your yard at all it will lock it up.That is a little disappointing. It’s also a little stiff.I just hope he is still interested when it is time to start back cutting grass.
Sarahbeth D.Sarahbeth D. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, but really great.
I’m sharing a picture of this mower with two others. Guess which of the three still works.I am a woman of a fairly small build. I am underweight. I love being outside, but I have some medical issues. Most of the yard work has fallen on my husband’s shoulders because he physically can do it. I picked this up with the hopes that I would be able to help him out. I didn’t realize I would be (happily) taking over the bulk of the mowing.We have lived in this house for four years, and I don’t know if the backyard has ever been mowed. I was able to finish the front yard so quickly, I started tackling the back.Pros-The ease of using this is similar to the ease of vacuuming. Since the lawn hadn’t been mowed in quite awhile, I needed to cover some areas with multiple passes.-The noise level is about as loud as our vacuum, too. My service dog isn’t afraid of it, which is a huge selling point since she is always by my side.-It is light. I can lift it and move it, and I have the upper body strength of slightly undercooked pasta, so you know it’s easy.-The maintenance is easy in comparison to a gas or electric mower. My parents send their riding mower to a mechanic at least twice a year. I know I will have to sharpen the blades at some point, but it would still be cheaper to buy another one of these than to deal with the maintenance of another mower.Cons-Small twigs will bring this to a halt at times. (It depends on the angle of it as you’re running it over.) It can’t come close to handling pinecones. If you are moving it quickly enough, it may snap the twig and keep on moving. If it stops, I simply put my foot on the black bar behind it and pull the handle toward me. This will lift almost the entire thing without issue and will usually dislodge the twig. If that doesn’t work, I bend over and pull the twig out. At its most inconvenient, this will take about 3 seconds.-It struggles with significantly taller grass (my entire back yard). I am able to manage it most of the time by making several passes over the same patch of tall grass, but there are some areas that will need the edger to get cut. Most of my yard is actually weeds instead of grass, and most of these weeds are more like saplings and trees than actual weeds. That’s why I didn’t bother deducting a star.-When attempting to cut grass that is much taller than recommended, lots of the grass will get caught around the wheels. It’s nothing that some small pliers won’t fix, but it’s worth mentioning since there were times I thought a twig was stuck but it was just grass in the wheels slowing my progress. Again, I’m not deducting a star since it’s not recommended for this purpose.TLDR: I’m pleased. If I can manage it, anyone can. While it does have its downsides, nothing is perfect, and this is about as close as I can get. I can’t recommend this highly enough.
18 people found this helpful
CaliGirl89 –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for a small yard
**Update three months later**After using the mower throughout the spring and into the summer, I’m knocking off a star. Don’t get me wrong – I still think this is a phenomenal mower for the price and am very glad I bought it. It’s definitely a conversation piece when neighbors see me outside using it, it’s great exercise, and has saved me a ton of money. But it’s got some downsides that I didn’t immediately understand. First – the jamming I mentioned initially is out of control. Any twig, small rock, piece of mulch, sometimes even a large leaf causes it to freeze up. I swear sometimes I spend more time clearing it than actually mowing. Second – if your lawn has gotten long (it happens) or is the slightest bit damp, whether from humidity or sprinklers, it tends to skid over the grass instead of mowing it. So you’ll have to go over those spots 2-3x each to get them short enough. This last one isn’t a criticism, but I’ve found that in my yard it performs better if I mow in a small patches vs in long rows. It has been a great first mower, but I’ll likely be looking for a battery-powered one during the end-of-summer sales.*************This is an important thing to know: until I got this mower, I had never in my life used a lawnmower. Or had any interest in using a lawnmower. I have allergies, am very sensitive to the sun, etc. etc. Well, I recently moved from my condo into a house with small yard and couldn’t see paying a service to mow such a small space. A friend raved about her manual mower and when I couldn’t find her model, I decided to try this one. Wow! Is all I can say. I am super impressed – especially for the price. The quality is solid. It was easy to put together (just look closely at the diagram) and once I got it together I was ready to mow. I still had my doubts – until my first pass at the front yard. It cut my overgrown lawn down to size on the first try and I mowed both my front and back yards in about an hour. It did an amazing job, and I love that it’s environmentally friendly! My only complaint is that any sort of obstacle in the lawn – twig, large leaf, clump of dirt, rock, jams it. If you have a lot of debris in your yard, you’ll save time by raking it up first – I’ll do that next time. I am so glad I bought this and will be even happier every time I mow and think of how much money I’m saving!
6 people found this helpful
AA –
4.0 out of 5 stars
American Push Mower 14 inch
So this is great to maintain a lawn, as long as the grass dont get too tall, or don’t need perfectly cut lawn its a solid tool to have. My riding mower was busted so this was a good way to still keep my lawn maintained until its fixed. Since this uses a scissor mechanic rather than blade cutting, the Littlelest of sticks will stop you and can get annoying.
Valkyrie19 –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great little mower
Great little mower. Very light weight. Bought it originally for a small yard that was one big hill so I wouldn’t cut my foot off with a gas mower. I get it sharpened once a year at a local hardware store, which is probably not a must but I take it in every spring anyway. Three years later it works as well as it did the first day out of the box. Make sure you spray some WD40 on the moving parts after each use. I have since moved to a place with a much larger but flatter yard. It’s still a work out to use it, especially on a hot day, but I won’t be buying a gas mower any time soon. You do need to maintain a certain amount of momentum with this, unlike a gas mower with which you could walk at a snail’s pace and still mow just as well. $25 a year to have it sharpened beats whatever I’d be paying a year to feed a gas mower. The only way I’d save myself a work out with a gas mower is if I bought a self propelled mower or a riding lawn mower. I have a 50′ by 150′ lot now, and it only takes me about 70 minutes to mow the entire yard to my OCD-ish standards. Keep in mind, if you let your lawn get too long, mowing it with this mower will be TORTURE. You must stay on top of things with this type of mower. You should also accept the fact that you will have to do more overlapping with each pass with this type of mower, because it won’t mow as uniformly as a gas mower. If you have a lot of weeds in your yard, you may do a lot of standing in place going over the same patch of weeds multiple times from different angles. Despite it’s light weight, you will get one heck of a core/lower body work out, especially if there is a steep hill involved. Additionally, the foam handle grips were held on with duct tape by the second year of use as they are not very heavy duty. A sturdy pair of work gloves are a good investment with this mower to protect your hands from blisters. I really love this mower, but it’s not for everyone or every yard.***EDIT May 2016: I broke the mower***After just over four years of use, I snapped the handle in half. Given the lightweight construction and the fact that I used the mower on a near vertical hill for three of the years I had it, I don’t consider this a failure of the product itself. It really isn’t designed to be repeatedly rammed into and up a near vertical surface. The fact that it stood up to this abuse as long as it did is a testament to the quality of the mower. I would have bought an identical replacement, but my local hardware store does not carry this brand. I ended up buying a different brand of reel mower the same day I broke this one because of course I was in the middle of mowing the yard and couldn’t wait several days for shipping. Too bad I didn’t notice the handle was cracking until I completely broke it. I would still recommend this product as I feel I got a great value out of it for what I spent.
One person found this helpful
Jersey Tee –
4.0 out of 5 stars
It’s okay
Have a smaller yard so decided to try this out but doesn’t work well with weeds doesn’t give the the same cut .
Amazon CustomerAmazon Customer –
4.0 out of 5 stars
LAWN CUTTING
I read the reviews prior to purchasing this product and I have to say the push mower worked perfect for me. It arrived quickly and was easy to assemble. My lawn was well overgrown and some portions were about eight (8) inches tall due to the abundance of rain in California. I was skeptical about the mowers capability to cut such tall grass but taking 1/4 to 1/3 cuts it did just fine. To obtain the finished look that I like I had to make passes at varying angles but it was much easier once the tall grass was gone. The only drawback is the grass catch basket. It’s more cute than functional and is problematic when pulling the mower backwards. Every time I pulled back the basket would pop off. I’m saying the basket is cute because of it’s size. It’s way to small and I’d empty it after each pass (PAIN IN THE ASS!) But the mower works perfect.
27 people found this helpful
Joannie Valle –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Muy bueno
Es más fácil , menos trabajo y esfuerzo físico que una cortadora de gasolina .
Shawn Shimer –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Only one power source. You.
Great for small yards.Does a fair/good cutting job.It does jam up from small twigs.It is also a workout.
Mark –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost 5 Stars
Works as advertised. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is you have to keep it pretty upright while pushing to avoid locking up in taller grass. I use WD-40 before each use per the manual.
One person found this helpful
Amro –
3.0 out of 5 stars
It’s not the best
Blades get stuck in tall grass and small weeds. Hard to push. Doesn’t cut well so I have to go over the same area more than twice.
Dee White –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Okay for the price.
Well, I guess it was okay as it lasted over 3 years before the steel handle broke off. So 4 but not 5 stars. Price gone way up. I bought it on amazon at $60. If you want one that will do job and last about 3-4 years, and price not too steep, them I’d consider this.
Josiee RJosiee R –
5.0 out of 5 stars
This mower is a beast!
If you’ve been looking at this and you’re hesitant on purchasing it- don’t be! This is literally the best push mower you can buy.I was trying to find a healthier and cheaper alternative to my current gas mower but something that’s still efficient and all I can say is I’m glad I found this.Assembly was super easy, it took me roughly 20 minutes or so to put together. This was between watching tv so would be even quicker for someone just focused on building this.Maneuvering it through the yard was a breeze for the most part. As you can see from my attached photos, my yard was a mini jungle. While I won’t pretend that this was a one and done type of fix, it did get the job done! While not recommended for weeds or extremely tall grass, it eventually cut it all down after several passes over the same patch. Although be aware it does come to a halt if you run over a branch or big rock. All you have to do is pull back, towards you, and it dislodges the items.I do love how light weight this is. I’m used to struggling to lift my gas mower up the stairs when I finish but now I can literally lift this thing with 1 hand!One con that I found with this, not for me but maybe others, is the height. I’m 5’0 and I feel like it was made for me. I could be wrong if adjustments can be made but I feel like someone on the taller side would have a very achy back by the end of your workout from bending over to push this.The only other con is that you shouldn’t expect a perfect, professional looking yard if that’s what you’re aiming for. You’ll get your grass cut but you won’t get those pretty mower lines in your grass like you do with a big mower. Personally I don’t mind, I just want it cut period but some others may be looking for that.Overall I have nothing but good things to say about this mower. After a rough workout that first night cutting down my jungle the second pass over was a piece of cake. I’m planning on making this a weekly workout just to keep the grass tamed and in order so that’s another plus!
13 people found this helpful
The Kramdens –
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love This Reel Mower! A+++++++++++++
I purchased this AWESOME, GREAT reel mower in mid-March 2021 and have used it every week ever since. It is light weight enough to carry in one hand. It is high quality and solidly made. Assembly couldn’t be easier. Cleaning the mower blades (after mowing) is simple and takes only a minute or two. This mower barely takes up any space in the garage – it fits easily against the wall. I love this mower!The reasons why I bought this reel mower:1) I can cut the grass at 5 a.m. quietly to avoid the hottest/most humid/most miserable part of the summer days;2) I absolutely hate the noise and gasoline smell of push mower;3) It is safer to use than a gasoline push mower;4) Stopping and starting is easy and simple – if I want to stop the mower, I don’t have to struggle to restart it again with a pull-cord;5) There are areas in my yard where the grass grows longer – I can easily get this mower out, cut those few areas, and put it away in just minutes. No fuss or muss, unlike worrying about a noisy gasoline mower which needs maintenance like blade sharpening, sparkplug, filter, etc.6) This mower is so simple to use and easy to push, it’s actually fun – and I NEVER EVER thought I would say that about a chore like lawn mowing in the hot summer!7) The overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon for this particular reel mower can be trusted!”ChiMe” – a U.S. reviewer on Amazon complained on Oct. 30, 2019 with a low rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars “Scalps the lawn, even on highest setting” …… I disagree. I want my lawn short but it isn’t “scalped.” My father-in-law (in his 50s) died from a fatal heart attack while cutting his lawn in hot/humid August while using a gasoline push mower (in fact, he didn’t even get to finish his tiny yard) so I welcome a short lawn. I do not want to cut my entire lawn more than once every 6-7 days. (Fortunately, I do not live in a fussy neighborhood where they tell you how long or short the grass should be.A++++++++++++ mower! Highly and whole-heartedly recommend!!!
3 people found this helpful
HulksRage –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
This is old school tech works great for what it is but some time it gets binded up and stops you in your tracks. Also some of the stalks from weeds don’t cut some they will be sticking up no matter how many times you go over them
Ct6 –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love that it doesn’t require gas, oil or electricity
I recently moved and have a fairly small backyard. I needed something that didn’t require a lot of maintenance. This is perfect. I don’t need gas, electricity or oil. When I’m done using it I just hose it off, let it dry and put it away. It takes me about 10-15 minutes to mow my grass. I do go over it a couple of times, as it doesn’t mow it as short as I would like and it doesn’t get into corners, so I do have to weedeat. But it’s easy to use and my son can easily help.