Reel mower.
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firebroad
Minister of Fire
Get one of these and a really big dog. Hitch them up to the dog and go out to play fetch with him. Kill two birds with one stone! 
bogydave
Minister of Fire
firebroad
Minister of Fire
Seriously, Jake, did you want a battery type or a push mower?
Northern Tool & Equipment is a good company to deal with, you might want to try them. I see ratings on their website, as well.
Northern Tool & Equipment is a good company to deal with, you might want to try them. I see ratings on their website, as well.
Before you buy one ( couple hundred bucks now days) check around your area to see if anyone sharpens them, as they do get dull. If not I will suggest an electric rotary one ( bd makes one) I still have mine from when I lived in a trailer with a postage stamp lawn. And it was a mulcher as well.
For a moment I thought that it was Gamma!
(Ducking and running away very fast before she catches me!)Gary
Hmmm, ummm, reel mower, errrr, oh yeah! Like this?
Ok seriously if you're looking for a basic push unit then maybe one of these?
http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/54/
At $109 I wouldn't worry about getting it sharpened. Will cost you more than it's worth. Most of these units have spring loaded bed knives so no adjustments to make and lack any provisions to spin the reel for sharpening anyways.
Sharpening reels is for multi-thousand dollar reel units found on golf & turf mowers. Lots of know-how and a very expensive machine involved.
Ok seriously if you're looking for a basic push unit then maybe one of these?
http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/54/
At $109 I wouldn't worry about getting it sharpened. Will cost you more than it's worth. Most of these units have spring loaded bed knives so no adjustments to make and lack any provisions to spin the reel for sharpening anyways.
Sharpening reels is for multi-thousand dollar reel units found on golf & turf mowers. Lots of know-how and a very expensive machine involved.
firebroad
Minister of Fire
Got blinded by the avatar.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Cool . . . I'm popular? I always wanted to be one of the cool, popular kids . . . and now I am.
Cool . . . I'm popular? I always wanted to be one of the cool, popular kids . . . and now I am.
Maybe - but your still part of the peanut gallery.
firebroad
Minister of Fire
firebroad
Minister of Fire
I had a basic push mower in the seventies and early eighties, As I recall my father in law had a basic sharpening tool that he ran across the blade to keep it keen. I have a similar item that I use for pruning blades, works like a charm.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
firebroad
Minister of Fire
In my experience, push reel mowers should not require manual sharpening (eg. filing). They work much like scissors and the blades should only require a bit of polishing compound spread on them and then the mower pushed along driveway for a bit. The metal on metal contact should be enough to maintain an edge. They just have to be tuned, so there is constant contact between the cutter blade and blade reel.
Most of these mowers that I've run across have a spring loaded bedknife to maintain that contact automatically. They stay sharp and cut well (for home lawn standards) for a long time in my experience. Keep them out of the dirt and avoid sticks and other debris in the lawn and you should wear out other parts of the mower long before it needs sharpening. Backlapping (using the polishing compund) can restore an edge to these machines but you need a way to spin the reel backwards while applying the compound with a long handled brush. That's a bit of fabrication/disassembly to sharpen a $100 mower that at that point is probably at least a decade old. Most of these mowers freewheel backwards so you can't just push 'em around backwards to spin the reel backwards.
firebroad
Minister of Fire
I recall that I did LOVE the scissor action, They actually made a power mower with a reel assembly. Haven't seen one in years, but I am sure someone manufactures it.
Wonder what the Chinese ones are like?
Wonder what the Chinese ones are like?
Different mowers for different situations.
My brother has a 500sqft city lawn with no obstacles and a Fiskars. He likes to mow the lawn and thinks the Fiskars works great as long as he doesn't let the grass grow more than 2" between mowings. If it grows more than that it requires a double pass and the first one is work. But since his lawn isn't that big it still doesn't take that long.
I have a 20k sqft suburban lawn with lots of obstacles and I hate mowing the lawn, so I went with a 36" walk behind with an 18hp Kohler. With sharp blades and 1HP for every 2" inch of cutting width, I can turn my hayfield into a putting green in an hour.
I have a friend with a 50k sqft country lawn and he hates mowing the lawn, so he fully approved of his wife's idea to get some llamas. Now he only has to mow about 2k sqft of it.
My brother has a 500sqft city lawn with no obstacles and a Fiskars. He likes to mow the lawn and thinks the Fiskars works great as long as he doesn't let the grass grow more than 2" between mowings. If it grows more than that it requires a double pass and the first one is work. But since his lawn isn't that big it still doesn't take that long.
I have a 20k sqft suburban lawn with lots of obstacles and I hate mowing the lawn, so I went with a 36" walk behind with an 18hp Kohler. With sharp blades and 1HP for every 2" inch of cutting width, I can turn my hayfield into a putting green in an hour.
I have a friend with a 50k sqft country lawn and he hates mowing the lawn, so he fully approved of his wife's idea to get some llamas. Now he only has to mow about 2k sqft of it.
They still make 'em. They cost thousands and are on golf courses everywhere!
Under 1" cut height, reels are superior to rotary mowers.You can take your pick, gas, electric, battery, or hybrid. Heck, they even have robotic greens mowers!
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