Melanie Zoltan writes the Boston Home Improvement Blog for HomeStars.com. She lives in the metroWest Boston area and enjoys the Big Dig, putting a chair on the street to mark her parking spot during snow storms, driving on 128 during rush hour, and rotaries. 
Reel Lawn Mowers Making a Comeback, or, How to Lose 25 lbs in a Summer
In 2000 we bought a home on 2/3 an acre, and about 1/3 of that was this beautiful lawn. In the spirit of environmental enthusiasm, I bought a Scott Reel Lawn Mower. (They were only $85 back then).
I'd never seen one before, never used one, and vaguely recalled Ward Cleaver mowing for about 5 seconds on Leave It to Beaver (or was it Mr. Mitchell on Dennis the Menace?) with a manual mower, also called a "reel" mower. Reel mowers are simple: a series of diagonal blades trap the grass and slice it against a horizontal metal frame. As long as the blades are sharp, the grass gets cut.
The trick to reel mowing is that you can't let the lawn go for more than 6 days. Once the lawn gets too long, the grass gets too heavy and you end up with a lawn that looks like a 3 year old mowed it with pinking shears.
As gas prices climb, more folks are buying reel mowers. As it turns out, some manufacturers report than more than half of purchasers are women, as well.
This is where the 25 lbs comes in. I lost 25 lbs back in 2000, mowing our lawn with a reel mower. I also carried a 20-lb toddler on my back in a backpack while I did it, which qualifies me for some sort of physical therapy Darwin Award, because that was just a stretch of parenting home maintenance martyrdom I didn't need to engage in.
Now that we have a lawn again, I pulled out the old reel mower. We hired a landscaping company to mow the lawn twice a month, and use the reel mower in the weeks between. Best of both worlds.
The downside to owning a reel mower is that it can be very hard to find a place that sharpens the blades. You can buy a DIY sharpening kit, or you can try contacting your local lawn mower sales company or a knife sharpening company to find a place that sharpens the blades.
With gas over $4 a gallon, that $119 mower (find them for less on CraigsList) looks like a smarter investment every day.
Posted by Melanie Zoltan
4 comments | Permanent Link
4 Comments:
I mowed our lawn (with an identical mower) with my dd in a backpack. Once.
We broke down an got an electric (cord) mower last year, and it is a relief to mow once a week or every 10 days instead of the insane amount we to with the reel mower. I didn't mind it when it wasn't 85*F or below, but with extreme heat & humidity...I thought dh or I might have a heart attack mowing with the reel mower.
They're environmentally friendly, great exercise, and save gas money. What's not to like?
well, my husband doesn't need to lose 25 (i do, though), but he does use the mower to have some fun outside.
we got the 16 inch one yesterday, and so far so good. the husband did the front yard last night and the 6 year old daughter did the backyard this morning. super easy and super fast.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2571734955_5125b203ee_o.jpg
*olive*
nice post, thank you for sharing!
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