Need help looking for good electric reel lawn mower.

10 years ago

Hello, I have been searching for a good electric reel mower but can't seem to find one that meets all my criteria. Was wondering if someone could point me to the right direction.

The ideal specs would be: (in order of importance)

1. Electric (most important, obviously) - I have a manual reel but my lawn is small with trees and shrubs and other garden features and i can't get enough momentum to make the reel spin as fast as I would like to. I have to push back and forth a few times for certain sections and make about 2-3 passes at least for the grass to look cleanly cut. I'm hoping with an electric reel mower I can shave some time off my total lawn cutting time. I have to mow before I go to work due to my schedule so any time savings is beneficial.

2. Adjustable height from 0.5 - 4 inches - AFAIK, currently the only reel mower with this feature (1-4") is Fiskars but it is manual. I could live with 0.5"/1" - 3 inches. Mainly, I would need an ultra low setting, 0.5- 1 inch for when I prep before overseeding and an intermediate height for regular mowing - around 2.5 - 3". A 4 inch option would be nice in case I neglect the lawn on rare occasions.

3. The wider the cutting width, the better. Ideally 20". The one I currently have is 14" so anything bigger is better. (That's what she said)

4. Grass catcher - they usually apparently don't work that well for reel mowers but it's a nice option to have for the times that I want to collect clippings, i.e. when overseeding.

5. Battery operated, ideally Lithium Ion.

6. The lighter the better. But not a big deal. I have a mix of PRG, Red Fescue and KBG so I don't need a heavy reel mower, esp since it's gonna be electric.

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Comments (4)

llo0dqle
Original Author
10 years ago
The closest I found was the Gardena electric reel mower with a HUGE downside that the highest mow setting is about 1.5" which is a deal breaker for me. I like the ultra low setting of about 0.5" though.
ericwi
10 years ago
I'm not sure that you will be successful in your search. Reel mowers are more expensive to manufacture, because of the complex blade shape, and the need for multiple blades. Since lawnmower blades wear out, they have to be sharpened periodically, and this is more time consuming, and therefore more expensive, on a reel mower. The rotary type of blade now dominates the market, regardless of power source: gasoline, power cord, or battery/electric. There are people who like the hand push reel mowers, perhaps because they are quiet, and you get a pretty good workout using them. So that market exists, and seems to be growing. Have you tried to mow your yard with a recently sharpened hand-push reel mower?
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ericwi
10 years ago
Fiskars has a hand push reel mower that adjusts up to 4 inches cutting height. They claim it requires "30% less work" to do the job, compared to other reel mowers. But it is not electric powered.
llo0dqle
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks For YouR Reply. As I Mentioned IN My OP, I Am Aware Of The Fiskars MOwer. However, It Still doesn't Fit All MY Criteria. I Realize It's A Tall Order But I'm Wondering If Anybody Here Might Know Of A MOwer That Comes Close. I Am Not Having Issues With The Ability To Cut PeR Se. It Is Sharp As It Is Brand New. The Thing With Reel Mowers Is That You Need To Walk Fast To Build Momentum And Make The Reel Spin Fast. This Is A Challenge For My Lawn For Reasons I Already Described. I Know Rotary Mowers Are More Abundant But Chose To Go With Reel Mower Due To Space Issues And I Wanted To GraSs Cycle For The Health Of My Lawn, Save Time And Money From Bagging. It Also Provides A Cleaner Cut Due To The Scissors MoVement As Opposed To ShEaring With A Rotary. But To Get An Overall Manicured Look After MOwing I Have To Make Several PassEs And Do Quick SHort StOkes Back And Forth To Get The Reel To Spin Really FaSt. I Believe All These Issues Will Be Resolved With An Electric Reel MoWer. Hope That Explains MY Situation Better For You.