What to Know Before a Reel Mower Purchase

I'll be happy to admit it. Mowing the lawn is one of my least favorite things to do. You get hot, sweaty, and sore, and then you have to do it again a week later. Also, there is the mess of gas and oil and the noise of the engine.

With these unpleasant considerations in mind, a few years ago I decided to give a reel mower a try. Reel mowers are those old-fashioned mowers that have no engines and rely on you pushing the mower to spin the blades. Reel mowers are good for environment, as they use no gas, and are very quiet.

After extensive shopping, I decided upon a push mower from the Gardena company. I also picked up the optional grass catcher, which hooks onto the back of the mower. The mower ran me around $230, but I figured I'd be coming out ahead in the long run with the savings I would get from the gas I wouldn't have to buy.

Mowing with my reel mower was very different than what I was used to with gas-powered mowers. For one thing, you have to keep up a pretty quick pace. If you don't maintain a brisk walk, the blades don't spin fast enough to cut the lawn. I didn't mind, though, as the mower was light in comparison to its gas-powered brethren.

The mower cut well and was wonderfully quiet. You could literally mow your lawn in the middle of the night and not wake up a single neighbor. My next door neighbor commented on my mower, expressing admiration for its appearance and performance. I was quite satisfied with my purchase.

Winter came, and the lawn mowing season was over. I stored my reel mower away, which was quite easy, as it takes up much less space than a standard mower.

When spring came, I pulled out my push mower and began using it again. There was a problem, though. The grass wasn't getting cut. It was just yanking and tearing at it. It was time to get the blade sharpened, so I took it to a local hardware store that advertised that they sharpened blades on reel mowers.

I got a call from the hardware store the next day telling me that they couldn't sharpen the blades. Apparently, there is a machine that these types of mowers are placed upon that sharpens the blades, but the type of mower I had purchased did not fit on the machine. I came back and picked up my mower and decided to try to get it sharpened at another store.

But the next store told me the same thing, and the next one, and the next one. I began to worry that I was going to pay some big money to get my mower sharpened. I went to a place that all of the people who had not been able to sharpen the mower told me to go. I was informed by this gentleman that NOBODY nearby sharpens what he described as "Brill-type" reel mowers. He told me that I would have to go over 230 miles to find the nearest place that would sharpen my mower.

Disappointed and frustrated, I hauled my mower home. I talked to a few people about sharpening the thing myself, but found that it would cost me a fortune in equipment to do it. I finally gave up and put the mower out at the curb for the garbage men to take.

If you are considering a reel mower, don't make the same mistake I did. Find out BEFORE you buy it if sharpening is possible at a location near you.