Latest Home Improvement, Renovation & Remodeling Trends

In “the good old days” of lawns the reel push mower was the gold standard. Because no one wanted the alternative which was to scythe the lawn or cut it by hand clippers. Actually, the push mower has been around in England since the 1830’s where it was used to cut recreational fields where horse-drawn scything machines could not navigate. As lawn-based sports such as lawn bowling, rugby and football became popular the reel mowers became more sophisticated.

The reel mower mechanism has not changed much since its inception. A cutting blade is suspended horizontally to a level where the grass is to be cut. Rather than the horizontal blade of the power lawn mower there are 4 or 5 blades mounted in a cylindrical reel. These spinning blades drive the grass past to cutting bar and, in a scissor action, clip the grass cleanly, more cleanly than even the best rotary mower. And this helps the grass heal quickly.

Environmentally speaking, the reel lawnmower makes the most sense. There is no pollution and no oil or gas spills. It is also good exercise, and a good reel mower is so well-balanced and smooth that it does not take a lot of human power to work it. You can even hear the ball-bearings at work! The typical cutting widths are 12 to 20 inches.