Cordless reel mower

[manwithtools]

Does anyone have any experience with a cordless reel mower they would like to share? I've got a very small patch of Bermuda to keep trimmed and I just can't see needing a big mower. The grass is about 8' x 40' on an hill and I'm old enough not to want to push a real reel mower to mow this area. I used one of those as a kid and have no desire to go back to that. It looks like a cordless reel mower would not take as much space to store as a rotary as well.

I'm firmly in the Milwaukee M18 and M12 platform, but don't see anything on the horizon from them.

 

[Ton ton]

I didn't know something like this even existed.

 

[nbpt100]

Why not a rotary mower? How steep is the hill. If you want battery power look at the Ryobi. they have a number of options in the 40v catagory and the batttery can power a number of other yard tools that you may have interest in. The mowers can store on end to take up less space. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Holt]

 

[Holt]

I watch this guy on YouTube. He is really knowledgeable.

 

[Ton ton]

Why not a rotary mower? How steep is the hill. If you want battery power look at the Ryobi. they have a number of options in the 40v catagory and the batttery can power a number of other yard tools that you may have interest in. The mowers can store on end to take up less space. Just my 2 cents.

Reel mowers are more cool. Just my 2 cents.

 

[txvwnut]

I have Fiskars reel mower that has a flywheel to keep the reel spinning and lessen the amount of effort it takes to push it. Reel mowers are actually the best way to cut grass as the cut the blades with a scissor action versus the club and tear effect of a rotary mower.

The one major drawback to a reel mower is they don’t like tall grass. Meaning you got to stay on top of the mowing and in my case that was two to three times a week.

 

[mike93lx]

I have Fiskars reel mower that has a flywheel to keep the reel spinning and lessen the amount of effort it takes to push it. Reel mowers are actually the best way to cut grass as the cut the blades with a scissor action versus the club and tear effect of a rotary mower.

The one major drawback to a reel mower is they don’t like tall grass. Meaning you got to stay on top of the mowing and in my case that was two to three times a week.

Same here, except it's geared to get the mechanical advantage. I don't think there is a flywheel

 

[MennoR.]

Two good sites for everything about grass and mowing:
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care A guy from MN
Premier Lawns A former golf course groundskeeper who switched to commercial/professional lawn care for customers.

 

[carnivorioussheep]

Been using a reel mower for 8 years. My first one was a generic modern plastic one, and it was useless.
I then got a Mascot Silent cut, and later on an old Scott Silent cut (they are absolutely identical). These reel mowers are very good as long as you keep them well sharpened. It worked to cut my lawn both in MN and SC.
You need the reel mower to have some mass so it won't bump around, and for the blades to be driven by both wheels.

You do need to keep on top of the mowing though as it is a pain to use on tall grass. When I am late on my mowing (which was easy in SC) I use a scythe to do the work, and give a finishing pass with the reel mower if I feel like it. A properly peened scythe is surprisingly efficient to mow a lawn.

 

[Ton ton]

I like reading about reel mowers.

 

[RoundedNut]

I had a cordless reel mower when I lived in a small semi-detached house 15+ years ago. It might have been a Gardena, and was reelly (pun intended) compact, with a gel lead-acid battery so not much capacity. But it did the job for a very small lawn in front and back.

 

[LXCam]

I always wondered how they grew astroturf.

MWT, my programmer bought a Ryobi last year for his ~medium sized lawn and has nothing but great things to say about. Pretty damn amazing since this guy never has anything nice to say about anything if that means anything to ya.

 

[firecracker]

Have a look at The Lawn Forum they may have some good ideas.

 

[Sneezer]

Haven't seen a cordless reel mower before, had no idea they existed either. Heard good things about the manual Fiskars though.

I think many of the cordless rotary ones can be stored upright these days. Probably would take up about the same footprint as a reel in that case. Kobalt has a 48V mower this year that uses dual 24V batteries - great choice if you have their tools. I think Ryobi has something similar.

 

[nbpt100]

Interesting machine in the video. I believe the Ryobi is a rotary mower. When I was a kid my dad had a Craftsman 3 HP reel mower.