Charming and quiet, or reel waste of time?

I'll start with the positives:

• The rolling blades of my Craftsman reel mower neatly snip the grass like scissors, unlike common rotary blades, which hack off the grass tips and invite disease.
• It's light. The quiet, satisfying sound makes up for the fact that it takes almost twice as long to finish.
• It reminds older relatives of childhood summers. And neighbors, in pity, offer to lend you their gas mowers.

But could the reel deal force me to retire my Saturday morning, gas-powered companion?

Yes and no.

Even tiny twigs stick between the blades and stop you in your tracks. It can’t cut a dandelion. It clears an 18-inch-wide band of grass, but most gas mowers cut wider than 21 inches. The un-mulched snippings fall right back into the grass. And it only works on grass less than 3 inches tall, but mine was pushing 4 inches, easy.

So I had to use my gas mower to even out the height before I could even put the reel mower to the test.

But I'm keeping it around, because it's a nice alternative, and would work well if I were more diligent with my trimming. To cut an overgrown lawn after a vacation, though, I'll stick with the gas.

Further reading: The June Popular Mechanics had a nice evaluation of Lee Valley's reel mowers, among others. And don't miss the Reel Mower Guide for shopping advice.

To the power-hungry: check out our look at lawn tractors.