This week I had some fun reviewing a reel mower by SunLawn. It's no secret that I love reel mowers. I still think that grass lawns are a bad idea in most places and that native species of low-lying plants would be a better idea, but realistically, a lot of people will continue to have grass lawns in the near future so in the meantime, reel mowers are the next best thing.
Case in point: My parents. When I'm over I often help them by mowing the lawn, and ever since they bought a garage sale American reel mower, I've been actually enjoying the experience (I used to dread the gas mower). It's quieter, easier, and more fun. Not to mention much greener.
I've always thought that cutting tiny blades of grass with a poweful internal combustion engine that burns fuel that has been extracted and refined half a world away was way overkill.
Anyway, this week I reviewed the SunLawn LMM-40 Push Reel Mower for TreeHugger. A lot more photos and technical details over there (just follow the link).
The conclusion of my review was that it was a pretty great reel mower. Quiet, cuts well. Even quieter than my parents' American reel mower, with a higher gear ratio so that the blades turn faster. At 19.3 pounds, it's pretty light (certainly lighter than a gas mower), and the expected blade life without sharpening of 8-10 years makes it very low maintenance.
Check out the full review, and please consider at least borrowing a reel mower to try it out. We've all been condition to think that we need a gas mower, but in many many cases, a modern reel mower is even better (there are exceptions).
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