Small hand push mower. Are Reel Mowers Really Worth It? Learn Pros, Cons, Cost, and More

Are Reel Mowers Really Worth It? Learn Pros, Cons, Cost, and

If you have a small yard to mow and would prefer not to use a bulky, gas-guzzling mower to get the job done, a reel lawn mower might be the better option. These old-fashioned push mowers are quiet and easy to operate, and they produce zero emissions.

They also provide a clean, precise cut, which is better for the overall health of your lawn and grass. Read on to find out more about the benefits of a reel mower.

What Is a Reel Lawn Mower?

A reel lawn mower essentially snips your grass like a pair of scissors would. It doesn’t have a built-in power source; by pushing it, you cause the blades to spin. (Most push reel mowers are manual, although you can also find gas- or battery-powered ones.) Compact, quiet, and easy to maneuver, this type of mower is best for those with small lawns.

How Does a Reel Mower Work?

Most reel mowers have a long handle and two wheels on a single axle, with either four, five, or seven blades (keep in mind that more blades lead to a cleaner cut). They use these blades to pull grass into the mower so that the cutter bar can snip it. The blades spin vertically, rather than horizontally, using a scissoring action that cleanly slices grass.

The average cost for a new lawn mower is between 80 and 3,200, depending on its type and special features

What Are the Pros and Cons of a Reel Mower?

There are a few key pros and cons to consider when trying to decide if a reel mower is right for you. The biggest advantage of a reel mower is that it provides a cleaner cut, but if you have a massive yard, it might not make sense to use a push mower.

Carefully weigh the following pros and cons before making your decision:

Pros

There’s no denying the benefits of a reel mower. Most notably, reel mowers are better for your lawn’s health. They provide a clean, scissor-like cut, which helps your grass heal faster (and also makes for a tidier look).

In comparison, power rotary mowers rip and shred your grass, which can leave your lawn vulnerable to insect attacks and disease.

Reel mowers are also quiet in operation, resulting in a more peaceful user experience. They produce zero emissions, so they don’t degrade air quality like gas-powered mowers do. And, they’re easy to operate, easy to maintain, and affordable.

Cons

However, if your grass is too tall and/or dense before mowing, it’ll likely be impossible to cut it with a manual reel mower. In this case, a reel mower will just push the grass down and ineffectively roll over it.

You’ll also need to clean up any debris (twigs, leaves, etc.) from your yard before mowing since reel mowers can’t go over anything that’s not grass. In addition, since most reel mowers are manual, they do require some physical effort to operate, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

How Should I Care for My Reel Mower?

It’s important to know what goes into caring for and maintaining your mower, whether you’re focused on regular upkeep or trying to decide whether you should repair or replace your mower altogether.

Luckily, reel mowers require very little maintenance, especially when compared to gas mowers, which require regular upkeep in the form of oil changes, tune-ups, and more.

To ensure your push reel mower stays in tip-top shape, you should lubricate and sharpen the blades every two to three years. And of course, don’t forget to clean off your mower each time you use it. Just hose off all the grass clippings and let it dry.

A little mower maintenance will keep your grass green, short, and healthy

Is a Reel Mower Worth the Price?

Reel mowers generally range in price from 80 to 200, which is more affordable than other types of mowers. You also don’t have to pay for oil or gas like you do with gas-powered mowers.

Considering the many benefits of a reel lawn mower, if you have a small lawn and don’t mind the physical act of pushing your mower around the yard, a reel mower is very much worth the price.

That said, if you have a super-spacious lawn, it may not be worth it to purchase a reel mower since this type of mower is designed for small, flat lawns. Also, you have to put more time and effort into cutting your grass than you would with a gas-powered mower.

If you don’t have a ton of extra time to devote to your lawn, a reel mower might not be worth the price—in which case, you may want to hire a local landscaping company to take care of your lawn, so you don’t have to worry about it.

Definitions : Reel and Rotary

A Reel Mower is a mower in which the blades spin vertically (north to south) and use a scissoring action to cut the blades of grass. A reel mower should have between three and seven blades, depending on the model type.

• Golf courses are most often cut with reel mowers which are pulled by a tractor.
• A Reel mower pushed by people does not cut very high grass as well or as easily.
• However, once the lawn is under control, the scissor-like cut of a reel mower is healthier for the lawn.

A Reel mower snips the grass, cutting each blade like a pair of scissors. It’s a precise, clean cut that makes for a healthier and more attractive lawn.

A Rotary Mower is a mower in which the blade spins horizontally (east to west) and uses a sucking and tearing action to cut the blades of grass. Rotary mowers usually have one blade which rotates very fast. The rotary mower design is simple and adapts very well to small engines. Rotary mowers can cut a wide variety of grass conditions. Rotary mowers are usually powered by gas engines or electric engines.

Over the course of a cutting season, leaving lawn clippings as you mow is equivalent to a free application of fertilizer.

Mulching (Grasscycling) means laying a blanket of organic matter over the lawn which helps to retain moisture and add nutrients. With the cutting action of a reel mower you can leave reel clippings on the lawn. A reel mower creates a fine spray of clippings that act as a mulch and decompose quickly, releasing nitrogen into the lawn. Over the course of a cutting season, that mulch is equivalent to a free application of fertilizer.

Many states (24 at this writing) and Washington, D.C., have passed laws banning the disposal of yard waste, including grass clippings in landfills. According to the Composting Council, yard trimmings are the second largest component of municipal solid waste (18 percent or 35 million tons).The Professional Lawn Care Association of America is promoting Grasscycling. This term means either composting or mulching the clippings where they are produced.

Reel Mowers

Earthwise 16 Bent Reel Mower

165.00 FREE shipping

This reel mower is specifically designed to cut low-growing, creeping grasses.

Earthwise 18 Quiet Cut Reel Mower

189.00 35 shipping

The Earthwise 18-inch Quiet Cut Reel Mower features a non-contact quiet reel system for quieter and smoother operation.

Scotts 20 Classic Reel Mower

169.00 30 shipping

This large reel mower cuts as wide as a traditional gas powered mower but without the harm to the environment and loud noise.

Hudson Star Classic Cut Mower Reel Mower

2190.00 FREE shipping

Hudson Star Greensmowers have lower cutting heights than most reel mowers and will mow low enough for a putting green.

Rotary Mowers

Earthwise 20 Cordless Electric Lawn Mower

139.00 31.99 shipping

The Earthwise 14 Corded electric mower delivers the performance of a rotary lawn mower without gas, oil or pollution.

Resources ::

PPM has enthusiatically developed an outreach page for gas mower emmissions and related research. Find:

How To Cut Tall Grass With A Reel Mower In Just 4 Easy Steps

Today they represent an eco-friendly way to keep your lawn trimmed short and neat.

Yet what happens if your lawn is accidentally allowed to grow too long? Can a reel mower handle cutting tall grass?

The short answer is, yes a reel mower can handle long grass. We just need to take a closer look at how a reel mower looks, to better understand the changes you need to make in your mowing technique.

How Does A Reel Mower Work?

With a reel lawnmower, the blades are spinning from above. This tends to cut the grass at a more natural angle, as it essentially pulls the blades in and cuts them like scissors.

A convention gas-powered or electric rotary lawnmower has blades that attack the grass from the side.

Even when a rotary mower’s blades are more perfectly sharp, they still tend to more damage to individual blades of grass.

When a rotary mower’s blades start to dull the damage to the grass can be pronounced.

Not only can this leave your lawn looking shaggy and unkempt it can also lead to future problems. Damaged grass blades tend to be more prone to common lawn diseases as well as pests.

Inconsistently cut grass is also increasingly prone to problems with excess thatch suffocating the turf, making it harder for water, air, and key nutrients to feed the roots.

How Often Do You Need To Mow The Lawn With A Reel Mower?

A reel mower isn’t really designed to tackle an overgrown lawn. Long blades of grass can be matted down or even potentially tangle in the cylindrical blades.

Even the best reel mower will struggle to handle grass that is longer than say 4-inches.

For most lawns, this means cutting the grass with a reel mower at least once a week. During the peak of the growing season, you might have to mow more frequently, like once every five days.

Then as the sun starts to wane in early fall, you might be able to get away with dialing it back to once every ten days. If you keep an eye on your lawn, it will tell you when it needs to be cut.

How Can I Cut Tall Grass With a Reel Mower?

Reel mowers and stray sticks do not like each other. Twigs, fallen leaves, and other lawn debris also have a knack for hiding in tall grass.

Make sure to go a little walkthrough to clear away any debris before you start mowing. This will spare you unexpected headaches along the way.

Step Four: Increase Your Overlap

If the blades of grass are over four inches tall, you will need to increase the size of your overlap. This means walking a full pass down your lawn.

When you get to the end, turn around and make sure that your second pass is overlapping the first by at least four to six inches.

You may have to have even more overlap if you notice blades of grass from the first pass that have essentially been knocked down instead of cut.

In the case of a severely overgrown lawn, you might have to repeat the same path twice. This will ensure that you have made contact with each blade of grass and cut it to the desired height.

Can I Cut My Grass In A Checkerboard Pattern?

Checkerboard patterns and lawns that are cut at intersecting 45-degree angles can be very visually attractive.

This is also another type of mowing pattern strategy that you can use to tackle long or otherwise overgrown grass.

With a reel mower, you tend to get the best results by completing one pass in each direction.

Then when you are done, you walk along at a perpendicular angle. Not only will this catch any long blades that may have been left behind by the first pass, but it will also leave you with that visually appealing crosshatch pattern in your lawn.

What Happens To The Grass Clippings Produced By A Reel Mower?

Grass clippings, which are also known as “Thatch” can be a little bit of a double-edged sword when it comes to a reel mower.

If conditions are normal, or perhaps even a little wet, grass clippings can quickly decompose within a few days to a week after cutting. This is more likely to occur with short clippings.

When this happens it can actually feed nitrogen and other basic nutrients back into the turf. The net result is a lawn that says verdantly green, while also helping to prevent weeds from establishing a presence in your lawn.

Yet long grass clippings tend to take much longer to break down. If the summer has been particularly dry, grass clippings of any size can stop decomposing.

When this happens, the thatch layer starts to buildup in the upper layers of the turf. Left unchecked, it can choke off otherwise healthy blades of grass causing dead spots and making it increasingly hard for your irrigation system to thoroughly soak the roots.

Some reel mower manufacturers produce units that have a removable collection bin positioned right behind the cutting cylinder. I would personally recommend these over units that don’t have an optional bin.

Yes, you will need to empty it from time to time in a single mower session, but it will spare you having to deal with thatch complications and excess costs of seasonal aeration.

If the grass is excessively long, or the recent weather is very dry, you can attach it to collect most of the clippings.

If you have been keeping the grass short, with frequent mowing sessions, and the local weather has been normal to wet, you can leave the collection bin off, to let the clippings refeed the turf.

In Conclusion

It’s true that a reel mower and its blades do need a little bit of extra care and maintenance.

Yet if you compare these efforts and costs to things like fuel costs, oil changes, and all the other things that go into maintaining a gas-powered lawnmower, I think you’ll find that a reel mower will pay for itself in spades.

Spending a little extra money on a proper mill file and giving the moving parts an occasional spray with some penetrating lubricant will further help extend the value of a reel mower.

It will also help keep the blades moving easily to reduce your overall efforts in each mowing session. This is the best way to make sure you see the full return on your investment.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that reel mowers and rainwater do not get along.

If you have a roof leak in your garage or garden shed, or your property is at risk for flooding, make sure the reel mower is up and out of the way in a dry place.

From his childhood obsession with gardening to the decade he spent operating a hobby farm, Eric has developed over four decades of experience in self-sufficiency. Not only does this include the organic elements of growing and tending plants, but it also includes a wealth of experience in lawn care, landscaping, and gardening equipment.

This is the very best small lawnmower for smaller outdoor spaces

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If you only have a small yard, but it is too much to maintain with a weed eater, you need to invest in the best small lawn mower. Because let’s be honest: a heavy-duty mower is probably overkill — in price, noise, and size — for your tiny yard, but there are plenty of compact mowers designed to maintain smaller spaces. As we just said, this one we reviewed from Worx did wonders on our small yard.

While some small lawnmowers are gas-powered, this one works on two batteries to be kind to the environment — and so that you never run out of power. Small lawn mowers offer different mulching options so that you can feed your lawn as you mow, and this one that we love gives you the choice to either bag it up or mulch your grass back into the ground.

Yes, the Worx WG779.E Power Share from Amazon is pretty amazing. Our reviewer loved it and found it so easy to use to trim her unruly but small lawn. It’s a great option for people who have an ample lawn, but lack the space to store a larger machine as it folds, and even if your yard isn’t small (we’re jealous!) it can be used to mow up to 1/8 acre (AKA 5000 sq ft). Wow!

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Worx Power Share 40-Volt 14-in Mower is small but mighty. At only 29 lbs, this mower is easy to move around, and even lighter when you remove the batteries for storage and transit.

Equipped with patented torque technology, you have the capability to increase the power of this mower to Turbo if you’re cutting thick grass (but remember, this will use up more battery). For regular use, we found Eco mode was competent, especially for regular trims. The cutting base is 14 inches across and there are six height adjustments that range between 2.5 to 3.5 inches with an easy-to-use lever for height adjustments. You can either mulch your grass or bag up to.85 bushels before a ‘full bag indicator’ alert notifies you it’s time to empty the bag.

To get started, simply insert the safety button, depress then pull the handle lever and you’re ready to mow. The Worx lawnmower runs on two 20V 4.0 Ah batteries. Power Share advertises that this mower can mow 5,000 square feet with just one charge. However, this wholly depends on various factors like the thickness or height of your grass. Just keep an eye on the battery meter to know when you need to juice up and keep spares on charge. We found it capable of doing a good half hour or more of mowing before it was time to recharge which is plenty for the average yard.

So while we think this is the best small lawn mower, as we’ve already mentioned: you could find it a good choice for a larger yard too.

You can read our full Worx WG779E 40V Cordless Lawn Mower review for more.

How to choose a lawn mower for your small yard

If you have opted for a small lawn mower then it is likely your main concerns will be around how much power and ease of use you can get into a compact package. At one time, electric lawn mowers, including cordless battery-powered models were quite big and heavy to accommodate large battery packs for optimal run time. Luckily, technology has advanced and things like more efficient batteries and brushless motors mean you get greater run time in a smaller package.

Next, consider the cutting width. Most range from 12 inches to 21 inches. It might be tempting to go smaller for ease of movement and storage space limitations, but with edge-to-edge cutting, even the largest model on our list is a great choice if you are looking for a particularly compact lawn mower. That said, bigger will tend to mean weightier, so if you are concerned about lifting — perhaps due to a bad back — take the narrower model and be prepared for a couple of extra runs of your yard.

Finally, if storage is your main reason for buying the best small lawn mower, look at foldable options. Many compact lawnmowers have a foldaway handle and don’t forget the grass box. Our favorite one has a soft material grass box that flattens down. Some mulching mowers have no grass box at all.

Tips for getting the most from your small lawn mower

Lawnmowers aren’t as scary as you think. They’re easy to use if you know the right tips and tricks.

Energy reserve You don’t want to be halfway through mowing your lawn only to discover that you’ve run out of juice. If you purchase a gas-powered lawn mower, make sure you top up before each use and have a gas container with gas stored in your garage or shed in case you need more.

For those who buy a battery-powered lawn mower, you might want to consider buying a backup battery. The harder a battery-powered lawn mower has to work (like a lawn where the grass is higher or thicker), the quicker the battery will die out. If your main battery runs out of charge mid-way through mowing the lawn, just pop in the backup battery.

Never mow a wet lawn If your lawn is wet from morning dew or rain, make sure you wait until it’s dry before you mow the lawn. For one, wet grass is heavier so the lawn mower won’t be able to cut the lawn to the best of its ability. Dry grass stands straight up making it easier to cut. Secondly, wet grass clippings can damage the mower which is an easy way to ruin your day.

Clean the lawn mower deck Every once in a while, turn the lawn mower over and clean under the deck. Grass and grime can build up under there and on the blades, making your lawn mower less effective over time. If you have a gas-powered mower, make sure the gas tank is empty and the spark plug wire is disconnected if you decide to clean the deck with the garden hose. It’s not a bad idea to blow off the lawn mower with your blower after each use.

Be careful what you mow over Before mowing your lawn, try to pick up sticks and other debris that could ruin your lawn mower blades. It’s best to avoid stumps and vines as these can also damage or get wrapped around the blades.

Grass clippings are good for the yard Although some people hate the sight of grass clippings left on a yard, they can actually be beneficial to your yard’s health as they’re a natural fertilizer. A mulching feature on a lawn mower is a good option because it breaks down leaves and grass and helps it to decompose quicker. That said, bagging clippings – especially weeds or grass that’s really high – could be helpful at certain times.

How we review small lawn mowers

Yes, this small lawnmower has been tested by a Real Homes reviewer. Our Content Director of Lifestyle Ecommerce tested it for us in her backyard, and as you can already tell: she loved it.

Lindsey has been writing about homes since 2013, when she joined the Homebuilding Renovating team. Now, she spends her time reviewing and managing several homes titles, including Homes Gardens and Livingetc, helping with best practices for our ecommerce content.

Lindsey reviewed the Worx lawnmower back in 2023, and when speaking about it says With an impressive battery life, good range of movement, and edge-to-edge cutting, this cordless lawn mower is great value for money. Easy to use and store, I almost can’t wait to mow the lawn again.

What type of mower is best for small lawn?

Definitely go for a smaller size lawnmower, and one that’s cordless if you can for total convenience, otherwise a corded model will still work. just check its cord is long enough to reach around your lawn. Try and get one that folds if you don’t have much storage space for your lawnmower, and do consider its cutting width — the higher this number, the faster you’ll be able to mow your lawn. But remember, the bigger the width of the mower, the bulkier it will be to store. We’d always say to go electric over gas for the environment and for convenience and ease.

Can I use a trimmer instead of a lawn mower?

If you want to follow the won’t take up any room route to its logical conclusion, it may be tempting to just use your trimmer instead of a lawn mower. After all, if it’s just a small lawn, how hard can it be? Trust us, it’s very hard work, and you won’t get an even trim no matter how hard you try. Even tiny lawns need lawnmowers, although if yours is really very small, a hand-push one will probably suffice.

If you really don’t want to mow though, don’t! We love the look of a wildflower meadow — as do any garden visitors like bees and small creatures.