Review of SunLawn Push Reel Mower

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).

More from Michael Graham Richard on TreeHugger
Video: Jay Leno Talks with Zero X Electric Motorcycle Inventor
How to Make Inexpensive DIY Home-Built Solar Panels with Damaged Solar Cells from Ebay
NY State Senator to Cyclist he Almost Hit: "You F***ing A**hole"

Comments

[Henry]

The German Brill is the way to go.
It works well in three respects. It cuts the grass, no petrol, and it gives you a good workout.

[MonkeyDaddy]

I had one and liked it and I might recommend it for very small urban or townhouse lawns, but I generally had to go over the same spot several times to get an even cut and the effort level increased significantly with longer or moist grass. Also, it does not mulch the clippings so you either have to rake or deal with them turning brown. I have had a Black & Decker cordless electric mower for ten years now and it is hands down the best mower I have ever had. Cuts the whole lawn and more on a single charge, recyclable batteries only have to be replaced every 4 years or so, you can either use the bag attachment or mulch the clippings back into the lawn, it can be used on days with ozone alerts since it has zero emissions, it operates with half the decibels of a gas mower (my neighbor's baby could sleep while I used it), you don't have to house any flammable petroleum products in your garage, the handle folds down for easy storage or car transport and I use the bag attachment to rake and mulch my leaves in the fall so I can compost them for the next growing season.