American Lawn Mower Company 1725-16GC 16-inch 7-Blade Reel Mower with Grass Catcher, Specialty Grass Mower, Green

I've been using a traditional gas rotary mower for years and had heard good things about reel mowers. There's a lot of options, and I tried out a Scotts 16" Elite Reel Mower first from a local store before upgrading to this 18-Inch 5-Blade Reel American Lawn Mower, and overall, I am pleased with it so far. Assembling the mower fairly easy using the provided instructions and it didn't take long before I was ready to start cutting. One of the standout features of this (and any reel mower) is its clean cutting ability, sort of like a pair of scissors. The five-blade reel spin as you walk and push the grass up against the cutting bed to give a consistent cut, every time. The speed of the reel is dependent on how fast you are walking, so a good moderate pace is required. I tend to do some perimeter cuts first, then go back and forth (switching from 'horizontal' to 'vertical' or 'diagonal' every few times to switch up the pattern. The cut quality is truly superior to that of traditional rotary mowers. However, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. The mower may struggle to catch all the grass if some blades are bent down or if the grass is too long. With this, its recommended cutting the grass more frequently, going in opposite directions, and overlapping each pass. While this may reduce the effective cutting width from 18 inches to around 12-14 inches, it ensures a thorough and even cut. It actually takes around the same amount of time to cut the ~4000 sq foot I cut with this than with the rotary gas mower and that is comparing a 21" cut to this. Perhaps its because its lighter, I can walk faster, and turning is easier too? For maintenance and accessories - Maintaining the sharpness of the blades is important for optimal performance, and although I haven't had the need to sharpen them yet, there are sharpening kits available. Additionally, the option to purchase a bagger is available, but personally, I prefer leaving the clippings on the lawn as natural fertilizer. Just be sure to pick up any twigs or anything else the blades may catch on during use, as you'll come to a complete stop as it jams into the cutting bed. At least with a reel mower you don't have to keep your hand on the push-bar, so you can easily stop to pick something up. I even look around to 'de-weed' the lawn in that area as I come across things. Sometimes I'll carry or attach a small bag to the unit to store the twigs or anything else I pickup so I can throw it out when done. Also, it's worth noting that the mower throws the clippings backward, so wearing long pants and shoes is key to avoid getting them on your legs. Though I'm sure it would work with some additional leg-power, this mower works best on flat lawns without too many weeds, as it may struggle with uneven terrain as it's self-powered and the weed stems can also stop the blade reel in its tracks if they are too thick. One other thing, is that you won't really get the traditional 'stripes' of a rotatry mower. I've seen others modify the reel mower to drag a lead / pvc pipe with sand in it, but personally I don't bother. As long as the grass looks trimmed and neat, I'm happy. You also can't beat the workout it provides - I get a solid ~30 minutes of mowing every few days and you work up quite a sweat. Overall, I wanted to try reel mowing for the season and the 18-Inch 5-Blade Reel American Lawn Mower is a solid choice that fit my needs. While it may require some additional effort one of the standout things is since its nearly quiet, you can mow at any time, and even when its wet - two things a gas powered mower just can't (or shouldn't) do. Really - you can't bet the cut quality and that's why I'm doing this, for a healthier lawn.

Perfect little rotary mower, I have a strip about 100' long and 10" wide that my robot mowers can't cut because it is too close to the curb. My riding mower can't cut it low enough without scalping the ground, so this was the perfect solution. I was a little skeptical because one wheel is on the grass and one is up on the cement edge of the curb, but it worked perfectly. Assembly was a breeze and took about 10min.

This was a backyard game saver ! I have a very hilly and tiered backyard with rock retaining walls- virtually impossible to get a lawnmower up and down and after moving into my house I could not figure out how to keep the grass trimmed acceptably and my shoulders rebelled against continuously using the Weed whacker. Then I found this magical, lightweight beast. It’s not perfect- I have not been able to use it pushing it because it catches on every teeny tiny twig. However, the trick is to pull it backwards and bypass the weird level rolling thing. I still haven’t been able to figure out if it’s adjustable or not but if it is it’s beyond my capabilities. Just tilt it up and pull it backwards and it trims everything. This truly has been one of my favorite purchases this summer. It’s also been effective for small patches of grass that needed trimmed in the dead of summer when the majority of the grass has died down. Much easier to pull out my nifty push mower on those small spots then get out the lawnmower. 4 stars because I can’t push it without it getting stuck on every tiny twig.

After a friend bought one of these, I was intrigued so I asked to use it to mow both my front and rear lawn. It was a bit of a workout (that's a good thing) and I was so impressed that I bought one for myself to replace my standard gas mower (22" Briggs & Stratton). So, it came a few days later and took all of 10 minutes to assemble (just the handle). Other reviewers have stated some of the things below, but I will too (from my perspective). - this unit (and other reel mowers) are really a breath of fresh air. No fumes to mess with. - this is not for the ego-challenged suburbanites who pride themselves on the $500 gas "Cadillac" mower and buy computers based on Megahertz rating. I will leave it at that. - this unit cuts incredibly fine if the yard was properly cut beforehand (not mowing for the first time all year at 4" height could cause a problem). No grasscatcher needed at all. - I live in Oklahoma with almost all standard Bermudagrass, which grows at a rapid pace in summer with our 95-degree days. I find I have to mow a little more often with this mower, which is no big deal since it really is quite relaxing to use. - After using this mower twice and not having used a gas mower for over 10 days on my lawn, I was *really* impressed by how much greener my Bermudagrass was. Seriously. It seems the "chopping" of the gas mower (which would leave nasty circle sometimes) was less healthy for my grass than this reel mower's cut, which seemingly mulches the grass clippings and seals the blades themselves. A quick Google search on some horticulture sites confirmed that reel mowers are the most healthy way to mow a lawn (for any grass). - I have to overlap rows to ensure I get all blades cut. I generally overlap about 1/3 of the mower's wdith to ensure each pass gets cut about twice (roughly). - Another reviewer said that just after mowing with this mower, it will not have the pristine, "just cut" look a gas mower usually provides. This is true - there are no "tracks" to indicate to others that the yard was just mowed. Umm, for me I have easily gotten used to having a much more greener yard with a total and whole "cut look" than having 20-inch tracks throughout the yard. Once you get used to it, it's not an issue. After I get done mowing, the yard is pretty darn close to perfection (as in a gas mower cut), and looks "whole". - I cut my Bermudagrass at the lowest-height setting (1/2") and my yard looks fantastic at that setting with proper watering and fertilizing very few months. - The foam handle makes this mower extremely easy to handle and use, and it does give a decent aerobic workout if it takes 30 minutes or so to mow. Very nice indeed. I've never had a self-propelled gas mower either, since I view yardwork as exercise and not "armchair quarterbacking". - Instead of continuing to pollute, I bought a rechargeable blower and trimmer and now can completely take care of my yards without any gas pollution whatsoever. Can't say that for my neighbors and their guzzling SUVs and huge and noisy gas mowers. - Don't want to continue bashing gas mower "people" (because I was one for a long time), but try one of these and make a change. If you take care of your lawn with a gas mower now, the transition to this reel mower will be simple and more than likely, you'll enjoy mowing again. - Can't stress this enough - like many reviewers have said, spray the blades with WD-40 after every mow and the next time you will have a well-oiled machine (no pun intended) with perfectly sharp blades, which will mow extremely quiet. I have mowed once at 7:30am (was bored) and did not wake a soul in my neighborhood since this thing was so quiet (much less noise than a rechargeable trimmer). Nothing is quite as bothersome as sitting on the deck in a backyard with a nice *beverage* and being deafened by a gas mower starting as soon as you begin to relax. That's it. I have started conversations with neighbors already who can't believe I am using 100-year old technology to mow my yard, but they all come away impressed with the cut and my explanation(s). I am keeping the gas mower for now, but it will probably go away soon. Some things in life are best enjoyed simple when everything else is so complex, and this is one of those things.

Easy to put together, easier to use. If your grass is under 6" tall, this things works like a dream. However, it will NOT cut weeds, not very tall grass. I bought this because my electric mower quit working. And because of that my grass was WAY over grown. Unfortunately, my yard has a lot of thicker stalked, high growing weeds as well. The mower would not cut the tall grass or weeds. Weeds even stopped the blades from turning. If there are ANY sticks in the way, those will also stop the blades from turning. 3 stars because it cuts normally growing grass beautifully. (They tell you it won't cut super high grass) -1 star for the sticks -1 star for not cutting weeds So if you have good grass and want to go green, this is the right mower for you. However if you have tall weeds and/ or small sticks in the grass from your trees, it's not a good fit. Hope this helps.

Okay first of all, I'd just like to say that I am autistic, and I absolutely LOATHE mowing the lawn. The mower is too loud, the vibrating of the handle makes my arms go numb, and I can never quite pull on the cord hard enough to get it started by myself. I always have to find someone else to turn it on for me. And not to mention the fact that the smell of gasoline gives me a headache. So I finally decided to see if any old-fashioned mowers still existed, because I would much rather deal with something slower and time-consuming if it meant I wouldn't have to deal with using a normal lawn mower. Imagine my surprise when I found that there are /new/ manual lawnmowers, and I can just order them from Amazon! So I decided I had nothing left to lose, and I would give it a try. Best. Decision. EVER. NOTE OF ADVICE: If you have difficulty putting it together (specifically, attaching the handle to the blade part), find someone with more upper-body strength to help you. They'll get it done in two seconds. (it took me half an hour of attempting to do so before I gave up and waited for my sister to get home so she could help me) Also: it only cuts while you're pushing it forward, so all you have to do to move it when you're not cutting is to pull it along behind you. As for cutting grass? I love it. It works perfectly, aside from a few snags on branches that I didn't notice. If you move it forward and back a few times, you can cut even tall weeds! Much easier than pulling them out by hand in the areas that the normal gas mower can't reach. It's not silent, but it's also not the deafening roar of a gas mower. If I had to describe the sound, I'd say it's a whooshing sound, and much much quieter than a gas mower. Plus, you don't have to deal with your arms vibrating or constantly having to turn the mower back on! No more buying gas, no more struggling to pull on the cord hard enough to turn the mower on, and no more complicated wire-pulling to turn it off. All I have to do is push forward, and the grass gets cut. Stop walking, and it stops cutting. It's easy to maneuver, and it's not so heavy that I can't pick it up and carry it up a flight of stairs to my porch if I need to. I'm never using a gas mower again.

Well first of all I am 72 years old and 112 lbs and to live alone with my four dogs. This lawn mower is so nice and I can push it with just one hand! It glides through the grass like butter and I wish I had bought it years ago. But I have it now and in fact I just got through cutting my grass and It looks beautiful. I actually don't mind cutting the grass even in 80° heat. The other one I had has a catcher for the grass but as you cut I would have to stop, turn around, tilt the mower and walk back in order for it to throw the clippings out Because as the clipping collected it got harder to push. Grass clippings are great for your yard. This lawn mower has a small catcher and it does collect grass but nowhere near like the other one I have. The clippings just fly over and onto your grass and now and then I do have to turn around and let the clippings that have been collected back into my yard. I'm telling you, you can't go wrong with this mower! I did have difficulty putting it together though. Getting that handle around those bolts is a b!tch. I had to turn the mower on its side and lean against The handle pushing as hard as I could and with my free hands lift the handle and try to get it to go over the bolts. I had to stop several times because I mean that's difficult if you're not a strong person. The rest of it was a breeze. It's quiet It cuts well and I also ordered one of the handheld sharpeners for when the blade gets dull I can sharpen them. 😁 I highly recommend getting this mower If you are a single woman you can do your grass with no problem and will wonder why you ever had a man do it for you. 🤷

Love this thing. It has been used for weeks on the dangerous parts of a very large yard and works great at evening up the parts where the large deck mower has a hard time due to the shape of the ground. It is super easy to assemble, fairly easy to push (I often use one hand due to a wrist injury), easy to clean, easy to store and does a really nice short cut. Doesn't like really tall grass or sticks of any diameter. Would be nice if it had a mechanism to unlock the blade height for when debris jams in the blade housing so I don't have to stick whatever tool is handy in there.