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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 112 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
118 of 124 found the following review helpful:
Exactly what I was looking for Oct 21, 2007
By Mark
My yard is shrinking (<4000 sf grass) and I didn't want to have to deal with the hassles of a gas mower anymore. That, and a strong desire to go "green" convinced me to try this mower. Never having tried a reel mower before, I didn't know what to expect. I purposed waited until I had had an entire summer of mowing with this unit before I submitted this evaluation, just to be fair. The first time I used this unit, I thoroughly enjoyed mowing the yard!! The novelty has worn off after approximately 8 uses, but the unit still does a beautiful job on our lawn and I intend to use it forevermore and rid ourselves of our gas mower for good.
I have nothing but high praises for this mower. I do miss the "vacuum" effect of my gas mower in terms of collecting leaves, pine needles, and anything else that may be lying around. I've heard people complain that you have to cut your yard practically every-other-day with a reel mower to keep it from getting bogged down by heavy grass. The worst case that I've found is that I have to go over 1-2 select areas twice to completely cut every blade....and that's after not mowing for 3+ weeks!
Anyways....if you are thinking about switching to a hand powered reel mower, do it! This is a fantastic unit that will do a great job of cutting your lawn and help reduce your carbon footprint as well.
71 of 73 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent Reel Mower Nov 11, 2009
By Mr. Good
You are thinking of a reel mower. Your answer is yes. And this is probably the one you want.
This review may hit your "TLDR" filter, but if you're seriously shopping it might be worth it.
Like the guy who reviewed the McCulloch MCM2013 20-Inch Push Reel Mower, I'm not interested in reel mowers for their hippie "green" nonsense. I just have a smallish subdivision yard, and high-maintenance technology is pointless for such a thing. And, with storage space at a premium, the concept of a mower I can hang on the wall is also nice. Last but not least, the claimed higher cut quality (better for the grass) was attractive.
I had recently inherited the lawn duties, and soon after the balky-engine 6.5hp rotary mower -- which required an order of magnitude more time and effort to crank and keep cranked than was rewarded in actual cutting -- finally totaled itself out. All the desperate pulls on the cord on level asphalt caused the old plastic wheels to break, with the left side wheels falling off during the last mow. At that point I dragged it through the yard on two wheels out of sheer spite until it sputtered and refused to start again.
I decided I was going electric or push reel, if the price was right. (No scythe, sorry.) Electric was intriguing, but cordless comes at a high price. We had a fairly new gas trimmer, so cord management would be an extra and unique chore. (If I had one of those inexpensive corded trimmers, I'd have gone all-electric and had the trimmer strapped on the back ready for quick-switching like some electric grass ninja. Now, if the trimmer dies I'll probably get one of those grass-shears-on-a-stick by Fiskars.
Note well that I have virtually no twig/stick or leaf producing item in my yard, and no gravel. Things like that might've given me pause.
So I did my usual exhaustive research. You may know the Scott's 20-inch mower is reported to have nylon plastic gearing instead of metal, and that it is made in China by a company called American (which also makes the Great States mowers). You may not know the aforementioned McCulloch is visibly identical to the Lowe's "Task Force" and the pricier ProMow reel mower. Also, the cheap no-name green mowers on eBay are a special model developed and sold by QVC, and have bad reviews. The Gilmour is visibly identical to the "Mark's Choice" red reel mower. And I could tell you other various things, but suffice it to say that I knew as much about reel mowers as I could without ever having actually owned one myself.
My criteria, in approximate order:
1. Value
a. Cost
b. Blade Count and Cut Performance on Centipede+Weeds+Random Green Things
c. Mechanical Quality and Durability
2. Maximum Cutting Width
3. Maintenance (e.g. Sharpening)
4. American-made
5. Grass Catcher (not required, but would be nice)
I had no intention of overpaying for a German Brill or Swedish Husqvarna or Chinese-made Sunlawn mower. I just couldn't see the point. I also focused exclusively on 20 inchers, save for the "American" 16-inch 7-blade designed for bent grass, which I have on this lumpy partly-Centipede southeastern US weedgarden/lawn.
So my choices were thus down to Scott's, Gilmour, the McCulloch/Task Force/ProMow, and the 7-blade.
At the time of my purchase, all three of the 20-inchers were competitive price-wise, with perhaps $20 separating the highest from the lowest. The 7-blade was a few dollars cheaper. The ProMow brand is just an expensive paintjob, compared to the identical McCulloch. The Task Force is better ... it includes a grass catcher. Scott's plastic geared, non-sharpening, catcher-lessness put it out of the running.
I had a little trouble choosing between the Gilmour and McCulloch. The Gilmour had a lot more exposure on Amazon and elsewhere than the McCulloch, with over ten times as many reviews. The Gilmour was also self-sharpening, and came with a grass catcher. Country of origin was irrelevant, as none are US-made . . . but I almost chose McCulloch because at least they are made in Taiwan, and not China. But in the end, it wasn't enough. The Gilmour also knocked off the 7-blader, since I don't think this lawn requires 7 due to its lower density than, say, a golf green.
The Task Force might have been an acceptable alternative, but it isn't designed to be self-sharpening. And, it has a smaller cutting range (1.75-2.75 vs. 1-3). Last but not least, it has poor reviews on the Lowe's website.
So I went with the Gilmour. Here are a few notes on what I've seen with it so far:
1. The front tires are an older, smelly rubber compound, but they're very good. The wheels supporting the tires appear to be plastic, which is a minor disappointment. However, the Task Force appears to have plastic wheels, too, and reviews suggest these are better.
2. It is easy to push in low Centipede, thanks to the bearings. I can keep the reels spinning in a turn (with just one wheel turning) and push the thing one-handed on smooth ground. Note that it won't be as easy to push as a *self-propelled* rotary mower (duh!), but it is as easy if not easier than a gas-powered push mower. That engine and steel deck weigh a good bit, but it evens out some since the reel mower takes some extra energy to turn the reel. It is, however, far easier to maneuver, and can be picked up if needed.
3. I put the handle together in 10-15 minutes (if that), and hand-tightened the bolts and screws. I mowed a few test patches, then retightened with actual tools (use a 10mm socket). I then mowed the front yard and part of the back yard, and there was one slightly loose screw but the rest were good. I haven't had a problem in the week since. Even if I had, though, it is easier than sharpening blades, and way easier than cleaning the carburetor!
4. It is not silent. I can hear my cellphone ringing in the pocket (try THAT with a gas rotary!), but I wouldn't try to talk and mow at the same time. I would say the volume is equivalent to a slow skateboarding kid on concrete, but a higher pitch. If you want lower volume, get a non-contact, non-self-sharpening reel mower. I didn't care.
5. This mower does well on grass, chops Japanese clover, and slices up all the other random stuff this yard threw at it. It even punches through well-fortified antbeds. As with a walk-behind, you have to hop over. I have yet to mow on very tall grass (trying to avoid it).
7. I encountered a random piece of cedar mulch in the yard that had somehow emigrated from elsewhere. Yes, I came to a dead stop. Since the gearing does not engage in reverse, you do have to turn the reel with finger or toe so the item falls out.
8. Yes, on bent grasses you may have stray blades or weeds that get missed. However, both powered rotary push mowers and powered rotary riding mowers have missed blades in this yard. This will never be a golf green, so a stray grass blade doesn't concern me much. Overlap a little, just like on a gas push.
9. The yard looks better. The grass was yellowed from a riding mower cut (despite just-sharpened blades), and the grass itself was damaged and purple where the tire tracks ran over it. Since I've reel-mowed, the yellow tips are gone and the purple is fading.
10. The grass catcher is good enough. Breezy conditions allow escapes (the Task Force's catcher may be superior with its higher side walls), but it catches the vast majority. I can mow in crocs without getting blades trapped inside with the grass catcher, otherwise not.
So there you have it.
42 of 42 found the following review helpful:
Great product, environmentally friendly! Apr 24, 2008
By travisn000
"travisn000"
I have used this mower 5-6 times to mow my 4000 square foot lawn since purchasing it. The first time I used it my grass was about 5 inches tall and wet. I set it at its tallest height and it cut the grass with no problems.
A few things I have noticed:
* Unlike the competing brands, it included the grass catcher.
* Unlike the competing brands, it is self-sharpening.
* It requires no batteries, cords, gas, or oil, It just works!
* The grass catcher works better than I expected. Since it is an open design and I live in a fairly windy area not all of the grass stays in it. Grass also slides to the front when mowing downhill making it so that you have to empty it very frequently (or mow only up hill) if you have a sloping lawn. Despite these inefficiencies it leaves less cut grass on my lawn than my old gas mower did.
* The grass catcher is smaller that those on gas mowers, so you will have to empty it more frequently.
* Because it is powered by you, it does take a little effort to push it. However, it really isn't any harder than pushing the mid weight gas mower I use to use.
* I have much more room in my garage and it no longer stinks like gas! This has a footprint of only about 2 foot by 1 foot, and it could probably be hung on the wall. My gas mower took up about 10-15 square feet of garage space, and I no longer have to store smelly fuel in my garage!
* My grass looks healthier now than it did when I was using a gas mower. The reel mower does not leave the tips of the grass torn, and as a result the tips don't brown after a couple of days like they would with my gas mower.
Overall I am very happy with this product and would recommend it any one that has physical capacity to push a non self-propelled gas mower. It is easier to start, requires less maintenance, is cheaper to buy and cheaper to operate, and it is healthier for you, your lawn, and your environment! What more could you want in a mower?
39 of 39 found the following review helpful:
GO Green Mar 14, 2008
By G. Foster
I have had my Gilmore for about a week now. I tried it out in my weedy back yard. I was shocked at how well it cuts, and how little effort it takes to push. I snapped on the grass catcher and away I went. Other name brand models don't come with the grass catcher, but the Gilmore has it's own fitted catcher. The height adjustment works just like a powered mower. With gasoline becoming very costly, I decided to go green. The only drawback to reel mowers are that they don't like sticks. So pick up the bigs sticks and then push away. I was very leary about getting a reel mower, but I am soooooo glad I got this one. Get it and try it, you won't go back to noisy,smelly,money wasting power mowers again.
36 of 37 found the following review helpful:
 Great mower for the right lawn May 30, 2008
By M. Harber
"Gottahavitnow"
I just purchased this mower from Amazon.com and have used it once on my lawn and cut a test strip on my neighbor's newly sodded and very lush lawn. Our lawn is very weedy- in fact, it needs resodding. Grass lasts only a few years here in the Florida panhandle and needs some coddling. The grasses that will grow well here are thick, fibrous, creeping grasses like cntipede and t. Augustine. If they get very long, power mowers can feel the strain. The weeds here grow incredibly fast and some are very tough to cut. While my gas mower does well enough, it still misses some of the weeds. So, the reel mower was facing a challenge. After multiple passes, the weeds were still standing and I had to resort to the gas mower to finish the job. I'm talking about spotty, under 6" tall stuff on nearly bare ground, not dense growth. The reel mower cut the patchy grass smoothly. The strip I cut on my neighbor's new centipede lawn was very smooth and neat. I will definitely need to mow more frequently with the reel mower to keep the weeds under control.
As for the mower being noisy, I didn't think it was excessive at all. My gas mower is WAY louder. The self-sharpening feature and the scissor action give it a knife-on-steel sound along with a fairly pronounced clatter. The mower is very easy to assemble, less than 10 minutes. It takes little effort to push, and can be maneuvered with ease. I don't think this mower is any more tiring to use than my very heavy and bulky self-propelled mower. The ratchet action wheels drive the blades only in the forward direction, so there is no resistance to backwards movement.
I have read in some of the other reviews about difficulties with jamming and poor cutting. This mower has a blade acjustment feature that might relieve the cutting problems and much of the noise. The accompanying instructions, while barely adequate, do address this feature. I had no significant problems with jamming except with clumps of debris from the flower beds left on the lawn, and these jams were very easily cleared. Cutting height is easily adjusted, too. I appreciated not having dust and grass all over my legs as I do after using the gas mower. The reel mower is very compact and very light weight. It could certainly hang on the wall.
The grass catcher never needed emptying on my trial runs- it empties itself! The bag is actually a suspended tray that fails to retain anything tossed into it from the blades. The rest of the mower seems to be well-constructed and I think it will remain sound for years.
In summay, if you have a decent lawn with few tough weeds, this mower will do a very nice job with relatively little effort. In fact, I found it no more tiring than using my bulky self-propeled mower, especially in tight spots. Add to that the mower's low cost, lack of any need for $4.00/gal gasoline, and it's relatively quiet, clean, low-maintenance operation, and you have a winner- for the right conditions.
See all 112 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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