I bought one of these a couple of days ago. It is a Scotts Classic Reel Mower. I've wanted one for a while because they are retro and cool.
Last week, my tired powered Toro pushmower blew a rod in its initial foray into this year's mowing season. Not surprisingly, the cost of rebuilding or replacing the engine is more than half the cost of a comparable powered mower these days. Frankly, neither option is feasible at the moment as we are experiencing a period of compulsory fiscal conservatism due to our recent annual patriotic contribution to the US Treasury. I wish I had the time to rebuild it myself but, alas, I just really don't have time right now for another project. Besides, the yard needs mowing NOW. Anyway, we are hoping to find a good used riding mower in the weeks to come.
So far, I really do like this thing! And not just because its the only game in town at the moment...which it is. I ordered the mower on line, for about $130, including shipping. It arrived a couple of days later and it took about 15 minutes to assemble. The weather has not been amenable for much outdoor fun lately, but yesterday, and again today, I was able to get out and mow a bit. It works really well, absolutely as advertised. Unfortunately, my yard is a little overgrown right now, so it is not exactly the same as a casual stroll across the lawn. However, I really do think that once I get the yard under control, this guy will be perfect for weekly maintenance.
Our yard is quite large, so this will be a good workout. But at a mere 31lbs, it is really not hard to push. Its very quiet and it definitely cuts well. We'll have to see how it holds up over time, but with no engine and a minimum of moving parts, I think I can probably keep this thing working for a long time.
5 comments:
Sweet. I too have thought of getting one of these things. I'm too hooked to gas powered mowers though to actually do it. Funny that you were doing this while I was doing this.
http://mowaboutjesus.wordpress.com/
Too bad!!! I have one of these things (maybe not quite as nice, but still...) sitting in my garage that I cannot even sell on a garage sale that I could have given you!!! (Oh well... maybe we should make a more "green footprint" and use the thing. Enjoy the benefits of the extra exercise!)
My dad had one of those old-timey mowers when he had a small yard. My brother and I absolutely loved playing with it so he rarely had to mow the yard.
It looks like fun.
And I like how you described having to pay taxes. :-)
Heh. I like your new manly site, Jeff. And it sounds like Heidi's got a pushmower for you, too, if you get a hankering for one.
Thanks for stopping in, Heather!
You know, I've used the old fashioned non-powered mowers before, and I have to say that I prefer them on certain conditions:
1) Large swaths of grass: If there isn't enough room to build up a good momentum (to get the blades spinning fast enough) it doesn't seem to cut well. Fences are difficult to mow around also.
2) Sharpened blades: I don't think this needs much explanation. :)
3) Oiled wheels: I once mowed a lawn with a mower like this, but the mower had rusty wheels so it was soooo hard to push. Granted, I was about 11 years old at the time, so I wasn't very strong, but even so!
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