American Lawn Mower Company 1304-14 14-Inch 5-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower

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.

Ich wollte schon längere Zeit einen Spindelmäher haben, weil unser Elektromäher sehr unhandlich ist und wir mittlerweile mehr Beete als Rasen haben. Noch dazu mag ich das laute Geräusch der handelsüblichen Mäher nicht - früher hatten meine Eltern immer einen Spindelmäher und das hat auch immer funktioniert. Leider ist die Qualität bei vielen Produkten heutzutage nicht mehr das Wahre und so informierte ich mich längere Zeit, welchen Spindelmäher man nun überhaupt noch kaufen kann. Ich glaube, die Amerikaner lassen mittlerweile auch in China produzieren, aber da kommt man wohl kaum drum herum. Ich habe mich letztendlich für dieses Modell entschieden, weil er von der Breite her für meine Ansprüche genau richtig ist (breiter wäre bei uns zu viel des Guten, da wir auch ein paar schmale Durchgänge haben) und weil er nur fünf Spindeln besitzt und nicht sieben. Bei weniger Spindeln sind die Abstände zwischen eben diesen größer, so dass auch etwas längeres Gras hindurch passt. Sprich: Man muss etwas weniger häufig mähen. Insgesamt sollte einem aber natürlich klar sein, dass ein Spindelmäher eher für nicht allzu langes Gras geeignet ist und man mit dem Mähen nicht zu lange warten sollte. Das Produkt macht einen guten Eindruck. Lediglich die Räder sehen etwas billig aus, für meinen Geschmack. Alles in allem aber besser, als die Baumarkt-Spindelmäher, die ich bisher so gesehen habe. Da wir den Mäher erst Sonntags zusammen gebaut haben und ihn natürlich auch gleich testen wollten, ohne die Nachbarn zu stören (Ja, manche stören sich tatsächlich auch an so einem Geräusch), haben wir ihn erstmal nur ein kurzes Stück ganz langsam und vorsichtig über die Wiese geschoben. Es standen einige einzelne Halme mit etwa 15 cm Länge darauf, die auch etwas dicker waren und Blüten hatten. Der Mäher schnitt sie im Nu ohne Kraftaufwand einfach sauber ab. Wir staunten nicht schlecht :-) Er ist wirklich richtig scharf und erfüllt voll und ganz seinen Zweck. Das Gras war nicht geschreddert oder gequetscht. Es sah aus, als hätte man es mit einer Schere gekappt. Ich hoffe, dass er lange Zeit ein so gutes Schnittbild liefert und auf Dauer auch die Natur davon profitiert und etwas weniger Insekten im Mäher landen (der elektrische saugt ja quasi alles an und zerschreddert es). Auch der Rasen wird es uns auf Dauer danken. Ich kann den Mäher guten Gewissens weiter empfehlen.

So I'll start by saying that I've used push mowers for over 20 years and over 3 different house lawns. Further I've used powered reel mowers including a Toro. So in short I've got experience here. As a kid I mowed my dad's lawn with a Toro powered reel mower and that is the Cadillac of residential mowers. Later when I moved out I bought an old used no name push mower, fixed it up and used it. It did the job. Next was a Gardina C360 (16.5 inch cut) at a price of $139 back in 2002. It was nice and lasted me 18 years and lots of lawn millage. The gears on the wheels wore out and replacement parts don't seem to be handy. So now I bought this American 18 inch cut. Wow so nice. Quiet. Smooth. Cuts with ease and does as good a job as any 5 blade reel mower would. Feels solid. Had no issue putting it together as it's as simple as 8 bolts. Deliver was quick as well including 3 days from the States. Previous comments make me laugh. Yes push reel mowers don't work well if you haven't mowed the lawn in 6 months. I recommend cutting once a week at a minimum. Yes they don't cut 100% of the grass blades so I recommend double cutting (one way then across it) to get a real fine golf course look. I would also recommend top dressing your lawn if it's bumpy or as drop offs etc. The smoother the lawn the better. All in all if you want something environmentally friendly, quiet, gets you some exercise, cuts almost as good as a professional power reel mower, and I suspect will last me 20 years than this is the mower for you.

A quality manual push mower. Build quality is very good, blades are sharp, and it is relatively easy to push, and to maintain. Just be wary of the handle wing nuts as they can work loose after a few mows.

Didn't work well for me. Missing grass and poor performance. Not value for money.

Este é o meu segundo cortador de relva de rolo. O anterior é de uma marca europeia e não se aproxima á robustez do America Lawn Mower. Tem uma estrutura simples e robusta. O seu peso pode dificultar o início do movimento, mas é esta característica que ajuda no corte mais preciso e eficiente. Vale a pena para os pequenos relvados de impossível acesso do trator de corte, que é o meu caso. Sem dúvida recomendo.