Best Self Propelled Reel Lawn Mowers for Eco-friendly Lawn Maintenance
Updated: Apr. 08, 2024
Reel mowers are not a thing of the past. I hand-selected and tested the best reel mowers in my backyard. Here's what I found.
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Most folks think reel mowers belong in a museum—a thing of the past. But as an inexpensive, eco-friendly alternative to gas and electric mowers, reel mowers are rock-solid options. Not only do they not require fuel or electricity, but they provide a great outdoor workout, are completely quiet and require little to no maintenance outside of the occasional blade sharpening. After putting a half dozen of the best reel mowers to the test, my biggest surprise was how satisfying they were to use. I saw every little snipped blade of grass come flying up with the only power source being me.
ALEX K. FOR FAMILY HANDYMAN
Best Overall Reel Mower
Fiskars 18-inch Reel Lawn Mower
The Fiskars 18-inch reel lawn mower is a beautifully designed reel mower that has the most advanced functions that make using a reel mower easy. I haven’t quite seen or used a reel mower like this one before with wheels on both the front and back and a thoughtfully made ergonomic handle. When I got this one assembled, pushing it through my lawn was much, much simpler than most other reel mowers simply by design. The rear wheels position the blades in a great spot and help solidify the mower’s position and then the front wheels give you complete control over where you are mowing.
The handle on the top is designed similarly to some of the newer battery-powered mowers that make pushing the mower forward super ergonomic on the wrists. Another thing I love about the Fiskars 18-inch reel mower is the guard on the back that prevents the grass from spraying all over my feet. Yes—it is almost too obvious of a design feature but you would be surprised to hear some of the others haven’t included this.
Pros
- Ergonomic handle with InertiaDrive technology
- Front and rear wheels give you complete control
- Guard on the back to prevent grass clipping spray
Cons
- Higher price point
ALEX K. FOR FAMILY HANDYMAN
Best Reel Mower for Warm Season Grasses
Earthwise 18-inch 5-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower
Summer grasses like Zoysia, Bermuda and St. Augustine require more frequent cutting and are maintained at shorter lengths, around 1.5 inches to 2 inches. Compare this height with tall fescue, where the ideal height is about 3.5 to 4 inches.
Reel mowers are great for shorter, warm-season grasses because they can finely chop the grass clippings and put them back into your yard—all while maintaining a clean appearance. The Earthwise 18-inch reel mower is designed to reach a cutting height of one inch. At this height, you are getting near surgical precision for your grass and can maintain it at the perfect one-inch height setting. The Earthwise has huge wheels with tires that have rubber coating but will not go flat, allowing you to dig further into your lawn and get the traction you need for an effortless cut.
Pros
- Low cutting height capability
- Lightweight
- Rubber molded wheels
- Simple height adjustment
Cons
- Handle is a bit wobbly
- Harder to get started pushing
ALEX K. FOR FAMILY HANDYMAN
Best Budget-Friendly Reel Mower
Great States 16-inch Reel Mower
Reel mowers are great options for many people but none better than those on a tight budget. I first owned a reel mower when I rented a house right after graduating college. I arranged to get a discounted rental rate if I mowed the lawn. A nice reel mower just like the Great States 16-inch reel mower helped me get the job done.
At a super low price point, the Great States reel mower has the bare necessities required to mow the lawn. The beauty of reel mowers like the Great States 16-inch reel mower is that it is quiet, easy to store, unassuming and still relatively easy to use. With the simplicity provided by the Great State reel mower, you don’t have to worry about a bunch of random bells and whistles breaking. It is functional, simple and gets the job done.
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Decent cutting width
- Great for warm-season grasses
Cons
- Limited cutting heights
- Less ergonomic on the wrists
VIA MERCHANT
Best Reel Mower for Steep Hills
Scotts 16-inch Reel mower
When it comes to mowing lawns with steeper hills, no gas-powered or electric mower can safely get the job done. Reel mowers are great for folks with small, steep lawns. One of the best reel mowers is the Scotts 16-inch reel lawn mower because it is super lightweight and easy to control.
The flared T-style handle makes pushing it up a steep hill or pulling it behind you fairly easy. The Scotts 16-inch reel mower is simple to assemble and takes up minimal space in your garage or shed—about the same amount of wall space as a broom. This reel mower is great for using alongside other mowers if you have any aspect of your yard that cannot be reached by a heavier gas or electric mower.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Inexpensive
- Easy to assemble
Cons
- Limited cutting height
- Requires more frequent mowing
ALEX K. FOR FAMILY HANDYMAN
Best Reel Mower for Small Lawns
American Lawn Mower Company 14-inch Reel Mower
For those of us with very small lawns, there’s no point and no space for getting a big gas-powered or battery-powered mower. A simple, sleek, small reel mower that requires only a few minutes and a few calories burnt will do the job just fine.
Most folks are skeptical of reel mowers at first, but when you buy a reel mower like the American Lawn Mower Company’s 14-inch reel mower, you begin to appreciate the quiet and straightforward cutting ability of reel mowers. Compared to other reel mowers, this American Lawn Mower Company mower will take up slightly less space and comes in at an ultra-low price point.
Pros
- Very inexpensive
- Small and easy to store
- Quiet
Cons
- Fewer blades
- Requires more frequent mowing
ALEX K. FOR FAMILY HANDYMAN
Best Reel Mower for Seniors
Sun Joe MJ800M Reel Mower
For seniors like my parents, I recommend the Sun Joe MJ800M Reel Mower. This reel mower has a nice ergonomic grip with padding that makes controlling the mower super easy. The padded handle is designed to “give” a little when squeezing and pushing and overall requires less hand strength to operate.
I also love that the Sun Joe MJ800M reel mower has four sturdy wheels that allow it to stand up straight. This means no bending over to pick the mower up. Plus, it stores similarly to a vacuum. This stops my elderly parents from leaning over to pick up a heavy mower and prevents them from trying to pick it up and store it on a hook on the wall.
Pros
- Quad wheels allow it to stand up
- Comfortable hand grips
- Nice design
Cons
- Heavier
- Plastic wheels
What to Look for When Buying a Reel Mower
A traditional rotary lawn mower uses a flat, spinning blade that cuts grass like a machete chops tall grass in a field. By contrast, a reel mower (sometimes called a cylinder mower) functions more like a pair of scissors. Blades of grass are caught and cut between the spinning reel (the curved metal that resembles a strand of DNA) and a fixed horizontal blade called the cutting bar. The resulting clean, precise snip makes for healthier, more attractive lawns. That’s why reel mowers are frequently the machines of choice for golf courses.
Reel mowers have a reputation for being “old school”; quite frankly, it is well deserved. However, reel mowers have many qualities besides nostalgia that give them relevance in the highly technological age we live in today. Reel mowers don’t require any external power source, are inexpensive and require very little maintenance.
“The advantages of a reel lawn mower include a superior quality of cut and the ability to mow at very low heights, such as golf course putting greens,” says Bob Mann, Senior Director of Technical & Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Landscape Professionals. “The chief disadvantage is that they are very difficult to maintain, requiring daily adjustments to cut correctly and require highly specialized and very expensive sharpening equipment, making their use cost prohibitive.”
The most important feature when looking for a reel mower is getting one with the right height adjustments. If you have taller grass, you need a reel mower with a height of up to four inches so that you can appropriately allow your grass to thrive. Another factor is the number of blades. More blades (six to 10) are better for shorter grass, giving a fine cut. Fewer blades, such as four to five are better for taller grass. Here are some other things you should look for when making a reel mower purchase:
- Cutting width: When it comes to how much time you spend mowing your grass, cutting width is a huge part of the equation. Wider is better to reduce cutting time and make fewer passes. With reel mowers, cutting width also means more resistance and a more difficult push.
- Weight: Weight is truly a double-edged sword with reel lawn mowers. It makes the mowing experience heavier when you have more weight but also helps the mower make it over bumps in the grass. I prefer mowers with a bit of weight.
- Usability: Having a comfortable, easy-to-push reel mower is an absolute must. Once you get started using a reel mower, it can be a super pleasant and satisfying experience if the mower has the right features.
Why You Should Trust Us
My partner and I have tested over 100 lawn mowers at The Lawn Review. From zero-turn mowers to robot mowers and everything in between, we have tested just about every mower on the market. We’ve reviewed battery-powered mowers by walking them around in my neighborhood until they’ve died (which was miles). I’ve also done side-by-side comparisons of robot mowers in my yard to see which ones provide the best cut and can handle difficult terrain. Furthermore, I’ve mowed hundreds of lawns as a former owner of a landscaping company. Needless to say, I know a thing or two about mowers. Additionally, I reached out to Bob Mann, Senior Director of Technical & Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Landscape Professionals for his insider opinion.
How We Found the Best Reel Mowers
I picked these reel mowers for testing for a few reasons. For starters, many of these are from really high-quality brands like Fiskars. Fiskars have made super strong lawn and garden tools for generations. Other brands are extremely popular, like Sun Joe and Earthwise, and sell an absurd amount of inexpensive, quality products on Amazon.
These reel mowers are all generally the same size and have many of the same features, making a side-by-side comparison and ranking system relatively easy. Each mower has a handful of distinct features that make it suited for a specific yard type, personality type or grass type.
FAQ
Do you sharpen reel mower blades?
Yes, reel mower blades generally need to be sharpened every year.
Are reel mowers hard to push?
Reel mowers are not hard to push if the grass is maintained at an appropriate height. They are a good workout and present some opposing force, but they are not difficult to operate. One way to combat the increased difficulty is to mow more frequently to keep the grass short and easy to cut.
How long of grass can a reel mower cut?
Reel mowers can cut grass up to four inches tall. To cut taller grasses, the height adjustment needs to be at the maximum end of the range and the lawn needs to be cut more frequently.
Originally Published: March 01, 2022
