10 Best Reel Mower Reviews In 2023 [With Buying Guide]

Having a lush lawn is a dream of many homeowners. However, this requires deliberate effort and little sacrifices in terms of time, money, and energy. The benefits of having a beautiful lawn usually outweigh its cost. For small lawn owners and garden enthusiast, a reel mower can come in handy anytime the lawn appears to need trimming. 

In this post, we have listed down the 10 best reel mower that can suit various homeowners or garden enthusiasts' needs.

Quick Answer:- The 10 Best Reel Mowers

For those who wants to skip straight to the final verdict, here are our top picks.

Why Use A Reel Mower?

Table of Comparisons

We have designed a comparison table below for your easy reference.

However, it is important to note that the positions are in no particular order of importance. Some models may be preferred by others, therefore, please do read in details, which one may suit you the best. 

Product Reviews: Top 10 Reel Mowers 

1. American Lawn Mower Company 1204 Push Reel Lawn Mower  (Editor's Choice)

American Lawn Mower 1204 14-inch is a well-built mower. Apart from its sleek and attractive design, its blade height is good enough to take care of the mowing needs of a small lawn. It is straightforward to assemble, thanks to the fewer number of detached parts. Without much effort from the user, American Lawn Mower 1204 14 Inch can easily trim a lot of lawn grass in little time. 

It comes with four dependable and robust blades made of steel to ensure even cut across the lawn. The handles are well set to give balance and comfort to users regardless of the user's height.

2.Great States 815 Push Mower

The Great States 815-18 is a highly rated reel mower in the market. It comes in three different sizes of 14, 16, and 18 inches wide. Their designs are identical. They all come with five strong blades ready to trim your lawn. The unit is lightweight and quite easy to push. They are also very easy to store as users can disassemble them after use. 

The GreatStates 815-18 is ideal for lawn owners who intend to mow their lawns regularly.

3. Scotts Outdoor Power Tools 2000-20 Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower 

Scotts 2000 20 comes with its unique rear wheel design. It has a cutting width of 20" and is ideal for medium-scale lawns. It has nine adjustable cutting height, which can be set from 1 inch up to 3 inches. It comes with five robust and sharp steel blades to ensure even cut across the lawn. 

Despite its size, it has an excellent welded framework, which makes it easy to assemble. Its weight is well balanced on its tires. The device can work on rough lawns without bouncing all over.

Its handle has a comfortable foam grip attached to keep users' palms comfortable when working with the device.

4. Fiskars 362050-1001 StaySharp Max Mower

Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Mower is also a top-rated manual mower in the market. It features a couple of unique improvements that give it an edge over others. Its width is 18 inches, making it suitable for use on medium-sized lawns.

During operation, users can adjust the grass chute so that clippings do not cling to the user's feet. Its wheels are also well positioned to allow the blades to access the full width of the machine. This means there is no hiding place for weeds at the sides of your lawn. Its blades are improved to cut two times better than other mowers.

5. Great States 304-14 Push Reel Lawn Mower 

Great States 304 14-inch mower is a very good option for homeowners who are having small lawns. Despite its low price, it compares favorably with other top-rated reel mowers in terms of performance and longevity.

This unit comes with 5 premium quality blades made of steel that can be adjusted to suit the user's needs. Using this device is less stressful as it is built with lightweight but durable materials. Medium-sized lawn owners can also benefit from the generous 14-inch width of this reel.

To ensure even cut on the lawn, we encourage users to make sure that any adjustment made on one side of the reel is the same as that on the other side.

6. Fiskars 362050-1001 StaySharp Max Reel Mower 

StaySharp gives the lawn owner the value for his money. It comes with many modern reel features that combine to provide an excellent manual mowing device.

First is the unique blades, which are now the determinant of the market's premium quality. Blades were explicitly designed to stay sharper and last longer than any other reel.

Forget the inconveniencies that clippings may cause to your feet when trimming the lawn. The grass chute feature cam moves clippings to any preferred direction away from the user’s feet. Also, the blades can access every part of your lawn without leaving grasses lurking at the edge of your lawn.

7. Gardena 4020 12-Inch Silent Push Reel Lawn Mower 300 

Gardena 4020 12-inch push reel lawn mower offers modern features and portability to its users. The handle and some other parts can be easily dismantled to allow for proper storage. It is also straightforward to assemble. The blades of this device do not touch the reels during operation.

Hence, Gardena is practically noiseless, and its blades last longer. Its blade can go as low as possible to give a cleaner cut and reduce the number of times required to trim the lawn. It also comes with a two-year warranty for every brand new purchase.

8. Greenworks ​25062 Reel Mower with GrassCatcher  

Greenwork is a big brand when it comes to gardening tools and devices. This 18-inch manual mower comes with a grass catcher attached. With its 2-in-1 feature, users can choose whether to collect their clippings or allow them to mulch.

It has a sleek and beautiful design. The handles are well inclined to reduce pressure on the muscles. Its blades are made of stress-resistant steel, which can stay as long as several months before you need to sharpen it.

9. Earthwise 1715-16EW Push Reel Lawn Mower 

Earthwise 1715 16-inch mower is specifically designed to meet the needs of homeowners having medium-sized lawns. It comes with seven (7) steel alloy blades, which can cut through a wide variety of lawn grasses. It is quite easy to assemble and operate.

As it has only a few parts, you can easily dismantle it before storage; hence, it can save space. All brand new push reels from Earthwise come with a minimum of a year warranty. Users can get free repairs or replacement of faulty parts within the warranty period.

10. Sun Joe MJ501M Manual Reel Mower w/GrassCatcher 

Sun Joe MJ501M is another eco-friendly substitute for gas-powered lawnmowers. It comes with a sleek design. Its handles are designed to give users comfort irrespective of height.

With this mower, you can work faster and longer on your lawn without getting easily tired. Its weight is well balanced on the treaded wheels. Users can move easily as the device works through the lawn even when the terrain is rough.

Its 6.6-gallon capacity grass catcher gives users the option to either collect their clippings or allow them to mulch.

Buying Guides of Reel Mower

We need to consider many things when shopping for the right reel mower for our  lawn. There are many top-ranking products you can choose from, but only a few are suitable for the specific needs of a lawn owner.

Usually, the size of the lawn is the primary factor to consider before making your choice of a lawnmower. Nevertheless, some other factors also come to play. We discuss all these factors in detail.

Lawn Size

We know that push mowers are only ideal for small lawns (usually less than half an acre in size). If your yard is more than half an acre, it is more efficient to get the gas-powered or electric mowers. Small lawns also come in different sizes. Lawns that are precisely half an acre will require mowers that have greater blade width than yards that are one-fifth the size of an acre.

If you have a medium-sized lawn (say about a quarter of an acre), ensure you get a reel mower that has a blade width ranging from 14- 18 inches. The 20 inches' blade width should do for larger lawns. 10-14 inches is suitable for very small yards.

Nature of Blades

The blades of the reel mower contribute to a very large extent to the efficiency of the device. Most mower blades are made of steel which is very durable and gives excellent results. However, heat-treated steel blades tend to provide better results in terms of even cut of lawn.

Regular steel blades tend to get blunt faster while heat-tempered steel retains its sharpness and efficiency for longer. Using a mower with heat-tempered steel makes the outlook of the lawn very beautiful and uniform.

Height of Blades

The heights of the blades on a mower determine how low or high the blades can go when trimming the lawn. Mowers with adjustable blade height can be used on lawns regardless of the terrain.

However, the smoother the terrain, the neater and easier work will be produced. On rough terrains, the mower with fixed blades may not be efficient as an even cut will be very hard to achieve.

Width of Blades

The width of blades defines how well the mower can reach for tight corners around the lawn.

Mowers having an adjustable blade width of blades can work in the nooks and crannies of your lawn. You may need to pause a few times to adjust the width of the blade whenever you hit the corners of the lawn.

Weight of Equipment

Push reel mowers are manual devices and require human muscles to make them work. You want to be sure that the weight of the equipment is fair enough for your muscles to cope with. The heavier the equipment, the more likely you are to get fatigued. 

Also, the heavier the equipment, the more adaptable it will be to rough terrain. Extremely low-weight units tend to bounce off rough terrain. However, lawn mowers with considerable weights tend to stand their grounds and perform excellently even on rough lawns.

Thickness of the Handles

As you exert pressure on the reel mower through the handles, you need to be confident that the handles will not bend awkwardly under pressure.

For some very good push mowers, faulty handles are a significant issue. If you are buying from a brick and mortar store, ensure you feel the handles of your selected reel mower before purchase. If you want to purchase your reel mower online, ensure you note users' reviews on the handles.

Warranty

As with many other products, having your reel mower covered by a warranty is a very good decision. Your vendor can replace faulty parts or give you an entirely new device if you are not satisfied with the quality of the first device.

For push mowers, the warranty can range from a year to three years. You can place a little premium on warranty when considering which reel mower to choose.

Price

Reel mowers are generally cheap. They can cost between $50-$200 depending on specifications. Despite their low cost, it may become expensive when one has to change lawnmowers twice in a year.

To prevent yourself from doing that, you need to consider good performance, durability, and a reasonable price. Going for the cheapest option may not be the best strategy. Navigating between price, features, and needs are the key.

Final Verdict