Tools & Hardware : Scotts 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower #2000-20

Rating: - Little Green Mower
I ordered my Scotts 20" Classic Mower on Earth Day and because I had to put it together, I finally used it for the first time in mid-May. I wish all I had to do was put in two screws and be done but there were 5 big pieces to the handle and lots of little pieces (fortunately almost all the same set of pieces). I could put it together with only a little difficulty and I don't have much practice at putting things together. I couldn't get the E-rings in. My husband managed that.

The handle flexes. I wondered if that was needed to handle the bumps, but after using it I don't think it is. I think it is just cheap. The mower part feels more substantial. It is made in China. I wonder how many years of not using my gas mower it will take to make up for transporting this from China.

In the reviews people talked about it stopping suddenly. I had the same issue. I have a very small yard; it is level except for a few odd little depressions. At those spots as well as at random moments the mower would freeze up. It happened some times when the clippings kind of got clogged on the back guard. Other times, I could not see why it stopped. It went right over the small sticks in my yard, which I was happy about. On the other hand, all the dandelions just bent over and snapped right back up after I passed over them. I had a few spots where I went at the grass from a few directions before it mowed. Once I got it going it tended to keep going, but every corner meant a full stop and then had to try to get `er rolling again. Next time, I'll see if I can figure out a way to mow with less full corners. As I said it is a small yard, so I'm not sure it will work.

Overall I am happy with the product except for the issues I mentioned above. I didn't want to spend too much, so for the price this is about what I expected. I plan to use this every other time I mow. I'm keeping the gas mower to get through the weeds and plants that are out of control. As I'm growing more native plants and food, my area of grass is decreasing.

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Rating: - The Reel Deal
It works great. I was prepared for an annoyingly loud *shink*ing noise because of some of the youtube videos I'd watched of this puppy in action. But I was way off. It is whisper quiet and does a great job. It has a little trouble with stubborn tall weeds but if you keep your lawn under control, it does great. I feel very happy with my decision. Now I can sit back and watch the neighbors pour their hard earned cash into their lawn mower's gas tanks.

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Rating: - Pros and Cons
I'll keep it simple in an effort to help those who are undecided.

Pros:

- It's cheap and very low maintenance.
- It's much quieter than a gas mower.
- It's obviously far better for the environment.
- You won't smell like gas fumes when you're done.
- You'll be in better shape in no time...believe me.
- It chews up a surprising amount of grass.

Cons:

- It gets stuck on sticks (just push the blade in reverse with your foot to quickly release sticks).
- It's difficult to maneuver in tight spots.
- It leaves tall grass and weeds standing, because it's not powerful enough to suck them in and chop them. They simply get pushed down, then spring back up.
- You need to be in good shape, because it's a serious workout.

Overall, it's worth it for the environmental benefits. But if you're someone who doesn't mow the lawn regularly, this machine probably won't work for you. Once the grass gets too high, it's too late to use this push reel mower to cut it. You need to be vigilant.

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Rating: - up for resale!
I purchased this after reading the reviews, thinking it would be a great investment. I used it twice, the first time i thought, ok, now that I have it down give a few days and try it again. My lawn looks like hell! I had to go purchase a gas push mower!

If you have an even, small yard, it's an awesome machine! otherwise, there's a lot of "clean up" to do after, ie. tall blades of grass it missed. My lawn has lots of patches from using this... ie. some places it worked great, others left tall grass!

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Rating: - Cuts grass well and reduces carbon footprint
I can't speak about this mower compared to other reel mowers because this is my first one. Many of my comments apply to reel mowers in general, but I do have a few comments about this mower specifically. We have had this mower for one month.

Advantages of this mower:
1) quiet to operate
2) low maintenance
3) adjustable lawn length (we set ours to lowest setting)
4) easy to operate
5) reduces carbon footprint significantly if switching from a gasoline lawnmower. (emissions of lawnmower gasoline engines are not regulated by the government and therefore burn fuel much "dirtier" than cars.) Mowing and average sized US lawn is the equivalent of driving your car through a whole tank of gasoline.)
6) smaller than non-reel mowers
7) heavy enough that it is easy to push, even if the lawn is a little longer in some areas
8) Stability is good: the two-wheel configuration means that it stands up on its own and seems to help with stability.
9) seems of sturdy construction
10) Doesn't seem to take any longer than the gasoline mower, especially if you are in shape and enjoy the exercise.

Because of the advantages I went from a person who hated to cut the lawn to someone who enjoys cutting the lawn. I have not had a problem with longer lawns (as some of the other reviewers pointed out.)

Disadvantages:
1) will not cut lawn with all blades exactly the same length (gives a more au natural cut.)
2)doesn't have grass catcher (we didn't use one anyway for our gas mower.)
3) Wheel seem to bend down grass and because there is no suction action (like you get from a power mower), sometimes the grass that is subjected to the wheels doesn't get cut as evenly as the other grass on the next pass. I reduce this problem by switching directions when I mow (clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise). Changing the direction the blades spin relative to the grass seems to help, but doesn't totally eliminate the issue. My guess is that this is characteristic of all reel mowers.