Fiskars Push Mower, Cut Width Manual Reel Mower with No Motor, Eco-Friendly Manual Reel Lawn Care, 18", Black

I had purchased a brill but had to send back due to defective handle. I researched all the newer type of reel mowers. First I should tell you we wanted a reel mower. We have a fairly small yard less than 500 ft/2 and the back is the same. Mostly landscape, flowers and various plants we really don't need the big gas mower. WE had a very good Neuton battery mower for several years but it too finally gave up. We wanted to leave a smaller carbon footprint hence the manual reel mower. And the extra exercise is good too. Since our mower went out and we had a bit of a struggle getting the right mower our grass had grown a bit high. This afternoon we received the Fiskars mower in great condition packaged very well. Put it together requiring only a couple of tools. The only fall back that we had experienced was the grass catcher, and the blade sharpener that was part of a multi order from the middle of the page that Amazon has for many products, had the wrong grass catcher bag and the wrong blade adjustment /sharpener tool.So beware when looking at the 3 pack order that is on the page. The items are wrong, you will need to order each item separately from the respective page. The Mower ran like glass, no sound other than the movement of the earth, the sky and the birds. Just kidding, but the mower is extremely quiet. Even the action of the no contact blades is unbelievably quiet. The mower due to the action of its wheels and the blade that spins quit fast compared to the motion of the wheels is really something to be experienced. I started to cut the front yard, then the wife took the mower and cut the rest of the yard and then went to the back yard. I got some sweet tea and sat down in the patio, work really fascinates me, I could watch it for hours. I took out the new Black and Decker cordless weed eater and had a blast with it. I am really sold on the new style reel mowers. This one is easy to push, quiet, cuts even over grown grass with just a bit more force, but if kept down , which we always do anyway, it will be an absolute joy to cut. One big difference I would like to mention here, is the reel mower actually cuts grass, like scissors at a much slower pace than rotary mowers. Lawn mowers beat the hell out of the grass bruising it and leaving frayed tips. This is an opening for disease and browning of the grass. I expect to have a greener lawn with less water usage, and less feeding. I will update this review as we use the mower and have more experience with the unit. Have had the mower for a bit now, and it is still going strong. We had quite a windy couple of months so there were lots of tree branches and stuff on the ground but it cut it all like it was nothing. The blades are still sharp, wheels are still firm and the blade rotates with little effort. I have cleaned the mower a bit taking the grass stain off the blade. I did not realize the blade is so sharp. Be aware that you can and will cut out a chunk of skin of you don't wear gloves. Had to have a few stitches. Of course my doctor laughed at me cause I am always hurting myself, and paying for his Cabo vacation. All in all the mower performed beyond expectations, will never go back to a power mower again. Many thanks to Fiskars for producing a mower that outperformed the German design. joe

I've owned this model for about ten years now. Things I regard as positives - (1) It costs less than most quality gas or electric mowers. (2) Burn more calories cutting the grass. (3) It is environmentally friendly. (4) It costs much less to maintain compared to gas mowers - no need to purchase gas or oil. (5) This design seems to spin and generate more power than just my manual push, probably related to how they have the chain linked to the wheels to blades. (6) Lasted ten years before any part broke (7) Can direct the cut grass to be thrown front or back - I prefer front so it sort of gets that double cut into smaller pieces (not mulching though) (8) It has a pretty good cut on the grass, not as good as gas powered mowers if you are looking for that manicured, picture perfect lawn shown in real estate ads, BUT, cuts well for a functional, nice lawn. So over-all, the last ten years I've saved money, burned more calories, and helped the environment..., that's a win, win, win.. :) For negatives, which don't really bother me, but could for others: (1)Takes longer to cut the grass than all powered mowers. (2) For a really nice cut, you need to cut one way, then turn around and cut the other way over the same space. (3) I have somewhat steep hills in my yard, and you will definitely get a workout, especially if the grass is thicker or taller. (4) In some case, similar to gas powered mowers which will clog with thick, tall, or wet grass, you'll need to cut once at a raised blade setting, then again at the lower height. (5) You will need to muscle it to get through thicker grass, but I view that as a good workout. (6) It will not cut TALL grass, so you'll need to weed whack those extra tall stragglers after you do the level cut for the full lawn. (7) Unlike gas powered mowers, you can't just place it over a tight spot, such as a corner of a yard gate to cut the grass. You need movement to roll/cut the grass. Again, I need to weed whack a little more to cut grass in tight corners. I'm 55 and healthy, so I don't mind a little extra muscle work and time in cutting the lawn, plus I'm frugal, so I don't mind the negatives and really like the positives. BUT, if I was older, not steady on my feet, didn't have the time (like I used to with my previous long commuting job), have a lot of hills in a much larger yard, or if I really wanted that perfectly manicured lawn in one mowing, then the negatives would weigh much heavier.

I love the way the lawn looks after the first few mows of the season. The sharp blades really do a great job. Other reviews have mentioned this won't cut anything over ~6 inches and that's true from y experience as well. It's not particularly lightweight nor is it easy to maneuver in some portions of the ¼ acre lawn I'm using this on, but I do love that it's so quiet, requires no gas or much if any maintenance and that I can cut when I want. The quality of the cut is really nice as compared to the gas-powered mowers we have so on that score I'm very pleased. I also like that I can route the grass to the front of back while mowing. It could use some ergonomic improvements. It feels like a substantial piece of equipment (other than the plastic grass hood) and it's a bit of a struggle pushing it through a thick lawn, but overall I'm pleased. Happy not to deal with the smell and sound of an obnoxious gas-powered mower, but I do wish it could deal with those fast-growing taller weeds that can crop up. Plus, it's really hard to move and manage in tight quarters.

Let me start this off by saying that this mower isn't for everyone - if you're buying it expecting it to replace your self-propel gas mower, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. If you legitimately enjoy mowing and you don't have too big of a yard, I HIGHLY recommend getting this and enjoying your time outside as I have. To begin with, getting this mower to work was a labor of love. When my mower first arrived, I immediately noticed that the plastic chain guard was cracked and broken right out of the box. Then, when I took it out to try mowing with it, I found it was almost impossible to push through my grass. I compared the height with my other reel mower and while the other one would cut like a breeze, the Fiskars was almost impossible to push. I still had faith in the brand so I requested a replacement. When the replacement arrived, it had a different issue - one of the bolts holding on the reel blades was improperly assembled, creating a snag point where I could only lower the cutting blades to a certain point. With a little help from my hammer I was able to get the height lowered, but lo and behold I ran into the same issue where it required Herculean strength to push. I had my wife come out and help and I had my father try when he was over - all three of us complained that it was nearly impossible to push through grass that wasn't terribly long nor thick. Running out of patience but willing to give it one more go-round, I opted for another replacement. Once this one arrived, I was immediately optimistic because this one had no damage on it at all. I pulled it out of the box, set the height to about two inches and took off. This thing cut through my grass like a dream. I've held off on reviewing it to see if it would remain a great mower and a few months later it still hasn't let me down. Because of the shade in my back yard, my grass tends to grow extremely fast and thick but this mower hasn't complained once. When I try using my electric (13-amp corded) mower, I continually have to stop and lift the blades off the ground to let some of the clippings drop if I'm not using a bag. With the StaySharp Max I just power through with minimal effort. The InertaDrive really makes a difference as my grass gets thicker and allows me to cut it down with ease. Pros: InertaDrive makes pushing through grass effortless InertaDrive also matches your speed - if you feel like sprinting back and forth, the blades will match your speed and cut the grass accordingly This thing weighs quite a bit and makes it easy to follow the lines in the grass Super quiet - I barely need to turn up the volume on my music when I mow 18" cutting width means fewer passes compared to my old 16" wide reel mower Disperses grass clippings somewhat more evenly than the clumps left by my old standard mower No need for gas, oil, batteries, or cords The height adjustment lever makes changes quick and painless Cons: The weight can be problematic if you have a hill like the one in my back yard - the InertaDrive really exists to keep the blades spinning faster, not to act as a drive train to help push the mower It doesn't mulch, but I can't imagine how you would do that in any real sense with a reel mower Like all reel mowers, a woodchip or a stick will bring you to an immediate halt. Make sure your yard is clear of debris Once I finally got a fully-working mower, I could not have been more pleased with my purchase. No one in my family believes me, but it used to take approximately 75 minutes to cut both my front and my back yard with my old, corded 21" mower, and I can cut everything in less than an hour with this. It has a narrower cutting deck but it makes up for it with the simplicity of turning and going instead of struggling with the cord. Some other pros that might be specific to me because I'm me - it's much more beneficial to the wildlife in my back yard. Since I've moved to this house, I have dozens of these little tiny frogs that are constantly jumping around in my grass. Because of the mechanics for reel mowers, there is only one cutting surface - a horizontal line where the spinning blades contact the cutting surface that cuts the grass down. Outside of extremely poor planning, I can rather safely push the mower throughout my grass without having to worry about them getting sucked up, "mulched," and wetly deposited in my yard. Like I alluded to earlier, I rather enjoy mowing my yard, and push mowers make the whole process feel more natural. My wife has commented that our yard looks better with this mower and it's made me a happier person, so if you think that using a push reel mower is for you, this should be your ultimate destination. For me, I started off with a much cheaper version and tested it out to see if this style of mower was for me. Once I agreed that reel mowers would be my mower model of choice, I decided I wanted to upgrade to whatever would give me the best-in-class experience and the Fiskars StaySharp Max has not disappointed.

I bought this mower 3 years ago & it's still going strong, a little banged up because my yard is no picnic to mow. I'll admit, i haven't even sharpened it, though i bought the kit, because i just haven't needed to. I also bought the basket for catching grass clipping if i ever need to add them to my compost. Down to the specifics. This mower is not hard to push but you can't let your grass get very high. They say in the booklet about 6 inches. I'd agree with that. It also will not cut certain kinds of grass well, like crabgrass or plantain. The first year i used it, i had to trim those with clippers. Your lawn changes, however, as the result of using this mower. You are not burning or twisting the grass. You are simply giving it a haircut so the grass gets much healthier & weeds do not grow as well in your lawn. I do very little clipping anymore. My grass looks better than other lawns because it is not being constantly burnt. Even in late summer, it doesn't look dried out. I set my level to 3, just over violets & clover, so those are there for the bees. One nice feature of this is the ease at which you can adjust the height. Just lean over & quickly raise or lower it for special needs. If you like clover, which I do, this acts like a reseeder. Anything a little higher than 3" disperses. It's very nice, a little shower of clover you move through. I wouldn't call my lawn small. It has some 4 foot hills & this is easier to do than the regular mower I used to use because it is lightweight & can easily be pushed. I can even do some patches with one hand. It's nice to be able to control exactly what i want to cut. One of the main reasons I bought this was that I wanted something that wasn't loud & didn't sell like gas. I have mowed the lawn since I turned 12 & hated that part. This makes mowing a pleasant experience I look forward to each week. I put on headphones & listen to great music or an audiobook. It's enjoyable. I'm also an environmentalist. It uses no gas. The pamphlet says "All it takes is you." The first time I used this, the grass was too high because the shipment was delayed & I just about killed myself. I saw that on the side of the box & laughed "I am not enough", but I was. I'm not that young, late middle age & a woman. I plan to use this for many years & will probably buy a spare for future use. People have seen me mow & comment that they couldn't work that hard. I know I do sweat. It is a workout. It's comparable to the way i feel biking, a low level aerobic activity. It takes me an hour or hour & a half to finish my lawn depending on heat & condition of the grass, more in spring when things are lush. You have to have the ability to push something forward. For a small flat yard, this would be barely any effort. My yard is much larger than that. I think people may not realize how lightweight the mower is. My grandpa had a reel mower that was much harder than this because it didn't have the drive train. Another thing I like is that I can mow any time I want & as early/late as I want. This makes very little noise & will not disturb the neighbors. It makes a pleasant whack whack sound I can't even hear over my music. You do have to watch out for insects because the noise doesn't scare them away. I try to not mow over them. It is also often hard to see what you're already mowed if the grass isn't too high because you are not burning the grass. It's quite the difference. If anyone has questions, I'll be glad to answer. I hope they continue making this model well into the future. They are really onto something. I've been stopped by people while mowing who reminisce that their grandparents used to have one of these, especially kids. They are making a comeback.

I bought this because my rotary mower couldn't cut my Zoysia as low as I wanted to when it was at its thickest without damaging it. It was a good mower with sharp blades, but couldn't cut it low and with quality. Overall this mower is well made and cuts well. It feels like a quality tool (except the catcher, reviewed separately) when you use it. It cuts a nice level cut which looks great when done, much better than a rotary mower. I like the fact that it is quiet and I can cut anytime without disturbing neighbors. It is a workout though, much harder than walking behind a self driving power mower. Also, cutting is different because it only cuts when it is moving, so you have to adjust your approach to parts of your lawn, particularly corners or areas near walls or edges. If you let it get too long between cuts, you will probably have to bring it back down to the level you want a step at a time. This rewards the person that never lets their lawn get out of control. My issues with it are because I'm cutting Zoysia, which is very thick. I want to cut it low, but can't push through it at the height I would like to mow, so I end up keeping it higher than I would like to. I would be ok with mowing it twice to get the height I want, but It adjusts in 1/2 inch increments, which is too much adjustment for thick grass like Zoysia. I think 1/4 inch adjustments would help in my situation. I have only used it about 10 times so can't comment on how long the blade stays sharp. Some of these issues are due to irregularities in my yard, so will try to level that out. The few flat and level areas I have do seem to cut more easily, but I still can't cut to the height I want. Overall, I like the idea of it, and I like the look of the cut, but I'm not sure I will be able to get through it when June comes. It does look noticeably better than what my rotary mower produced.

UPDATED REVIEW - Dropped from 4 stars to 1 star. After using the mower for 2 months, it is jamming up today and getting caught + exponentially harder to push. I've tried a number of things to assess and correct the issue. Update again: I've attempted to contact support using the online form. I've tried twice and it just never submits. Will have to call support and see if that works better. If I can resolve with support, will raise up to 3 stars, but honestly it shouldn't be having problems after 2 months. For reference, If I raise it up one setting the mower operates with ease. As soon as I drop 1 setting (quarter-inch) - the mower becomes unusable. I've mowed down some dense and tall grass with ease on this mower, so I'm not sure why this quarter inch is causing trouble. The only thing I can tell is that when I drop it that one setting, the bottom back of the mower frame is pushing on the grass/dragging. I'm wondering if this is a design flaw instead of a problem with the mower. Then again, it was mowing reasonably a couple days ago, so I have no idea. I'm just starting to regret trying to use a reel mower and should have just opted for gas/electric. The idea of a reel mower is that I don't have to deal w/ gas / electric /problems due to simplicity, but that seems to be unavoidable. I'm a reasonably average guy (6'1") and I used to work out, so I'm not weak. The best analogy to my experience trying to cut the grass today is I felt like those football players trying to push those sleds on the grass. The only problem is I'm not built like a football player / viking, and I shouldn't need to be in order to use this reel mower. Notes: Stored in a garage, used for 2 months, cutting a lawn in Alabama. I cut the grass weekly. ORIGINAL REVIEW Overall a great mower. I used a reel growing up and this felt almost effortless In comparison. Does require some work to get started to get momentum. Pros: -very easy to push once you are moving -almost silent (I can now mow early AM with no worries) -forward grass toss -cuts nicely -simple device -easy storage -can keep grass at a taller height -was able to cut tall overgrown grass (instructions say max is 6” but a couple passes makes short work of taller grass). (I Haven’t tried grass over 8”) Where it could improve (cons): -it’s heavy when stopped -very hard to maneuver around fences -Very hard to turn quickly or sharply. I usually swing around Wide and have to do an odd pattern for lines -the height settings Seem to work for people shorter than 6’2; I find it tolerable. -assembly for the handle seemed a bit tough for how simple it really should be. I had to use a couple tools simultaneously to assemble the handlebars And the height settings weren’t intuitive. Overall I’m very pleased but with some minor improvements this would be the best mower ever.

This is my second hand reel mower. The first mower I purchased was a cheap, lightweight reel mower. I bought it to see if I would like it. I did, even though it took me two passes to get a clean cut and wasn't very wide. After one season of mowing lawns with the cheap mower, I decided it was worth the investment to purchase a quality mower. After considerable research, I decided on this mower. It was a good choice. This mower is considerably heavier than my first. This has its downsides, because I mow a couple of small lawns with it and it was less trouble to throw the lighter mower into my car than this one. However, the heavier weight is primarily a benefit because it keeps the mower from bouncing and skipping on an uneven lawn the way the lighter model did. The blades are sharp and were perfectly aligned when I purchased it, I haven't had to make any adjustments, other than a minor fix after I struck a piece of gravel. I keep my lawn clear of sticks, but this mower cuts right through small twigs and I haven't had any issues with it jamming or getting nicks or burs. The mower pushes easy and makes a clean cut on one pass, although there are always a few blades that escape the mower by bending over, so I sometimes make two passes at different angles. The mower does a beautiful job and the lawns I mow with it look three times as nice as lawns mowed with a gas mower. At the end of the season, I used the Fiskar maintenance kit to sharpen the blades, but this was probably unnecessary because it still worked great. I cleaned it carefully at the end of the season and sprayed it with a silicon lubricant, looking at it now you can hardly tell it has been used. I love this mower.