Tool Time: Fiskars Reel Mower
Photo courtesy of Fiskars
My advice to my married women friends has always been: Never learn how to use the lawn mower. Claim ignorance if you are simply asked to move it out of the way in the garage.
Touch the lawn mower once, and it will be yours forever. Mow the lawn once, and you will be the default lawn mower henceforth.
Not a danger, frankly, in my house. My husband loves to mow his lawn and takes great pride in the result.
The only arguments about the lawn come when I try to turn more of it into gardens. He thinks of himself as Chamberlain and the lawn as the Rheinland. You can guess what part I play in his little WW II analogy.
But what if the lawn mower is really cute? (The machine, ladies, not the young guy pushing it.)
That's certainly the case for the new Fiskars reel mower. It is a real mower. And very energy efficient. And no one - woman, wife or reluctant teen-ager - can claim it is too difficult to operate.
But it takes a regular lawn mower (a person as opposed to the machine) to evaluate it, and I clearly don't have the credentials. I asked Joe Lamp'l (aka Joe Gardener, PBS gardening host) to give me his assessment. He spent some time pushing it around at the recent Garden Writers Association meeting in Raleigh.
Here's his evaluation.
OK, there are a lot of fill-in-the-blanks for the following: You know you’re an adult when…
For me, this weekend it was the following: "you come home from several days out of town and the first thing you do is mow your grass…not because it needs it, but because you have this new awesome reel mower you just can’t wait to try!"
Yup, I admit it. I couldn’t wait to get home. I had driven to the annual Garden Writer symposium and was able to score one of the brand new Reel Mowers that Fiskars was unveiling to the 600 members of the media in attendance. Having an empty pickup truck bed made for an easy haul home.
Now for the record, I’ve been a fan of reel mowers for several years, but frankly, they’ve all had their share of limitations that have kept me from fully embracing them. That is, until now. This baby cuts as high as I need, is easy to push, doesn’t jam on small twigs and cuts like all the other Fiskars tools I’ve come to know and love.
So goodbye gas mower and other reel models. I’m a one-mower man now, and it was true love at first sight!"
Looks like Fiskars will roll out (forgive the pun) its new line of reel mowers in time for the next lawn season. Lowe's will be carrying them for about $199.
Comments
I really want one! Do you have any idea what they will cost? I don't cut the grass because I dislike using loud machinery.
Marueen. There are several models. I have called for prices, but so far no response from Fiskar. As soon as I get some more info, like where you can purchase one, I will pass it on.
Posted by: Maureen | October 3, 2009 10:38 AM
Hi, Amazing! Not clear for me, how offen you updating your weblogs.baltimoresun.com.
Posted by: Nadine | October 4, 2009 1:27 PM
I've been all over google and have been unable to determine the difference between Fiskar's reel mower and, for instance, my Black & Decker reel mower.
Last fall, when my gas-powered mower died, I decided to decrease my carbon footprint by using a reel mower. Even as I stood in Home Depot, calculating the amount of phyical labor this would entail and then adding another 20% to allow for July heat, I seem to have under estimated. I have a very small yard, but I seem not to have factored in the physics of - among other things - needing both tires firmly on the ground.
Eve. My guess is, Fiskar's which is known for its sharp blades, might have an edge here. Early reviews are that its reel mower does a better job with twigs and is less likely to get bogged down in tall grass. Are you volunteering to do a comparison for us? LOL -- Susan
Posted by: Eve | October 5, 2009 5:00 PM
Do you know if there is a bag for collection of clippiings for the Fiskar front throw reel mower??
Thanks, Dave
PS. Saw them for sale today at Lowes in Aliso Viejo, Ca.
Cool!--Susan
Posted by: David Taylor | February 9, 2010 9:52 PM
I just bought one of these mowers and I absolutely love it. I have never had a reel mower before because everyone always told me they were harder to push than gas mowers... maybe they were 30 years ago, but this one is easier to push than the gas mower I just bought last year. It cuts really well, it's light, handle is adjustable, and blade height is easily adjusted up to 4". I would recommend this mower to anyone who would rather be able to hear the birds sing while cutting the grass than deal with fumes, loud noise, vibration, buying gas, etc.
Posted by: Just Me | April 21, 2010 6:53 PM
To address Nadine's concerns, Fiskars created a great video outlining the benefits of the Momentum mower vs. gas mowers and other reel mowers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWBGdJDHtUA
Some highlights from the video include:
1. The Momentum is Eco friendly
2. Better for the health of your lawn (rotary vs. reel mowers)
3.Better for your health (no gas or noise pollution)
4. Better for your budget.
5. Virtually no maintenance.
Another huge advantage of the Momentum is the ability to change the blade height.
All in all a great lawn mower!
Posted by: Brendan McCarthy | March 22, 2011 3:02 AM