After a few weeks of reviewing and saving, I finally was excited to order the Mascot reel mower. I couldn't wait for it to get here. When it did, the thing was so tight I couldn't even turn the reel, I mean tight. So I read the manual carefully and started slowly loosening the reel to bedknife contact. Once I got it adjusted, I noticed three blades were making much more contact in the middle of the reel, like maybe those blades didn't have enough taken off during sharpening. I called Mascot for help and he said he was sending me a new one. I was a little surprised, but thought it sounded like he maybe had heard this before. My next one got here the the box was thrashed. The box was open and only held together by the two outside metal straps. The mower's manual was placed between the bedknife and reel and had been hit or thrown around so much that it cut the manual in half and the reel was completely locked up, against the bedknife. I haven't even called Mascot back, I don't know what I'm going to say. I'm just frustrated at this point.

I'm with simpson.

This hasn't been my experience with them at all. They aren't a huge business. I bet they would like to make this right, be it a third mower, or a refund.

I would try out the first one if you still have it... Oil the blade with some motor oil and see how it does...

Mine was quite tight when I got it... but some oil on the blade and a mowing or 2 and it was running like a champ... Now.. It's not contact free... The reel will make light contact against the bed knife.... It's not going to hit as hard as a Scott's... but it's also not completely noiseless like a Brill...

Stuff that's damaged in shipment should be reported to the carrier as such... Usually, you gotta file a claim with the carrier....

Thanks

I've tried oiling it and have literally spent hours trying to get it adjusted correctly. I set the unit on my bench with the handles off to get where I can get up to it close and fine tune it. The second one is exactly the same, four of the six blades rub in the very center first, before any other part of the reel touch. It's like there's more metal there, if I adjust any part of the rest of the reel to where it'll cut paper, one of the four blades mentioned above will be so tight that it won't go past the bedknife. Also, the plastic rear roller is warped so bad that when I lift the wheels off the ground by pushing the handle towards the ground and walk, it makes the entire mower undulate up and down. The owner is probably going to think I'm full of it when I call him. It was in route 4 days before it got to me and I think the box took a beating the whole way. One other strange thing I forgot to mention in the first post is the right half of every blade has a relief cut and slowly tapers into a flat grind. This is only on the second mower. It's almost as if the thing was shipped halfway through the job being completed.

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so much for all their marketing touting "we import the mascot from China and then have our Amish team lubricate,sharpen and adjust each one precisely before shipping it" send it back and try a different brand from a different retailer- totally unacceptable,and not worth the hassle at all.Go to your local Lowes/HD and pick another brand,take it home and use it a few times, if it doesnt meet your expectations, return it......After trying, and owning many different brands of reel mowers,I would suggest starting with the Fiskars Momentum at $199.ITS THAT GOOD,and 10X better than any I have ever used,both in cutting performance and build quality, not to mention overall design and engineering.Lowest it will cut is 1.00 inch though, so if you regularly cut shorter, it will not allow you to do that.

Heck, my cheap Scotts reel sounds better than that!

I would be wary of the fiskars on bermuda.

My 6 bladed reels left some rippling in the grass, and a five bladed reel is only going to be worse. I've found mention of this problem by a few other people on another forum, and one was even told by Fiskars that the mower wasn't built for cutting Bermuda low, and that they(Fiskars) would recommend returning it.

If I were going to try another type for Bermuda, it would be the American 7 blade bentgrass model.

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Tru cut also makes a 7 blade push mower, and Mclane makes a 7 AND 10 blade push mower.

I have no direct experience with these mowers, but know that heading in the direction of MORE blades is going to be better than less in regards to cutting Bermuda low.

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I can't help but think/hope I just got a couple of weird ones. It really is just my luck. Not to sound like a pity party, but this stuff happens so I'm kinda used to it. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but not any more chances, my grass is too tall. It truly is my fault, looking back. Made in China, sharpened, adjusted, etc., by Amish. Come on, man.

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So, you gonna try for a third one?

The other 2 sound unusable, IMO. I wouldn't settle for that.

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jltmaxx wrote:I can't help but think/hope I just got a couple of weird ones. It really is just my luck. Not to sound like a pity party, but this stuff happens so I'm kinda used to it. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but not any more chances, my grass is too tall. It truly is my fault, looking back. Made in China, sharpened, adjusted, etc., by Amish. Come on, man.

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just shows how sloppy their manufacturing process really is if they have to open every box once it lands in the USA and tweek the junk so it is {sometimes} adequate enough to actually sell to a customer......bad sign.Buy local,take home and use and keep, or return to the store the same day.

Michael Wise wrote:Tru cut also makes a 7 blade push mower, and Mclane makes a 7 AND 10 blade push mower.

I have no direct experience with these mowers, but know that heading in the direction of MORE blades is going to be better than less in regards to cutting Bermuda low.

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I wouldnt get hung up on the amount of blades a mower has, more isnt necessarily better.You want a HEAVIER mower to be able to cut bermuda short easily.

Weight of the mower has nothing to do with the clip rate.

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HanLawn wrote:You want a HEAVIER mower to be able to cut bermuda short easily.

The shorter you go, the higher the clip rate needs to be. Weight keeps the mower in contact with the ground which helps cut quality, but without a high enough clip rate, appearance will suffer.

You increase the clip of a reel mower by increasing the number of blades, or with reel:ground speed.

I'm not making this up or trying to poopoo your grass and mower choice. It's just that 3" fescue or KBG isn't inch or sub inch Bermuda or bent grass.

Click here for more information

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Your link says 5 blade reel is good for cutting down to 0.31 inch mow height, 7-9-10 blade down to 0.12 or so.....are we talking cutting lawns or putting greens? see here for more info Click here for more information

I took that quote to mean that is the amount being cut off.

Like I said, I found a few mentioning they had problems with the rippling in short cut Bermuda. One even contacting fiskars and being told that the mower wasn't set up for turf like bermuda. That backed up conventional reel mower theory and I was just letting the OP know. Not interested in pushing my equipment as I am finding out what is best for my Bermuda.

I'm not gonna argue with you on this. For shorter turf, mower weight, speed, and reel speed identical, the more blades the better.

I knew it would give you diarrhea if I said anything bad about that mower. Sorry you take things that way.

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Click here for more information

"Reel mowers produce the best cut on bermudagrass turf. However, the number of blades per cutting reel determines the smoothness of cut. Common bermudagrass mowed at 1 inch or higher can be cut with a reel with 5 or 6 blades. Common and hybrid bermudagrasses mowed at ° to 1 inch should be cut with a reel containing 7 blades. At heights below ° inch, 9 to 11 blades per reel are required for a smooth cut."

And based on my findings this year with actually cutting Bermuda with manual reels, I'd say the 5 and 6 blade recommendations are conservative for that height. Erring to the side of more blades is not a mistake for Bermuda, IMO.

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Hey, Michael, does your Mascot make your lawn rippled or wavy in any way?
How was your mower right out of the box? Any adjustments at all?

Han, I wish I could see more mowers down here, most people don't even know what a reel mower is.

Thanks to both you guys for the info., any other ideas/input?

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I never noticed any ripples with the 6 bladed mascot. I DID notice them with my 6 bladed promow gang reels.

The only thing I could attribute it to, but haven't looked into, is that the mascot reel turned faster in relation to ground speed. Don't know that to be fact, but that my guess.

But the simple answer is no, I did not notice any rippled cuts with it.

When I first used mine, there was a 2 inch strip on one side of the reel that didn't cut. I simply adjusted that side a frog hair and she cut like a charm.

I would definitely not let your problems go. Regardless of your choice of ANOTHER mascot, or a different brand. Neither of the mowers you received are acceptable, IMO.

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