Hey all,

Decided to take the plunge into a reel mower on Bermuda.

I got the Mascot 21" silent cut reel push mower -- Apparently, it's a knockoff of the old Agri fab / Scott's / Craftsman Silent Cut reel of days yore...

My self propelled push mower was doing a horrible job on my bermuda -- Leaving tracks, uneven cut, crop circles, bogging down, and requiring me to mow this section TWICE each session... This is mowing 2-3x per week.....

Here's my mini-review for the crowd....
Bear in mind, this is a review of a manual push mower on a dense lawn that clogs up gas mowers.... and this is PRIME TIME Bermuda season!

1. What a freakin' workout! Talk about cardio-insanity... I actually lost 3 lbs mowing my 5,000 sq-ft of Bermuda. Granted, that's probably mostly sweat... but still!

1.5 My wife tried it out -- made it 1 foot and said "No way!"

2. Cut is beautiful. Best I have ever achieved on this lawn. Flat and smooth....

3. Wish I would have bought the 18" model instead... the 21" width is just a beast to push in this lawn....

This would be an awesome choice if you had a boy who was getting into Football or some sort of athletic sport -- where they needed some endurance training under load... It would do the trick!

On other grass and weeds in my lawn.....
*MUCH* easier.... It ran through Crabgrass and Fescue and weedy grass areas with ease compared to the Bermuda....

Weight wise -- 44lbs or so... so heavy for a Reel mower, but much lighter than the 150 lbs my Push mower weighs.... The inertia provided by the weight seemed to help power through really tough sections..... The weight allowed me to make a running start and power through the massively thick Bermuda in my swale.... For reference, that section clogged my Troy Bilt self propelled mower on Friday when I mowed last....

Overall... My impression is that this is A well built Quality mower... It's definitely Heavy duty for a reel mower. If you are considering a push reel mower -- I would recommend it... but Buy the 18" model unless you are looking for a workout.....

Thanks

John

Here's a couple videos I found on Youtube...... Converting a push reel mower to Electric!

Seems like quite a good idea and quite a bit more powerful than anything you can get on the market... the current crop of electric reel mowers have the reputation of being terribly weak/useless....

Click here for more information
and
Click here for more information

Thanks

John

Wow now I want to buy a reel mower and convert it to electric like that.

So have you noticed the bermuda growing even faster now that its not using so much energy recovering from the rotary mowing? Thats one of the things that has held me back. 2x a week is enough. If reel mowing allows the grass to grow faster and it then needs 3 cuts a week then Im not interested lol.

Years ago, there used to be low-speed gasoline-powered reel mowers, especially by Jacobsen. I still see vintage ones discussed from time-to-time.

I know it was never a truly large market, but does anyone know why they went away and are no longer made in consumer-quantities?

grandpa had a REO reel mower w/B&S engine. ran great for years. grandpa was a machinist and could keep it sharp and adjusted. now days it's just difficult to get somebody to sharpen the blade on a rotary mower. building and selling something like a self propelled reel mower to the average homeowner would be a nightmare for everybody involved. you know anybody at the box store that could set one up? kinda pricey?

Click here for more information
20” Reel Mower, 7 Blade, 4HP Honda Engine, Self Propelled,
Cutting Range 1/4” to 1 1/4” $ 1280.95

Sharpening them can be a pain in the [banned word]. Fortunately, I live on a golf course and the mechanic puts the reel in this specialized grinding machine. It is pretty difficult to find someone that will sharpen these blades.

I usually sharpen mine 2-3 times a season with thick Bermuda.

Hey, John.

How are feeling about this mower after a couple months now?

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Funny you should ask.... I like the exercise... but don't kid yourself -- it's a workout on thick, squishy grasses like Bermuda and Bent.

I just mowed the main bermuda today with it.... I waited a little too long and it was a fight.....

Bermuda will punish you if you wait too long between cuttings.... I mowed some fescue and crabgrass with it once -- easy easy easy.....

If you watch the review videos of those folks pushing one of the 18" models -- you will see whisper quiet operation... This is how it runs when you wipe down the reel with some light oil.... It's gone after about 2-passes in the lawn and the mower becomes quite a bit noisier.... Nothing like the clatter a Scott's makes, though....

Thanks

Would you say it would be as difficult with any push reel? Or just your model because it is one of the heavier reels on the market?

Are you satisfied with the overall performance and cut? Would you recommend this mower to someone in the market for a push reel?

Thanks!

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It's not the weight -- I really feel like the extra weight adds momentum/inertia -- which helps out a whole lot.... especially when you have a bumpy lawn like I do...

It's the width -- 21" wide is really big for a push reel mower. I now know the obvious reason that 99.9% of all reel mowers in the world are 18" and narrower....

Thanks

love the electric conversion. I may actually try that.

southerncalpal wrote:love the electric conversion. I may actually try that.

Click here for more information

This place has some decent prices on parts. Think everything one would need is right there.

If I catch one of the big box stores putting their reels on sale, I may give it a shot, too.

Man, think about a little 2 stroke engine on a reel mower.

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John, where did you purchase your Silent Cut from?

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I bought it here:
Click here for more information

Lowes and HD are the only places around here that sell mowers... and apparently Reed mowers just aren't a high volume item....

Thanks

John

One more question John.

If I've already asked you this in PM, please forgive my memory.

What height do you mow your Bermuda with the silent cut?

Got mine in today. At your warning, I got the 18".

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I think it is somewhere around 1".... Seems to be a good number for my TIF 419.

Thanks

Thank you, sir. 1 inch was the number I had in my head that i'd like to mow mine.

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Hi Michael,

Have you had a chance to use the 18" Mascot? If so, what's your take on it? How hard/easy was it to push thru Bermuda? Thx.

Nothing thick yet.

Mine is still waking up, so I have no experience with it on thick grass yet.

What I've had it on so far is easy enough to push one handed. But it was only cutting a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of growth on Bermuda that is nowhere near going strong yet.

Here is my lawn yesterday to give a little idea about how much green up I'm talking.

Click here for more information

I will be sure to post a review when it is full fledged cutting time.

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Thanks Michael for the little update. Looking forward to your review as it will help me decide whether to get one myself or not.