Customer Reviews

American Lawn Mower 1415-16 16-Inch Hand Push Reel Mower

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've used one of these for about fifteen years, a slightly earlier model 1414-16.

It's been a very good mower. It is very easy to push, and cuts very nicely. Solid metal, yet deceptively light. Its pretty easy to maintain. Oil the bearings annually, and sharpen the blade every year or two. Once you've done it once, sharpening the blade takes about 30 minutes, a screwdriver and a wrench and some valve-lapping compound, and is pretty easy (about the same complexity as assembling a new kids bicycle), but is greasy. That's all you ever have to do. Fifteen years later mine cuts as well as the day I bought it.

I like to think I'm getting more exercise, but the truth is that because of its light weight and good cutting mechanism, its no more effort to push around than a gas mower (if you don't let your grass get too long......).

The only problem I've had is that you have to frequently tighten the nuts holding on the wheels.

If you haven't had a push mower before, a couple of caveats: It does cut more cleanly than a gas mower, but you do usually have to make two passes. Also, you have to keep current with mowing. If you let the grass get too long, you are REALLY going to sweat to cut your lawn the first time. Also, it really won't cut bermuda-type grass very well at all.

While this mower trimmed small patches of clover and leafy plants, it simply squashed down my grass without cutting it. It wouldn't cut anything taller than just a few inches, which I suppose is fine if you want to mow your lawn every other day. Any little piece of debris will stop this mower in its tracks - even a patch of grass a bit thicker than usual. My yard looks terrible and I am returning this mower immediately. I do not recommend this mower.

After buying a reel mower on almost a whim at Lowes, and being amazed at how easy and simple it was, I was sold on the concept of the reel mower. Unfortunately, after going through 4 of those, each one working great for a while, only to have the gears strip after little use, I realized I needed to upgrade. I tried the Great States (same as American Lawn Mower Company) 7 blade reel mower (7 blades because of Bermuda grass). The place that sold it to me, failed to provide a manual, but I found one on the internet. I realized later, after injuring my shoulders from pushing the mower, and working ridiculously hard, that the reel was not adjusted properly when it was sold to me. The reel is designed to cut paper, and it would not cut paper (unlike the Lowe's mower, which did cut paper). The reel was spinning freely, which means it was too loose. I returned it to the shop also, and they said it was bent, and could not be fixed so that it would cut paper. Instead of exchanging it for another one, I got my money back, because of dissatisfaction with other aspects of the Great States/American Lawn Mower mower. The handle places the hands in a narrow grip, which makes it hard to push at times, and led to painful shoulder injuries. The grips on the handle slipped, and added frustration to an already miserable experience. Still, I knew there had to be a better way, and still believed in the concept (and not for environmental reasons, although a surprising amount of pollution is averted). I simply knew that a properly designed reel mower could give a superior cut over a rotary mower, made sense for a small yard without a lot of branches, and was ridiculously easy to store ... almost like putting up a broom or a vacuum cleaner, not to mention the lack of maintenance and noise. So after researching on the internet, I bought the Sunlawn MM2 mower. It is sweet. After taking it outside the first time, my 13 year old daughter asked to use it to mow the lawn. A neighbor asked how I did that. Imagine a teenager asking to mow the yard. )) The Sunlawn comes with an optional grass catcher, which I haven't used yet, and don't plan on using except in the fall prior to overseeding with winter fescue or rye grass. Assembly was a challenge because the instructions are typical ... poorly written and illustrated. The key to both problems encountered was to change the height of the mower cut to easily place parts properly. The Great States/American Lawn Mower reel mower costs less than the Brill or the Sunlawn mowers, but in this case you get what you pay for. The grip of the Sunlawn and Brill mowers is wide, like it should be. The Great States handle is ridiculous, and is not ergonomically correct. FYI, Brill and Sunlawn have many similarities, which why I mentioned Brill, even though I only own the Sunlawn. Amazon has poor delivery times of the Sunlawn, so I cancelled my Amazon order and bought it from Peoplepoweredmachines ... had the mower within 5 days! )) This truly is the way to go for a small, relatively level lawn, with no branches.

It's easy to push, and cuts bermuda and St Augustine AND even thick weeds very well. If yuour grass is too tall, it will lay the grass down rather than cut it, but if you keep up with cutting, it's great! I like that I can even go out at night if I want to, and mow. It's not whisper quiet, but as long as you're not mowing under your neighbors window, you can pretty much mow the lawn without disturbing anyone. Also, when you walk behind it, you don't get hit with rocks and grass and dirt, like you do with power mowers. You can finish mowing with your pants and shoes as clean as when you started.

It's not as fast as a power mower, not by a long shot, but it's not a bad way to mow the yard. It is less stressful, less expensive, and less damaging to your hands, ears, and sinuses! I'm glad I bought it!

I bought one of these and two of the reels would not engauge the cutting bar as they should. Left patches of grass all over.

Took it back and bought a Scott's Classic 20" reel mower. Twice the price, but its made in America and the quality is there.

I borrowed this mower from a neighbor and fell in love! I was afraid to use it at first remembering the old ones from when I was a kid. I have a small european yard and it was perfect. It was so fast, I ran over the grass in different directions to get a different mulching pattern. Safe, easy to use, great for the environment!*****

I got this mower as a gift from Ace Hardware 2 years ago when I was 12 (I'm now 14), because I care about the environment. I love it. It's extremely quiet, and I have abs now. My yard admittedly is WAY too big for it, but I use it anyway. The only consequence is I have to sharpen it twice a year. It cuts just as good as my family's old 1994 Toro mower, just make sure to double-cut with it (up and down each row before moving to the next). Hopefully these will never go away, despite aging baby boomers and self-obsessed, lazy teens today (of which I am not one). American mower's website (google it) is informative as well. Keep on cuttin'!!!

If you learn to use this type of mower, it will serve you well and you will be happy with your purchase. This is my second season using this mower and I am glad I did not get rid of it. I was somewhat disappointed the way my lawn looked after each cutting last year. That was last year, this year I am very pleased indeed with the results. Once you get the cutting height set where you want it, the KEY thing to do is mow your lawn OFTEN. This reel-type mower does not work on the same principle as a run-of-the-mill gas powered mower. With a gas mower, as the blade spins around at hundreds of revolutions per minute, blades of grass are pulled upward so they can be cut by the blade. Look at any circular-cutting gas powered mower blade and you will see that the blade is NOT a flat peice of metal. That curvature you see is what 'lifts' blades of grass for cutting. Blades on a reel-type mower do not have the same type of curvature and so cannot 'lift' any blade(s) of grass. It cuts grass much the same way a pair of scissors cuts paper. So what you have to do is cut your lawn more often with a reel-type mower. You want to cut your lawn when the grass has grown only about an inch to an inch and a half since the last cutting. When I finally learned what an inch to an inch and a half in growth looked like, using this mower has been a pleasant task. I used to mow the lawn only when it "looked like it needed it" but I no longer do that and the results have been dramatic. It is so much easier to push. I get done in a snap compared to how long it used to take. The area I mow measures a little under 4500 square feet and now it takes me less than an hour and practically every blade of grass I want cut gets cut. Last year I used the grass catcher only a few times before doing away with it. Doing away with the grass catcher is another advantage to frequent mowing; clippings are so small, you have zero clippings laying on top of the lawn to spoil its looks AND...the tiny clippings act as a great mulch of sorts to keep the ground cooler and wetter longer after any rains which here in the desert southwest is a real plus. I used to use a trimmer mower and I was happy with the way it worked out, but since taking the time to learn how to use this mower, I am very pleased indeed with the way my lawn looks. Looking at my lawn this year as opposed to last year, I now know why almost every golf course in America uses a reel-type mower. It may be a gas powered reel-type mower, but it is still a reel-type mower. So then, at the risk of beating a dead horse here: if your mower leaves a lot of standing grass, you are waiting too long to cut. If your mower is really hard to push, you are waiting too long to cut. If you have a lot of clippings laying on top of your grass, you are waiting too long to cut. Do not give up right away and you will be glad you bought this mower. One last thing...I like shopping with Amazon.com, yet I like supporting my local business people by shopping locally even more. So look around your town and see if your local business owner (I DO NOT MEAN Walmart, K-Mart, Lowe's or the like) has this mower. I got mine through our local Western Auto store. I had to wait only a few days for it to arrive, but hey, my lawn was still here by the time it arrived, and I bet yours will be too.

I've had this mower for a few months now and it works great!
I love

the exercise,
the nearly silent operation,
the clean cut of my lawn,
and the fact that it's made in the USA.

I've been recommending this product to all my friends and
family. If we all start buying American made products, we
just might find our way of this recession!

This is a great manual push mower. It is well-built and made in America.