Customer Reviews

Great States 415-16 16-Inch Standard Full Feature Push Reel Lawn Mower With T-Style Handle And Heat Treated Blades

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a small patch of lawn for a front yard, and a large patch for a backyard. I just HATED dragging out the big noisy gas mower for the front.

I am still a bit taken aback at the price on reel mowers... but after using it, I understand.

This is no flimsy hunk of aluminum and plastic. This is a nice heavy chunk of metal. The blades will stay sharp for years. It made short work of my lawn and was NOT tedious to push around. The reel spins smoothly and is pleasant to listen to... compare it to the din of gas mowers.
I've already had a neighbor ask me where I got it.

I gave this mower only 4 stars instead of 5 because:
1. The T handle was difficult to attach to the reel. I had to whack at it with a hammer to get it into the correct position on the reel.
2. It does NOT work well on taller grass. Anything too tall just gets rolled over. (Incentive to keep the lawn in check.)
But these negatives do not outwiegh the positives.

Overall, I'm glad I got it!

I purchased a similar 16" reel mower by Great States because I have a very small lawn and didn't want the hassle, cost, noise and environmental problems from the gas mowers I grew up with.

It took about 30 minutes to put together, with some detergent to slip the handlebars on and some elbow grease to get the nuts and bolts fastened.

When I started cutting with my mower for the first time, my neighbor saw what I was doing and rushed over saying, "you'll rip the blades of grass with that thing. You can borrow mine (big, gas-powered rear-bagger) until you can afford a REAL lawn mower."

I politely declined as he went into the house shaking his head, thinking I was nuts.

The mower cut pretty good - I had to do a few spots over again, because the cut was uneven, and it does a poor job of edging. I cut the tall grass around the tree in front of my house and edged around the sidewalk and my garden with a pair of hand shears. That took about 15 minutes.

When I was finished, I hung the mower up in my garage.

Using the reel mower was an adjustment after growing up with a big gas mower at my parents' 1960s suburban home, but my lawn is small, and I hate the hassle, noise and cost of the gas mowers (not to mention the environmental issues), I'm planning on keeping the reeel mower, but I would also recommend a good weed whacker and some grass shears.

I have used conventional, gas-powered, walk-behind rotary mowers my whole life. Having just recently moved to a townhouse with a smallish lawn that is in relatively good condition, I decided to experiment with a reel-type mower.

I was not expecting much, but was EXTREMELY pleased with the results. I believe this type of mower can give you a BETTER cut than you can get with your common gas mower.

On my lawn, at the 2 1/2 inch height setting, pushing the mower takes little effort. The sound this machine makes is sweet and satisfying: a sharp, whispery, snickering sound. Cutting with this instrument feels more PRECISE than with the common gas mower. You are manicuring your grass, not just ripping it to a shorter height.

The other benefits are just gravy: it costs next to nothing, it hangs in your shed, it is very light, it is safer, it takes no gas, requires no starting, and you could mow at night were you so inclined.

There is a certain simple sophistication about this kind of mower. If you have the right kind of lawn situation, getting this machine is a no-brainer.

My Wii Fit says, "Ouch" when I step on it - I'm 55 and obese. I used a self-propelled gas mower that dragged all my weight quickly down the narrow slopes of my half-acre lot and threaten to bash me into the fence at the bottom. Self-propelled can be scary and difficult to resist, especially on wet slopes. I hoped the reel mower would be safer and it is. I now use the reel mower for the entire front and side yards.

If you impatiently want a perfectly cut lawn, this mower's cons may concern you:
> A few blades of grass are missed; more if the grass is tall
> It takes 1.5 - 2 times as long as a self-propelled gas mower to mow the yard
> It cuts as wide as the blades; not the tires (you get used to it)
> The blades need lightly lubed after each use; WD-40 works great

If a few missed blades and more time are not an issue consider these pros:
> No noise loud enough to prevent an early morning mow
> No gas burnt or spilled
> No oil burnt
> No smoke
> No dust or dirt stirred up
> No power cord to chew through
> No pull cord to pull and pull
> No filter, spark plug or valves to replace
> No battery to charge and push around
> No control cables to stick, kink or break
> No projectiles
> No muffler burns or added heat
> No carbon monoxide
> No shredded wood/plastic/metal
> No carb cleaner
> No lubing all the spring and lever linkages.
> Mom will not say, "You'll put your eye out"
> Stop & it stops
> Light to carry
> Easy to push and maneuver
> Easy to adjust cut and wheel height
> No burned-up motor
> No fighting the self-propel drive
> No tip hazards - Injury, damage or oil in cylinders
> Environmentalist will pass over your doorway
> Under $100

BOTTOM LINE: Enjoyable change after 25 years of roaring gas engines. Do it for your ears!

Pros:
-Solid construction.
-Compact, relatively lightweight (~15 lbs), easy to hand carry, easy to push, easy to store.
-Quiet.
-Self-mulching, no heavy/PITA grass catcher bag to deal with.
-No need to buy gas or oil, no need to crank start.
-Cuts grass cleanly, adjustable cutting heights.

Cons:
-Cuts grass unevenly, depending on how long the blade of grass is. Often requires multiple passes at different angles to get an even cut.
-Doesn't cut out to the wheels, requiring some overlap and makes it difficult to get at lawn edges if you have paver/stone edging.

Overall:
This is a good mower for someone with a small yard, or someone with a big yard who isn't too picky about having the perfectly manicured lawn. It's an energy efficient, environmentally/neighborhood friendly mower that will help keep your lawn healthy. It can be a little time inefficient depending on how picky you are about getting an even cut (basically how many passes at different angles you're willing to make). The reel mower design tends to push long blades of grass down (as opposed to getting sucked up into the blades like with a powered mower), so cutting grass that is more than about 1" longer than cut height requires multiple passes. (This mower works better with grass that is regularly cut.) It requires about as much effort to push as a non-propelled gas mower, and requires very little maintenance - just occasional blade sharpening and oiling.

I actually bought this at my local hardware store, so I didn't have to assemble it. I've been very happy with it. This was my 5th summer using it and I find it easy to use, durable and reliable, quiet, and good for the environment. Raking up the clippings after mowing is more of a workout than pushing the mower. I've had the blades sharpened once in the 5 years. The only time it doesn't cut well is when the grass is too high. Then we might have to rake it to make it stand up before we mow and go over it a few times to get a successful cut.

This mower works as well as I'd think they are supposed to. The only 2 complaints I have is that small sticks and woody type stems will jam the reel and you have to manually pick them out. Also, it just doesn't cut long heavy grass or weeds. It is perfect for maintaining a yard but you have to keep it up or you'll have to resort to a power mower anyway. It is fun to use, quiet and my grandson who is 11, really likes it too.

For those who have researched which model reel mower you want to purchase, as I did, this is not model number 415-16SK (Sharpening Kit included) as the description says it is. I made this purchase do to the fact that customer service at American Lawn Mower Company told me that model 415-16SK was still made in the US. This model is 415-16, no SK, is made in China. Of course what isn't these days, but, from the American Lawn Mower Company? Disapointing. I have decided to keep it and have been given a sharpening kit from Amazon. I will give a proper review and adjust my score accordingly after I have had a chance to try it out. I still think it is a good environmental and healthy (for me and the grass) thing to use. Only wish it was made here in US.

UPDATE: After using this lawn mower now for 3 full summers I can say that I still like it. Starts every time! If you want a perfect cut you will have to go over the lawn twice. Easy to clean and store, sharpening takes about 20-30 minutes once a year, perhaps twice. I would recommend wiping it down with a clean cloth and coating the blades with a spray lubricant like WD40 to keep it in good shape from cut to cut. I can recommend it for sure, great for the grass, the environment and you! buy one!

My patch of grass is barely 1,000 sqft, so a gas mower would be overkill and an electric mower too pricey. The 415-16 pushes easily and leaves a reasonaly even lawn. My rationale for choosing 16-inch, over 18 or larger, was easier manuverability and less pushing resistance.

I found the drawbacks, as others have mentioned, to be that it leaves the occassional stray blade (as it doesn't have lifting action and won't do taller grass or grass that hasn't been mowed in a while, one would need weed-wack first). In my application it also leaves about a 6-inch edge, since that's as close as I can get because of a fence.

But now that the lawn is well managed, regular mowing (every 4-6 days) produces short clippings that work as mulch for lawn.

(The 415-16 seems to be sturdy and easy to maintain. Since this is my first push mower, I can't offer any comparison to other brands.)

The assembly of this mower was tool-less and easy. The blades are sharp and effective. After using it once I give it five stars. Because I live near salt water, I intend to follow the manufacturer's suggestion to spray the blades and moving parts with a lubricating oil after each use to prevent rust and to keep the blades sharp.