Customer Reviews

Sunlawn 16-Inch Manual Reel Push Mower MM-1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought this mower for the typical reasons:

1. Used power mower that I bought a few years ago died.
2. Wanted something light and quiet.
3. The lack of emissions and the "old fashioned-ness" of the thing appeals to me.

Here are the pros as I see them:

1. Reel height is higher than many others on the market. There are a few others that go up to about 3 inches, but their blades need sharpened yearly (see point two). I live in the South, and everybody I've talked to down here says that you absolutely shouldn't mow below 2.5 inches in the hot, dry summer.
2. Blades don't need sharpened every year. Since they do not actually make contact with the cutting bar, the manual says that the blades shouldn't need any care for 7 to 10 years.
3. Very easy to push and extremely quiet as compared to a powered mower.
4. You can mow bare foot! OK, this may not be recommended, but you can do it without worrying about getting hurt. The greatest thing, I believe, about this and other reel mowers is that it's easy to take it out of the garage and mow for 15 minutes when you get home from work. You don't get too warmed up and you continually keep up with the growing grass.
5. Mowed grass, which is ultimately how we rate our mowers, looks fine. There are probably other mowers that will give you more of a manicured look, but you won't be displeased with the Sunlawn.

Cons:
1. You can't let your grass grow tall! Tall grass and weeds simply bend over and don't get between the blades and the cutting bar. My grass grows fairly slowly, but there are some weeds in my lawn that don't. One kind shoots a single seed head up to about a foot in a matter of days. The only option with this mower is to hand pull them or use a weed eater after you've mowed. This is kind of a pain, but it applies equally to all reel mowers. It actually is probably less of an issue with the Sunlawn due to the higher mow height.
2. It is made in China. All things being equal, I would prefer something American made. I'm not a huge Buy Only American person, but I do like to get quality when I invest in something. This mower has the look and feel of something made in China. That's not to say that it doesn't seem to be well made and won't last a good while. I just know from reading other reviews of reel mowers that the Luxus owners all speak to the quality of the manufacturing. I can't really say that this mower has that feel of quality.

Not to dwell on this, but I would think that the Sunlawn folks would have given this more thought. I would guess that the market they're going after would be more than willing to pay an extra 40 or 50 bucks to buy a mower that doesn't have the perceived or real negatives of being built in China. They're already paying as much for a reel mower as a decent low end powered mower. I went back and forth between buying this mower and another that is significantly more expensive due to questions in my mind about its manufacture quality. Had the thing cost $225 and not raised those questions, I would have probably bought it sooner and with more confidence than I did.

All in all, I'm glad I bought this mower and would do so again. I plan to keep it and use it for many years to come!

this is the most enjoyable time i've ever had mowing my lawn. i prefer the way my lawn looks after i finish mowing with my mm-1. i heard that reel mowers don't do well on bumpy lawns. i consider my lawn to be fairly bumpy and haven't had any problems. i decided that if i could mow my lawn without using any gasoline or emitting pollution then that's what i should be doing. i also like the idea that my neighbors in this newly developing suburban community all seem to be surpised with how well this contraption that doesn't require fuel or an engine does it's job. the fact that my using this mower has influenced a few people on my street to make their next lawn mower a non-polluting, earth friendly reel mower makes it worth it.

the two major reasons i bought this particular reel mower instead of a different brand are:

1)i bought this particular mower instead of the 20 inch wide scotts reel mower because the blade on the mm-1 doesn't need sharpening for at least 7 years. the mm-1 doesn't cut as wide of a path as the scotts, but i'm fat and the extra work i'm doing with this mower is good for me.

2) the 2.8 inch cutting height was another selling point. most reel mowers don't cut much higher than 2 inches. while it's true that most grass doesn't NEED to be cut to 3 inches, i prefer mine to be that tall, it just looks better...and it helps hide the bare spots.

just remember, if your grass hasn't been cut in awhile and it looks a bit more like a forest than a lawn, you'll need to go over it with a power mower the first time. reel mowers are for maintaining lawns that aren't over 4 inches or so in height.

Bad review for Sunlawn, but great review for Amazon. This is the first bad experience I have ever had with an Amazon Merchant. My reel mower didn't arrive by the date it was supposed to. After waiting several extra days,I contacted Amazon, who said wait until this new date, and it showed up. All was fine until the mower broke the 2nd time we used it. We had a horrible time getting a hold of sunlawn for a refund or replacement-- always getting a message about an unprecedented number of calls and never receiving an email response. When I left a message with sunlawn saying I was contacting Amazon about their service, I finally got a call back. They said I would receive a return shipping label-- but it never came, and I never heard from them again. I did hear from Amazon, who followed through and refunded my purchase. Amazon is wonderful -- just stay away from Sunlawn.

I recently bought the MM-1 and I've used it about three times now. I've been a little disappointed by the MM-1, but I've reluctantly decided to keep it.

Five years ago, I bought a Brill, which I absolutely loved. What an amazing piece of engineering! The build quality was fantastic and I've never had a single problem. I decided to replace the Brill only because we just put in a new lawn and the Brill's maximum cutting height is a little too short (1.8").

The Sunlawn MM-1 was a natural choice for a new mower. Unfortunately, it's fallen far short of the high bar set by the Brill. Here are a few of my complaints:

-- The Brill has a really sturdy handle that attached securely to the mower. The MM-1 handle feels about the same, but the screws used to assemble the handle don't seem to fit that well. In addition, the clips used to secure the handle to the mower broke off within 10 minutes of assembling the mower. I managed to rig something to keep the handle in place, but the build quality seems to be very poor.

-- The Brill blades are so expertly fitted to the mower that they spin at lightning speed under the pressure of a hose. The MM-1 blades don't move as smoothly and they stick under the pressure of a hose. The cut quality seems OK, but it's a little more uneven than the Brill.

-- The Brill has a neat handle made of black molded plastic that is incredibly good-looking and sturdy. The MM1 has a cheap-looking foam cover that will definitely not be as durable.

-- The MM1 also has funny flap that you attach to the back of the mower in order to get the grass into the catcher. I really hate this thing, and the Brill doesn't need one. There also seems to be an issue with the tolerances of the screws used to secure this flap -- they just don't fit very well. One is a little too tight and I can't get the screw all the way in. The other is a little too loose and it fell out once while I was mowing the lawn.

I was in love with my Brill, but I'm pretty much indifferent to the MM-1. It does the job, but it's not a work of art.

In the end, I decided to keep the MM-1 because:

-- It cuts high for a reel mower and the advertised height of 2.8" seems to be about right. The lawn is healthier and looks much better at this height. The cut quality is decent if you mow every week.

-- It's light-weight and maneuverable.

-- I don't want to sharpen the blades every year and I'm banking on Sunlawn's claim that the blades will not require sharpening for 7 years. The blade quality looks pretty good, so they may hold up.

I am just very disappointed that the MM-1 doesn't match the Brill in terms of build quality or user experience. It's not even close. If I could find a Brill with a cutting height of 3", I would buy it in a second. I support what Sunlawn is trying to do, but they've got to do something about their product quality, and fast. Without glowing reviews on Amazon, I don't think I'd buy from them again.

This is a review for the MM2, not the MM1. I'm posting it here because of similarities.

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.

I've had this mower all season, and mowing the lawn has quickly become one of my favorite activities-- with my old gas mower, lawn-mowing was a chore. In fact, my friends have also discovered the joys of my Sunlawn and will often stop by just to mow. It's a great way to get outside, enjoy the weather, and meet the neighbors. Also, it's so quiet that I can mow at any time of day/night. The only downfalls are that 1) the handle is uneven (there was no way to assemble it so that the handle did not slant to the right or left, but this really only bothers me in an aesthetic sense), and 2) it does not cut dandelions if they become too tall (but an electric Black & Decker Grasshog 12-Inch 18-Volt Cordless String Trimmer/Edger #NST2018 will take care of what the mower misses). Also, I know other people with Brills that are just as happy with them as I am with my Sunlawn. The machines are nearly identical. I should also note that my lawn is relatively small; however, given how easy the Sunlawn is to push, I believe I would continue to use this mower even if I had more lawn to mow.

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.

I purchased this product in May 2007. I have an average quality 2,500 sq ft midwestern lawn.

The MM-1 is light, easy to push, and much quieter that a gasoline powered mower. You don't have to mess around with oil and gas. It cuts the grass, instead of being torn by a typical rotary style moter. This is better for the health of your lawn. Also beneficial is that the clippings are deposited back onto the lawn. You just need to be aware of the limitations of this and any other reel mower - they will not cut long (over 4") grass. This means that during the spring I'll typically have to mow twice a week, and once a week during the summer.

I do have some issues with the quality of this mower. It is advertised as having a resharpening frequency of 7-10 years, due to a non-contact cutting system in which there is a 0.002" gap between the reel and the bedknike. I have found that it is not possible to adjust it to this gap consistently across the length of the bedknife on all 5 of the reel blades. If the gap is too great, the mower will not cut the grass as well. Too close, and the mower will probably require sharpening more frequently and be more difficult to push. I just don't think that the mower is manufactured to tight enough tolerances to get this optimal gap "across the board". I'm a little skeptical about the 7-10 year sharpening frequency. I adjusted my mower the best that I could, but I found that I get the best quality cut by mowing the lawn twice, with the second cut being 90 degrees to the first.

I had a couple other quality issues. After 3 months of using this mower, a tab on one of the aluminum castings that is used to retain the handle broke off. I notified Sunlawn (more on this later) and in the mean time applied some vise grips to what was left of the tab to retain the handle so that I could continue mowing. A couple of weeks after this, the handle also broke (This was not related in any way to my vise grip fix). I also notified Sunlawn about this.

I tried contacting Sunlawn by phone, but they are impossible to reach this way. I wrote them an email when the tab broke, and they promised to send me some new casting that were made of a stronger material. After 2 weeks, I still had not received anything. At this time, I followed up with another email and said that the handle was now also broken. About 1 week after that, I finally got a reply and was told that I would be receiving a new mower, and that I could send the old one back to the factory (shipping paid by Sunlawn). I received the new mower a few days after this, but it still had the same style casting and handle. I've only used it a few times before the end of the season, but I'm interested to see if I'll have the same problems next year, since the manufacturing issues haven't been corrected. Once the mower is out of it's 2 year warranty, I'll probably have to fix the issues myself as they arise.

All in all, the mower gives a decent cut, but I think that Sunlawn needs to improve the quality of the product and their customer service.

Although this won't be a strongly negative review, we did return the Sunlawn mower. We used the mower 5-6 times with varying results. The mower worked well when the grass was dry and the user was tall (I'm 6'0" and had the best luck). If the grass was slightly wet, it made for a ragged cut. We tried adjusting the height (which was easy to do) and leaving the grass taller seemed to work better, but not completely. My wife and older son, being somewhat shorter, had a much harder time using the mower--needing more frequent back-and-forth motions to cut the grass. My younger son (at 4'9") could not get it done at all. The mower was supposed to suppliment our battery-powered mower (on our 1/2 acre of grass), but if the kids couldn't use it, it wasn't worth it to us.

I grew up in England, and all our lawnmowers were push reel mowers. So when I moved to a house with only a small front lawn, it seemed time to trade in our polluting gas rotary mower for a manual reel one - environmentally friendly and providing a bit of exercise! I checked out the Sunlawn MM-1 in our local hardware store, but the price was better direct from Sunlawn and so I bought it from them. However, the results have been very unsatisfactory. The mower cuts very irregularly, and to get even moderately satisfactory results I need to cut every 2 or 3 days, and overlap the passes by about 50 per cent. I think the basic trouble is that it is far too light: any load on the blades, and one or both of the wheels which drive the reel slip on the grass (if only one slips, you can hear it racheting while the other takes all the load; that uneven drive makes the mower prone to zig-zag, and the overall effect is terrible). I have never before had a similar problem in years of using mowers of this general design. Sunlawn was no help: when I telephoned them, a message told me to send an e-mail - which they didn't answer! The hardware store (Ace Hardware) tells me that they have now stopped stocking Sunlawn, because of the number of dissatisfied buyers returning the mowers. Possibly the MM-1 would work well on very fine grasses that are not growing vigorously, but it doesn't seem suited to normal healthy lawns.