I'm not sure what made me look at reel mowers on Amazon. Maybe it was wondering how I was going to transport my gas-powered mower to John Deere for service this year. Maybe it was my surprise when I saw I'd have to buy gas twice in one season this year. Having to tune the carburetor almost every week this season? Breathing in unfiltered exhaust?

Whatever the reason, I found this mower on Amazon and was intrigued by the idea of a clean, quiet mower. The fact that its cutting method might be better for my lawn was just a bonus. No gas or tune-ups? Even better.

The reviews on Amazon were encouraging, but I did a lot more research than that. I looked at the Brill Luxus, but it has a maximum cutting height of 1.8". I don't know about you, but my lawn is definitely not a golf course. This Scotts mower is the only one with a maximum 3" cutting height, and I use it at about 2.5".

Price: Amazon also has the best deal I found, especially with free shipping. Other sites are charging $180 and up, plus shipping.

Research: Amazon asks people not to enter URLs, but a quick Google for "scotts classic reel" will display all of the sites I used in my research.

Assembly: It sounds crazy, but you should definitely pour about a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid inside the foam pad to help it slide onto the handle. Try to spread it around the inside of the foam as much as possible. You can wipe off any excess after installation. Other than that, assembly is a snap. (A 30-minute snap.)

First impressions: My 8-year-old son mowed the lawn the first time. The grass was probably 5" tall and slightly damp, but this mower went right through it. There were some spots that needed another pass, but that's because the grass was too long.

Leaves: The second weekend, the leaves had started to fall. I experimented and found that this reel mower can handle white birch leaves, which are small enough that the mower just tosses them out of the way. However, my 5-year-old son and I had to rake up the larger leaves (such as maple).

Now that the leaves have started to fall in earnest, I'm just going to pull out the gas mower to mulch them, rather than rake. However, I'm looking forward to doing a final pass with the reel, and of course, I can't wait until spring.

Simple. Quiet. Inexpensive. It just works.


The Second Best Machine Available   August 6, 2003
Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA)
38 out of 40 found this review helpful

I am a great fan of manual mowers for small yards, although that wasn't always the case. When I was a small lad one fo my shores was to mow a double lot with an old, heavy manual mower, something that soured me on manual mowers for decades. But a few years ago I discovered the new generation of manual mowers, and now I mow my lawn in about the time it took with my gas mower, but without the noise, the vibrations or the fumes. I can mow at 7 in the morning, or 9 at night without bothering the neighbors, too.

The Scott has a number of good things going for it: It's light, easy to push, fairly easy to adjust, and you can sharpen it yourself with a simple kit. That alone will save a bit of money. It's my favorite unit in its price class. (My favorite mower is the Brill, from Germany, which is even lighter and easier to push than the Scott and doesn't require sharpening for 8 years, but which Amazon doesn't carry... yet.)

If you do buy the Scott, get the sharpening kit, as when you do need it you'll want to have it on hand. And get a can of Boeshield protectant spray (also available from Amazon). A quick once over with the Boeshield from time to time will greatly extend the life of your mower and keep it easy to push.


loving this mower   May 11, 2006
mower girl (cincinnati, ohio)
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

I just opened, assembled and mowed for the first time with this mower and I have to say that I love it. I am trying to be more environmentally conscious, so this seemed like a good idea.

People pooh poohed the idea, telling me it would be really hard to use, but quite the contrary. It is so light that it is easy to get in/around/under trees and shrubs. I literally picked it up in the driveway with one hand and carried it into the garage, where it hardly takes up any room at all.

I initially went outside with it just to cut a row or two - to test it out. It was drizzling and I didn't want to mow....but I enjoyed using it so much I did the entire lawn. I have been paying the neighbor to do it and it would take him over 2.5 hours to mow and rake, took me less than 45 minutes and there is no raking!!

There was a definite need for overlapping rows when cutting, but the whole process went by so quickly that it didn't matter. It never clogged unless I ran over a stick that got caught up in it.

I would recommend this to anyone who is thinking about it, no hesitation!!