Swapped my gas mower for a manual reel one last spring and my Saturday mornings feel totally different now
Two summers ago I was still firing up a loud gas mower every Saturday for my own lawn, burning through about a quart of gas each cut. Last April I finally grabbed a $90 manual reel mower off a neighbor in Portland who was moving, mostly because I got tired of the noise and fumes right outside my kitchen window. It took three cuts before I got the hang of pushing it without stalling on thick patches, but now I actually look forward to the quiet. My yard isn't perfect but it's cut, and I'm not inhaling exhaust the whole time. Anyone else make this switch and find the reel blade needs sharpening way more often than they expected?