American Lawn Mower 1705-16 16-Inch 7-Blade Reel Lawn Mower

I learned to cut grass using my father's reel mower on our front and back yards.Since acquiring my own yard, I bought this mower to handle modest front and back yard lawns. I have owned this mower for about 7 years. It has not needed sharpening yet. I do adjust the mower so that the blade "sings" as is turns just barely brushing the stationary cutting edge. I believe that this will help the blade keep its edge. I also keep the grass height at the highest setting.1.) It is as easy to push as a gas mower, if not easier. Although you do need to provide the force to spin the blade that cuts the grass, the mower is much lighter than a gas mower and thus easier to maneuver.2.) Grass is cut cleaner than with a power mower. The scissor-cut approach provides a cleaner cut which doesn't brown as readily as with a power mower. Comparing my lawn to my neighbor's lawn makes that very obvious.3) Neglected lawns are more work than regularly mowed lawns. If you want a quality lawn with a reel mower, you have to mow throughout the growing season to keep the grass from getting too tall. When the grass gets away from you (say, while you are on vacation) the tallest grass may not get cut on the first pass, but if you mow regularly you will be rewarded with a fine rich green lawn. When spring comes, I'll mow once, and then in a day or two mow again. It takes a couple of mowings to tame the lawn but it's worth it. A pass with a weed whacker on any tall stalks will speed things up.4) Sticks can stop you in your tracks. In the spring, be prepared to stop every few feet to pick up the sticks that may have fallen over the winter. Some small twigs will snap and not stop this mower, but you'll find yourself a bit frustrated if you are used to just chopping through a fallen branch. Stick patrol is a good job for your kids.5) You can mow the lawn while your kids play nearby! Without a whirling blade throwing sticks and pebbles all around your lawn, you can mow with confidence as your kids play nearby. The sound of a reel mower is pleasant not jarring.6) Meet your neighbors! I guarantee that your neighbors will stop and chat with you as you cut the grass. And you don't have to stop mowing to hear what they are saying. Most want to try it out or borrow it.7) Mow when you want to. While the mower is not silent, it is far quieter than the gas engine roaring from a block away. Early risers can sneak in a morning snip without waking the baby or setting the neighbors' teeth on edge. You can easily listen to music with earphones at a normal volume as you cut.8) The smell of freshly cut grass, not gasoline exhaust.9) A gas mower (or electric one) needs much more space to store than this baby. Just hang it on the wall. Also, no need to store gasoline or oil in your garage.10) It will last a very long time with practically no annual maintenance costs. Keep the blade adjusted, and, optionally, spray the blade with wd-40 after mowing to resist rust. (or just dry off the blade when you finish)If you have a very big lawn, this is not the mower for you, but if you are like most urban home owners, it is all you'll need.

UPDATE 8/8/2016I thought I would insert a quick update after 3 years of use. The mower has proven to be quite durable and is still going strong after three years. I am fairly easy on the mower, and only use it on a very small portion of my front lawn that is less than 1,000 square feet. I recommend spraying the mower clean after each use, and wiping it down with WD-40. My original review below covers the details regarding for what conditions this mower will work, and when it won't. Overall, I would probably recommend going with the Scott's Classic 2000-20 reel mower instead of this one, simply because the cutting level adjustment is so much easier. The 1705-16 is a real pain to adjust cutting heights, whereas, the Scott's model (also made by American Lawn Mower) has a simple notched adjustment that does not require loosening nuts & bolts, etc. If your intention for purchasing a reel mower is to make your own golf tee box or chipping area, then keep looking because this one does not adjust down to a low enough cut for those purposes. Also, do NOT purchase the optional grass clippings catcher attachment unless you generally enjoy completely wasting your money.ORIGINAL REVIEW JULY 2013For the most part, I have been very pleased with the performance of the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 reel mower. I would advise anyone looking to purchase a manual reel mower to do some quick research if you have never used one before. These type mowers are a bit limited in scope as to what they can handle, and it is very important to fit the specific reel mower type to your specific needs. Certain grasses require a heavier duty mower than others, and there are certain conditions that no reel mower will handle.What it does well:I have a Zoysia lawn, and I purchased this model because it had 7 blades (which is what most sources recommended for this species). With the right conditions in the lawn, this mower handles Zoysia with no issue. I have a small area in front of my garage that I tilled, box bladed, and hand raked (so that it is absolutely level and smooth) prior to sodding; and this mower does a fantastic job for this spot. The reel mower style makes such a beautiful cut compared to rotary style traditional mowers that I can keep this spot looking like a golf course fairway (or even a major league outfield if I want to do a quick cross cutting). In fact, the style of cut performed by a reel mower is much better for the health of the lawn than traditional rotary mowers (which really tear the grass off versus the clean cut of the vertical reel cut). Under ideal conditions, the reel mower can make quick work without any over-exertion; assuming I keep it trimmed at least once a week (really works better if I do it twice a week). Besides keeping the grass trimmed frequently, it is also imperative to easy operation that you don’t over load the blade. I usually only utilize about 60-70% of the reel’s total width on each swipe. Not only does the quality look better when you don’t try to bite off too much, but I find that in the end you will usually mow quicker just because the mower does not hang as often.Slope and Ground Level ConditionsAs I mentioned earlier, these type mowers can be limited in scope, and they cannot handle everything. Portions of my property have some fairly steep slopes, and even though I have a uniform (mostly weed-free) stand of Zoysia covering those spots, this reel mower is useless in those areas. Keep in mind the mechanics of how these mowers function when considering the type of area you plan to mow - the continuous forward motion of the wheels turns the reel against the blade, which does the cutting. I would love to be able to mow the steeper areas with the reel mower and avoid handling the much heavier motorized push mower, but the area is just too steep to allow for continuous equal pressure on the handles (and therefore down to the wheels), therefore the wheels just continually slip making cutting impossible. I have a more gentle sloping area on another portion of the property, in which this mower works fairly well. In fact, a smooth slope does not affect the mower too much, as long as it is actually “smooth”.Comparatively, one of the main reasons I purchased the reel mower was for a spot I mow that is on top of a retaining wall (in order not to have to lift a heavy push mower up there). This area has a nice stand of Zoysia, but being as it is surrounded by an elevated retaining wall, there was no way to smooth the area mechanically prior to sodding (other than a hand rake and a small tiller). This area has an overall flat slope, but because it was hand leveled there are some slight bumps and depressions across it. Also, becuase this area was back-filled with a sand based soil mixture, it has a low soil fertitlity and can be droughty. So even though I have the same variety of Zoysia in this area, it tends to have a clumpier texture to it. I can mow this area with the reel mower, but it has to be trimmed often. If I let it go more than a few days, then I have to trim it with the motorized push mower and then mow it every few days with the reel mower. Whereas in my ideal portion of the yard almost anyone could use this mower with relative ease, in the rougher area it takes quite a bit of strength to use it even under good conditions. The question of whether an individual is capable of using this mower really depends mostly on the conditions of the situation and intended use.Other Issues for Reel MowersAs has been noted in other reviews, this mower will not cut most weeds (crabgrass, dandelion, nutgrass, sedges, vetches, most any broadleaf, or anything with a stalk), so a fairly uniform yard is necessary for proper operation. The other bane to reels is sticks, so if you have few white oaks or other tree species that shed a lot of debris, you may have some issues. The tiny sticks are actually the worst, because you don’t see them and they hang between the blade and the reel, so even picking up the yard prior to mowing sometimes is not enough.DurabilityI purchased the 1705-16 near the end of last mowing season and have only used it through half a mowing season this year, so I cannot accurately speak to the long term durability of the product. It does help tremendously to clean the mower off after each use, and keep the blade oiled to prevent corrosion. I have not yet had to sharpen the blade, but it seems like a reasonably simple process. As a side note, I can speak to the durability of the optional grass catcher attachment – it is a piece of junk. Do not purchase this optional attachment, as it will not last likely beyond its second use and it does not work in the first place anyway.ValueOverall I have been pleased with this mower. At the relatively low retail price on Amazon, these are a good value even if used as a specialty tool. Even though I cannot use this as my sole lawnmower, I consider this model a good product because it does do a very good job under the appropriate conditions. The easy storage and light weight are also considerable benefits for this mower. Prospective buyers should keep in mind that these mowers are a specialty tool, though, and not something that will work well for everyone under all conditions.

I really wanted to like this mower, but with a few serious flaws I just can't justify keeping it around.Pros-Cost effective way to keep your lawn trimmed.-Very sleek design-Sharp blades-Quiet running-Somewhat easy storage-Rustic appealCons-The handle constantly swivels. This makes maintenance, storage, and mowing a hassle.-There is no blade lock. Changing the cutting height means finding something to jam in between the blade and the hood.-It can only cut as smoothly as your lawn's surface. If you have an undulating lawn, a mixed lawn surface, or any surface obstacles, don't buy this mower.- It can't handle Bermuda/Zoysia/and most thicker weed grass. At all. I've lived in 5 cities within two states and only one lawn had another type of grass. Southerners might need to look at another model.- You'll need to trim you lawn down to around 2 inches before mowing.- Changing the cutting height was an ordeal without a workbench. My threads barely lined up and the unit wouldn't lay flat.I'm going to try and return this product for an electric mower.