Projo Garden Blog

Maybe I'm really looking forward to the return of "Mad Men" on Sunday.

Or maybe I'm stuck in a lawn mower loop from last week's entry.

But I can't get the distinctive whirring sound of a manual, reel lawn mower out of my head.

The merry, spinning wurrrrrrrlllllsksksksk! when the human power behind the blades gave them a really good push at the end of a row.

I'm eight again, and it's Saturday morning, and I'm going to have Frankenberry AND a Pop Tart and watch Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and do some recreational fighting with my brother.

(Note to young readers: The world was better before youth soccer and sugar-free snacks. And you missed it.)

Later, I'll have some Tang. And some Space Food.

Hey, this Madison Avenue stuff really works!

The bast ... Oops. Family newspaper.

How did I grow up and become this cynical?

Maybe simpler is better.

If you feel the same, and your yard isn't too big, you might consider donning your madras shorts and giving that old push reel mower a whirl.

They still make them.

Not just companies like Scott's, which makes several types, all under 30 pounds, all around $100.

Sunlawn, Brill and some other companies make them too.

Sunlawn and Brill are the choice of people who wear recycled go-fasters and hang out their polka dot aprons on the clothesline (Right to Dry, man!). The choices feint and dip in the eternal weight-to-price tango: At 15 to 19 pounds they delight; but they are pricier, at between $170 and $240.

There are sales. There is second-hand. There may even be an old one lurking in a tool shed near you, waiting for a little oil and a trip to the sharpener.

Reel mowers are very maneuverable. They are light weight enough that you can lift them out of storage areas and over fences easily. They're good exercise.

Hey. They were the only game in town until a couple of decades ago, and the grass got cut. They're hardly a mystery product.

But there are disadvantages. Manufacturers recommend then for lawns 8,000 square feet or less. That's about half an acre, apparently. Reviews say the grass must be dry, and not too long. If your yard is hilly or bumpy, mowing will not be happy. Reel mowers don't like sticks.

Heck. Grandpa pushed that mower after 3 packs of Camels and an all-suet diet. With his trick leg from the Ardennes. You can make a little effort.

Maybe a reel won't cut all the grass in your yard, but it could be le mower juste for that one area down front, you know, the one that takes 3 minutes to cut but 20 minutes to lug the big mower down and back.

Or the fact that it's using no fossil fuel at all to run.

Or maybe that sound just makes you happy.

And there's no better advertising than a smile.

 Tags  environment Gardening Lawn mowers product research

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