Should You Switch to a Reel Mower? Fiskars StaySharp Max Review

Have you ever considered switching from a gas powered rotary mower to a manual reel mower? I thought of it for years until I finally took the plunge and got one. Go big or go home though, right? I found a top-of-the-line Fiskars StaySharp Max reel mower going for cheap on the Facebook Marketplace. After having used it for one whole month I thought it was important to share my visceral honest review.

Design - 1:22
Attempts Were Made - 3:32
Opportunities For Improvement - 7:42
Closing Thoughts & Recommendations- 9:28

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[npast]

Its a great mower, I've had one for five years. One thing I've learned was that I need to sharpen it every season, and regularly adjust the blades, maybe once every couple weeks. Otherwise, over the years the blades get dull beyond repair. Basically this mower requires a lot of maintenance and babysitting to stay sharp over the years.

[paulieO]

I’m about to buy the same machine on craigslist for $75.

Not having to store gasoline, oil, or sharpen blades all the time, breathe the awful exhaust... I’m certainly happy to give this a try!

My grandfather never had a motorized lawnmower. He lived to be 93 !

I’ve used real mowers in the past, but they were very old and not well maintained, which made them super hard to use, especially in tall or wet grass. But this Fiskars model seems to have solved all of those problems, especially with the height adjustment going so high!

Regarding your having to double mow each pass : Check online, there are videos that show how to adjust the reel blades on this unit. I’m pretty sure this will resolve that issue.

Thanks for the well thought out video!

Go green!
#do1thingtoday

[bstew]

Cool video, I’m 52 years old and I’ve been using my Fiskars mower for a month now and I love the way my grass looks and I’m getting a great cardio workout at the same time.

[chris_topher]

i've used a manual reel mower for 6 years now. it is great exercise.

[magicrobharv]

Great video. I'm 60 years old and the older reel mowers I used as a kid were hard to push. This one looks much more mechanically efficient. One the other hand, I can appreciate the exercise this mower would provide. The reel mower I used as a kid had duller blades. Fiskars is a great brand for scissors, so I assume the blades are excellent. This one has 4 wheels, the one I used just had 2 wheels. Great idea for a video.

[bigray]

I qualify as an older person that grew up pushing a reel mower while everyone else in the world had a gas mower. The multiple passes sucked. If we got several days of rain and the grass grew like crazy between cuttings it was really hard. My daughter brought home a $.50 fiskars from a yard sale. Works beautifully! Much, much nicer than the mower of my youth. There was one problem that I brought to my daughter's attention. People that use the word "acre" in the description of their lawn rarely buy manual reel mowers, no matter what the price :-). I'll stick to my garden tractor with a nice cigar!

[artyoz]

I have a rotary model from Scotts, and my experience has been pretty similar to yours: though if anything, I'm almost the perfect reel-mower customer, as our plot is only about 0.15 acre (and, I'm happy to say, the lawn space is slowly shrinking as we expand our garden area. My biggest complaint is, as you mentioned, they really don't like sticks, and they don't do well with tall grass. However, even having to stop to clear a stick jam is an improvement over a rotary mower spewing out shards of wood at velocities of "accidentally murder your neighbor" per hour, and it also doesn't choke on the tall grass, which my old gas-powered rotary would do all the time. And you may be better off with the leaves than you think! I've gone over leaves with my (much smaller) reel mower, and it chews them up quite happily!

[Platoface]

I love mowing with this machine. It cuts great. It’s a nice mild workout.

[williamirwin]

Nice video. I like my Fiskars reel mower. You mentioned many things but one thing you did not speak about is that they are quiet. I like that there is no engine noise and you do not have to feel guilty about cutting the grass real early or when the sun is getting low. I just sharpened mine today after about 4 1/2 years of use. They do require the occasional sharpening.

[SiegePerilousEsauMaltomite]

Mine comes in Monday, I just put down some nice pgf fertilizer and watered it in tonight.
So excited

[suemar]

This was interesting. I've been wanting one for years---just because of the noise. I hate power mowers.
Thanks for your honest review---even the downsides.

[trep]

This is a good review. I’m in my late 60’s yes as a kid I used a reel push mower, it was tough work. Recently I was planning to buy a Fiskars like yours for my 5000 sq ft yard in NE Ohio. I liked the idea of a quiet mower to use early in the day when it’s cooler. Also would cut the front and back at different times to divide the work. No one stocked them locally but if I found a used one like you did I would have bought it so I’m still using a gas rotary mower.😕

[paulmoores]

Had to buy a new mower because we sold our house (with an acre of lawn) and my ride on mower. New house with a small lawn. Decided on the Dewalt battery powered system because the batteries matched my leaf blower and drills. Light, no gas or oil and batteries last for two mows.

[KerryHallPhD]

I got a reel mower 5 years ago because I have a small yard and I hate dealing with small engines. I've since landscaped away most of my yard into garden beds, wildflower beds, rock beds, and hedges. There's still a 20'x25' block of mostly grass that I cut with the reel. I've never sharpened mine, so it takes a few passes to knock everything down. When I let it get taller than 4", I knock most of it down with a weed cutter (blade on a stick) first. I really enjoy doing things manually though. I never make it to the gym 😋

[JasonSeiberlich]

Check reel to bed knife every couple mows. You'd probably have a friction issue and she'd be really tough to push at 36 inches. I just struggle with Fiskars specifically being twice the price of all the other available options for manual reels. Glad to have us both joining the reel mower club here though recently.

[tribalwind]

I have grass pathways between my hugelkultur garden beds. The gas Honda mower is hard to fit down the paths and turn at the ends, I think this will be much better

[edwardmarapese]

Awesome review I have a Scotts 16" reel mower and an earth wise 7 blade reel mower they both cut pretty sweet

[thisisbethm]

I have a tiny yard, and debated getting this one. But I have little time and I read if the grass gets too long it doesn’t cut well. I have a battery mower that is also lighter and quieter than gas. In a few years when my life calms down, I hope to get a reel mower!

[Mikidy]

Nice video. Despite watering my yard to the point that it financially hurts, the grass here in Colorado doesn't grow that quickly, Thsi might work here but I'll stick with my gas mower. Thanks for making this video.

[iamthearmul]

Thanks for the review. I just bought a house do not own a lawn mover and yard is very small. Buying a gas mower would be an overkill. I think I will buy one used and give it a go.