[thinair]

Ok. Any manufacturer's out there designing a reel mower for home use. Not the $1200 Toros or truecuts.

How about a non professional model in the $400 range so we can all enjoy a low cut.

And I'm not talking about the manual ones.

And if anyone is willing to develop my idea, I will gladly take a 3% royalty.

 

[Richard Slater]

If something at that price point was available I would strongly consider it, I don't have a great deal of lawn space so a manual reel is sufficient for my needs - although I do notice that at the start of the runs when the reel is slow the cut is not as good as the middle and end of the runs.

I guess it comes down to engineering cost, with a rotary mower the tolerances for the components of the system that are not mass-produced can be quite wide (engines and motors tend to be standard parts, not unique to mowers) however with a reel the tolerances need to be perfect to be effective, there is no margin for error between the reel and the bed knife.

 

[g-man]

Swardman seems to target the homeowner with their design, but not at the $400 range. That's too low for any profit.

Swardman

 

[Richard Slater]

I wonder if you could mod a manual reel with an electric motor...

[edit]... turns out you can...

 

[HoosierLawnGnome]

Yeah, that's a really low price point for a powered reel. You can probably find a used greens mower for $400 if you're willing to take a risk and put in some elbow grease.

 

[probasestealer]

I've always wondered how reel mowers deal with debris in the yard? Things like small sticks and leaves, do you have to blow the yard first? My rotary just chops them up.

 

[Richard Slater]

In theory because the reel in contact with the bedknife acts like a continuous pair of scissors it will cut up anything of similar consistency to grass into small pieces. However, based on my experiences with my Bosch manual reel it tends to either cut them up a little bit or just spits them out. Stones, on the other hand, are lethal to the reel and will take a nik out of it before being spat out at best.

I tend to use the mulch function on my garden vac to mulch debris before mowing.

 

[Cory]

California trimmer and McLain make the least expensive homeowner reel mowers. They will probably never be $400 new, the Honda GX120 motor on my trimmer cost over $300 by itself. Even if a company were to use a cheap harbor freight predator motor by the time you add all the other parts the cost for just parts would be over $400

 

[OnyxsLawn]

Gas powered will probably never be that low. But with the advances in batteries an electric one could be reasonable if your yard is small enough. Gardena makes one but I have no idea if it's any good.

Gardena 4025-U 15-Inch 25-Volt 3.2 amp Lithium-Ion Cordless Push Reel Lawn Mower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VED4K6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NSZ3AbARF34DE

My plan is to mod a Fiskars with a motor and run it off the same batteries as everything else I have.

 

[probasestealer]

In theory because the reel in contact with the bedknife acts like a continuous pair of scissors it will cut up anything of similar consistency to grass into small pieces. However, based on my experiences with my Bosch manual reel it tends to either cut them up a little bit or just spits them out. Stones, on the other hand, are lethal to the reel and will take a nik out of it before being spat out at best.

I tend to use the mulch function on my garden vac to mulch debris before mowing.

I have a Scott's manual reel that I've used on young grass. I've always found it to be a pain, either it jams with a small stick or makes ruts in damp soil. However, now that I have healthy KBG in my backyard I'm inspired to try it...

 

[thinair]

Gas powered will probably never be that low. But with the advances in batteries an electric one could be reasonable if your yard is small enough. Gardena makes one but I have no idea if it's any good.

Gardena 4025-U 15-Inch 25-Volt 3.2 amp Lithium-Ion Cordless Push Reel Lawn Mower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VED4K6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NSZ3AbARF34DE

My plan is to mod a Fiskars with a motor and run it off the same batteries as everything else I have.

I also saw this one. This seems like they are on the right track with this one.
The demand is there as evidenced by this forum and the number of views on YouTube of guys who mow reel low.
A company who is disruption minded just has to come up with the product.