Gilmour RM30 20-Inch Reel Mower with Grass Catcher
Product Details
Manufacturer: GilmourModel: RM30
Product features:
- Wide 20-inch mowing width; extra wide shrub/blade guard for safety, grass catcher
- 5 blade reel with ball bearings for smooth cutting; self-sharpening reels; adjustable bed knife
- Dual wheel design is more stable and tracks evenly; 10 inch front wheel is cleated to reduce slippage
- Height adjusts from 1- to 3-inches easily
- Large loop handle with comfort grip
- Hefty E8-6720 39-Gallon Cinch Sak Lawn & Leaf Bags - 18 Count
- Peltor H10A Professional Noise Canceling Earmuff
- Dewalt DPG58-11C Reinforcer Clear Anti-Fog Protective Safety Glasses with Rubber Temple Pads
- Dewalt DPG41L Premium Cowhide Leather Work Glove with Reinforced Palm And Wing Thumb and 2-1/2-Inch Safety Cuff, Large
- Wildwood YardBuddy Biodegradable/Compostable Lawn & Leaf Bags - 10-Pack #16000
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Gilmour RM30 20-Inch Reel Mower with Grass Catcher
Customer Review: Updated reveiew, still a decent buy!
Summary: 4 Stars
I originally wanted to hire a pack of ninjas to trim my grass with scissors in the middle of the night, but this is the next-best thing, albeit much more noisy (screeching noise), though not as pervasive as a sputtering lawnmower.
I'm glad I shopped around. I found this exact same item elsewhere (interstate) for mid-90s, as opposed to nearly 300 here. That said, it's a great mower- once the grass is short enough to mow. Remembering my mom's old reel mower I got to push once or twice as a kid, I got this for the workout- and to save on gas and smog. I'm not a rabid environmentalist, but I enjoy clean air! I'm going to have to issue a smug alert for it since it's hassle free out of the box- just screw the handle on and you're ready to mow (see update below).
Sadly, the previous owners of our home didn't mow the lawn for a while... I set this to the highest setting, and managed to trim most of the grass, so I could lower the setting and trim it again. It was tedious, mowing the lawn 2-3 times (going over the same spot again and again), but once it was shortened to a reasonable level it was easier to mow- so I'll maintain it at that shorter level from now on and it won't be so bad. Others with tall grass might want to pay to have a "pro" mow to get it manageable first and maintain it with this, unless you're stubborn like me.
This is much easier to push than the old antique style my mom had when she was a kid. The 4 wheels help, as does the foam grip (which even if it disintegrates in a few years, it can be easily replaced).
The only major problem I see is that if there is the occasional long blade or stalk, the mower merely pushes it down. Jiggling it (technical term) to get the offending grass/weed to slip between a blade doesn't always work- it's easier to just bend down and yank/tear out said grass/weed or touch up with a weed-eater, which you need if you plan on edging along sidewalks (setting one side higher than the other will help trim a little, but you'll have to come back with a weed eater/edger anyway).
The grass catcher is useless unless you want to pause every 30 sec to empty it. A blower/ mulching vac would work great, but I haven't bothered using the one I got yet... not a big deal, since by the time I mowed 2-3 times everything was finely chopped anyway. I let the clips fall where they may.
Long story short- No gas, no oil, no smog (just smug), and not too hard to push for what it is (like pushing a normal mower that's not self-propelled). The shorter the grass, the easier to mow. Shop around and don't pay too much!
Update 8 June 09: I see Amazon lowered the price to be competitive. Good for them! I've mowed a few more times- it's annoying having to go over some of the same spots, or bend down to tear out longer stalks that escaped the cylandrical cyclone of bladed fury, but it does a fair-to-good job overall now when the grass is of a maneagable height. Still not using the grass-catcher (probably never will).
One annoying repair issue that is easily fixed: Get some lock-tight (glue) to hold the bolts in place (as all of mine came apart mid-mow and were lost in the yard)!!! I didn't notice till I was left holding the handle like a schmuck as the lawnmower sat there with 1/3 of the yard left to mow. They are blankety-blank METRIC bolts (#6 I believe- washers, and nuts too)! They are "expensive" to replace at somewhere between 80-90 cents each (more than their standard US measurement friends) added to the cost of the trip to the hardware store (time, and gas, are money). Save yourself the pain and just lock-tight them in place when you put it together and you'll be happier with this product instead of wanting to give ol' Murphy a swift kick in the arse for making you run back to the store for "one more thing" when you have other things you need to be doing instead.
The downside of gluing the bolts in place is if I ever wanted to take the handle off, I'm out of luck... but it's not something I'm worrying too much about right now. At least I can mow my lawn again- and can keep mowing it when gas hits Arm and a Leg/gallon again.
Description of Gilmour RM30 20-Inch Reel Mower with Grass Catcher
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