Gilmour RM30 20-Inch Reel Mower with Grass Catcher
|
Our Price: $119.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Gilmour RM30 20-Inch Reel Mower with Grass Catcher
Customer Review: A 5 year-old mowed my lawn
Summary: 5 Stars
I looked at quite a few reel & electric lawn mowers, but ultimately chose this one because I got a good return deal at my local hardware store. I couldn't be more pleased! It was incredibly light - I have a bad back, and was totally able to carry it to and from my car. Assembly took about 5 minutes, during which time my 5 year-old son was BEGGING me for a "turn". I was a little skeptical at first... usually when I let him attempt household chores he gets frustrated at his inability to do a thing, but he grabbed a hold of this and off he went. He did the ENTIRE backyard... I literally could not get a "turn". In all fairness, we have a fairly small yard with only grass and a flat surface. Not sure it would have been such a breeze otherwise, but it probably wouldn't be much harder! It caught all the grass (which we mulched in a part of the yard with poor soil quality... had a lot of fun throwing grass into the air for that!), and the handle slips off nicely for an easy fit into our shed. I wouldn't exactly call it "quiet", but it's certainly better than a noisy gas lawnmower, and with no carbon footprint other than what went into the manufacturing, I don't see how you can go more "green". I love it! Best $100 I've spent. If the blades are indeed "self-sharpening", we will get many years out of this. I can't recommend it more!Customer Review: A Satisfactory Substitute
Summary: 4 Stars
When both my electric B&D mower AND my trusty riding mower gave out at the same time, I decided to get a reel type as a substitute for when the others are out of commission. Our yard is on the small side, and is mostly St. Augustine grass, other than a few stubborn patches of Bermuda. Only a few twigs from a tree in the front yard would interfere with the operation of a reel mower. I chose the Gilmour over the other popular brands, based on customer reviews and the fact that, unlike the other brands, this one claimed to have self-sharpening blades. (I did not buy a blade sharpening kit.) I was surprised at the price of reel mowers, since most of them seem to be as or more expensive than a few of the gasoline mowers that I had priced.
It arrived quickly, and was easy to put together, in spite of the poor instructions. Based on previous customer reviews, I didn't fool with the grass catcher attachment - the manufacturer could leave that off and save the customer a couple $. The Gilmour was no harder to push than the electric mower that I had been using (that died while still under warranty), and gave almost as good a cut as the electric one, other than for a few weedy sprigs that stood taller than the grass, and which weren't fazed by the Gilmore. The 3rd time I used it, one of the wheels on the height adjustment component came off. I managed to get it back on, but it was not easy, due to the location of the screw.
Since I've never used another brand of reel mower, I have nothing to compare it to, but I'm satisfied with its cut. It's not the best in the world, but it costs nothing to operate, and hopefully, it won't need costly repairs, so will continue to be an adequate substitute when the others are not functioning. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still choose this one, even though I thought that, at $130, it was overpriced.
Customer Review: A Very Good Reel Mower but...
Summary: 3 Stars
Purchased this recently and took it for a test drive. I've had a few reel mowers in the past and from a cutting perspective this one did quite well, better than most I would say. On the downside though the mower is surprisingly loud and hard to push. You almost need ear protection. Like I said though, it custs very well.Customer Review: A very good lawn mower
Summary: 5 Stars
Easy to put together and very fun to uae.
It does a very good job.
I'm so glad I bought it.
Customer Review: An Adequate Replacement for a Gas Mower
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had my Gilmour mower for about a month. On the whole, I like it. I expected it to be physically demanding to use, but it really isn't much harder to push than the average power mower. I have about a 1/4 acre yard, and it takes me less than an hour to mow. I think of it as getting a workout without having to go to the gym.
On the downside, it doesn't cut quite as evenly as a power mower, and it doesn't even touch grass that's more than about 4" tall. I find it necessary to mow a lot more often as a result. I've also found that getting a fairly even cut requires overlapping swaths by 6" or so. The self-sharpening feature means that the blades are honing themselves with every rotation, which makes it pretty loud. I don't think it's as loud as most gas-powered mowers, but it's hard to judge since this is a more high-pitched noise.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. No maintenance, no gasoline, and it's light and compact enough to hang on a wall during the off season. Best of all, I don't have to wonder whether I'll be able to get it to start next spring.