Features:

  • 20" cutting width, 5-blade ball bearing reel, and 10" dual tracking wheels
  • Quick-snap 1"-3" cutting height adjustment for a clean, even cut every time
  • Blades are made of quality, heat-treated alloy steel for staying sharp longer
  • Ergonomic handle with cushioned grip for comfort; Easy, tool-less assembly
  • Lightweight and easy to operate; Requires no gas or oil
cutting the grass was kinda fun

Oil it first! Thanks to other reviewers who mentioned oiling; without you I would not have known why my brand new mower was locked up tight; I was about to start adjusting the distance between the blades and the cutting surface with a screwdriver, when I remembered what you had written. To oil, I poured some expensive, high hydroxytyrosol extra virgin olive oil on a paper towel and wiped it onto the blades. (I had just run out of White Lightening bike lubricant but the olive oil was handy. No big deal at all. If you are considering a push reel mower because you don't like petroleum products, rest assured that you can use just about any vegetable oil or skin-friendly silicone instead.) I chose this lawn mower because it was the one that has the highest setting (3 inches), and because it has the widest cutting path. I've never mowed a lawn before, so I really had no idea what I was doing. But I know plants, so I know that if you cut too low it damages the grasses, and that longer grass looks a lot prettier and darker green than grass that is razed short. My grass was already about 5 or 6 inches in some places. The soil was saturated and the grass itself was still wet from lots of rain. But once the machine and I got to know each other, I was able to mow the lawns faster than the rider mowers in the neighborhood. Simply walking behind it at a normal pace turns out to be exactly the right speed to efficiently cut the first time. I did have to fluff up some patches with my hands and go over them again, but that's because they were long, fine, and weighed down with rain. When I was trying to accept that mowing would be a weekly task, I thought that the upside would be an upper-body workout. I was a little disappointed that not much effort was required. I was in street clothing and shoes and didn't even have my hair tied back, because I had only intended to test a small patch to see how difficult it would be. Since hardly any effort was required I just went on and did the job as-I-was. Adjusting the height of the blades is also no big deal. I want to kill a few patches of lawn and replace it with flowers. So I lowered the blades all the way (takes 5 seconds right in the field, no tools) to cut that grass much shorter). I couldn't say whether that's harder or easier to do with this machine than others. I hadn't even expected to need such a feature so I didn't shop for it. But I'm really glad to have it. I appreciate the guard across the front. It enables me to shove the mower right up under some low-hanging shrubs, cutting the grass without cutting the shrubs. The assembly instructions were a little mysterious, and the pictures, including the one in this ad, show the handle attached BACKWARD. The top of the handle should angle down, not up, or the leverage will be lost. I put my handle on as shown and attempted to mow that way for 10 minutes until I realized that su'pm wa'n rite. Ha ha, very funny, Scotts. Hope the neighbors didn't see that. Fortunately all the bolts have wingnuts so it was easily corrected in the field.

Reel mowers are coming back

I am a "senior" lady and have been using this mower to cut a medium sized suburban Zoysia yard for the last 2 months. I did mount the handle upside down (on purpose) because it seemed more ergonomic to my female 5'5" frame. It's hot where I live so I mow about every 5 days and just take the top off. I don't bag the clippings. You do have to watch out for twigs and extra thick patches of grass or you'll stop in your tracks. It's a learned technique. I spray WD40 directly on the blades before putting the mower away each time. I love not having to rev up a gas engine, smell it or buy gas and oil. It's small and light enough that I can just hang it on a hook on the garage wall, very much out of the way. I can easily stop and start if someone stops by to chat. It's generated a little interest in my neighborhood!

Quiet easy operation! Better looking Lawn!

I love mowing without noise. Cuts beautifully. A power mower sucks all the grass upright and looks shorn after cutting. The Scotts 2000 20 inch allows the grass to be cut at different lengths, some grass laying flatter does not get cut, so you get a shaggier look to the lawn. It looks much better. It also cuts cleaner, less moisture loss from grass. I cut twice a week at highest setting so it mulches the tips into the lawn, no grass laying on top. I do not like edging lawns, as I like the shaggy look at hard edges of edging stone and concrete drive and sidewalks. This cuts along edges beautifully. The noise level is so low I cannot tell when anyone is mowing with it outside my house. Neighbors love it. I would never own a power mower again. It is easy to operate, and my wife finds it easy to push. I think if I had a really large yard I would still want to use it. Too small for acreage obviously, but thats what sit down mowers are for. Fabulous experience. Thank you Scotts for making such a great product.

Great lawn cutter and excellent work out

This makes doing the yard a whole lot of scissoring fun. You must grease it every single time you use it. Just grab your spray grease and go to town on the thing prior to each grass cutting session. You will not be sorry! The grass gets sliced very well. Just be aware that this is a good work out because you need to go over your yard in every possible direction to get it looking like an electric or gas powered mower look. If you are okay with it just looking decent, you can get away with doing it with one pass, but we usually go one direction then like a clock go around the yard until it's done. The height adjustments work well when I skip a week or two. Then just bring it down a notch. Very handy! Be careful of to tighten the screw knobs before and after each use or you will end up searching the lawn for them!

Easy to use, beautiful cut and so far I use it more than the gas mower.

OK I cannot vouch for longevity but as far as cutting grass I think it is easier than my gas mower. While it is not going to work well if you let your grass get to high but if you cut it regularly it works great and is easy to push. I bought it for the front of my house which is mostly Bermuda and It thought it would result in a better cut for that type of grass. It cuts great and I ended up doing the majority of my lawn with it because it does not take much effort to push and no noise so I can cut at dusk or even in the dark if I wanted to without bugging the neighbors. Tall stalks of grass get missed and since it does not have a suction crass that is bent over might get missed but this is more of problem where the grass is more fescue and yes weeds and crabgrass. The instructions were incredibly difficult to follow and I had to look at the box to figure out what they were trying to say. one of the handle parts must be made for each side or should be because to use the larger bolt that has a plastic cover to let you tighten it, on the same side is impossible because the square cutout was on the same side for the two parts that look identical except for the bolt hole. Not a big problem other than it is a strange design and I guess might make it easier to take apart or tighten. I have used it probably twice a week for several weeks and a few days I did the yard twice because I wanted it to be just a bit shorter. I grew up with a push mower so I know how the older ones worked. They were hard of course I was younger but I did try one maybe 20 years back and did not use it more than a few times because it was a pain to use. I do wish the blade spun a bit when the wheels stop so you can get those high blades but it might spin a quarter turn but it seems to stop when the wheels stop.

Fun & green!

Excited to receive new mower today—I am one of those who loves mowing but hates the exhaust, roar, and various costs of our old gas mower. Did the research, watched videos, finally Wirecutter’s verdict and the simple design won me over from Fiskars. It took 45” to assemble (I’m not swift at these things). Small hurdles: 1) getting handle in correct direction—see photo on box which shows entire unit; 2) getting handle onto mower—required help of strapping son to fit onto posts; 3) e-rings did not easily snap onto slots—it took son and pair of pliers. My biggest worry was that our suburban ¼ acre lot was borderline too big for reel mowing (some said forget it if over 8,000 sq ft; our grass is probably 10,000 sq ft). Once I got it going, it was a dream! So fun! The neighbors came over for a try; we might be starting a trend. Update 4/27/2019: it took big son and me over 2 hours to mow entire yard (granted it was a little overgrown as old mower died recently)--normally w/ the gas mower I could accomplish this in a little over 1 hour. Son did back yard and rear slope; I did front. The slope is about 30 degrees and difficult to push the mower up; he figured out to pull mower up the slope, then mow downhill. He also figured out how to cut pesky long grasses and weeds: push forcefully over them, then tilt mower up so the blades are cutting the tall grasses in the air. It takes a few passes but works. Simply pushing mower over overgrown plants is never going to work. Good luck!

For your money, your health, and your planet

I'm just a regular dude, leaving this review because of how impressed I am. I would recommend this mower to almost anybody. Unless you have a physical disability, an enormous yard, or lots of obstacles that will make this more difficult than reasonable, then this is a no-brainer for you. Pros: No gasoline/electricity. You get your steps and some upper body workout (just because you're pushing an object with your arms.) Lightweight/lighter than a gas/electric mower. Relatively inexpensive: both upfront and in the lack of needing fuel (it's good to keep the moving parts lubricated periodically but that's normal; WD40.) Easy to maintain/assemble; Simple mechanics Well made *The main wheels spin INDEPENDENTLY from one another*: this means that you can go up on one wheel and still engage the blades, even if the other main wheel is not spinning. Note that it will be slightly more difficult, and not the most even cut, as you might imagine, but you can use it on slightly uneven ground. I wouldn't recommend it for an entire yard of uneven ground though. Slopes and Hills that have gradual inclines and declines are not an issue. 9 different heights that span 1"-3" I've actually cut 6" tall grass, but it was a workout that I kind of had to muscle through... but I also didn't need to hit the gym later either. It was only the first time though; now I just bring it out every Sunday and it's a breeze since I don't let it grow that high. Cons: can't cut tall weeds; gotta figure out another solution there Sticks that come above the grass line will jam it; but leaning over and pushing/rotating the blades in the opposite direction easily dislodged any jam (never a big deal, though a brief interruption. Also may dull the blades if you keep hitting sticks over time?) Best on relatively flat ground: while the main Wheels spin independently of one another, and while you can hypothetically engage the blades with one wheel, though harder, you're not going to get as even of a cut. If you have a lot of jutting roots, bumps, or any kind of widespread interruptions that stick out like that, over the course of your entire yard, this might not be a good experience for you.

I hate noise and I love donuts

I got this mower because I hate the noise of mowers and because I really like donuts. So, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and mow the lawn by hand. I like to do yardwork in the morning before I go to work, so firing up a riding mower would not be okay with the neighbors. I read the reviews from people talking about their small lawns and short grass. I have neither. My lawn is about 1/2 acre and the grass is over a foot tall right now, because it's the first mowing of the season. It's not nice grass, either. It's a thick assortment of vegetation of widely varying cooperativeness. This mower assembled easily and quickly. The height adjustment levers are easy to reach and move freely when asked to. It takes quite a bit of work to cut my Lawn of Evil, but that was the point and this mower does indeed cut that lawn! Highly recommended! [Edit - added later] I think that some of the frustration people are having is that they push the mower across the thick grass, look behind them, and don't see a perfectly manicured swath of lawn. This kind of mower doesn't really work like a motorized mower, where you guide it along and the blades makes many passes over the grass as you walk. It works more like a vacuum cleaner. You make short, back-and-forth strokes until you've cut (or crushed) all the stems. Then you move to the next section. Once the grass is short and you're in maintenance mode, then just pushing the mower up and down the lawn should do fine.

After 5 years: Great-looking lawn, increased upper body strength, normal Blood pressure &cholesterol

No noise. No pollution. No gas. No cord. No battery. Self-sharpening. It has lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It provides a work-out and keep my lawn looking beautiful. Be ready for these questions from passers-by: "Does that thing really work?" (Yes). "Why do you use a push reel mower?" (Because I can). Two weeks ago, the handle snapped off on one side. I can't find a replacement part online so I used duct tape to repair it (it worked). If you decide to purchase this great lawn mower, stop at the auto parts store and buy a bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil and a spray bottle. Before you mow, spray the blades well with the MMO. It reduces pushing effort by 50% and keeps the blades rust free and sharp. I've sharpened the blades once in 5 years. Go to YouTube and it will tell you how to do it.

Very happy!

I was hesitant to get a push reel at first. I'm a new home owner, and I've never had a lawn to mow before. My lawn is small enough that the push reel isn't a hassle at all. Honestly, it's kind of fun to mow the lawn now. I met a few my neighbors when they came out to see what the heck I was mowing with. The guy across the street orders up his gas mower every time I'm outside. He asked "You eco-friendly, or somethin'?". I do like that there's no engine, but mainly from a maintenance point of view. I don't have to fiddle with priming the engine or remembering to buy gas for it. There are so few moving parts that I'll only ever have to sharpen the blade or tighten the wheel bolts. Also, my grass looks awesome. Took me some time to learn the martial art of lawn mowing, but mower makes it hard to make too many mistakes. The slow nature of pushing it means I can't make huge bald patches without really trying. In short, I definitely recommend this product.

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