Reel mowers fell out of favor in the 1960s and '70s, probably as yard sizes increased and kids started rebelling against pushing mowers through grass while their friends didn't have to. Self-propelled mowers made it easy to cut the lawn with little effort on anyone's part.

Reel mowers will last for many years if you keep them clean and sharpen the blades periodically. If you find yourself not having the time to mow often with a reel mower, or you've gotten a larger yard, then you should consider replacing it with a powered mower.

They cut in a horizontal position driven by a small engine. For this reason, reel mowers have a better quality cut.

Mine is barely harder to push than a gasoline mower. There are two drawbacks: 1) To get an even cut you often have to go over an area twice at a right angle. 2) If you let the grass get too long it simply doesn't work: the reel will just push over the blades instead of cutting them.