Fiskars 18" Push Lawn Mower, Manual Reel, No Motor Mower for Lawn Care

I bought this mower 3 years ago & it's still going strong, a little banged up because my yard is no picnic to mow. I'll admit, i haven't even sharpened it, though i bought the kit, because i just haven't needed to. I also bought the basket for catching grass clipping if i ever need to add them to my compost. Down to the specifics. This mower is not hard to push but you can't let your grass get very high. They say in the booklet about 6 inches. I'd agree with that. It also will not cut certain kinds of grass well, like crabgrass or plantain. The first year i used it, i had to trim those with clippers. Your lawn changes, however, as the result of using this mower. You are not burning or twisting the grass. You are simply giving it a haircut so the grass gets much healthier & weeds do not grow as well in your lawn. I do very little clipping anymore. My grass looks better than other lawns because it is not being constantly burnt. Even in late summer, it doesn't look dried out. I set my level to 3, just over violets & clover, so those are there for the bees. One nice feature of this is the ease at which you can adjust the height. Just lean over & quickly raise or lower it for special needs. If you like clover, which I do, this acts like a reseeder. Anything a little higher than 3" disperses. It's very nice, a little shower of clover you move through. I wouldn't call my lawn small. It has some 4 foot hills & this is easier to do than the regular mower I used to use because it is lightweight & can easily be pushed. I can even do some patches with one hand. It's nice to be able to control exactly what i want to cut. One of the main reasons I bought this was that I wanted something that wasn't loud & didn't sell like gas. I have mowed the lawn since I turned 12 & hated that part. This makes mowing a pleasant experience I look forward to each week. I put on headphones & listen to great music or an audiobook. It's enjoyable. I'm also an environmentalist. It uses no gas. The pamphlet says "All it takes is you." The first time I used this, the grass was too high because the shipment was delayed & I just about killed myself. I saw that on the side of the box & laughed "I am not enough", but I was. I'm not that young, late middle age & a woman. I plan to use this for many years & will probably buy a spare for future use. People have seen me mow & comment that they couldn't work that hard. I know I do sweat. It is a workout. It's comparable to the way i feel biking, a low level aerobic activity. It takes me an hour or hour & a half to finish my lawn depending on heat & condition of the grass, more in spring when things are lush. You have to have the ability to push something forward. For a small flat yard, this would be barely any effort. My yard is much larger than that. I think people may not realize how lightweight the mower is. My grandpa had a reel mower that was much harder than this because it didn't have the drive train. Another thing I like is that I can mow any time I want & as early/late as I want. This makes very little noise & will not disturb the neighbors. It makes a pleasant whack whack sound I can't even hear over my music. You do have to watch out for insects because the noise doesn't scare them away. I try to not mow over them. It is also often hard to see what you're already mowed if the grass isn't too high because you are not burning the grass. It's quite the difference. If anyone has questions, I'll be glad to answer. I hope they continue making this model well into the future. They are really onto something. I've been stopped by people while mowing who reminisce that their grandparents used to have one of these, especially kids. They are making a comeback.

Let me start this off by saying that this mower isn't for everyone - if you're buying it expecting it to replace your self-propel gas mower, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. If you legitimately enjoy mowing and you don't have too big of a yard, I HIGHLY recommend getting this and enjoying your time outside as I have. To begin with, getting this mower to work was a labor of love. When my mower first arrived, I immediately noticed that the plastic chain guard was cracked and broken right out of the box. Then, when I took it out to try mowing with it, I found it was almost impossible to push through my grass. I compared the height with my other reel mower and while the other one would cut like a breeze, the Fiskars was almost impossible to push. I still had faith in the brand so I requested a replacement. When the replacement arrived, it had a different issue - one of the bolts holding on the reel blades was improperly assembled, creating a snag point where I could only lower the cutting blades to a certain point. With a little help from my hammer I was able to get the height lowered, but lo and behold I ran into the same issue where it required Herculean strength to push. I had my wife come out and help and I had my father try when he was over - all three of us complained that it was nearly impossible to push through grass that wasn't terribly long nor thick. Running out of patience but willing to give it one more go-round, I opted for another replacement. Once this one arrived, I was immediately optimistic because this one had no damage on it at all. I pulled it out of the box, set the height to about two inches and took off. This thing cut through my grass like a dream. I've held off on reviewing it to see if it would remain a great mower and a few months later it still hasn't let me down. Because of the shade in my back yard, my grass tends to grow extremely fast and thick but this mower hasn't complained once. When I try using my electric (13-amp corded) mower, I continually have to stop and lift the blades off the ground to let some of the clippings drop if I'm not using a bag. With the StaySharp Max I just power through with minimal effort. The InertaDrive really makes a difference as my grass gets thicker and allows me to cut it down with ease. Pros: InertaDrive makes pushing through grass effortless InertaDrive also matches your speed - if you feel like sprinting back and forth, the blades will match your speed and cut the grass accordingly This thing weighs quite a bit and makes it easy to follow the lines in the grass Super quiet - I barely need to turn up the volume on my music when I mow 18" cutting width means fewer passes compared to my old 16" wide reel mower Disperses grass clippings somewhat more evenly than the clumps left by my old standard mower No need for gas, oil, batteries, or cords The height adjustment lever makes changes quick and painless Cons: The weight can be problematic if you have a hill like the one in my back yard - the InertaDrive really exists to keep the blades spinning faster, not to act as a drive train to help push the mower It doesn't mulch, but I can't imagine how you would do that in any real sense with a reel mower Like all reel mowers, a woodchip or a stick will bring you to an immediate halt. Make sure your yard is clear of debris Once I finally got a fully-working mower, I could not have been more pleased with my purchase. No one in my family believes me, but it used to take approximately 75 minutes to cut both my front and my back yard with my old, corded 21" mower, and I can cut everything in less than an hour with this. It has a narrower cutting deck but it makes up for it with the simplicity of turning and going instead of struggling with the cord. Some other pros that might be specific to me because I'm me - it's much more beneficial to the wildlife in my back yard. Since I've moved to this house, I have dozens of these little tiny frogs that are constantly jumping around in my grass. Because of the mechanics for reel mowers, there is only one cutting surface - a horizontal line where the spinning blades contact the cutting surface that cuts the grass down. Outside of extremely poor planning, I can rather safely push the mower throughout my grass without having to worry about them getting sucked up, "mulched," and wetly deposited in my yard. Like I alluded to earlier, I rather enjoy mowing my yard, and push mowers make the whole process feel more natural. My wife has commented that our yard looks better with this mower and it's made me a happier person, so if you think that using a push reel mower is for you, this should be your ultimate destination. For me, I started off with a much cheaper version and tested it out to see if this style of mower was for me. Once I agreed that reel mowers would be my mower model of choice, I decided I wanted to upgrade to whatever would give me the best-in-class experience and the Fiskars StaySharp Max has not disappointed.

I have thought about getting a reel mower for a while and after my corded mower died last week I did a LOT of research and got this one. Definitely don't regret it. Over the past 15 years I've gone through gas, battery and corded mowers. Not sure if I have bad luck, the opposite of a mechanic's "green thumb", or if they don't make 'em like they used to. But I have a lot to compare against. I read a lot of reviews and descriptions of reel mowers and thought that I didn't have any deal breakers in my yard. Relatively small 1/5 acre, no big hills, no sticks or twigs. It is definitely not flat and even though. This mower assembled in about 10 minutes, the handle comes in 3 pieces which fit together with 4 bolts, which come pre-treated with Loctite. It attaches to the mower with a peg and cotter pin system, which is a little fidgety for me but was easy enough with a few whacks with the heel of my hand. Having two people would make it easier. Then off you go! It mows very cleanly, and sprays the grass out in front of you. It's hefty, but this is only a drawback when you are getting it in or out of storage, or if you're pushing up a hill. If you have hills that you can't mow laterally I'd think twice about getting this mower. Other than that, the extra heft helps you get momentum to move through the grass. I have a sense that it has a gearing system where the mower blades turn faster or with more torque than the wheels, because it really rips through the grass, and you only need a couple of inches of forward movement to get the blades going. A few comparisons to other mowers: It's quiet of course, not silent but you can hear a conversation in the next yard over. It only mows while moving forward, so you have to account for that in the pattern that you mow. Wasn't a problem in my case. My yard is bumpy with many varieties of grass and weeds, and the mower doesn't cut 100% perfectly, there are a few missed blades or spots. This is fine for me, I don't have or want a perfect yard. I think if your yard was more carpet-like it would get a very nice clean cut from this mower. It turns quicker and easier, you tip it on the back wheels and it's easier to pivot than other mowers. If you go through heavy grass you definitely need extra oomph because it's your pushing that actually cuts the grass. An easy fix is to just cut thinner strips. A pleasant surprise for me is that mowing is overall much faster, I mowed the yard in about 1/2 to 2/3 of the time as other mowers, in part because of the 18" width, easy maneuverability, and not having to mess with gas or cords. If there is a single blade of grass taller than about 6" it won't cut it no matter how many times you go over it, it just lays flat and pops back up. If this is just a few places you can go back and hit it with a trimmer, but if you have a lot of this, or if your grass is out of control and/or gone to seed, this mower very likely won't cut it at all. There is a very easy height adjustment so depending on the length you could cut once on max height and maybe again at a lower height. If there are some tall blades like this mixed in with other heavy grass, they'll often get caught and cut, so it's only the lone stragglers that are a problem. Overall, I was pleased with this mower's ability to move through relatively tall, thick grass. In my area in April and May grass can grow several inches in a week. This was actually my main concern with a reel mower but wasn't an issue at all. You want the handle relatively low like at waist level (it's adjustable with 4 settings), otherwise the handle lifts which is tiring.

First I’ll start with that I have an older reel mower. And that I have stepped away from gas powered push mowers for some time now to reduce our carbon foot print. I mow about a 1/2 acre 2 -3 times a week depending on rain. Which is honestly the same amount of times I did with a gas powered mower. I don’t like ticks or fleas so I prefer my yard short. It is easier to push and cuts the grass like butter compared to the other one I have (different brand antique style) I can’t tell you the brand of the other one because it’s worn and tattered. But it is easier to push than the smaller one I have. This reel mower is heavier than my older one. But I don’t think that it’s any heavier than a gas powered push mower, full of gas. It maneuvers around better than the older reel mower, about the same as a gas powered one. Obviously you’ll still have some weed whipping to do. Things like sticks don’t get lodged in the reel. It just kicks them out. It cuts the grass nicely. It cuts crab grass and the buck weeds we have here. Something the gas powered never did. My grass is healthier than my neighbors yards. They wished theirs looked like ours, except they are scared to work hard by using a reel mower. We also don’t use chemicals or pesticides here so I don’t know that the reel mower is solely responsible for the health of the grass. I honestly like it better to use than the old reel mower and even better that I don’t have to fiddle with anything to use it. The adjustments are easy to use for the grass height. The older reel mower I needed a screw driver and had to adjust both sides. The gas powered mower I’d have to adjust the front wheels and back wheels and hope they were even. Maintenance is fairy easy a couple sweeps with a dollar store broom and it’s clean. Gas powered required me to scrape the plastered grass out with a putty knife or hose. No thank you. I would purchase this again. It’s a great reel mower. It’s a really great design and very user friendly. If you new to a reel mower it is different, entirely you’ll have to keep up with the yard. Tall grass isn’t great to cut with these. So if you slack and cut the grass after it’s about 4-6 inches high your not going to love it at all. For a reel mower this is probably the best on the market today.

Bought this a little more than a month ago. The blades required adjustment right out of the box with no adjustment needed, since. I've cut the front and back yards at least 4 or 5 times each. The front looks better than ever. The back, which is ALL crabgrass, looks great, but requires extra cutting (the dogs take priority so we don't use any chemicals back there). You won’t believe how this gobbles up the thickest, squirreliest, grass. BUT, you’re the engine; the thick crabgrass will slow you down. However, typical grass is no problem. The chain driven blades are remarkable. This week we had rain from Saturday to Wednesday; heavy downpours. I cut the backyard yesterday, Thursday, and although it was very wet, it looks great. I love this machine. I grew up working on golf courses. We cut everything with reel mowers, which is why I wanted to try this mower. It exceeds all expectations. There are things it has a slightly hard time with, i.e., tall blades, especially the harder, brittle ones that have gone to seed. But, if you run the mower to those and stop above them, the blades continue to spin and with a little experience and finesse, it will eat these up easily. What I find works best is cutting twice, in 2 directions; perpendicular cuts. The 2nd gets what the 1st didn't. I know what you're thinking, "TWICE?" You don't have to cut everything twice; only where it counts, high visibility areas. Trust me, your neighbors will be jealous. What I like best about this mower: NO gas, NO oil, NO stink, NO noise. With my battery powered weed eater, I'm the greenest guy on the street. And, I'm happier for it. FYI: I spray everything, as recommended, with SILICON lubricant before and after each cut. When I finish cutting I put the mower on the deck. in the sun. It dries out in no time. I clean off the cuttings and put it in the shed. Deficiencies: It really has none, but one design flaw is: the height adjustment knob is detached when you receive your mower. It screws onto the adjustment lever. BUT, if you have a yard like mine, i.e., bumpy and large, it will vibrate off, which is what happened to mine. I've walked the yard half a dozen times and can't find it. This morning I called Fiskars Cust. Svc. and they immediately finished my sentence for me, followed by: "give me your name and address and I'll send one out." When the new one arrives, I'll put some plumbers tape on the shaft before installing it. Conclusion: You can't get a better mower for under $200, anywhere. Weird as it sounds, I look forward to cutting the grass. That never happened, before... Update: Got the replacement knob this morning, 8/3. Great product, great company... Update 2.0 (4/28/19): Second season cutting with this mower. Got it out, cleaned and lub'd the whole mower about 2 weeks ago. 2nd cut of the season this morning @7am; it's so quiet nobody in the neighborhood knew I was out there.. The grass looks so nice that I actually stop and look at it every time I walk thru the living room. I believe the grass has changed since I got this; the grass stands up now, and the texture has changed (it's softer and seems to have adjusted to the mower), even the mess in the backyard. I'm sure if/when the rain decreases the grass'll get more brittle, but because this mower throws the moist cuttings back into the lawn that should be minimal. After reading some of the other reviews, I can understand why some have had a less-than-positive experience with this mower. First, the front wheels don't pivot. If you wanna turn, YOU have to turn the mower. It's not hard. I go around the beds and trees with no problem. And, as long as you cut regularly and don't let the grass get too long, this'll cut it, nicely. As I said in my original review, I cut the front yard in both directions. Even then there are some irregular cuts, but unless you look for it, you'll never notice or care. For those who might worry about the blades getting dull, don't. They kinda take care of themselves. You might have to adjust the blades, but sharpening should only be done when/if the mower is not cutting. That said, you need to take care of the blades. Any branches or twigs that fall into the yard should be picked up. They'll dull your blades if you keep cutting them; you'll know when you've cut one because you'll hear the blade kind of ring each time you do. If anything big enough to stop the reel from spinning, that's bad, too. Leaves aren't as bad, but you should avoid cutting anything that isn't grass. For what it's worth, mine sat in the shed all winter and it got pretty cold. I removed the orange top shield and chain guard, cleaned everything, including the blades and lub'd all the bearings and chain. There's no difference in cutting from last year. I've pretty much decided that if/when this mower wears out, I'm buyin' another one. I still think it's the best mower you can buy for under $200.

18-in Stay Sharp Max reel mower arrived today. Only issue I see so far is the Cut Height Adjustment does not cover the 1-in to 4-in stated range. It's 2-in to 3.5-in. I called the Fiskar support number included with the mower. It's an automated line that directs you to their online Customer Care, which states they''ll try to respond within 7 to 10 days. I tested the reel cutting with paper, as per instructions. It appears to be set correctly. It really does push easily. I love that it cuts without touching the stationary cutting bar. Great innovation. Too bad they abandoned it. It is very quiet, too. It was easy to assemble. Be Advised: Fiskar no longer manufactures this mower or it's 17-in Stay Sharp little brother, so that leaves a big question mark for how well it will be supported or if repair/replacement parts will be available. I'll update this review after Fiskar responds and I've used the mower for a while.

Let me start by describing my yard. I have under a 1/4 acre which is relatively flat and few obsticals, such as trees. I have my lawn treated for weeds and fertilized regularly. I cut my lawn at about 3 to 3 1/2 inches. I do have a gas mower, but like the idea of a better looking yard, by cutting my lawn with something such as a reel mower, verses a rotary mower. The first day I used it, my lawn had been cut two days before, so I was only cutting about 1/2 inch of the grass blades. I have Kentucky Blue Grass and Fescue in my lawn. The Fiskars cut like butter. Very nice. I am overweight and about 50 years old, but I could cut my front lawn one day and the back yard the next day. The first day I cut it, I did get tired pushing it. It is heavy at 52 lbs. It is diffecult to turn around. I built stamina by the second time I used it and also figured out the direction to cut that limited the amount of times I need to actually turn the mower around. It does take a little more time to cut the lawn than a rotary mower, but I think it is worth it. I like to use it. My neighborhood is very pedestrian friendly, and people stop and ask me about my mower and rather or not I like it. They even want to try and push it. So it is a conversation peice too. I really like it, but I will hold onto my gas mower, for long stretches of time, due to being out of town or repeated daily rain fall. I will choose to cut with the gas mower, if I have to cut over an inch off my lawn, due to the amount of work to push a reel mower through longer grass, will kick my behind. I enjoy the exercise this mower provides and I enjoy the sound it makes when cutting. I am very happy with the mower.

UPDATED REVIEW - Dropped from 4 stars to 1 star. After using the mower for 2 months, it is jamming up today and getting caught + exponentially harder to push. I've tried a number of things to assess and correct the issue. Update again: I've attempted to contact support using the online form. I've tried twice and it just never submits. Will have to call support and see if that works better. If I can resolve with support, will raise up to 3 stars, but honestly it shouldn't be having problems after 2 months. For reference, If I raise it up one setting the mower operates with ease. As soon as I drop 1 setting (quarter-inch) - the mower becomes unusable. I've mowed down some dense and tall grass with ease on this mower, so I'm not sure why this quarter inch is causing trouble. The only thing I can tell is that when I drop it that one setting, the bottom back of the mower frame is pushing on the grass/dragging. I'm wondering if this is a design flaw instead of a problem with the mower. Then again, it was mowing reasonably a couple days ago, so I have no idea. I'm just starting to regret trying to use a reel mower and should have just opted for gas/electric. The idea of a reel mower is that I don't have to deal w/ gas / electric /problems due to simplicity, but that seems to be unavoidable. I'm a reasonably average guy (6'1") and I used to work out, so I'm not weak. The best analogy to my experience trying to cut the grass today is I felt like those football players trying to push those sleds on the grass. The only problem is I'm not built like a football player / viking, and I shouldn't need to be in order to use this reel mower. Notes: Stored in a garage, used for 2 months, cutting a lawn in Alabama. I cut the grass weekly. ORIGINAL REVIEW Overall a great mower. I used a reel growing up and this felt almost effortless In comparison. Does require some work to get started to get momentum. Pros: -very easy to push once you are moving -almost silent (I can now mow early AM with no worries) -forward grass toss -cuts nicely -simple device -easy storage -can keep grass at a taller height -was able to cut tall overgrown grass (instructions say max is 6” but a couple passes makes short work of taller grass). (I Haven’t tried grass over 8”) Where it could improve (cons): -it’s heavy when stopped -very hard to maneuver around fences -Very hard to turn quickly or sharply. I usually swing around Wide and have to do an odd pattern for lines -the height settings Seem to work for people shorter than 6’2; I find it tolerable. -assembly for the handle seemed a bit tough for how simple it really should be. I had to use a couple tools simultaneously to assemble the handlebars And the height settings weren’t intuitive. Overall I’m very pleased but with some minor improvements this would be the best mower ever.

We used the reel mower for the first time today and we were pleased with the results. The overall built feels sturdy and assembly was surprisingly easy. It might be more expensive than other brands but it does feel like this will last for a while.

Buenas tardes, mi producto llego golpeado, llego con esta pieza rota, me pueden mandar la pieza? Nunca me dieron respuesta y no hay dónde reportar el problema.

Just push, so easy to use. Well made. Very happy with it.