I use a fancy-schmancy German one that I got from cleanairgardening.com. It’s the Brill Luxus. It does work well, it’s fun to use, it’s quiet, pleasant, etc. But YOU MUST KEEP UP WITH IT. That’s what kills me. I’m having somebody come by with a gas mower to cut my yard next Wednesday because I let it get away from me, and then I’ll keep it up with the Brill from then on.
I do like it, though. It’s quiet, needs no gas, I can mow any time, it makes a pleasing snickersnack sound.
Same here (well, my father did the using). The whirring sound and smell of cut grass were one of the quintessential summer sensory deals. I think our house was probably on a quarter acre with some little hilliness in the back, but not all the front yard was grassy. Pop did get a workout!
I like mine. But it is a conscious decision- I am sure that a gas-powered mower would do a better job. The manual just feels better and you get the “fresh cut grass” smell without the gasoline smell and noise. Also, there is a bit of technique to it. You can give it a bit of juice with a short, fast push forward that will help with stubborn weeds.
If you get one, do get grass shears. In fact, I think this is a good idea no matter what- save your trees, shrubs, and flowers the abuse.
Oh, you got the model with the Vorpal blades! 
I was wondering about these myself.
I don’t have a mower yet, and I’ve noticed an old reel mower abandoned beside his garage that I keep wanting to take a look at.
I had one and loved it. I had a cheap ($20) electric weed whacker to edge with, and I just took care of any tough weeds the mower missed with that after I mowed. I loved the noise and the nice smell and the exercise, and I liked not having to muck with gas and pull starts and all that for my smallish lawn. It really didn’t even take any more time than the gas mower.
Ex h left it outside over the winter though (he hated it because it wasn’t expensive and fancy) and in the spring it was unusable. I bet it would have lasted for years and years if it had been taken care of properly.
Note what I said about “old” vs “new” models.
A new model under $100 weighs a fraction of an older model, pushes much more easily, and cuts much better.
One time I was at a garage sale and saw an old mower that looked WAY better than the ones I used as a kid. Didn’t have a price on it and when I asked about it the seller didn’t even know what it was! and gave it to me for free. Well, it still weighed a ton, was a bear to use, and soon ended up in my trash.
By all means, if you are interested in reel mowers, buy a new one.
One other “downside” to reel mowers that I don’t believe has been mentioned yet is that they don’t mulch. So if you don’t mow frequently, you willl have long pieces of grass lying around.
Several times I have seen it written that the way a reel mower snips off the grass between the blade and the plate is healthier for the grass than a power mower that essentially flails at it - but I’m not sure most folks would notice any appreciable difference.
Oh, by the way, the model I have doesn’t ever need sharpening because it isn’t sharp to begin with. It may need periodical adjustment, but hasn’t yet.
You have to keep up with the mowing, in the height of summer you may even need to mow twice a week. Anything that grows too long won’t get cut, it will get flattened, then pop up the next day. I wound up with a very shabby looking lawn before going back to a powered mower.
You can also think about an electric or battery powered mower for a space that small. Low maintenance, less noise and pollution, just don’t run over the cord.
Our reel mower has height adjustment. This allows some flexibility in how tall you can let the grass get, as well as how short you can cut it.
I noticed mention of height adjustment and frequent mowing. I mowed for the first time this summer with mine. It worked great, but I know I will have to mow 2-3 times a week starting next week. Apparently, my landlord didn’t want to wait until this afternoon when I got off work for me to go over it again, and he paid some guy to mow it. It makes me angry, mostly because my landlord lives so far away, and I know this guy probably told him it was long and overgrown just to get the easy work. He mowed the front and left the back alone. I also know my landlord overpays because he has the same guy for every property but he usually leaves this one. I am not happy about my gas-cut lawn. It hasn’t been cut with a gas mower in two years, and it does look awful.
Back to height adjustments, I did raise mine and chop the top of the grass first, then lowered it and went over the yard again. The second trip around made a huge difference…
Brendon
When we had a little yard, I loved our reel mower. Now we have a big, hilly yard and we really do need a gas-powered mower. In Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury has this lovely reflection about mowing the grass with a reel mower, how meditative and peaceful it is. Last summer, every week as I struggled with our reel mower on the up slope in 90+ degrees, I cursed Ray Bradbury and his flippin’ love of lawn-mowing!
They sure beat the fake ones.
::d+r::
I used one as a kid. Some worked better than others and they all need to be oiled and sharpened. They are hard to work in small areas because you have to get the blades spinning before they cut well. You have to back up and get a running start before any grass is cut. Also can’t handle the flimsiest of weeds. An electric would be a better choice unless a workout is the goal.
Mowers that play movies? Cool!
When I was a kid in the 1970s and '80s I used to mow my granddad’s small suburban lawn with one of these - a cast iron model from the 1930s, painted a jaunty British Racing Green with bright red flashes. (I also used to roll straight lines into the lawn with a similarly colored roller from the same era.)
They do a damn good job, all things considered, and illustrate how overpowered so much of our tools are these days - but you have to use them often or they won’t work.
What jjimm said. But do yourself a favour and get a Flymo.