|
| 
 enlarge
| Brand: American Lawn Mower
Category: Home Improvement
List Price: $99.99
Buy New: $89.99
You Save: $10.00 (10%)
New (8) from $89.99
Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 5659
Media: Tools & Hardware
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 27.5
Dimensions (in): 25 x 14.4 x 9.8
MPN: 1815-18
Model: 1815-18
UPC: 026479181583
EAN: 0026479181583
ASIN: B00004R9UK
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Save $10.00 when you spend $50.00 or more on Qualifying Items offered by Amazon.com. Enter code BMLSAVES at checkout. Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|
| Customer Reviews:
Nice Mower August 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had a Sears Craftsman reel mower that I was given 10 years ago, it had seen heavy service as it was used commercially. Four years ago it broke down and after fabricating the worn out part a couple times I decided to do on-line research and purchase a new reel mower. The reviews for the 1815-16 and 1815-18 where good and I saw it was manufactured in the USA so I bought the 18.
Upon receiving the mower I was VERY DISSAPPOINTED to see it was now manufactured in "China" of all places. The manufacturers website states: "American Lawn Mower Company, the largest producer of push reel mowers operating in the United States, is a family-owned business with manufacturing facilities in Shelbyville, In. and administrative offices in Muncie, In." This is misleading to say the least, it should say "manufacturing facilities in China".
That being said, the mower is easy to push and will cut taller grass than the Craftsman did. Also the grass on the street side on my house was seeded and was so thick the Craftsman would bog down in it, the 1815-18 will go right throuh it and cut it smootly. It is lighter by a couple of pounds than the Craftsman.
The only thing I have found defective is the plastic wingnuts on the handle assembly and the rear roller hight adjustment work loose occasionally which I intend to replace them with self locking nuts.
Excellent for the price July 26, 2008
This mower is easy to handle and is as carbon-neutral as you can get! It arrived quickly and was ready to use in 5 minutes.
 Buy a sickle instead July 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Don't believe the good reviews. This is one of the most poorly made contraptions out there; I might as well have bought snake oil. The construction of the handle is incredibly flimsy, which causes the blades to bind up because you can't apply equal even pressure. After two months, I've already lost nuts and bolts from it in the yard and foam grip is coming off in multiple places. Oh, and while the "blade" assembly is 18" wide, the final two inches on both sides don't really seem to cut anything.
Your lawn will look horrible. This "lawnmower" hardly cuts anything. I often loose track of what I cut because there's just so much grass left after pushing through a row. Even when cutting twice with crisscrossing patterns my lawn looks like it was mowed by a lazy teenager. This mower
will not cut the seed stalks from grass, so you'll have to get a weedwhacker for that. Oh, and keep that weedwhacker or edger out because any grass near pavement will just be pushed flat rather than cut; that will also become a near weekly job. Of course since the mower can't cut anything close to the sides of a building (we're talking 5 inches uncut when the outer wheel is rubbing against the wall) you'll need that weedwhacker out all the time anyway.
Don't believe those people that say this mower is better for your grass than a gas powered one. Gas powered motors, they say, just "rip" or "tear" grass but reel mowers actually "cut" it. That's simply propaganda. If you examine the grass tips of either properly working mower you'll see no difference except that reel mowers tend to cut the grass straighter (ie perpendicular) while gas mowers have a bit of an angle to the cut. And reel mowers bend the grass back to cut it against the blade anywyay, so all mowever bend grass.
This product shouldn't be bought for more than $20-$30 bucks, and then only as a novelty. Sure, it's quiet and easy to push, but so is a tricycle without a kid on it. Save your money until they develop good battery power mowers.
 Awesome mower! July 20, 2008
I recently bought this mower and I absolutely love it! It mows great and leaves my lawn looking wonderful. It pushes as easy as my old gas mower and is easier to back up and get around beds and trees. The only negative thing is that due to the wheels and cutter,it does not mow as close but I just trim with a hand trimmer. I would recommend everyone to try this! Even my dad who used the old time reel mowers was so impressed with it! You can visit with neighbors and hear the birds singing while you mow! It is great and it takes me less time to mow since you don't have to take time to start your mower and add $4.20 a gallon gas every time you mow!
A blast from the past that you'll love! July 1, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I recently borrowed a friend's Great States #815-18 18" Deluxe Reel Mower to try on my yard. He bragged on it and told me I should give it a try. I like things labeled Deluxe. Seems like another era doesn't it? Much better than an Extreme Mower... Maybe they need to call these things Deluxe Stealth Mowers.
What a joy it was to use. Lightweight, no real noise, no vibrations, no debris being flung out from under the mower at 900 mph towards my children, and no fumes. I could stop and start without stopping and starting an engine. I could walk and listen to music on my Nokia N810 without ear muffs or ear plugs. The kids could get close or ask questions. I declared that day I would buy one.
If only the whole neighborhood would use these mowers. Some weekends are a filled with the roar of a dozen gasoline powered lawnmowers chomping away at the grass at the same time followed by big doses of gas leaf blowers and gas weed-wackers. No relaxing outside with a cold glass of sweet tea on those days. Are all of these gas powered tools really progress? If it is, I'll take a few steps backwards thanks...
I spent $40 this spring on my 10 year old gas mower to get it back on it's feet. I bought a new blade b/c the old one was bent, new gaskets and seals for the carburetor, an oil change, and a new fuel line. Would have cost much more but I am able to to do all my own work. It's been a good machine and has alot of life left in it but I'm tired of it though. Such complexity and roaring noise to do something simple like cut grass. Every year it has cost me $20 or so to get the gas mower ready. I can only imagine what it would cost to use a repair service.
I looked at electric mowers - the type with a motor and battery on board. Nice machines but still more than I need week to week. Still a certain amount of noise. Still a complex device. Then I used this Great States Mower. What a perfect tool for the job. This isn't your grandfather's reel mower. I remember using one of those when I was a kid. It weighed about as much as I did at the time and a real bear to push. Maybe it was a heavy mower or maybe it was out of adjustment. Maybe it was that I was eight years old. Tough to say.
I, like most folks these days, could use a little more exercise. This manual mower helps there. It's not hard to push and it weighs less than my gasoline mower. I feel really good when I get done mowing! I think it is because I was exercising without inhaling all of those exhaust fumes for 45 minutes.
These mowers have limitations as you may read in other reviews. Without a blade spinning at 3,000 rpm+ it does not suck the grass to standing at attention to be chopped by the blades. That means grass blades that don't stand straight enough to get cut won't get cut. It also means that debris like leaves won't get mulched. Surprisingly having mowed my yard with a reel mower a few times now - it just looks better to me. It's not a perfect cut. I can find a few stray blades that got pushed over instead of being cut and stand back up between mows. I'll get them next time. No sweat. The blades get scissored by the reel mower rather than torn or chopped by the gas mower blade. Looks greener to me.
You'll need to mow a little more often. If you let the grass get out of control you'll hate mowing with this mower. Get an electric mower from Great States Mower. With a little extra mowing the finished yard looks great and the effort is minimal. Your body will be better for it too. Save your old gasoline mower for leaf control or mulching. I'm likely going to ditch mine in favor of a leaf rake.
The mower needs little TLC to keep it in top form. Its easy with just a little practice.
The cutter bar has to be adjusted so that the reel blades slide against it evenly. There are two screws on each side of the cutter bar that adjust this. Basically they tilt the cutter bar against or away from the blades. Too close and the mower is hard to push, and too far away and the mower won't scissor the blades of grass. It takes about 10 mins to get it just right the first time and that adjustment should be good for a long, long time.
There is this perfect cutting sound that the mower makes when it is just right. Learn to hear this sound and you'll know all is right with your mower. To sharpen your mower you simply tighten this cutter bar against the blades a little closer than normal and smear valve grinding paste on the reel blades and cutter bar. Push it around the driveway to spin the blades. When the blade edges are uniformly shiny across their length then you are ready to clean the paste off and readjust the cutter bar. You can buy this valve lapping paste from any FLAPS (friendly local auto parts store) and mechanics use this paste when replacing cylinder head valves in a car or truck engine.
The reel mower sharpening kits provide a handle so you can spin the blades while the mower is on your workbench and the grinding compound is the same as the FLAPS paste.
The last time I mowed using a reel mower I did it without earplugs. I did not smell like exhaust. I did not feel run down after 45 mins of carbon monoxide laden exhaust and who knows what else in my lungs. I could listen to my Nokia N810 music player streaming radio to me via Wi-Fi (GO LINUX!) My kids could walk over to me and I could stop or start with no cranky mower engines to start or stop. No flying debris being flung at my children or our animals.
I bought a 10 year old American Mower last night locally. I wanted a Great States Mower #815-18 18" from Amazon (still the best new retail price I've found for that brand) but this deal was too good to pass up at $45. Owner bought it and used it a couple of times before putting it away for a decade. Was one of the Made in the USA versions. Tires for example are basically new so I know it did not get used too many times. The interesting thing is that mine is an American Lawn Mower Company 18-Inch Reel Mower #1815-18 and it is exactly like my buddy's Great States #815-18 18" Deluxe Reel Mower. I mean they even have the same wheels. I am wondering if the companies are the one and the same...
|
|
|
The Outpost Network | |
