Sunlawn Push Reel Mower

Even though I've lived in urban apartments for nearly half my life, I don't hate suburbia.

In fact, unlike some urban snobs, I have fond memories of my suburban youth.

Sure, I wish there could have been a few more sidewalks and bike paths, but I loved having a grassy backyard for youthful frolicking.

What I didn't love much was the lawn mowing aspect of having a yard - especially when I got to be old enough to do the mowing. The heat, the fumes, the danger from the fast-spinning blade and the hard-to-control self-propelled monster soon had me swearing at the turf.

To be honest, I don't remember worrying much at the time about the pollution our gas-powered lawn mower generated, but now I know that gas-powered lawn mowers are a major source of pollution.

In fact, it's even worse than I thought. In 2006, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) asserted that "the average lawn mower emits as much smog-forming pollution as eight new cars traveling at 55 miles per hour."

UCS went on to give tips on making your gas mower run a bit cleaner and more efficiently or switching to an electric mower, but they noted that "you can eliminate pollution entirely by using old-fashioned manual tools such as push mowers..." (my emphasis)

Eliminate lawn mowing pollution entirely. Now that sounds eco-fantastic! And it's in that spirit that we feature today's Green product - the Sunlawn Push Reel Mower.

There's nothing old-fashioned about this push mower - except perhaps the idea of buying something that's made to last. Sunlawn says that the flame-hardened blade won't need sharpening for 8-10 years and provides a 2-year manufacturer's warranty to back up the overall quality of its products.

You just look at a mower like the LMM40 and think how its efficient design stands out. Sunlawn has stripped down the weight to less than 20 lbs, while still equipping the LMM40's with a five-blade cutting system that mows down a 16-inch swath at an adjustable cutting height of 0.4 to 2.2 inches.

Remember, there's no gasoline to buy, no pollution, not even the extra drag on your energy bill from an electric mower.

With a push mower, you can even mow your lawn at night or at the crack of dawn. No engine means no noise. (Sunlawn describes the Push Reel Mowers as 'whisper-quiet'.)

It all sounds great, but how does it work in practice? Unfortunately, we didn't have an opportunity to test the Sunlawn Push Reel LMM40 mower, but reviews on Amazon.com seem generally quite favorable.

The only way to find out if a push reel mower is right for you might be to give one a try - quietly.

Hey just think, if everyone on your block switched to a push reel mower, you'd finally be able to enjoy those long afternoon naps in the hammock. You lucky dog!

Where to buy:
You can purchase the Sunlawn Push Reel LMM40 mower (MSRP $179) directly through Sunlawn's website or at Amazon.com.

Offline, look for the LMM40 at True Value, Ace Hardware and other lawn and garden retailers.

Update 5/11/09 - There's a nice review of a Sunlawn push reel mower over at Off the Urban Grid.