LawnMaster LMRM1601 16″ Push Reel Mower Review
For some people, the thought of cutting the grass quickly conjures up moans and groans. Especially if you have a slightly older gas-powered lawnmower that struggles to start, spits fumes and gobbles through gallons of expensive gas.
Yet there are some of us out there, who take a different perspective on cutting the grass. It is, after all, a chance to get outside, and maybe get a little exercise while you are doing it. If this sounds like you, and you are tired of the hassles that come with gas and electric powered lawnmowers, then you might want to take a closer look at the well-designed LawnMaster LMRM1601 16″ Push Reel Mower.
This isn’t your grandfather’s creaky old manual push mower. It’s been designed with ergonomics and comfort of use in mind. The handles are ergonomically contoured and padded. This makes it more comfortable to use regardless of your height.
The five hardened steel blades produce a 16-inch wide cutting path. This is just about right for a manually powered lawnmower. Any wider and you might have to force it more than you would like. Any narrower, like say a 12-inch cutting path, and it might get frustrating to have to make so many passes across the lawn.
It’s also lightweight. This means that the energy you are putting into it is going mostly toward the act of cutting the grass, instead of fighting with the weight and friction of the mower itself.
It also has two 10-inch diameter front wheels with two 7-inch diameter rear wheels. This makes it more maneuverable than some of the other manual mowers in its class. The wheels also have manual adjusters that allow you to cut grass from 1.375 inches high all the way up to 2.5 inches.
Key Features
• 16-inch cutting width
• 5 hardened steel blades
• Ergonomically designed handle
• Two 10-inch front wheels and two 7-inch rear wheels
• 6 easy to adjust cutting height settings
Performance
If you are someone who moans and groans about the effort needed to cut the grass, then this mower, and indeed all manual lawnmowers, probably aren’t right for you. If you value the sweat equity of a little exercise while you trim up your grass, then the LawnMaster LMRM1601 is definitely worth some consideration.
It pushes a lot easier than you might think. Just keep in mind that like all lawnmowers, and manual reel mowers, in particular, the blades need to be properly sharpened from time to time to produce a crisp, clean cut.
One minor fault inherent to most manual mowers is that the blades reside fully within the exterior wheels. This means that if you need to mow along a flowerbed or a landscaping feature, there will be a little bit of long grass left behind, for the weed whip to handle.
Ease of Use
Yes, you have to push this mower yourself. Assuming that you are still interested in a manual mower like this, we can set that added effort aside. The size of the wheels makes it easy to maneuver this lawnmower for making might turns as well as dancing around various landscaping features and trees.
The padded ergonomic handle improves comfort. Especially compared to old-fashioned or traditional manual lawnmowers, that often had a T-bar bicycle handle, that wore your hands out in just a few minutes.
Cut Quality & Options
The ability to adjust the blade height from 1.375-inches to 2.5-inches is a nice feature. It’s not necessarily something you see with all manual mowers. It also rolls nicely across even uneven turf, thanks to the large 10-inch wheels.
However, it can’t snug-up tightly to borders, flower beds, and other landscaping features. So, you will need to break out the weed whip after you are done mowing.
Maintenance
Maintenance is something that you have to be a little mindful about when it comes to using and indeed taking care of the LawnMaster LMRM1601 in the long run. The first thing you will likely notice is a little squeaking in one or two of the wheels. This is natural, and to be expected. Once you hear a little squeak in one wheel, you should spray the axels of all four with a little bit of WD40 or some similar brand of spray lubricant.
Just like all lawnmowers, the metal blades need to be sharpened from time to time. This is even more likely to be an issue with the five hardened steel blades of the LawnMaster LMRM1601. Dull blades tend to rip at the blades of grass instead of cutting them cleanly. Left unaddressed, this can affect both the performance of the manual mower, as well as the appearance and health of your turf.
There are two essential parts involved in any manual mower. The blades and the bed knife. Wheels really only drive a special gear that effectively spins the blade mechanism in a helical fashion.
If you are new to sharpening a manual mower you might be tempted to pull out metal files and angle grinders. But is this not necessary, and you could potentially damage the mower. It’s important to think of the blades of reel lawnmower blades work like pair of scissors. They don’t necessarily need to be sharp, but they need to be exact.
The edge of the blade needs to be true when it contacts the bed knife. This calls for fine precision moves in a process known as lapping. There are several videos available on the internet which can walk you through this process.
Safety Features
There aren’t really any safety features to speak of with the LawnMaster LMRM1601. However, its nimble wheels do make it easier to move around and dodge tender plants and landscape features.
Special Features
The handle is designed specifically with ergonomic comfort in mind.
Two 10-inch front wheels and two 7-inch rear wheels make it nimble and easy to move
Six different cutting height settings are something that you don’t necessarily find in other manual mowers in this same class, price, and size.
Cost Effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness is one area where the LawnMaster LMRM1601 really shines. It doesn’t cost any gas, oil, or electricity. You simply get a nice little workout while making your grass shorter than it was before. Price-wise it fits on par or even rings in a little less than other competitor manual lawnmowers.
