Features:

  • The smart design of reel mower offers a cleaner cut without the hassles of gasoline, oil, battery charging, electrical cords or loud engine noise
  • A combination of advanced technologies make the staysharp plus reel mower 40-percent easier to push than other reel mowers
  • Patent-pending inertia drive reel delivers 75-percent more cutting power to blast through twigs, weeds and tough spots that would jam other reel mowers
  • Exclusive StaySharp Cutting System uses precision-ground, hardened steel blades to cut grass without touching, greatly reducing friction and blade wear for long-lasting performance without costly annual blade sharpening
  • Unique grass discharge chute throws clippings forward cleanly, away from your feet
Cuts well and easy to push if grass isn't overgrown.

I have mowed my Bermuda lawn a few times and it cuts effortlessly. Get this if you want the grass to be cut cleanly and/or don't want to kick up allergens. I'm glad I bought this and it makes mowing feel like less of a chore.

The Cadillac of Push Mowers!

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.

Out-Freakin'-Standing...

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.

Great mower for "grass" not weeds.

One down side to this is will not cut tall grass and has a hard time with thin weeds. Very easy to push and cuts grass very nice and smooth. I use on 3/4 acre lot with ease.

Love it!!!

Just bought one and used it for the first time today. I already had another type of reel mower but the difference between this one and that one is night and day. It cut through most of my grass like and hot knife through butter and it's very easy to push, it even makes less noise than my other reel mower because you'd don't hear a scissoring sound. If you are coming from a gas or electric mower (I've had both) you'll notice that it pushes over most tall stalks so you'll have to cut those down a different way. Overall all I love this mower.

Magnificent Mower

What a difference between this and my non-Fiskars reel mower. This was super easy to assemble, cuts like a hot knife through butter and is much easier to push. Very pleased.

My 10 year-old bought this and started mowing the lawns

My 10 year-old bought this and started mowing the lawns weekly for money. That wasn't going to happen with a gas-powered mower for a few more years. The reel-type mower does a better job of cutting the grass instead of ripping/tearing it off like the rotary mowers. I understand there's some types of grass that can require multiple passes from different directions to get the best result with a reel mower, but this is working great with one pass on our lawns which are a pure kentucky and a blend of kentucky blue and fescue. With a reel mower, you can't just hover over a spot and have the blade cut it. The mower has to pass over front to back. Borders and edges where you can't overrun the mower and tight corners present some problems. I use a line trimmer on these areas, which I would do with the rotary as well, but I line-trim a little more generous width of the edge when this mower is used. This won't cut the grass very short even on the lowest setting, but we've been using the second to lowest setting and that saves water anyway. My boy might start cutting more lawns in the neighborhood, but some of the bigger ones take some muscle. Maybe next year.

I love this little mower!

We are in the process of relocating and I’ve just purchased a new home.... the lawnmower is still where we are coming from. I have a decent size lawn to mow but didn’t want to purchase what in the long term would be a second motor to maintain. Also I live in Maine.... snow season is much longer here than grass season so I don’t need anything too crazy. This little mower performed perfectly on its maiden voyage! My yard is decent size, just about 1/4 acre but it’s a flat rectangle. Assembly was nothing, it came ready to go aside from assembling the handle (no tools needed). This was my first cut of the season so the grass was getting pretty high and parts are very thick and this little mower plowed right through. I did fully rake the yard of sticks/winter debris before starting. At first I had a bit of trouble getting it going but found quickly that a slight handle angle adjustment was all I needed and I was off and mowing. It wasn’t 100%perfect along things like fence edges (but what mower is), the spots where the ground is a little uneven took some extra push and it took me a few times to get the hang of making good turns but otherwise this thing is just fantastic. It’s quiet (meaning I can mow at any time without being a bad neighbor in my very residential neighborhood) there is no motor to maintain, minimal maintanace, there is no fear of debris flying out of you hit a stick or a rock (I totally mowed in flip flops), it’s small and doesn’t take up much space to store and light enough that I can easily lift it if needed. It’s eco friendly and all you smell is fresh cut grass, not fuel. Even the guys out in the street working on the utility lines wanted to check it out and we’re surprised how good it was doing! All in with a couple of ice tea breaks it took me just over an hour to do the whole property by myself. Also I’m a 5’4” woman just shy of 40 and while no stranger to heavy lifting most of my week is spent at a desk. Really I just love it.

Best reel mower I have used.

Reel mowers are the best mowers for the job, if you want a lawn that has a soft and inviting appearance. Gas or electric mowers do not cut as cleanly, they leave the tips of the grass with more of a "chewed" look. The tips dry out faster, and that new-mown look disappears. This Fiskars reel mower is designed to make a very fine cut. In that aspect, it is the best mower I have used. The Fiskars mower does not maneuver as well in corners as some, but that is a minor issue for me. My weed eater makes quick work of those areas. If you've never used a reel mower before, you will find that it cuts only in forward motion, not when pulling back. However, a reel mower is easier to push than a gas mower, especially if you cut your grass every week or so. More frequent mowing makes for a much easier lawn task as well. If you wait much longer than that, mowing the lawn becomes more and more of a chore. Another problem with gas or electric mowers is that they "beat" the grass, whereas this Fiskars mower cuts like a scissors, leaving a fresh clean cut. An important aspect that makes the Fiskars mower superior to other reel mowers is that it stays level, especially over uneven patches. The blades remain in constant contact with the grass, rather than "rocking" as they pass over thicker areas, leaving some patches higher or lower than others. With the older styles of reel mowers, you can whirl around at a 180 degree angle, whereas with this model, you have to jockey it around a bit. The quality of the cut with the Fiskars mower makes the minor inconvenience worth the effort, however. The more I use this Fiskars mower, the more I like it.

An ACTUAL review

Look, I wanted to wait to write a review on this product until I used it for at least 3 months, and let me tell you this mower RUNS! Mowing the grass is not enjoyable period, regardless of what mower you have its still WORK. I think peoples expectations of this mower is that it will just cut the yard by its self which obviously is not the case. The mower takes the same amount of effort as pushing a standard gas mower as long as you do not allow the grass to turn into a jungle. Not going to lie the first time I cut it took some additional effort because the grass was so high. But as long as you put in the effort to cut frequently you will love this mower. If your the type of person that just lets the grass go and waits until you cant see out your windows then this mower is NOT for you. The mower has some nice features and upgrades from previous reel mowers. The handle is adjustable to multiple heights. The blades cut to the outside of the wheels so you get a nice wide cutting path. Blade height adjustments are easy, just one lever chooses height of cut. Blade adjustments are easy in 3 months I had to adjust the blades once, which is simply just turning 4 bolts and taking a test piece of paper and running it through the blades to make sure it cuts. Very simple maintenance process. Biggest thing is this mower is chain driven. Most reel mowers ive seen have a plastic gearing system which are prone to breaking/stripping. Gear ratio is good and really gets the blade spinning fast even from a walking pace. The cut is smooth but from time to time it will miss a blade or two. I usually take two passes over the same spot to ensure it is even as possible.The mower does improve the quality of the grass, standard gas mowers tear and rip grass while this mower gives a clean cut like scissors and gives it a cleaner look. And best of all NO GAS, NO NOISE i start cutting my lawn at 6-7 in the morning without disturbing the neighbors and while its still cool in the mornings, huge plus! Overall the mower is great for those who are not lazy and consistently keep up with their lawn.

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