If you are thinking about going from a gas-powered mower to a reel mower there a few things you should understand. I own a new Luxus 38 and have used it to mow my lawn (approx. 800 - 1000 square ft.) 3 times and it is harder than a power mower. This seems obvious enough maybe but I was surprised at how much. I have a deep regard for the enviroment and this is just a step in a larger trend to simplify my life so I intend to continue using it but I have had to change a few things on how I work in my yard that are outlined here along with some personal opinion mixed in for fun.
1. all small twigs and sticks have to raked up prior to mowing. even then you will have problems. a stick 1 inch long and a quarter inch in diameter will stop the mower dead if it is caught just right. It happens at least once every time I mow and so far it has been more like five or six times. I failed to understand that the wheels make the reel spin. But when the reel stops suddenly so do the wheels and so do I. I have the blisters to prove it.
2. If your yard is bumpy or has lots of roots all over rethink a reel mower. Luckily only part of my yard is like this. The mower gets caught in ruts easily and if the ground is rough the blades don't spin well and don't cut well. A mostly level ground is best.
3. when you first get the Luxus 38 you'll see there is a depth setting (45mm to 15mm - I think its 15mm, anyway) The first day I set it for 45mm and away I went. While later I wondering where I put the box this thing came in so I could send it back. After I thought about it though I realized why it was so hard to push through my yard. My power mower cut the yard 'high' but the highest setting on the Luxus 38 is much lower than my power mower (which broke by the way). I was cutting through the 'bed' of the grass and not just the new growth since the last mowing. The next mowing (about 4 days later) I set the gauge for 45mm (and it was pretty easy) and then mowed it again at 35mm immediately after the 45mm and then a 3rd time at 30mm (which was hard) immediately after the 35mm. So I mowed the yard 3 times that day but I have moved the 'bed' of the lawn further down and given me more time inbetween mowings. So if you can set your power mower to its lowest cut before using the Luxus 38 and then just continue to use the reel mower to maintain the lawn you'll save yourself a lot of needless work.
4. The Brill Luxus 38 marketing material claim the blades never need to be sharpend. I'm leary of that statement but have nothing to counter it. What I did learn is that the blades cannot be sharpened. The whole reel has to be replaced at an unknown cost.
something to think about anyway.
5. I'm concerned about the new growth in spring. Now that I have my lawn 'bed' moved I think I can get away with once a week but in the spring I can see myself mowing 2 or 3 times a week to keep up with the growth. Because the wheels have shallow treads if the lawn is wet the wheel will slide over the grass, the reel stops spinning and no grass gets cut. I might have to get my gas mower fixed just for those situations.
6. Some postive stuff: Once I moved the 'bed' of the lawn down it was very easy to mow the yard and took about the same amount of time of a power mower (except for the raking). I enjoyed it more and so did my dogs. I've had several neighbors inquire about it and one guy I've never seen before. I'm using my upper body and legs more when I mow. The plastic middle of the mower is more then just design. It help soften the impact of a sudden stop. It would be much mmore jarring without it. I feel better not using fuel in such an inefficient manner as a power mower.
I gave the Luxus 38 a 4 star because I feel it is a good mower that is well designed. It took about 20 min to set up and use. The depth guages, if not tightened properly, move when mowing and you can find suddenly that mowing is much harder because your mowing too low. The handle is firm and durable but not uncomfortable. There is a 3" thin piece of metal that comes with the Luxus 38. SAVE IT! it is used to realign the blades to the .5mm spacing at some future date. The wheels can slide over grass when damp or there are a lot of cuttings on the ground. Mostly what is missing in the manual is a good explaination about how to switch from a power mower to a reel and be successful at it. Maybe they should talk to Apple!
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Brill 78370 Luxus 38 15 Inch Push Reel MowerProduct Description: Brill Luxus 38, Manual Reel Mower.
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Used this tune-up kit on my old mower, 'the Beast', a 1998 Craftsman 4hp.It works now, although it smokes and shakes a bit.I think this kit helped a little bit and was a pretty good deal.Spark plug and air filter fit fine.
