They're back in style. But today's reel mowers are lighter and easier to maintain. While using a reel mower is great exercise, it's also healthy for your lawn. The earliest American-made reel mowers were manufactured by the American Lawn Mower Co. in 1895. Production records from the spring of 1896 show that 4,000 mowers were produced and sold.
Reel mowers are easier and more economical to use.
Concern for the environment also has played a role in the resurgence of reel mowers. The Environmental Protection Agency says that power lawn mowers dumped approximately 110,000 metric tons of hydrocarbon pollutants into the air during 1990. Reel mowers don't require gas or oil, and they emit no fumes. Reel mowers are safer than power mowers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that more than 55,000 people are treated in emergency rooms annually for injuries involving power mowers.