Reel mowers are simple mowers. Brush them off occasionally. Spritz the blades with WD-40. And sharpen them every other season. Rotary mowers tear at the grass, hacking off the tops of blades and leaving them open to disease.
Reel mowers snip the grass, cutting each blade like a pair of scissors.
It's a precise, clean cut that makes for a healthier and more attractive lawn. And because of the cutting action of a reel mower you can leave reel clippings on the lawn. Reel mowers create a fine spray of clippings that act as a mulch and decompose quickly, releasing nitrogen into the lawn. Over the course of a cutting season, that mulch is equivalent to a free application of fertilizer. Easy to use.