The Detroit News. My, we've come a long way since 1870, when Edwin Budding, a textile mill engineer, developed a reel-type mower. And grass is a good thing. For homeowners with a postage stamp-size lawn, the new, lightweight manual push mower may be the right choice. Made of alloys and weighing under 25 pounds, this low-tech mower is quiet and nonpolluting.
Purists claim push mowers give grass a quicker, clean cut with less trauma to the turf.
And let's face it, pushing a manual mower can be hard labor, especially if you let the grass get too tall. A team will canvas the nation in search of those residential lawns that best define what it means to be All-American. The contest ends July 31. If you've ever left a battery-powered tool plugged into its charger for too long, you know the problems it can cause. The result is usually a damaged battery and a big repair bill.