Product Description

The MM-1 Manual Reel Mower is a new model introduced by Sunlawn in 2006. The MM-1, with a height range of 1 - 3 inches, is an excellent choice for higher-cut lawns. Cutting width is 16 inches, weight of the mower is 25 pounds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47568 in Home Improvement
• Color: Green/yellow
• Brand: Sunlawn
• Model: MM-1
• Dimensions: 25.00 pounds

Features

• Weight: 25 pounds
• Cutting height 25 - 70mm (1 - 2.8 inches), easily adjusted
• Contact-free blade design for exceptional ease of pushing
• Precision ground, flame hardened, bearing mounted blades
• Expected blade life without sharpening 7 - 10 years

From the Manufacturer
The MM-1 is the first of the Sunlawn mowers featuring our flame hardened non-contact cutting system. It offers a wide height range of 1 to 3 inches and is an excellent choice for all Northern turf types.

Customer Reviews

Bill Altman
I bought this mower for the typical reasons:

1. Used power mower that I bought a few years ago died.
2. Wanted something light and quiet.
3. The lack of emissions and the "old fashioned-ness" of the thing appeals to me.

Here are the pros as I see them:

1. Reel height is higher than many others on the market. There are a few others that go up to about 3 inches, but their blades need sharpened yearly (see point two). I live in the South, and everybody I've talked to down here says that you absolutely shouldn't mow below 2.5 inches in the hot, dry summer.
2. Blades don't need sharpened every year. Since they do not actually make contact with the cutting bar, the manual says that the blades shouldn't need any care for 7 to 10 years.
3. Very easy to push and extremely quiet as compared to a powered mower.
4. You can mow bare foot! OK, this may not be recommended, but you can do it without worrying about getting hurt. The greatest thing, I believe, about this and other reel mowers is that it's easy to take it out of the garage and mow for 15 minutes when you get home from work. You don't get too warmed up and you continually keep up with the growing grass.
5. Mowed grass, which is ultimately how we rate our mowers, looks fine. There are probably other mowers that will give you more of a manicured look, but you won't be displeased with the Sunlawn.

Cons:
1. You can't let your grass grow tall! Tall grass and weeds simply bend over and don't get between the blades and the cutting bar. My grass grows fairly slowly, but there are some weeds in my lawn that don't. One kind shoots a single seed head up to about a foot in a matter of days. The only option with this mower is to hand pull them or use a weed eater after you've mowed. This is kind of a pain, but it applies equally to all reel mowers. It actually is probably less of an issue with the Sunlawn due to the higher mow height.
2. It is made in China. All things being equal, I would prefer something American made. I'm not a huge Buy Only American person, but I do like to get quality when I invest in something. This mower has the look and feel of something made in China. That's not to say that it doesn't seem to be well made and won't last a good while. I just know from reading other reviews of reel mowers that the Luxus owners all speak to the quality of the manufacturing. I can't really say that this mower has that feel of quality.

Not to dwell on this, but I would think that the Sunlawn folks would have given this more thought. I would guess that the market they're going after would be more than willing to pay an extra 40 or 50 bucks to buy a mower that doesn't have the perceived or real negatives of being built in China. They're already paying as much for a reel mower as a decent low end powered mower. I went back and forth between buying this mower and another that is significantly more expensive due to questions in my mind about its manufacture quality. Had the thing cost $225 and not raised those questions, I would have probably bought it sooner and with more confidence than I did.

All in all, I'm glad I bought this mower and would do so again. I plan to keep it and use it for many years to come!

Good for Maintaining Small and Level Yards
I am a first-time homeowner with a .2 acre lot who has never had to mow a lawn before and I am somewhat satisfied with this mower as a maintenance mower. Nonetheless, I know that I will have to buy a heavier duty mower (I will probably try a 19" cordless Black & Decker) because my lawn here on the north shore of Massachusetts is thick and grows VERY quickly. There is also some slope to certain sections of my lawn making a push mower a bit difficult for someone who is as light-framed and unathletic as myself. However, the mower is good for the small and level sections of my yard and the workout is unbeatable - I am much stronger than I used to be after using this 4 times!

MM-1 Pros:
1.) Light - only 25 pounds. Great for me!
2.) No pollution - neither gas nor noise
3.) Easy to assemble - just screw in the handle in 4 places
4.) Very sharp blades - only need sharpening every 7-8 years. Cuts great on dry not too tall grass. I was able to cut grass up to 5" high after a few passes.
5.) Easy to adjust the mowing height of each of the 2 wheels
6.) It is OK if there are some twigs, etc., in your lawn because you didn't rake it perfectly. The larger twigs may get caught in the mower's blades, but they are simple enough to remove.
7.) My grass seems to like the slanted cut of the reel blades. Sunlawn claims that this slanted cut is healthier for the grass as opposed to the rough tearing of other mowers.

Cons:
1.) OW! Assembling the grass-catcher REALLY HURTS. There are crimped edges that you need to snap over the metal frame and I can not imagine having arthritis and being able to do this. My fingertips were really sore.
2.) This mower is for lawns that are already in great shape and just need to be maintained. However, if it has been raining for a while and your grass has grown really high, you will need a higher powered mower first. As you probably expected, this mower is not for wet, tall grass. The grass will clump and get caught in the blades. Also, the rollers will just glide over the tall grass bending it down, but not activating the blades.
3.) Despite how healthy my grass is, my lawn does not look as neatly manicured as when my neighbor mowed it with his power mower. But maybe that is because I am new at this.

I bought this mower because it was light, did not make a lot of noise, did not require gas and the company claimed the blades would not require sharpening for 7 years. Although I cannot confirm the last point, the mower definitely meets the remaining criteria. I wish I could have bought just this one mower, but I will need something stronger. Well, I'm learning. I do hope this helps other first-time purchasers.

why i bought this mower
this is the most enjoyable time i've ever had mowing my lawn. i prefer the way my lawn looks after i finish mowing with my mm-1. i heard that reel mowers don't do well on bumpy lawns. i consider my lawn to be fairly bumpy and haven't had any problems. i decided that if i could mow my lawn without using any gasoline or emitting pollution then that's what i should be doing. i also like the idea that my neighbors in this newly developing suburban community all seem to be surpised with how well this contraption that doesn't require fuel or an engine does it's job. the fact that my using this mower has influenced a few people on my street to make their next lawn mower a non-polluting, earth friendly reel mower makes it worth it.

the two major reasons i bought this particular reel mower instead of a different brand are:

1)i bought this particular mower instead of the 20 inch wide scotts reel mower because the blade on the mm-1 doesn't need sharpening for at least 7 years. the mm-1 doesn't cut as wide of a path as the scotts, but i'm fat and the extra work i'm doing with this mower is good for me.

2) the 2.8 inch cutting height was another selling point. most reel mowers don't cut much higher than 2 inches. while it's true that most grass doesn't NEED to be cut to 3 inches, i prefer mine to be that tall, it just looks better...and it helps hide the bare spots.

just remember, if your grass hasn't been cut in awhile and it looks a bit more like a forest than a lawn, you'll need to go over it with a power mower the first time. reel mowers are for maintaining lawns that aren't over 4 inches or so in height.