Mow Better
James Bond has an uncharacteristically sentimental moment in one of Ian Fleming's books when he hears Her Majesty's groundskeepers clipping the lawn outside M's office with old-fashioned, engineless "push" mowers. Bond speculates that the sound of their spinning blades--to him the very soul of summer--would soon be replaced by the gutteral grinding of gas-powered mowers.
If Bond had ever heard the blasphemy a leafblower, he might have abandoned the Empire to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. But he would be heartened to hear that sales of reel mowers, as they're officially called, have been increasing over the past decade--sixfold in that timespan according to some estimates--and that was before rising gas prices made their main competition less economical than ever. EPA research on small-engine machines, well advertised by environmental groups over the past few years, exposed gas mowers as an insidious source of pollution. They very ubiquity, it seems, makes them at once nearly invisible and destructive to the ozone layer. (The EPA, for that matter would have you curb your mowing altogether by planting low-maintenance slow-growing grasses as well as more trees and shrubs to decrease lawn area.) Recent attempts to reduce neighborhood noise (including restrictions on leaf blowing) have also promoted the quieter people powered machines, as has the building vogue for retro products.
Reel mowers aren't for the casual groundskeeper. If grass is allowed to grow much above three inches, a reel-mower will barely cut, and will turn your arm-muscles to mush. Electric mowers are cheaper to buy and run than gas, and, though marginally less powerful than gas mowers, will put an overgrown lawn back in trim in no time. Electrics come battery powered or with a cord, which admittedly can flummox expert lariat throwers, but which avoids the cost of replacing (and disposing of) the battery. And if gas is the only type of mower that satisfies, be sure to take a look at new, more efficient models.
Before you choose, take a look at all your options, and as with a diet or exercise routine, be realistic. The type of mower you choose depends mostly on what kind of lawn you have, how much you intend to mow and--according to our favorite lawn mowing site--what kind of shape you're in.
If Bond had ever heard the blasphemy a leafblower, he might have abandoned the Empire to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. But he would be heartened to hear that sales of reel mowers, as they're officially called, have been increasing over the past decade--sixfold in that timespan according to some estimates--and that was before rising gas prices made their main competition less economical than ever. EPA research on small-engine machines, well advertised by environmental groups over the past few years, exposed gas mowers as an insidious source of pollution. They very ubiquity, it seems, makes them at once nearly invisible and destructive to the ozone layer. (The EPA, for that matter would have you curb your mowing altogether by planting low-maintenance slow-growing grasses as well as more trees and shrubs to decrease lawn area.) Recent attempts to reduce neighborhood noise (including restrictions on leaf blowing) have also promoted the quieter people powered machines, as has the building vogue for retro products.
Reel mowers aren't for the casual groundskeeper. If grass is allowed to grow much above three inches, a reel-mower will barely cut, and will turn your arm-muscles to mush. Electric mowers are cheaper to buy and run than gas, and, though marginally less powerful than gas mowers, will put an overgrown lawn back in trim in no time. Electrics come battery powered or with a cord, which admittedly can flummox expert lariat throwers, but which avoids the cost of replacing (and disposing of) the battery. And if gas is the only type of mower that satisfies, be sure to take a look at new, more efficient models.
Before you choose, take a look at all your options, and as with a diet or exercise routine, be realistic. The type of mower you choose depends mostly on what kind of lawn you have, how much you intend to mow and--according to our favorite lawn mowing site--what kind of shape you're in.
posted by burb at 10:07 PM
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