Reel type lawn mowers
Unlike the rotary mowers you are used to and that are the most popular mower on the market today, reel lawn mowers do not have an engine. They rely on very sharp blades and operator supplied power. Reel mower blades also spin differently than those of a rotary mower. A rotary mowers blades spin just above the ground and parallel to it. There are just two short cutting edges on the reel mower. Even though the blades are twenty to twenty four inches long, the actual working part is only about three inches on each end of the blade. The full length of the reel mower blade is sharp and cuts the grass in a scissors-like action. The blades of a reel lawn mower spin at an angle perpendicular to the ground. This means that when you push the mower, you are actually cutting the grass and not just slicing/smashing the end of the grass.