California Trimmer 20" Classic Reel Mower Review

[@budlight3874]

I bought this mower and used it for almost two years. For the price, quality of the mower and the quality of the cut, I doubt you can find anything better. However, this mower weighs a ton. I’m in South Carolina and my lawn is not very flat. Numerous up/down grades and undulations making it difficult to maneuver this machine. I’m retired and in my upper 60s and in reasonably good shape and felt I could effectively wrestle this machine. I tried for two years and finally gave up. Between this and my Honda HRX217, the level of effort required to run it was at least triple that of the Honda. Keep this in mind as you consider your options.

[@InDatParish]

This mower performed flawlessly and I really put it to the test. Once you go reel you’ll never want your grass cut any other way. I’m hooked. Totally worth the money, TRUST ME!

[@garythorington1600]

I recently bought a 20 inch Allett and so far there is nothing wrong with it but its built in the UK and I am going to order one of these dreamers for a back up or my main one if it does well. I have a company serviceman nearby which is another reason I am buying the Dreamer. I am glad there are so many good reviewers . The Allett looks similar with its Honda engine and green colors

[@stevenwright6573]

I learned to mow with one of these in 1980 when I was 9. It was a handful at first, but fairly easy to learn on. Pretty soon the front yard at my house in Salinas was almost as smooth as the greens at Pebble Beach lol. Great machine.

[@kennethsouthard6042]

My dad had one that he bought in 1970 when I was about 7. If I remember correctly, the sticker said, "The Trimmer" Los Angeles, CA. The company appears to be in Washington State now. Still looks pretty much the same design but safer. Ours had no guards over the belts and chains and looked like it was made more in a fab shop than a factory.

[@TurfCulture]

I'm very surprised at how well it stripes the bermuda, looks great!

[@tigerblood6823]

Thanks for posting this video. That Hybrid Bermuda lawn looks great.

[@stevenwright6573]

When I was 15 and mowing my grandparents lawn in 110 degree heat I would never have guessed I would ever look at your lawn and think "dang I wish my lawn looked that good after I mow it". Lol.

[@biggus6633]

You need to make a video about what you do with your Bermuda grass. Fertilizer? Dethatching? Aerating? Cutting schedule? What do you do with it to make it look so nice???

[@kittyhawk7060]

I have hybrid Bermuda. Make sure you live in a place that gets regular rain or water is cheap. I cannot afford to use a reel mower because I live where its hot, there is little rain, and our water cost is really high. We have to keep our hybrid Bermuda grass much taller so the water does not evaporate quickly. This man's yard looked great.

[@LeviHardin28]

Just bought mine today! Can’t wait

[@trianglereelmowers450]

Great basic overview of the REEL!

[@davidfournier3355]

Buying another one! Wish I still had the old one:

[@dsparks1011]

Great help in setting up my mower. Ordered and installed the handle extensions. Not as easy as putting the mower together. But love the extra length on the handles. Couple of questions, When not engaging the drive wheel is it okay to mow short areas,, you know when your in a corner by the fence. Speed, I like to run about half speed, what do you guys recommend? thanks

[@andyosteen1789]

How would you anticipate this reel mower would do on palisades Zoysia. It’s a wider blade turf grass and is extremely dense and thick.

[@Moondoggy1941]

I bought one of these Reel Lawnmower, boy it is old, it has a 3.5 Horespwoer motor, and it is super heavy.

[@tomfrazier1103]

I bought a heavy one too, with a 2hp B&S. It runs well, but at about 50 y/o it needs some adjusting. The grasscatcher is galv iron sheet over an iron frame. I made a big effort to research it a few weeks ago, and it seems to be about 1968-72. The seller was a swap meet old/used tool guy who had no history on it. It is mostly original and painted for it's age. It might be unsuited for rural Oahu use. As a kid, the neighbor's Dad had one, and I was quietly fascinated by it. I replaced the rubber drive belt, but it seems to need dressing. As a test run this morning was somewhat inconclusive.

[@Moondoggy1941]

@@tomfrazier1103 I guess the big problem with these type of mowers that they are expensive to have the blades sharpened. Once people see that it cost over 200 dollars they lose interest fast. My lawnmower has a 3 HP BS moter, my King Of Lwan edger is really old as well, I know it hadn't been started in 16 years and I did a points and condenser upgrade, added fuel and I pull it started. Amazing

[@tomfrazier1103]

@@Moondoggy1941 Their used to be a G.I. generation guy in a step van who drove around offering services on these, but I haven't seen him in a few years. My Grandfather had an old edger that I never used, but I had to fight a cranky rotary mower and mow theirs & our lawns. My first paid job, though we were far from stores, and the kid economy, except the Big Cookie at grade school. I never comprehended that school lunches were for poor kids. I was partly raised by that G.I. generation as well.

[@unionjack100980]

Great video,amazing looking lawn. I prefer reel mowing.subbed

[@abrothersworld8843]

Your yard looks great! Good vid. We just made one as well. Keep up the good work.

[@JohnDoe-xu2vx]

So, that lever on left side of handle has to be pulled in to make it go forward?.......and if you let go the mower will stop kind of like a safety driver lever on a Honda Rotary? I just bought a True Cut and they dont have that safety feature.

[@lifeofbrett]

The handle has to be squeezed to make the mower go forward and reel spin. No separate lever for each.

[@JohnDoe-xu2vx]

@@lifeofbrett I bought one recently, simple to use safely. Lot better controls than a Tru Cut

[@IvanHernandez-hd2si]

Good review. Simple & clear.... 👍

[@Godisnotjesus1967]

Is it possible to get a PGA standard green at home??? As I understand the length of golf green grass is between 1.5mm-2.5mm.....(0.0984252 Inch)

[@JohnDoe-xu2vx]

Just bought the 20" with GS 120 engine. For some reason 2nd time I used it the reel just stopped moving while engine ran. I guess I have t6o take it in.

[@lifeofbrett]

Did the engine bog down when you tried to get the reel to spin? Your reel may be too tight or you may have something as little as a piece of mulch between the reel and bedknife.

[@AA-cy4rl]

Great Video!!!!

[@Szdday]

Very nice review!

[@JohnDoe-xu2vx]

You guys need to fix your basket issue. Its a major flaw with your mower. I cant even mow my grass without grass falling out of the basket...I give it a 5 out of ten

[@bchim311]

Nice review. Thanks.

[@CrispusAttucks2315]

Great video. Very informative!

[@E.ElderGilbert]

Do you guys offer veterans discounts

[@swtexan6502]

If not, Home Depot does and I'm pretty sure that you can order through them. Good Luck- and thanks for your service!

[@seanliver593]

I'm looking to design a putting green for my backyard will this mower cut low enough to do that ?

[@matte3561]

Sean Liver yes

[@phi376]

That lawn though!

[@rahulthakur5301]

Do you have any recommendations on whether to choose the classic or high cut? Understand the basic difference between the two but not sure which one to choose or if one is better over the other.

[@Iexpedite1]

Rahul Thakur I had the same question. My grass is centipede and I ran across the following information that led me to purchase the high cut. The Standard models provide a total cutting height range of 3/8” to 1-7/8”, while the High-Cut models have a total cutting height range of 5/8” to 2-1/4” (as measured from a hard/flat surface to the top edge of the bed-knife). To further differentiate between them and help the decision process, our recommended approach is if the desired cutting height is 1-1/4” or below, go with the Standard; if it’s above 1-1/4”, go with the High-Cut. Hope it helps...

[@JM-yx1lm]

Doesn't matter which one you get as they both will do the same height, one just comes pre assembled for low cut and the other comes set for high cut. It's easy to change either one for high or low cut.

[@hush065]

what is the best height to get better strip with this?i got kbg

[@blastpestcontrolinc.8648]

What front roller do you use? Thank you.

[@californiatrimmer2021]

The mower in the video is using a smooth front roller... our item #FR-20 and it's available from multiple resellers.

[@InDatParish]

I heard the grass clippings doesn’t even go into the grass catcher, it shoots off to the left. Anyone have this issue?

[@californiatrimmer2021]

The reel blade’s cutting edges are curved and placed diagonally around the core of the blade in a “helix” type of shape which allows for a smoother / reduced friction rotation while maintaining the continual shearing action across the entire width. So when the reel is spinning it creates a spiral (corkscrew) motion which causes the clippings to come out from right-to-left (when viewed while mowing) and accumulate more on the left side of the catcher. It seems to occur more when cutting very small amounts and for the most part it's not an issue once it's explained, but we're looking at adding vanes to the shield to help steer the clippings a bit straighter and reduce the distraction.

[@InDatParish]

@@californiatrimmer2021 great response thank you! Yes I’ve seen people modify their clippings catcher to be like a makeshift taller wall to prevent from flying off to the side or out of the catcher completely

[@saxman2u]

What height is your grass being cut in the video?

[@lifeofbrett]

That’s my lawn. It was around 3/4”. The lawn isn’t completely flat so some bits are a little higher and some are lower.

[@saxman2u]

@@lifeofbrett thanks so much! looks great!

[@lifeofbrett]

@@saxman2u Thanks!

[@elijerrr]

Brett Smith just curious, what exact hybrid of Bermuda are you cutting? I’m wanting to buy this mower for after I finishing seeding my Arden 15/Monaco blend (ss 22000 I believe it is) and I’d love to know what exact kind you might have. Thanks!

[@lifeofbrett]

Mine was put down as sod. It should be Tiff419 ( I think I got a little mix of something else in parts of the yard). Definitely use a reel mower for the first cuts after you seed. A rotary mower can sometimes pull up the new grass. I actually used one of those Scott’s brand manual reel mowers when I put down the sod and when I planted bluegrass in my backyard. I did that for the first few cuts just to keep some weight off the grass.

[@69mjar]

I'm speechless.

[@warrenstemphly5756]

How do reels cut on hills? Our lawn is only totally flat in a few areas.

[@matte3561]

Warren Stemphly as long as it’s flat you are fine. Plus with the motorized track it will help going up hills

[@tinhinnh]

reel nice mower but must weigh a ton

[@markdent4052]

How much it cost ???

[@matte3561]

Mark Dent 1000-1500

[@pizzmo8256]

Junk

[@xoese3753]

Thr suburbs are awful. Lawns are a waste of space that could be used for gardens or native habit for wildlife. Lawns are worse than deserts and has basically 0 life. I hope you reconsider.

[@johnbiggins2105]

Thanks numb nuts