Scotts 18-Inch 7-Blade Push Manual Reel Lawn Mower

Context:I am mowing a Bermuda grass lawn, about 3,200 sq ft.Is this mower easy to assemble?Yes, I did it entirely without tools. However, this gives one the 2-3" cutting range which is the default. To go lower, you will need/want a crescent wrench and a socket wrench to change the large 10" drive wheels' starting position.Is it hard to adjust the drive wheels on the Scotts Pro to the lower cut level?Not at all - but you will need some wrenches. The wheel and axle are shifted to another setting by physically detaching the main axle, shifting it around the reel's drive axle axis and reinserting the drive wheel and axle into the new height range. There are three axle positions possible, you need to see it to understand fully, but however arcane this sounds now, it is not hard. Took five minutes, right the first time.Are 7 blades worth it?Yes - it will cut much better on fewer passes. the famous "rifling" of the lawn that the 4-5 blade versions create is greatly reduced. That said, the key to reel mowing is hitting the lawn often. One is trimming and grooming, not cutting the grass.Speed?This is actually faster than my gas powered walk behind. I get done quicker and the lightness of the machine makes up for the fact that it is 100% human power. Not difficult to use at all.Can it maneuver? What if the ground is bumpy?I have an area that inclines rather noticeably and this machine is unfazed by this. It rolls along an incline and tracks true, either parallel to the incline or moving up or down it. I understand from other reviews that this is not always true of mowers from other makers. I also have my share of bumps where the lawn needs leveling, and given its width, that is not a problem. This thing even blasts small twigs without a care (although I prefer to miss them for the sake of continued sharpness of the grass knife), whereas most reel mowers reportedly seize up on the smallest obstacle.Results?Awesome - after three uses, my Bermuda already looks more like an emerald carpet. The reel mower does not stun the blades with a crush-cut like a string trimmer or rotating horizontal steel blade does. As mentioned, this is a trim and groom mower. The grass never misses a growth beat and there are no "hairy edges" left behind to add a tan sheen to the lawn as the crushed bits die and new blades must form. Keep your gas monster for scalping or those times when vacation forces you to let it grow too high and you want to recover back to height quickly in a couple of mows. The gas monster also will suck up light debris in fall as leaves are dropping all over. I see some on YouTube using their gas machine as a yard vacuum of sorts, setting it higher than the reel mower and sucking up loose thatch and leaves.General notes below:Why buy a reel mower?Your lawn is a hobby and you seek golf course quality. You know more than a little about how to care for it holistically. A reel mower clips the grass with a neat scissor action that does not stun the blades. The grass recovers immediately and learns to spread out wide and thick. Great for Bermuda. Turns your grass into carpet as your reel mower trims and grooms it, which you are happy to do every 2-4 days. You love the exercise and the meticulous care of the lawn.Why would I not want to buy one?The above description sounds more like chores from hell than fun.

This mower cuts great and easy to adjust on grass height. Assembly was easy just put the handle together as the mower is adjusted to cut from the factory. Safe to use just be careful around the blades with fingers. This is two inches smaller then my old Scotts reel mower but really cannot tell much difference in mowing as far as speed of mowing the yard.

Feels like a real quality piece of equipment. My only complaint is that the minimum factory setting is at 2". If you want it lower, which is needed for bermuda grass, you have to take the assembly apart and reassemble. Not that difficult but a nuisance. Other than that it worked great.

This is a very well made quality mower. I use it two times a week. It cuts very well and I'm impressed with the quality of it. Great quality for the price. Would definitely recommend. To

Instructions are abysmal. The one picture they give you in the manual is ambiguous and useless. Just use your own brain to figure it out, and it'll be fine. (The part that connects to the reel/wheels should bend in the opposite direction that it shows in the instructions. It should bend upwards, and should bend in the same direction as the handle). It's not complicated, so the fact that they screwed it up so badly is actually impressive. Literally any angle other than the one they used would have made it clear.Adjustment sticker is terrible and useless as well. 1,2,3 mean absolutely nothing, because the range isn't actually ever 1 to 3 inches. The factory default is 2-3 inches, and the "easy adjustment" only ever gets you a 1in range, even on the lower settings. That's fine, but don't print 1,2,3 on the sticker, because it's completely meaningless. Using numbers implies a specific quantity of SOMETHING, but it's completely arbitrary. There are 9 steps of adjustment over that 1in range, so you literally can't adjust in 1/8in increments. You have to do 1/9th increments for some arbitrary reason. 1/8th or 1/10th increments would be perfectly reasonable. 9 positions labeled 1,2,3 makes me think whoever designed this thing is just messing with you.The incompetence of the instructions, marketing, labeling, and the overall user experience makes it clear there's no cross-training or communication going on, and the design suffers for it.The machine itself is fine. It looks and feels nice. It's perfectly good and capable. But the fact that such simple issues that were completely avoidable are all over the place makes it seem like nobody had any clue what they were doing, and it's honestly shameful and embarrassing.