Product Details
| Owner's Manual [PDF] |
- Item Weight: 51.7 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 54 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
- Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
- ASIN: B0045VL1OO
- Item model number: 6201
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (363 customer reviews)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)
Product Description
The StaySharp Max Reel Mower (formerly Momentum) combines patent-pending technology with superior ergonomics to deliver best-in-class cutting performance without gasoline, oil, charging, the hassle of cords or the noise created by other mowers. It features an InertiaDrive Reel for twice the cutting power of standard reel mowers; StaySharp Cutting System to eliminate the cost and inconvenience of annual blade sharpening; VersaCut Technology for easy cut height adjustment to provide a clean cut on any type of grass, even tough southern varieties, plus one-touch height adjustment for comfort and control; inset wheel design for ultra-close side edging without uncut strips under the wheels; and a unique grass discharge chute that throws clippings forward cleanly, away from your feet. The combination of these technologies makes the StaySharp Max Reel Mower 60% easier to push than other reel mowers, helping you get more done with less effort. Includes a best-in-class 1”–4" cut height range, an 18" cut width and a limited three-year warranty.Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
795 of 819 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Review ratings updated 08-27-2012
Forgive the length of this review - it is intended to be what I was looking for (comprehensive information) before I bought my own.
If you're paying attention and have the right wrench, it shouldn't take more than about 5 or 10 minutes to assemble. Adjusting the blades takes another five minutes. Then you can start playing with it. I say playing because this isn't work. It's too much fun to be work. Strange, but true.
I learned quickly that the ease with which it is pushed through and cuts grass depends proportionately on how much of that grass's height you cut at one time. Reviews and research say that you should never cut more than 1/3rd the grass's height at a time. They tell you it's for the health of the grass. It is also for the health of the person pushing the mower. Get the mower set too low, and it's not very easy (or fun) to push. Get it set too high, and it's super easy, but nothing happens. Get it set just right, and there's light resistance, and it's going to town.
A good idea is to set it to cut off between 1/2" and 1/3rd of the total grass height for the first pass, whichever is more. Then keep lowering the cutting height 1/2" to 1" at a time and keep making passes until you get a lot of resistance pushing it when you lower it any further. Then, wait a couple days, and go out again and mow at the height you had trouble with previously. Keep doing this until your grass is where you want it. From there, it's a breeze to keep up with.
I can't believe I was paying $70 a month to have someone come in and mow my lawn when I could have been using this. It's so simple and easy!
Here's my assessment. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best:
Is it easy to assemble? Yes. 9/10. Just follow the simple directions. The only way to make it easier would be to have it come pre-assembled, but they don't do that because it makes for a much smaller box if you assemble the handle yourself.
Is the handle comfortable? Yes! 10/10. The design allows you to hold it in various different ways. I like holding it in such a way that I am gripping the vertical part of the handle, which is much more natural, comfortable and surprisingly, less fatiguing than a horizontal handle.
Is it easy to adjust the blades for perfect cutting? Mostly. 6/10. It might take some fine tuning and fiddling to get it just right, and I found this slightly confusing at one point. But when you see your lawnmower slicing paper cleanly without the blades touching, it's pretty impressive and well worth the effort. Which, by the way, you only have to make once a year. I adjusted this down a notch because it can be confusing if you make a mistake. Be careful to follow directions closely.
Is it easy to adjust the cut height? Ridiculously. 10/10. Just reach down and adjust a knob on the right side. It's not even hard to move the knob! No wrenches necessary. It literally takes about 3 seconds. I wish the notches were marked for height.
Is it easy to adjust the handle height? Very. 9/10. (Just be careful not to drop the cotter pins when you're doing it.) You can adjust it super low for the very short, all the way up to comfortable for the very tall. I am 5'8" tall, and the recommended position 3 is where I like it. My 5 year old cousin can use it when it's set to Position 1. (Yes, it really is that easy to push when the grass isn't overgrown.)
Is it easy to push? When adjusted properly for the height of the grass, yes. 9/10. Even if you are small framed and spend your life sitting at a computer doing nothing but typing, you will be able to use this mower fairly easily. The only exception will be if the mower is being pushed through a very deep carpet of grass, which its weight will make a bit more difficult to do because of a tendency to sink into the grass bed.
Does it do a good job in one pass? Yes. 9/10. While you will get more grass that gets cut if you make a second pass, even at the same height, it's not necessary in most cases unless the grass was very tall to begin with. If the grass is more than 2 or 3" higher than the cutting height setting, but still low enough for the machine to mow, a second pass in the opposite or a perpendicular direction is worthwhile. The first pass does almost all the work. When I mowed my grandfather's 1 acre yard, I made one pass, period. He was very impressed with how well it cut through even the thick stuff in one pass, without needing a second pass at all. So was I. Update: You need to have the blades adjusted properly for this to be true. Otherwise it bends some, and cuts some.
Does it cut tall weeds? Usually. 7/10. If the weeds are not more than about 6 to 8" taller than the cut height, and pointed in the right direction (usually straight up or toward the mower), it will usually cut them but may need multiple passes. Taller weeds should be pulled out by hand. I have been pleased with how well it handles 6 to 8" tall weeds in one pass even when set to cut at 1.25".
Is it quiet? Yes. 9/10. It's nearly - but not quite - silent. Front wheels squeak some on mine. When the height is set properly, it can be somewhat louder than you might expect when going through thick spots. Almost silent going through thin spots, or during a second pass - unless you're mulching the previous pass's heavy clippings. I was able to mow an inch off my grass at 9:30 PM without any of my neighbors ever noticing.
Is it a good workout? Yes. 10/10. Not effortless, and not too hard when properly adjusted, this mower will definitely make you work up a sweat (I was mowing in still 70 F air after dark and sweating a moderate amount), but at the same time, it also won't make you feel exhausted unless you have it set to cut too low. And because of how quiet it is, you can mow when it's cool. I have mowed my grass at night or in the evening on a few occasions, and it makes it much more comfortable to mow than in the heat of the day.
Does it handle clippings well? Very. 9/10. The clippings might actually bog down the machine if the grass is thick and you try to cut too much off at once, or make too many passes in the same day while lowering the machine with each pass in overgrown grass. That's why it's suggested that you mow, wait a couple days and mow again a little lower: gives the clippings time to dissipate. As for dispersal, I can not tell where they go after mowing, except when they get in the driveway. They just... disappear. Literally. I love that.
Do the blades stay sharp? Yes. 10/10. This mower will only require sharpening every 5 to 10 years, according to the company, but I am not sure I can see the blades needing sharpening in anything less than 8 years, after taking a close look at how this thing is made. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it went for a lifetime without needing sharpening.
Is it good for large (1+ acre) lots? Fairly. 5/10. If you are not trying to mow too much off in a day, and you don't mind spending some time mowing the grass and getting some exercise, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to mow multiple acres with this in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, the bigger your lot, the more obstacles, and the higher/thicker your grass, the longer it'll take. It took me about 75 minutes to mow my grandfather's 1 acre yard, which is 99% St. Augustine grass with a house and moderate number of obstacles. About 2/3rds mowable. One acre a day at that rate, or maybe one in the morning and one in the evening, would make short work of even a four acre plot. But I can see where a riding mower would be popular with more than an acre, since you really need to mow once or twice a week to keep grass under control with a push mower.
Is it fast? Yes! 9/10 I was very impressed with how quickly I was able to mow my yard. It happened so fast I was disappointed, because I was having so much fun doing it. In fact when I mowed my grandfather's lawn, he told me I finished his entire lawn faster with the Momentum than he could with his riding lawnmower, which very much surprised me. Of course this depends on grass height and mower height, as well as grass type.
Is it maneuverable? Quite. 8/10 It's easy to maneuver, but the front wheels do not turn, so you have to lift them up to turn the machine on its back wheels. It does become a bit challenging at times when space is at a premium, such as next to a fence or in a corner, but it is no more difficult than any other push mower, powered or not.
Is it good for edging? For a lawnmower, yes. 8/10 I haven't had any trouble with edging on concrete driveway edges when I overlapped the mower on the grass and the concrete. It's good along fences if you keep it straight and steady and keep the fence to your left. Then again, who tries to edge with a lawnmower? That's what weed eaters are for. I can trim the grass to within 2" of my fence without a problem as long as I keep the fence to the left and the mower straight.
Does it handle different types of grass well? Yes! 9/10 I used it in several different types of grass and weed: Bahia, St. Augustine (Floratam, etc.), Zoisia, Crab Grass, and Bermuda grasses, as well as a type I cannot identify (wide, hairy leaves) and thick clover and dollarweed. It performed flawlessly in each. In fact it's even easier to use in healthy St. Augustine grass because that type of grass is stiffer, which makes for a perfect match to the scissor action of the mower. Update: There is a type of tough, stringy grass that I cannot identify taking over my yard that it does not do well with at the height I cut the rest of my yard. If I raise the height, it's okay, but still not as easy as say Bahia or Bermuda. Read more ›
Forgive the length of this review - it is intended to be what I was looking for (comprehensive information) before I bought my own.
If you're paying attention and have the right wrench, it shouldn't take more than about 5 or 10 minutes to assemble. Adjusting the blades takes another five minutes. Then you can start playing with it. I say playing because this isn't work. It's too much fun to be work. Strange, but true.
I learned quickly that the ease with which it is pushed through and cuts grass depends proportionately on how much of that grass's height you cut at one time. Reviews and research say that you should never cut more than 1/3rd the grass's height at a time. They tell you it's for the health of the grass. It is also for the health of the person pushing the mower. Get the mower set too low, and it's not very easy (or fun) to push. Get it set too high, and it's super easy, but nothing happens. Get it set just right, and there's light resistance, and it's going to town.
A good idea is to set it to cut off between 1/2" and 1/3rd of the total grass height for the first pass, whichever is more. Then keep lowering the cutting height 1/2" to 1" at a time and keep making passes until you get a lot of resistance pushing it when you lower it any further. Then, wait a couple days, and go out again and mow at the height you had trouble with previously. Keep doing this until your grass is where you want it. From there, it's a breeze to keep up with.
I can't believe I was paying $70 a month to have someone come in and mow my lawn when I could have been using this. It's so simple and easy!
Here's my assessment. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best:
Is it easy to assemble? Yes. 9/10. Just follow the simple directions. The only way to make it easier would be to have it come pre-assembled, but they don't do that because it makes for a much smaller box if you assemble the handle yourself.
Is the handle comfortable? Yes! 10/10. The design allows you to hold it in various different ways. I like holding it in such a way that I am gripping the vertical part of the handle, which is much more natural, comfortable and surprisingly, less fatiguing than a horizontal handle.
Is it easy to adjust the blades for perfect cutting? Mostly. 6/10. It might take some fine tuning and fiddling to get it just right, and I found this slightly confusing at one point. But when you see your lawnmower slicing paper cleanly without the blades touching, it's pretty impressive and well worth the effort. Which, by the way, you only have to make once a year. I adjusted this down a notch because it can be confusing if you make a mistake. Be careful to follow directions closely.
Is it easy to adjust the cut height? Ridiculously. 10/10. Just reach down and adjust a knob on the right side. It's not even hard to move the knob! No wrenches necessary. It literally takes about 3 seconds. I wish the notches were marked for height.
Is it easy to adjust the handle height? Very. 9/10. (Just be careful not to drop the cotter pins when you're doing it.) You can adjust it super low for the very short, all the way up to comfortable for the very tall. I am 5'8" tall, and the recommended position 3 is where I like it. My 5 year old cousin can use it when it's set to Position 1. (Yes, it really is that easy to push when the grass isn't overgrown.)
Is it easy to push? When adjusted properly for the height of the grass, yes. 9/10. Even if you are small framed and spend your life sitting at a computer doing nothing but typing, you will be able to use this mower fairly easily. The only exception will be if the mower is being pushed through a very deep carpet of grass, which its weight will make a bit more difficult to do because of a tendency to sink into the grass bed.
Does it do a good job in one pass? Yes. 9/10. While you will get more grass that gets cut if you make a second pass, even at the same height, it's not necessary in most cases unless the grass was very tall to begin with. If the grass is more than 2 or 3" higher than the cutting height setting, but still low enough for the machine to mow, a second pass in the opposite or a perpendicular direction is worthwhile. The first pass does almost all the work. When I mowed my grandfather's 1 acre yard, I made one pass, period. He was very impressed with how well it cut through even the thick stuff in one pass, without needing a second pass at all. So was I. Update: You need to have the blades adjusted properly for this to be true. Otherwise it bends some, and cuts some.
Does it cut tall weeds? Usually. 7/10. If the weeds are not more than about 6 to 8" taller than the cut height, and pointed in the right direction (usually straight up or toward the mower), it will usually cut them but may need multiple passes. Taller weeds should be pulled out by hand. I have been pleased with how well it handles 6 to 8" tall weeds in one pass even when set to cut at 1.25".
Is it quiet? Yes. 9/10. It's nearly - but not quite - silent. Front wheels squeak some on mine. When the height is set properly, it can be somewhat louder than you might expect when going through thick spots. Almost silent going through thin spots, or during a second pass - unless you're mulching the previous pass's heavy clippings. I was able to mow an inch off my grass at 9:30 PM without any of my neighbors ever noticing.
Is it a good workout? Yes. 10/10. Not effortless, and not too hard when properly adjusted, this mower will definitely make you work up a sweat (I was mowing in still 70 F air after dark and sweating a moderate amount), but at the same time, it also won't make you feel exhausted unless you have it set to cut too low. And because of how quiet it is, you can mow when it's cool. I have mowed my grass at night or in the evening on a few occasions, and it makes it much more comfortable to mow than in the heat of the day.
Does it handle clippings well? Very. 9/10. The clippings might actually bog down the machine if the grass is thick and you try to cut too much off at once, or make too many passes in the same day while lowering the machine with each pass in overgrown grass. That's why it's suggested that you mow, wait a couple days and mow again a little lower: gives the clippings time to dissipate. As for dispersal, I can not tell where they go after mowing, except when they get in the driveway. They just... disappear. Literally. I love that.
Do the blades stay sharp? Yes. 10/10. This mower will only require sharpening every 5 to 10 years, according to the company, but I am not sure I can see the blades needing sharpening in anything less than 8 years, after taking a close look at how this thing is made. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it went for a lifetime without needing sharpening.
Is it good for large (1+ acre) lots? Fairly. 5/10. If you are not trying to mow too much off in a day, and you don't mind spending some time mowing the grass and getting some exercise, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to mow multiple acres with this in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, the bigger your lot, the more obstacles, and the higher/thicker your grass, the longer it'll take. It took me about 75 minutes to mow my grandfather's 1 acre yard, which is 99% St. Augustine grass with a house and moderate number of obstacles. About 2/3rds mowable. One acre a day at that rate, or maybe one in the morning and one in the evening, would make short work of even a four acre plot. But I can see where a riding mower would be popular with more than an acre, since you really need to mow once or twice a week to keep grass under control with a push mower.
Is it fast? Yes! 9/10 I was very impressed with how quickly I was able to mow my yard. It happened so fast I was disappointed, because I was having so much fun doing it. In fact when I mowed my grandfather's lawn, he told me I finished his entire lawn faster with the Momentum than he could with his riding lawnmower, which very much surprised me. Of course this depends on grass height and mower height, as well as grass type.
Is it maneuverable? Quite. 8/10 It's easy to maneuver, but the front wheels do not turn, so you have to lift them up to turn the machine on its back wheels. It does become a bit challenging at times when space is at a premium, such as next to a fence or in a corner, but it is no more difficult than any other push mower, powered or not.
Is it good for edging? For a lawnmower, yes. 8/10 I haven't had any trouble with edging on concrete driveway edges when I overlapped the mower on the grass and the concrete. It's good along fences if you keep it straight and steady and keep the fence to your left. Then again, who tries to edge with a lawnmower? That's what weed eaters are for. I can trim the grass to within 2" of my fence without a problem as long as I keep the fence to the left and the mower straight.
Does it handle different types of grass well? Yes! 9/10 I used it in several different types of grass and weed: Bahia, St. Augustine (Floratam, etc.), Zoisia, Crab Grass, and Bermuda grasses, as well as a type I cannot identify (wide, hairy leaves) and thick clover and dollarweed. It performed flawlessly in each. In fact it's even easier to use in healthy St. Augustine grass because that type of grass is stiffer, which makes for a perfect match to the scissor action of the mower. Update: There is a type of tough, stringy grass that I cannot identify taking over my yard that it does not do well with at the height I cut the rest of my yard. If I raise the height, it's okay, but still not as easy as say Bahia or Bermuda. Read more ›
150 of 155 people found the following review helpful
By T. Jones
I've been using this mower for a few months and so far I've been
loving it. No noise and no more fumes. Its nice to be able to cut the
grass while talking on the phone or listening to music. I can cut the
grass early in the morning before it gets hot without disturbing the
neighbors. The mower adjusts from 1" to 4" so I can cut my fescue at
3-3.5" which is higher that my old gas mower could cut. This mower
weighs around 35lbs or so, which makes it much heavier than other reel
mowers on the market. However the flywheel and the extra heft allows
you to easily push it through thick grass. It doesn't produce that
perfect cut like a gas mower, so you will have a few stray blades that
didn't get clipped, but it cuts the blades so cleanly that its almost
like someone cut the grass with a pair of scissors :) I'm amazed at how
well it cuts without stressing the grass. My old gas mower is forsale
on craigslist and I don't think I'll ever own another gas mower. My
yard is roughly 1/4 acre with a fairly steep hill in the back yard and
it only takes about 10 mins longer to cut using this mower than my old
gas mower. The only downside is that this mower doesn't handle
overgrown grass very well. You will have to set it to its highest
setting, and make multiple passes, so be sure to cut regularly.
PROS:
- No Noise
- No fumes
- Can cut higher than most gas mowers
- Only reel market on the mower that can go as high as 4"
- Adjustable handle to suit your height
- Much lighter than a gas mower, so easier to push on inclines
- Cuts grass into confetti/ribbon strips for easy grass-cycling
- Transports easily (handle quickly detaches using 2 cotter pins)
CONS:
- Very difficult to cut overgrown grass
- Difficult to cut wet grass.
- No way to collect clippings which could be an issue if you have a lot of weeds.
- Would be easier to turn and handle dips if rear wheels were larger.
- Doesn't cut tall/bendy weeds well. They bend under the mower and pop back up.
Spring 2011 Update:
This mower has made me a victim of my own success. The yard looks better than ever but I now have to cut 3 times every 2 weeks to keep the grass in check, and if we've had rain, my tall fescue is on steroids and I get a real workout.
My grass cutting time has increased as tall leggy weeds have popped up in the back yard. They bend and go under the blade and pop right back up. So I have to back up several times to get the head of the weed in the mower just right to cut it. My front yard has few weeds, so this isn't a problem. However its a real pain in the back yard. This will get better as the turf improves. However if you have more weeds than lawn, a reel mower might be very frustrating.
PROS:
- No Noise
- No fumes
- Can cut higher than most gas mowers
- Only reel market on the mower that can go as high as 4"
- Adjustable handle to suit your height
- Much lighter than a gas mower, so easier to push on inclines
- Cuts grass into confetti/ribbon strips for easy grass-cycling
- Transports easily (handle quickly detaches using 2 cotter pins)
CONS:
- Very difficult to cut overgrown grass
- Difficult to cut wet grass.
- No way to collect clippings which could be an issue if you have a lot of weeds.
- Would be easier to turn and handle dips if rear wheels were larger.
- Doesn't cut tall/bendy weeds well. They bend under the mower and pop back up.
Spring 2011 Update:
This mower has made me a victim of my own success. The yard looks better than ever but I now have to cut 3 times every 2 weeks to keep the grass in check, and if we've had rain, my tall fescue is on steroids and I get a real workout.
My grass cutting time has increased as tall leggy weeds have popped up in the back yard. They bend and go under the blade and pop right back up. So I have to back up several times to get the head of the weed in the mower just right to cut it. My front yard has few weeds, so this isn't a problem. However its a real pain in the back yard. This will get better as the turf improves. However if you have more weeds than lawn, a reel mower might be very frustrating.
86 of 87 people found the following review helpful
By Andrew Simon
I have had several reel mowers (scott's, etc.) and found the Fiskar
momentum to be the best by far. I have used it for two seasons and it
continues to roll easily and cuts evently with little effort. It is
heavier than other reel mowers and slightly less maneuverable due to the
4-wheel design. It is perfect for my small, flat yard and my grass is
very healthy. Highly recommended.
