Sun Joe MJ500M Mow Joe Review
This is the smallest version of Sun Joe’s range of manual reel mowers, with a 16” cutting width. The range also features 18” and 20” versions. If you’re looking for a low cost mowing solution that offers you the capacity to catch the clippings as you go, this one may have caught your eye. In this Sun Joe MJ500M review we’re going to do our best to reveal what consumers really feel about this reel mower, touching on both the things it does well and its weaknesses, as well as discussing the “ideal match” scenarios for this particular model.
Sun Joe MJ500M Mow Joe Cons: What People Complain About
Now we’ll move on to the part of our MJ500M review where we discuss the weaknesses of this manual mower. It’s important that you’re aware of both the pros and the cons before you make a decision. So here goes nothing:
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Sun Joe MJ503M 14-Inch Quad Wheel 9-Position Manual Reel Mower [Remanufactured]
MOW WITH JOE. Tailor your turf with unparalleled precision with the MJ503M Manual Reel Mower from Sun Joe. Powered with a push, this manual mower’s 5 sharpened steel blades cut a crisp 14-inch path in a single pass — no gas, oil or electricity required. At under 25 lbs, MJ503M is an easy-to-use, lightweight and maneuverable push reel mower designed to tackle the toughest turf with ease, all while providing a quiet, nature-friendly solution for any lawn. With 9-position adjustable height settings — from 1.1 to 2.9 inches — you’ll have the ultimate control to select just the right height so your lawn will always look its best. Featuring rugged, all-terrain quad wheel design for enhanced stability and maneuverability, plus a padded handle for a secure, non-slip foam grip. Make your lawn the envy of the entire neighborhood with the MJ503M 14-Inch Reel Mower — and Go With Joe.
The 10 Best Reel Mowers for Keeping up With Your Lawn
Give your outdoor area a fresh cut with these quiet, low-maintenance, human-powered mowers.
While technology has given a big boost to robotic lawn mowers, it’s old-school reel mowers—the kind your grandparents used—that still hold lots of appeal. The reason the reel mowers have staying power is because of their mechanics, which have improved alongside innovations in their electric and gas powered siblings.
Reel mowers also come with independent benefits; lightweight reel mowers don’t compact your soil as much as mowers with engines or batteries, which keeps the soil healthy and fertile, and they require significantly less storage space than their powered counterparts.
However, with so many options to choose from, finding the right reel mower for your lawn care needs can be a challenge. Read on to find out how reel mowers work and what to know before you buy. Below are the best models for every budget, lawn, and landscaper.
Best Reel Mowers
Scotts Outdoor Power Tools 415-16S 16-inch Elite
Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel
Sun Joe MJ500M 16-Inch Manual
Scotts Outdoor Power Tools 20-Inch 5-Blade Classic
Great States 16-Inch 5-Blade
Scotts Outdoor Power Tools 20-Volt 16-Inch Electric Cordless
Greenworks 16-Inch Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Catcher
American Lawn Mower Company 14-inch 4-Blade
Great States 304-14-Inch 5-Blade
The Expert: I am a trained furniture designer and woodworker and apply this experience as a product reviewer for BestReviews and SFGate, among other digital outlets. For my first job, I worked as an apprentice to the landscaper and repairman for Hunt House, which was built in 1641 and is one of the oldest homes in Massachusetts. However, to do the reel mower justice, I reached out to two landscaping experts in order to get the most accurate and helpful information.
How Does a Reel Mower Work?
First and foremost, reel mowers are entirely mechanical, unlike their gas and electric siblings, which rely on source of power other than the user to function properly. In terms of basic mechanics, little has changed in the reel mower since it was first patented in England in 1830 by Edwin Budding, who’s credited with inventing the adjustable spanner wrench as well.
Modern-day reel mowers, just like those of the 19th century, are powered by a simple transfer of force at a few crucial points. First, the user applies force by gripping and pushing the handlebar forward. That applied force is then carried down the handle to the axle, which subsequently turns the wheels. As the axle turns, it catches and spins a pair of meshing gears.
Critically, one of the meshing gears is smaller than the other, known as the pinion gear, which exponentially increases the torque of the attached spinning blades as rotational force is passed from the axle via the larger gear. As the cylinder of blades spins, it collects the grass and carries it to the stationary cutter bar at the back of the mower, which then neatly shears it.
What to Consider When Shopping for a Reel Mower
Is a Reel Mower the Right Mower for Your Space?
Because a reel mower runs on human power, using one can be more time-consuming than mowing with a gas or electric alternative, especially if you frequently have to cover a large area. Reel mowers are ideal for smaller, level grassy areas that you can mow on a regular schedule. That said, no matter how small your lawn is, if it’s steep or uneven, pushing a reel mower may be too difficult. In these situations, it’s better to opt for a lightweight electric mower that’s easy to maneuver.
Do You Like to Keep Your Grass Long or Short?
Reel mowers are great for cutting grass short, which means you have to tend to your lawn fairly frequently, especially during peak growth months. If the grass is too long, it will likely fold over and pass through the reel mower without being cut because there isn’t enough space between the blades of the reel, which results in an uneven cut that looks bad.
How Wide a Mower Do You Need?
Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to reel mowers. The wider the mower is, the more difficult it will be to push due its weight. Furthermore, wide mowers, such as those with a cutting width of at least 16 inches, have large turning circles, which can make them a pain to maneuver around trees and other obstacles. On the other hand, the wider the mower, the fewer passes you’ll have to take to cover your entire lawn. Also, wider mowers can handle taller grass better than their narrower counterparts because the wider, larger reel generates more torque and therefore more cutting power.
Number of Blades
Reel mowers come in a variety of blade counts, with some equipped with as few as four blades and others boasting up to 10. The higher the number of blades, the finer and shorter you will be able to cut the grass. However, mowers with lots of blades need to be pushed quickly to maintain momentum, otherwise they’ll bog down and become stolid. Another thing to consider is the fact that each blade will need maintenance from time to time, so more blades means more maintenance.
The Environment
There are two important environmental aspects to consider before purchasing a reel mower. First, if you’re looking for an environmentally friendly way to care for your lawn, there’s no better option than a reel mower. While electric mowers help alleviate some of the environmental concerns compared to gas mowers, they still create more noise than reel mowers. Importantly, both electric and gas mowers are rotary mowers and, as such, tear the grass rather than slice it, which results in an uneven cut and may lower the quality of regrowth.
The other environmental consideration to keep in mind is the actual environment that surrounds your lawn. If you’re under a canopy of trees or near an area with sand, which can damage the blades, you may want to consider one of the alternatives to a reel mower. Debris such as twigs and acorns can damage the blades on a reel mower.
The Best Reel Mower for Your (Small) Lawn
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We remain confident in our picks after new testing with the Scotts Reel Mower in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Reel mowers aren’t for everyone. They’re designed for small, flat lawns, and they take some effort to push around. But they provide exceptional cut quality and a completely unplugged mowing experience, so they offer things no other mower can. After researching reel mowers for more than 55 hours, talking to a professor with a PhD in turfgrass science, and testing four mowers with a golf-course grounds crew, we think the best one is the Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower.
For the healthiest grass
The Scotts makes the cleanest cut, has the widest cutting path, and jams the least of any reel mower, and its unusually tall 3-inch max cutting height makes it more versatile for different grass types.
Buying Options
The Scotts-branded mower had the best cut quality of any of the mowers we tested, and its unusually tall maximum cutting height of 3 inches makes it a versatile choice for different types of lawns and grasses. It has a 20-inch cutting swath—the widest available—and at 34 pounds, it’s light and easy to maneuver. It was also the only mower in the group that didn’t jam during testing. We’ve revisited this category several times since 2014, and the Scotts mower still remains our top pick. (The company has a similar version that includes a grass-catching bag and blade-sharpening kit, but the mower itself is otherwise the same.)
Good cut, less elegant
This mower cuts almost as well as our main pick and has a taller cutting height, but it’s bulkier (making it harder to turn around) and more expensive.
Buying Options
At the time of publishing, the price was 250.
If our main pick is sold out or otherwise unavailable, we also really like the Fiskars 18-Inch StaySharp Max Reel Mower. Its a solid mower with a 4-inch cutting height is higher than any other reel mower’s. In testing the Fiskars cut well, but it wasn’t on par with the Scotts and didn’t handle tall grass quite as well. It’s also heavier and bulkier, making it more of a chore to turn around, it also costs more than the Scotts.
For the healthiest grass
The Scotts makes the cleanest cut, has the widest cutting path, and jams the least of any reel mower, and its unusually tall 3-inch max cutting height makes it more versatile for different grass types.
The research
We spoke with Jason Kruse, assistant professor of environmental horticulture and turfgrass specialist at the University of Florida. As his bio states, Kruse’s responsibilities include “managing the University of Florida turfgrass Envirotron teaching and research facility, planning and implementing turfgrass educational field days and leading the statewide turfgrass teaching design team.” The guy knows a lot about grass.
For testing, we enlisted the aid of the grounds crew of the Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, New York, a bunch of people who are serious about mowing. While using the mowers, they picked up cut blades to carefully examine how cleanly the mowers cut; they also bent down to compare the color of the turf after each one made a pass, and pushed all the mowers around on various lengths of grass.
Here at Wirecutter, we’ve been covering lawn equipment since 2014. As for the specific topic of grass-cutting implements, we’ve written extensive guides to both lawn mowers and string trimmers in addition to reel mowers.
Since the first version of this guide, we’ve recommended the Scotts as well as the runner-up Fiskars, and we’ve continued to use both models in assorted locations, paying attention to their long-term performance and any ongoing maintenance needed.
Who should get a reel mower
Before getting a reel mower, you should be aware of their pros and cons. In the hands of the wrong person, a reel mower will be nothing but a hair-pulling frustration, and you may find yourself pining for the days of a more traditional mower. Simply put, a reel mower is not a direct replacement for a regular mower. While reel mowers are good for the overall health of the lawn (as well as the person pushing them) and need little maintenance, they require much greater diligence in keeping to a mowing schedule, and they work best for small, flat lawns. Any deviation from that can start to cause problems.
Simply put, a reel mower is not a direct replacement for a regular mower.
As one of our long-term testers said, “I love [my reel mower]. It makes mowing feel more like a pleasant way to spend time outside and less like something I need to grit my teeth and power through.” On the other hand, a second long-term tester stated that he regrets purchasing a reel mower and has “frequently considered selling it to get a cheap electric mower.”
Compared with a regular walk-behind mower, reel mowers are better for the lawn’s health. They snip the grass blades like scissors, while rotary mowers tend to shred grass blades. According to University of Florida assistant professor of environmental horticulture Jason Kruse, “The scissor-cutting action of the reel mowers results in less damage to the leaf tissue, which in turn puts the plants under less stress.” He continued, “They lose less water, are less susceptible to disease, and generally look better when cut with a reel mower.”
Reel mowers are also good for the operator’s health. Because you hand-push the mower and it isn’t motorized, it takes effort to use, especially if you have a large lawn. Keep in mind that the turning wheels are what rotate the blades, which adds to the resistance. So the task is not as simple as, say, pushing an empty furniture dolly, where you’re pushing the wheels and nothing else. According to a Livestrong.com article, (which in turn credits Harvard Medical School, among others) a person weighing 175 pounds would burn approximately 251 calories by pushing a reel mower—which the article refers to as a hand mower—for 30 minutes. This is 51 calories more than someone weighing 185 pounds pushing a mower with a powered blade for the same amount of time.
Anyone with more than a quarter of an acre (roughly 10,000 square feet) will find weekly mowing with a reel mower exhausting.
Reel mowers also require minimal maintenance and are much, much quieter than regular mowers. Aside from lubricating and sharpening the blades every few years, you don’t have a lot of upkeep to do on a reel mower. As for the noise, many users of reel mowers cite the gentle snipping sound the tool makes as a key benefit. Gas mowers, on the other hand, require gas, regular tune-ups, oil changes, and winterizing. They’re also noisy and smelly.
So reel mowers are quiet, peaceful, healthy, and good for your lawn. But they have downsides too, of course.
First, for a reel mower to be practical, you need a fairly small lawn. Anyone with more than a quarter acre (roughly 10,000 square feet) will find weekly mowing with a reel mower exhausting. Frankly, even a quarter acre seems a bit ambitious, especially in the spring when the grass grows quickly and may demand twice-a-week mowing. One of our long-term testers has approximately 1,000 square feet of lawn, and mowing takes her about 20 minutes.
Second, a reel mower demands diligence and a strict adherence to a regular cutting schedule. If grass gets overgrown, a reel mower will merely push it down and roll right over it, so if you tend to go a while between mowings, you should stick with a regular push mower. One long term tester had to wait so long for the reel mower to arrive that once it got there, the grass had grown so high they needed to hire someone to cut their grass. And the necessary diligence goes beyond the schedule: Reel mowers can’t mow over twigs and leaves as gas mowers can, so additional attentiveness to pre-mow lawn cleanup is required, as well.
Third, reel mowers are troublesome on sloped or bumpy lawns. The torque that turns the blades comes from the wheels as you roll them along the ground. On an uneven surface, the wheels lose contact with the ground as they bounce or as the weight shifts on a slope. As one of our long-term testers put it, “Small dips can lead to grass getting missed, so I often end up mowing from two or three different angles to try and get it all.”
In fact, the results in general may not be what you expect. One of our long-term testers said that their mower “often totally misses taller strands of grass” and that they “have to go back and snip those with a pair of shears.” Also, on most reel mowers, the blades are inboard of the wheels, so you’ll have a wider gap of unmowed grass against a fence or a stone wall.
If you don’t think a reel mower is the best choice for your situation but you still want a low-maintenance and relatively quiet mower, we have a cordless-mower pick in our guide to the best lawn mower.
How we picked and tested
To figure out how to pick the best reel mower, we spoke to Scott Dunbar, superintendent of Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, New York. He explained that reel mowers can cut much closer to the ground than rotary mowers. At the golf course, the crew uses reel mowers to cut greens and approaches but uses gas-powered rotary mowers for the rough. But the average homeowner isn’t cutting the lawn for use as a putting green—in fact, cutting your lawn too low is terrible for its health. Turf experts suggest never cutting off more than a third of your grass’s length; cutting too close to the ground can cause the grass to dry out and get scorched in the summer. This means that a mower’s minimum cutting height isn’t a useful measurement, since you’re unlikely to use that setting.
Turf experts suggest never cutting off more than a third of your grass’s length.
The maximum cutting height, however, is very important, and we used this spec as our primary factor in eliminating mowers from contention. Few reel mowers are able to get above 2½ inches, which may not be good for your lawn. “[Cutting height] is one of the primary complaints I have against the majority of reel mowers that are marketed for home use. Most residential grasses (both cool- and warm-season) have recommended heights of cut that are at the upper limit or even exceed the height of cut that is possible with some of the mowers,” said University of Florida turfgrass specialist Kruse. “While it would be possible to use the mower, the long-term health of the turf could suffer significantly,” he continued.
We mowed recently cut grass that was already quite low. We mowed tall, weedy grass. We mowed everything in between.
We then looked at other factors: How easy is the mower to adjust? How hard is it to push? How wide is it? How much does it weigh? We looked for models with a history of robust user reviews.
At that point we took our final four mowers to the golf course. There the grounds crew helped us adjust the blades to the exact same standard they used on their mowers so that the blades could cleanly slice a piece of paper. Over the next three hours, we pushed all four mowers back and forth on different-height grasses. On hand were course superintendent Scott Dunbar, a member of the grounds crew, a mechanic who maintains the course equipment, and an equipment salesman who happened to be at the course that day. These guys are all turfgrass experts who deal with grass and mowing equipment every day. They really took to the task of comparing these mowers, examining every aspect closely and answering all our questions about turf and cut quality.
We mowed tall, weedy grass, and recently cut grass that was already low, and mowed everything in between. Choosing between the Scotts model (made by the American Lawnmower Company and usually marketed under the Scotts name) and the Fiskars mower (made by the Finnish company known for its orange-handled bladed tools) was initially quite difficult, as both did an excellent job cutting grass. But after a great deal of back and forth and discussing our options with Dunbar and the grounds crew, we came to an unanimous agreement on a pick.
Sun Joe 24V-CRLM15 24-Volt iON Cordless Push Reel Mower Kit
Increase quantity for Sun Joe 24V-CRLM15 24-Volt iON Cordless Push Reel Mower Kit
- iON 24-Volt System–includes a 4.0 Ah lithium-ion Battery Charger
- Included quick charger powers up your iON battery in just 1 hour and 50 minutes!
- 360-watt motor provides premium performance precision
- 15-inch, 5-blade RAZOREEL system lifts cuts each blade of grass
- Easy-glide wheels for maximum mobility in the yard garden
Next-generation cutting-edge grass-grooming tech meets the legendary line-up of iON yard and garden tools with the 24-Volt 15″ Cordless Reel Mower from SUN JOE Powered by the exclusive 24-Volt iON Series, Sun Joe includes an eco-friendly 4.0 Amp Hour lithium-ion battery for no-fade power performance. Mow up to 4,910 sq ft of grass with zero carbon emissions and no fumes fuss. Sun Joe’s 360 Watt motor is engineered for efficiency, providing maximum motor performance cutting precision. The innovative 5-blade RAZOREEL rotor lifts and cuts each individual blade as you walk, clearing a 15-inch path in a single pass. Customize your cutting height with Sun Joe’s 4-position manual height-adjustment lever–choose from 0.6″, 1.0″, 1.5″, and 2.0″ for the perfect, precise trim tailored to your yard. Plus, Sun Joe’s included 11.9-gallon grass-collection bag makes disposing of lawn clippings quick and easy. And when the work is done, simply plug the iON battery back into the included Quick Charger and you’re ready for the next mowing day.
4-position manual height-adjustment lever: 0.6″, 1.0″, 1.5″, and 2.0″
11.9-gallon grass collection bag prevents littering your lawn with clippings