"Human-powered" mowers are usually called reel mowers. Clean air gardening has a bunch of nice mowers: http://www.cleanairgardening.com/

We've been using one for years with great success. My father tinkers with them (he tinkers with the polluters too though).

All was going well (i was feeling very helpful... my dad's getting on a bit) until I tried to use the one which hadn't been set up properly (blades too low), and I took a series of curved divots out of his prized lawn. Ooops.

I have tried one of these once and had a very mixed experience. I had two types of grass to mow, one was St Augustine ( wide blade ) and Bermuda ( thin and clumpy ) The St Augustine was awesome to mow, I didn't have to breathe in exhaust for a half hour and just somehow felt cleaner when I was done. The bermuda, however, was a nightmare! Clogs, clogs and more clogs, I eventually had to give up much to my dismay and use a gas mower. So the moral I learned is that it works great unless you have thick grass, then you might wanna consider an electric mower for your tree hugging needs

I've been using one of these for 25 years and they are great. Gas lawn mower engines are obnoxious, and noxious.

A better idea is to greatly reduce the area of your lawn, or eliminate your lawn altogether in favor of native plantings. You'll use less water, improve habitat for indigenous creatures, and eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and herbicides. The American lawn is an ecological nightmare.

I have had a Human-Powered Lawn Mower for 2 years now. I love it, there is one negative, if you do not cut your grass often enough(which tends to happen with me), the blades are too tall for the mower and makes it a lot more difficult. Otherwise it is very easy. I have a Brill Luxus 33.

I have a Brill Luxus human-powered mower, but my lawn is not neat, clean, flat -- and it'd cause significant emissions to get it that way. The human-powered mower does not do well except on a very flat, even, regular lawn, I've found. At least my new mower is a 4-stroke motor. :/

The Scott's Classic 20" mower is a great reel mower. It is not difficult to find, I believe even the big box Home Depot carries it.

I've owned your basic reel mower for more than a year now, and I love it. It cost me $40 brand new and does a pretty slick job. However, I have found there are two downsides.

1) The fact that the reel is inside the wheels prevents you from getting up close to the edge of buildings, trees, and whatnot. not a big deal, but it requires extra work on trimming duties.

2) If you let the grass get too long, it won't due a good clean cut on a single pass. You have to re-mow the same area 2 or 3 times to get the longer stuff.

All in all, it is worth it. You get to save money on gas and oil, and you don't have to listen to that engine roar.

I read recently that running a gas mower for one hour produces equivalent emissions to running a car for ELEVEN hours. Not to mention the noise...

I've been using a high-quality (best rated by CR, anyway) reel mower for my grass for the last year, and it's...not so good. Gas-powered mowers create some vacuum that pulls the grass up - reel mowers flatten long bits down. And, from the people I've talked to who sell mowers, they are no longer 2-stroke engines at all. Hun.

Back when I had a lawn, I got around the issue of edges by having an edge garden around the perimeter of all buildings, and a plant zone around the base of trees.

I love mine. I have used it for two and a half years now. I agree with the comments of the first poster. I just take my electric weed whacker out about every month during the growing season and edge, cut the fuzzies down the fence row and around the house. I live in Oklahoma so this gets doen about five times.

I actually have one and it was not cutting well. (when you buy one most are not adjusted or sharpened properly) I remember as a kid using one and it was not nearly as hard as the new one. Went and bought a sharpening kit, and went to town on it for about 1/2 hour. I think there should be a video made of how far you need to go with this. In the end it shaves the grass not mowes it, beautiful cut! And if I let go of it from a stop on a small incline it will roll down the slope and cut quite nicely with a zero speed start! I may have to make a online tutorial of this.

Not collecting clippings is lazy, not good for the lawn. First, you are not collecting weed seeds. This quickly results in a weedier lawn. (Do you pull weeds? Or this that not "organic"?) Next, breaking down organics removes nitrogen from your lawn...not a good idea.

While it is more work, mulching the clippings makes for a much better...and organic...addition to be raked back into the lawn.

A nice lawn takes a little effort.

I have nothing intelligent to contribute to this, so skip to the next comment.

That said, I can't resist the urge to thank you for this post. Just yesterday (literally!), I was wondering to myself "Does anyone even USE these things? And how well do they work?) As an apartment-dweller, I have no mowing to do, but as a future homeowner, this is good info.

I hated the gas push-mower when I was growing up. The handle-bar rattled my hands until my wrists hurt. I hated that thing.

I, too, tried one of these and found the lack of gas, oil and noise wonderful. What I didn't like was the spotty job of cutting the grass. I switched to electric and while it is not the most treehuggerish it does a great job, came with a mulching attachement and is off instantly so not really wasting electricity. The cord can be a pain but it's way better than gas/oil.

I had used one for about 7 years when I had a yard, and the experience was good. They are very fast, and it actually takes little energy to push it around. The drawback is cut quality. In order to keep the lawn healthy, I found that using a power mower every couple of weeks worked best. I borrowed one. The edging is always a pain, but that's what children are for!

Has anyone ever heard of a pedal-powered mower? I haven't, but it just occurs to me that it might be a good idea. The treehugger equivalent of the ride-on!

Reels are ideal for small urban backyards with edge gardens that don't have the plastic or brick separators. So many new homes are being build on smaller lots that there is a reasonable change of them coming back in style in the burbs. As a kid I did my grandmothers lawn with one. She kept a small cheap gas mower in the garage for times when it had been let to get too tall -- it was occasionally needed too. Can't emphasize enough that you must keep it sharp. If you can't sharpen it yourself then by all means DO NOT BUY ONE unless you can first locate someone who will be able to help you do it or find a good sharpening service. IT should be done a couple of times per year at least. Oh, and don't forget to pick up sticks and stones each time you get ready to mow.

I have owned three reel mowers, all American Lawn Mower Co. My most recent is the 20" Scotts. The great thing about this reel mower is that it cuts the grass high enough. The Brills don't.

Grass should be cut at least 2.5" to 3" to allow good root growth which prevents disease and infestations from insects. For the most part lawns do not need to be water at all when they are cut at this height (unless you are in a dry area, but then you shouldn't have a lawn.

One thing I really hate is the Scotts label on the reel mower. Scotts is a disgusting company, promoting pesticides, lawn fertilizers and genetically engineered grass.

Also, after using the Scotts for over four years it has really started to show its age. The height adjustments are pathetic. The alumuninum adjustments don't hold their place anymore and I needed to wire the adjustments to hold them in place.

I must confess though, lately I have been using my Black and Decker electric because it gives a much better cut and my bumpy lawn isn't the best for a reel mower. By the way, I have a big yard and it does quite well. It's much quieter than a gas powered mower.

...an no one is pushing the $3000 robotic rechargeable??? i thought this was Treehugger!

When I was growing up, I had so so many fights with my parents over mowing the lawn. First of all, I hated all the noise and air pollution the things put out. Second, I had so many arguments with them about taking the clippings, bagging them and putting them out in the trash -- so wasteful, removing all that potential mulch and nutrients from the lawn!

My parents just thought I was lazy and didn't want to bag the clippings. That's like being called lazy because you don't want to move a pile of rocks from one part of the yard to another.

I even bought a mulching blade and added it to the mower. No more raking and bagging, I thought.

While I was on vacation, Dad removed it and put a regular blade back on it instead. ** rolls eyes **

I am attempting to take my environmental responsibility to the next level. Last week while taking my recyclables to the transfer station, I spotted an old reel manual push mower. It appears to be in good working order with the exception of a long roller behind the blades which is cracked. I would like to repair this mower. Does anyone know where I can find replacement parts for a Scotts reel mower? I have been wanting a push mower, I have fond childhood memories of my Dad mowing our lawn with one. Thanks for any info you might have.

I love using my 16.5 horsepower Craftsman mower to mow the lawn during the hottest part of the day. I also remove the muffler so it would give that little bit of extra go, it sounds pretty good too.

I have some trees to trim. They are getting to bushy for my liking. Be safe out there people.

I also have an old reel mower that i pulled out of the trash a couple years ago. it has been in storage, because it needs some work.

it is a craftsman.
it needs a new handle as the old wood one rotted and broke off. it also probably needs sharpening. i can figure both of these things out. what i am not so sure about is how to replace the cracked plastic rollers in the back of it. so anyone with leads on replacement rollers or substitutes for an old craftsman or equivalent, please do share that info.

I used a nice Craftsman reel mower for years and it was much better than the corded electric I was using previously, but I hated the frequent sudden stop when the mower encountered the smallest twig. Then I got a great deal on Woot for a Friendly robotic mower - about $180. It does a great job and now I sit in the recliner, drink beer and watch a football game while my lawn is being mowed.