Is the American Lawn Mower 1415-16SK2 Worth It? The 16-Inch Reel That Ships With a Sharpener

Who this mower is for

The one job a reel mower asks of its owner is to keep the blades sharp, and most people never buy the kit to do it. American Lawn Mower Company solves that by putting a hand sharpener in the box with the 1415-16SK2, a 16-inch five-blade reel on 10-inch polymer wheels. It is for the small, flat, weekly-mowed lawn and the owner who wants a quiet, fuel-free mower that will keep cutting cleanly for years with ten minutes of care a season.

This review is based on the maker’s published specifications and on recurring owner feedback. We have not run this product ourselves.

What you get

The listing specifies a five-blade reel with a 16-inch cutting width, 10-inch polymer wheels and an included hand sharpener. The maker describes it as pollution-free, noise-free, low maintenance, lightweight and easy to use, and includes mowing advice: take no more than a third of the grass blade at a time, overlap passes more if the lawn reaches 4 inches, mow small amounts often, and do not mow wet grass. Not stated: the cutting-height range, the number of height positions, the handle design, the weight and the warranty term. The missing height range is the gap that matters most, and it is worth reading the manual on the product page before buying.

Cut quality

A reel mower shears grass between the spinning blades and a fixed bed knife, which is why the maker says it does not bruise or tear the grass. The cut tip stays green, the lawn looks denser and, with weekly mowing, the finish is cleaner than most rotary mowers manage. Five blades is the standard count for a general-purpose 16-inch reel and suits grass kept at normal lawn heights. The limits are the limits of the type. A reel will not cut grass much over about 4 inches, will ride up and skip if you let the lawn get away, and passes over seed stalks and weeds that a rotary blade would chop. Mow every week in the growing season and none of this comes up; skip two weeks in May and you will be mowing twice.

Pushing effort and handling

The 10-inch polymer wheels are larger than those on many reel mowers and roll over small bumps and onto paths more easily, which the maker calls maximum maneuverability. The wheels drive the reel, so pushing effort rises with grass height and density; on a weekly cut of short grass a 16-inch reel is light work for an adult. Polymer wheels do not rust and are quiet on pavement. The listing does not describe the handle or state the weight, though reel mowers of this width are typically light enough to carry in one hand up a flight of steps and to hang on a shed wall.

Build and the sharpener

There is almost nothing to go wrong: steel reel and bed knife, polymer wheels, a handle and the gears that turn the reel. The sharpener is the useful extra. Reel blades stay sharp a long time if the reel is adjusted so it just touches the bed knife along its length, and when the cut starts to fold rather than shear, the hand sharpener restores the edge without buying a backlapping kit. Owners of this maker’s reel mowers report long service lives, with blade adjustment the only recurring task.

Living with it

Mow often and take a third of the blade at most. Overlap passes if the grass has got tall, as the maker suggests. Skip the lawn when it is wet. Walk the lawn first for sticks and pinecones, which jam a reel. Once or twice a season check the reel-to-bed-knife contact and sharpen when needed with the included tool. Clippings are thrown forward and left on the lawn as mulch; no catcher is mentioned in the listing. The mower is silent enough to use before breakfast with no complaints from the house or the neighbors.

Alternatives to Consider

American Lawn Mower’s own 2415-16 is the same 16-inch five-blade format with a T-handle and a stated 0.5 to 2.5-inch range, without the sharpener. The Fiskars StaySharp Max is an 18-inch reel with a higher top height and an inertia drive for thicker grass, at a higher price and weight. The Great States 815-18 is an 18-inch classic for a slightly bigger lawn. For a tiny yard, the Earthwise 1715-14 saves width and cost.

Verdict

Buy the American Lawn Mower 1415-16SK2 if the lawn is small, flat and mowed weekly, you want silence and zero fuel, and you like the idea of the sharpening tool arriving with the mower. Skip it if you cannot confirm the height range suits your grass, if the lawn is tall fescue kept long, or if the grass regularly outgrows a weekly cut.