American Lawn Mower 1705-16 Review

(Rated: 3.9 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Cut Quality
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Switching to a reel mower is a great idea if you have a small enough yard for several reasons. You won’t just be doing your part to help the environment when you switch over because manual reel mowers are completely emissions free, unlike gas mowers, and do not need coal-based electric power either. You will also be helping out your home budget for the same reason. And reel mowers are quiet enough that you can cut your grass in the early morning or late evening without having to worry about disturbing your neighbors.

Not only that, but with a compact, lightweight manual reel mower like the American Lawn Mower 1705-16, anyone can easily maneuver it around the yard regardless of the level of their physical strength. And these mowers have a small enough footprint that they are easy to store in your garage or tool shed without taking up too much space.

Review Summary

The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is an efficient, compact, and simple manual push reel mower with a sixteen inch cutting reel. The cutting reel has seven blades so that it can deliver efficient, clean cuts every time without requiring frequent sharpening like other mowers with fewer blades. And the cutting reel is mounted on a 4-spider ball bearing system that makes it much easier to get it spinning without having to push the mower to hard.

This mower is specifically designed to cut low growing, creeping grasses, and it has a range of cutting heights between 1/2 and 2 1/4 inches. The mower will not cut taller grasses very well, and it can’t handle thicker weeds or twigs easily. So unless you have a small yard that is relatively weed free and is planted with lower growing grasses like centipede grass, this probably is not the right mower for you. I will get into the areas where this mower performs well and where it falls short in the Pros and Cons sections. I will also provide a detailed comparison table so that you can see how the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 stacks up against its competition.

Specifications

The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is a manual push reel mower with a sixteen inch wide cutting reel. It has overall dimensions of 14 x 18 x 48 inches including the handle, which means it will be easy to store just about anywhere in your garage or tool shed. The mower also weighs only 28 pounds, which makes it one of the lighter manual reel mowers out there today, and ensures it will be easy for just about anyone to use.

The mower has a standard cutting system that forces grass between the cutting reel and the cutting blade. The cutting reel has seven blades made of durable steel, and it is mounted on a 4-spider ball bearing system that makes getting the reel spinning easier than ever. It has several cutting heights between 1/2 and 2 1/4 inches, which allows you to cut creeping, low growing grasses. A grass catcher is optional for purchase separately. The mower has a ninety day limited consumer warranty.

Description

The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is a manual push reel mower designed specifically to cut creeping and low growing varieties of grass such as centipede grass. It has several height settings between 1/2 an inch and 2 1/4 inches, so on its lowest setting it can have your lawn looking like a putting green. The mower has a sixteen inch wide cutting reel, which is sufficiently wide enough to allow you to finish cutting your lawn in fewer passes and be back to enjoying your weekend with your family more quickly. The mower has overall dimensions of just 14 x 18 x 48 inches, which means it will be easy to find a storage space for it in your garage or tool shed.

The cutting reel has seven blades made of durable steel. The extra blades allow the mower to provide professional looking cuts on even tougher varieties of grass like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass without having to make multiple passes. The blades are mounted on a 4-spider ball bearing system so that you can get the reel spinning quickly without having to push the mower to hard. And the mower weighs only 28 pounds, which makes it easy for anyone to maneuver it around the yard, regardless of their size or strength level. And it has durable, 10 inch wheels with radial tread tires so that it can more easily handle uneven terrain.

There are some drawbacks associated with the American Lawn Mower 1705-16, however. Because it is specifically designed to cut low growing grasses, which means it will not be able to effectively handle taller grass. It also does not cut over thick weeds or lawn debris like twigs without getting jammed. The handle on the mower is not very durable, and the mower does not get close to edges well. I will cover each of these in more detail in the “Cons” section.

The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 has a very competitive price, and it is one of the more inexpensive manual push reel mowers I have reviewed. It has a limited 90 day consumer warranty.

Pros

There are a number of great features that the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 offers which makes it an excellent choice for the right lawn type. It is specifically designed to cut low growing, creeping grasses, and it does this very well. It has more blades than other reel mowers, which means they will last longer and need sharpening less often. The cutting reel is designed so that you can get it spinning quickly without too much work. The mower is lightweight and compact, which means it will be easy for just about anyone to use it and find storage space. And it has big, durable wheels so that it can handle uneven terrain easily.

1. Excellent for low growing, creeping grasses : The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is designed specifically to cut low growing and creeping grasses like centipede grass. Because of this it has several height settings, the shortest of which is only 1/2 an inch and the tallest of which is just 2 1/4 inches. That means you can get your lawn looking like a fairway or even a putting green with this mower.
2. Seven blades for superior cuts : The cutting reel on the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is equipped with seven blades made of durable steel. Because there are two more blades than many other reel mowers have, it will have no trouble delivering clean cuts reliably. And it will not need to be sharpened as often as other reel mowers need to be, which means less work for you in terms of maintenance and upkeep.
3. Cutting reel is designed for easier use : The cutting reel on the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is mounted on a 4-spider ball bearing system. That not only allows the cutting reel to spin freely, it also means that getting the cutting reel going is a lot less work than on mowers without this system. Just one quick push gets the cutting reel spinning fast enough to deliver a good looking, even cut to your lawn.
4. Lightweight and compact for easy maneuverability and storage : The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 weighs just 28 pounds, which makes it one of the lighter manual reel mowers available. It is considerably lighter than other reel mowers with comparably sized cutting reels, so it will be fairly easy for just about anyone to operate it, regardless of their size or strength level. The mower is also compact enough – at just 14 x 18 x 48 inches, including the handle – that you should have no problem finding storage space for it in your tool shed or garage.
5. Ten inch wheels with radial tread tires : The wheels on the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 are a full ten inches tall, and they are made of composite materials and have radial tread tires. That means they will be able to handle uneven ground effectively and will not get worn out or break, even with repeated use.

Any one of these pros is a great bonus on a manual push reel mower like the American Lawn Mower 1705-16, and taken together, they make it a great lawn mower at a very competitive price. If you have the kind of lawn this mower is designed to keep manicured – one with a low growing or creeping variety of grass like centipede grass – then this is probably a great mower for your needs. This mower delivers superior cuts and is easy to use and find storage space for, and the cutting reel rarely needs sharpening or maintenance.

Cons

There are some problems associated with the American Lawn Mower 1705-16, however. Some of these are due to the fact that it is designed for low growing grasses, such as the fact that it does not cut taller grass effectively and will not deal with thick weeds or lawn debris. Others, like the fact that the handles are not very durable, are related to flaws in its manufacture. The mower does not handle edges along walls or fences well. And it tends to miss individual stalks on the first pass, which may require you to do a bit more work than you might prefer.

1. It might not cut taller grasses effectively : The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is specifically designed to cut low growing grass, and because of that it does not handle tall grass well. In fact, because the highest setting for the cutting deck is just 2 1/4 inches, you should not use it to cut grass that is more than six inches tall, as you can risk damaging the grass if you do so.
2. It may not cut over thick weeds or lawn debris : Like many manual push reel mowers, the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 does not handle thicker weeds well, and may just run over them without cutting them at all. It also gets jammed easily by clumps of mulch or even smaller twigs, so if you tend to have a lot of detritus on your lawn, this is not a good reel mower for you.
3. The handles may have durability issues : This is one of the biggest cons associated with the American Lawn Mower 1705-16, primarily because it points not to the design of the machine but the quality of the craftsmanship. After repeated use, especially on uneven ground, the handle tends to weaken and can bend or even break. This is a rather serious issue, and I do not recommend considering it lightly.
4. The mower does not get close to edges : The wheels on the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 are a couple of inches wider than the cutting reel is, which means that the lawn mower will not be able to cut along edges of the lawn that abut garden beds, fences or walls. That means you may have to do some trimming with a string edger after you have finished mowing the lawn, which will result in more work and more time spent on lawn care chores.
5. The mower tends to miss grass on the first pass : In spite of the fact that the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 has seven blades made of durable steel that are easy to get spinning quickly, the mower still tends to miss individual stalks of grass on the first pass. That means you will have to make additional passes in order to get a satisfying cut.

With the exception of the fact that the handle is not very durable and may bend or even break after repeated use, most of these cons are not serious enough to lead me to recommend against buying the American Lawn Mower 1705-16. It is specifically designed for low growing, creeping grasses, and if you use it on these kinds of lawns, it will deliver reliable performance over the long term. But it is not a good mower for lawns that have lots of weeds or detritus, and it is not good for taller grass.

Product Comparison

I always recommend doing comparison shopping when you are looking to buy a new lawn mower. That allows you to get a good idea of how it stacks up against similar models that are comparably priced. In order to help you do this easily, I have provided a comparison table that looks at the product specifications of the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 and two other mowers, the Greenworks 25052 and the Fiskars 6208.

&nbnbsp;	American Lawn Mower 1705-16	Greenworks 25052	Fiskars 6208
Cutting Width	16-inch	16-inch	17-inch
Mower Type	Manual Push	Manual Push	Manual Push
Handle	T-handle	Cushion Grip	Ergonomic Handle
Cutting System	Standard (contact)	Standard (contact)	Contact-free
Blades	4-spider 7-blade	5 blades	5 blades
Cutting Height	1/2- to 2-1/4-inch	1-1/4- to 2-1/4-inch	1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch
Weight	28 pounds	32 pounds	41 pounds
Grass Catcher	Optional	Included	Optional
Warranty	90 days	4 years	2 years

As you can see, all three mowers are about the same size, although the Fiskars 6208 is an inch wider than the other two. The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 has the least ergonomically designed handle of the three mowers. And the Fiskars 6208 is the only one of the three that has a contact free cutting system. But the American Lawn Mower is the only one of the three that has a 4-spider system on the cutting reel, and it also has the most blades of the three. The American Lawn Mower has the shortest cutting height, and it is the lightest of the three mowers.

Conclusion

Buying a manual push reel mower like the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is a great move if you have the right kind of yard for it. These mowers save not only the environment, but also a lot of money. Not only are they more affordable up front, they also cost almost nothing to maintain. Let’s take another look at the pros and cons of owning this mower before we finish.

Conclusion Pros

1. Excellent for low growing, creeping grasses.
2. Seven blades for superior cuts.
3. Cutting reel is designed for easier use.
4. Lightweight and compact for easy maneuverability and storage.
5. Very affordable pricing.

The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is designed specifically for low growing, creeping grasses like centipede grass, and it cuts these varieties well. It has seven blades made of durable steel that allows it to deliver reliable performance without having to be sharpened very often. The cutting reel on the mower is designed to be easier to get going, and the mower is light enough that anyone can use it and compact enough to store just about anywhere. It also has a very competitive price tag.

Conclusion Cons

1. It might not cut taller grasses effectively.
2. It does not cut over thick weeds or lawn debris.
3. The handles may have durability issues.
4. The mower does not get close to edges.
5. The mower tends to miss grass on the first pass.

Because it is designed for shorter varieties of grass, the American Lawn Mower 1705-16 will not deal will tall grass well, and will damage grass that is more than six inches tall. It also will not cut through thicker weeds, gets jammed by debris, and will miss individual stalks on the first pass. The biggest issue is the fact that the handles are not durable and may bend or even break. And the mower does not edge near walls or fences.

Final Word

Buying a manual push reel mower is a great idea if you have the right sized yard for it. These mowers are designed to be people powered, so they will never produce any carbon emissions or need fuel or electricity to run. They are quiet enough that you can use them at any time of day without having to worry about whether you are disturbing your neighbors. And they have price tags and maintenance costs that make them some of the most affordable lawn mowers today.

The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 has a number of great features that make it an excellent mower for maintaining lawns that are planted with low growing, creeping grass. It has settings as low as just 1/2 an inch, so you can keep your lawn looking almost like a putting green. The mower is lightweight and compact, so it is easy to use and store. But it will not handle tall grass or thicker weeds, and its handle is manufactured from not very durable material.

Best Price

One of the biggest draws for consumers to manual push reel mowers is the price tag. These are the most affordable lawn mowers you can find today, and they also save you money over the long term. The American Lawn Mower 1705-16 is one of the more inexpensive manual push reel mowers on the market today. That means you will not have to worry about breaking your home and garden budget in order to get it. And it is designed to require sharpening and maintenance less frequently, which will save you additional money over other manual reel mowers. If you have a lawn with shorter varieties of grass, this is a good mower at a great price.