Earthwise 1715-16EW Push Reel Lawn Mower Review

The Earthwise 1715-16EW is a 16-inch push reel mower. The reel and the bed knife are tempered alloy steel, the side plates are steel, and the wheels are 10-inch composite with a radial tread. The whole machine weighs about 21.8 lb. Nothing on it is powered: the reel spins because the wheels roll.

That reel shears grass against a fixed bar the way scissors close, instead of striking it with a spinning blade. The cut edge is clean, and the machine makes no engine noise. The trade is that a reel only cuts grass that passes between the blades, so anything that bends away or lies flat stays uncut.

Why seven blades matter

A manual reel turns a set number of times for every foot you walk, so the blade count sets how many cuts that foot of travel gets. Seven blades give more cuts per foot than a five-blade reel: a finer finish, and the ability to cut low without leaving ridges of uncut grass between the blades. That is why this mower is built for bent and creeping grasses, which tolerate a short cut. Taller, upright grasses are better served by a reel with fewer blades.

What comes in the box

The carton holds the mower, the handle assembly hardware and the owner's manual. There is no grass catcher, no bag and no mulching plug. Clippings drop where they fall.

On flat, dry, short turf of the kind it is meant for, the Earthwise 1715-16EW leaves an even finish, and the 7-blade reel lets it take a lawn down low in a single pass where a coarser reel needs two.

A low cut for warm-season grass

The cutting height goes down to 0.5 inches. For Bermuda, Zoysia and centipede owners who want a tight, dense lawn, that low setting is the whole reason to own a reel mower.

Light enough to carry and turn

At about 22 lb, the mower lifts with one hand, pivots easily at the end of a strip, and does not leave the wheel tracks a heavy rotary mower presses into soft turf.

Quiet and emission-free

There is no engine to hear and no exhaust to breathe, and no cord to drag across the yard. You can mow early in the morning without waking the neighbors.

Almost nothing to maintain

No gas, no oil, no spark plug, no carburetor. A light spray of lubricant on the cutting surfaces and the axle after mowing covers the routine. Buyers on Amazon most often praise the build quality, and ease of assembly and ease of use come up often too.

Quick to assemble and easy to store

The handle goes on with the supplied hardware and basic tools, following a short manual. The mower folds down and hangs out of the way, which suits a garage or shed with little floor space.

Tall, wet or upright grass is where the Earthwise 1715-16EW gives up. A reel only cuts what passes between the reel and the bed knife, so fescue, ryegrass and overgrown or damp grass either push down and spring back up or jam the reel. Buyers on Amazon are divided on cutting performance, and the complaint that comes up most is poor results in tall grass.

Weeds and debris stop it

Dandelions, clover and crabgrass need repeated passes from different directions before they are cut. Twigs, acorns, pine cones and clumps of mulch jam the reel outright. A rough yard with litter in it turns mowing into a stop-and-clear session.

It does not cut on the backstroke

You cannot pull the mower back over a strip. At a bed edge or along a fence line you lift the machine and set it down again for the next pass.

Sixteen inches means many passes

The cut is 16 inches wide, and you overlap each pass by a third to a half to cover the wheels and avoid strips of uncut grass. On a small lawn that is fine. On a large one it makes mowing a long job, and one buyer on Amazon who mows bigger yards says so.

Uneven ground takes effort

There is no differential, so turning on a slope or across rough turf costs you push. Buyers on Amazon are divided on maneuverability for this reason.

No catcher and no bagging

Clippings discharge where they fall, which acts as a light mulch, but there is no bagging and no mulching mode. Included: Lawn Mower; Handle Assembly Hardware; Owners manual.

Height adjustment is a tools-out job

Changing the cutting height is not a lever flick. It takes a wrench, both sides of the mower, and a few minutes, which is the friction point buyers on Amazon raise when they talk about adjustability.

Every figure changes something you will notice in use, and the figures work together rather than as a list.

How the height adjustment really works

The 0.5 to 2.5 inch range comes from two settings working together. A coarse setting moves the bolts on the roller bracket, and a three-position axle setting on the side plate gives the precise heights of 0.5, 1.75 and 2.5 inches. Both are done on each side of the mower with a wrench, and the low setting is reached through the inner axle position. Set it once for your grass and leave it there.

The Earthwise 1715-16EW rewards a little technique on the first cut and almost nothing after that. Set the height before you start, mow when the grass is dry, and never take more than a third of the blade height at once.

Mowing technique that keeps the reel turning

Overlap each pass by a third to a half. Two symptoms tell you what to change.

Blade care and sharpening

The weekly routine

Brush or blow off the clippings after each mow, then put a light coat of lubricant on the cutting surfaces, the reel axle and the wheels. That is the whole maintenance schedule: no oil change, no filter, no plug.