PLAYTHINGS : Blade Walker
It’s the ‘90s and the look in gadgetry is retro, retro, retro. Maybe it’s the effect of watching too many “Wonder Years” reruns, but a growing number of Southern Californians are abandoning their power mowers for old-fashioned, hand-pushed lawn mowers. Nationally, sales have more than doubled since 1985, says the American Lawn Mower Co., which produces 95% of the country’s reel mowers.
With L. A.’s reputation for being on the cutting edge, it’s no surprise that sales started rising here first. “The West Coast has always been a good market” for reel mowers, says Jim Hewitt, marketing director for the Indiana-based company. “There are a lot of small lawns in Southern California. And you’re very environmentally conscious out there.”
Still, the company was “overwhelmed” by the response it received when it exhibited the mowers at last year’s Los Angeles Eco-Expo. “We were amazed by how many people came up to our booth and said, ‘Hey, what a good idea,’ as though we had invented them,” says one company representative.
Reel mowers have been around since the late 19th Century, dominating lawns everywhere until the 1950s, when power mowers cut them out of the market. But in the back-to-basics ‘90s, these low-maintenance, low-priced (about $70 to $135), non-polluting machines seem just right. They’re a favorite with greener-than-thou catalogues like Seventh Generation because they create no air pollution. American Lawn anticipates that sales will continue to grow as California’s already strict emissions regulations get tighter over the next decade.
Then there are the health benefits. Depending on the size of the lawn, you can burn off as many calories mowing as in a game of tennis or an aerobics class.
And the manual mowers are better for lawns: Their shearing action gives a clean, easily healed cut that helps the grass to retain moisture.
Two years ago, Hammacher Schlemmer started carrying the mowers in its Rodeo Drive store, as well as in its spring and summer catalogues. In the past year, sales have skyrocketed.
“People are turning to nostalgia even in the tools they’re using,” says Deborah Warner, a Hammacher Schlemmer representative, explaining the appeal. Another flash from the past that’s a hot seller for the company? The Electrolux vacuum sweeper.
