This Vintage Lawn Care Tool Was Popular In The 90s (And It's Making A Comeback)

These days, nostalgia seems to shape consumer decisions in the United States everywhere from throwback clothing styles to vinyl records. Given the advances in equipment and technology, it might be surprising to learn that this pattern extends to lawn care equipment. Nonetheless, manual mowers are a vintage lawn care tool that is once again making a comeback.

Manual push mowers, also referred to as reel mowers, are as simple as a lawn mower can get, as they have no mechanical motor. Horizontally oriented cutting blades spin as the mower is pushed and stop when it is at rest. The faster it's pushed, the faster the blades spin. Many people remember these mowers as being popular in the 1990s. By that point, however, they were already antiques: A reel-style mower was patented in England in 1830. Introduced to the U.S. by the 1860s, it remained the standard for about 100 years, until gas-powered — and to a lesser degree corded electric — mowers became commonplace in the decades just before, and following, World War II.

Despite the introduction of gas- and electric-powered mowers, reel-style machines never went away. In fact, this latest comeback is just one of several resurgences these simple machines have had over the years. Prior to the current trend, manual mower sales surged again during the late 00s. While there aren't hard numbers for how popular they're becoming in 2026, the market research site Cognitive Market Research reports steady growth of reel mower sales since 2021 and are projected to see continued growth through 2033. There are plenty of influencers touting them on social media as a way Millennials are rejecting Boomer lawn care advice, and perhaps more significantly, for the first time in a long time, multiple companies are producing higher-end reel mowers.

With all that in mind, if you've seen signs it's time to replace your lawn mower, you may want to consider a manual push mower. Although not sophisticated machines, there are actually several advantages that manual, reel mowers hold over both gas and electric lawn mowers. For starters, they are typically a cheaper initial investment than either electric- or gas-powered models — you can find options well under $100 and they top out around $200. They usually require less maintenance, and are also quieter, lightweight, take minimal storage space, and don't require much room to maneuver. This often makes them the best choice for small lawns.

The two biggest advantages of reel mowers is they are eco-friendly and actually promote healthy lawns. Since they require no fuel or battery and emit no exhaust, they are the greenest of green choices for lawn care needs. And they are better for your lawn. This is because they use a scissor-like cutting motion that cleanly slices through blades of grass instead of pulling and tearing it as rotary mowers tend to do. As reel mowers cut, they also drop the clippings back onto your lawn, essentially adding natural fertilizer, evenly distributed across your yard.

Of course, no mower is perfect and reel mowers aren't the best choice for every person or yard. They don't perform well in overgrown yards. Nor are they a good choice for uneven surfaces, large lawns, or yards with obstacles such as sticks and rocks. They also take more exertion on your part, since you are providing all the power. However, if you have a small to medium sized lawn and you mow on a regular basis, a reel mower just may be the right choice.