Never attempt to sharpen your real mower blade with a drimmel. I take my reels to a buddy of mine that works at a golf course. The machine they use to sharpen these blades run in the neighbor hood of 30k. As for the McLane mower don't waste your time if your lawn isn't level as it probably has caster wheels instead of a solid roller, which will sink into uneven spots in your lawn and scalp it badly.

If you religiously cut the grass back by 1/3 of its height (eg: if you keep it cut at 2 inches, then you'd cut it as soon as its grown to 3 inches)regardless of whether its been a week or only 2 days since you last mowed, like is recommended by all the experts, then you may be perfectly satisfied with an inexpensive low powered mower because you'd only be removing roughly an inch and a half or less at a time and you'd not be subjecting it to the constant stress of bogging it down in tall grass. But as a general rule neither a mulching mower nor a bagger will do an efficient job unless they have a lot of power if you let the grass/weeds get tall before you mow, if then. However, the more torque the engine has the happier you'll be with the results I think. Buy the most powerful mower you can find within your budget. You'll get a more powerful engine for less money if you go Briggs & Stratton or Kohler over Honda and B&S is generally less expensive to repair if they need it. B&S has a lot of detractors, but with the exception of one push mower, every one I've had or used in the last 30+ years has had B&S engines. All were box store mowers from K-mart, Sears, etc. and all virtually trouble free for many years even when not cared for properly.

Hi, I am a big time fan of reel mowing. I am a commercial lawn-care company owner and own a 25" Eastman "trimmer" reel, a 25" Tru-cut reel, and a 20" Trimmer of Fresno homeowner model. I have also owned a King O' Lawn reel which wasn't much to brag about, but still a decent mower. In my opinion, the Eastman is a much more comfortable mower to operate and they last just as long, if not longer than a Tru-cut. Some like the separate drive clutches of the Tru-cut, but I don't find it of much benefit unless you are planning on driving your reel mower to the corner store. In regards to your question concerning the best width of reel mower, I find the 25" models to be the best constructed the best and are most well fit to the rigors of daily, commercial use. The 20" Tru-cuts are very well constructed mowers, just as well constructed as the 25" reels. In regards to whether a 20", 25" or 27" is the proper choice, it is a matter of how your lawn was constructed. If you have lots of holes and slopes, a 20" will probably be a wiser choice because it will scalp less. IF you lawn is relatively flat, a 25" will suffice. I find the 27" Tru-cut to be too large to be justified purchasing. Not only is it 2" wider than the 25", it is heavier=less maneuverability and it is also a little more expensive. The 27" Tru-cuts are for places like baseball diamonds and large institutions. With regards to the question about the roller, once again, if your yard is bumpy, a roller would be a wise choice because it will prevent the front wheels from becoming unbalanced. Generally a roller is not needed unless you are wanting to create a striping affect. I have heard both good and bad about rollers, one bad thing is that they lay down the grass making for not as close of a cut. A good thing is the striping affect and it does not scalp. The rollers are made out of a very durable plastic and will not scratch. About the edging, generally the edging I use is brick set in with mortar. However, the flagstone you describe will work. As long as the flagstone is equal with the height of the lawn, you will be able to ride the mower on it with out any problems. Generally 2" is sufficient to avoid the Bermuda runners from creeping into the beds, just keep it trimmed using a string trimmer, stick edger, or walk behind edger preferably. I would suggest doing some research on basic masonry work, especially that concerning flagstone. I would suggest using mortar to set and joint the flagstone with a layer of landscape fabric and pea gravel. Best of luck on your endeavors and please feel free to ask me any questions.

I think thats what ill wind up doin this dealership has demos I can take home for a week at a time. Everyone around my neighborhood is saying kubota. Even tho it is heavier than the other 2 it is a diesel. Im not worried about it sinking in yards not very many of the properties I manage has soft ground. Plus the Kubota I will get a free dump from the seat bagger and a light kit installed on the rops for about 17Gs financed with no APR%. But the only draw back is that the kubota is twice the price than the other 2. But hey what do you expect its a beast. The dealership says they sell more than 20 times more Kubotas than they do any other tractor for wat I need it for.