Fiskars StaySharp 17" Review
Self-Propelled Lawn Mower - Yard and Garden Tools
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4.2 / 5 from 2871 users
$171.58$225.99
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We spent 8.9 hours reading reviews from customers and experts. In summary, here's what users think:
12 reasons to buy
The Fiskars StaySharp 17" reel mower is significantly quieter than gas-powered mowers, making for a more pleasant mowing experience and reducing noise pollution. (51 reviews)
“One of the main reasons I bought this was that I wanted something that wasn't loud & didn't smell like gas.”
“It's quiet of course, not silent but you can hear a conversation in the next yard over.”
“Super quiet - I barely need to turn up the volume on my music when I mow”
“it's so quiet nobody in the neighborhood knew I was out there.”
“The Mower ran like glass, no sound other than the movement of the earth, the sky and the birds.”
“This mower is quiet, it smells nice when I mow, and it's actually a little easier to mow with than with my old gas mower.”
“Best part is I can do this when it's cool early in the morning in the summer and not wake anyone up”
“I like the fact that it is quiet and I can cut anytime without disturbing neighbors.”
“This thing is as quiet as it gets so no ninjas will be sneaking up on me.”
“It's also nearly silent. I thought my Remington was quiet. Now it sounds terrible in comparison.”
Using a reel mower provides a good aerobic workout, as it requires physical effort to push and maneuver. (37 reviews)
“So at a minimum we get 3 really good aerobic workouts a week.”
“It is a workout. It's comparable to the way i feel biking, a low level aerobic activity.”
“I felt like those football players trying to push those sleds on the grass”
“And the extra exercise is good too.”
“Multifunctional...cuts grass & gives you a workout you never known..especially if you're as out of shape as I am & tried to cut down to level 1 when your grass is thick & just a little tall..”
“This thing handles hills with no problem. It's considerably lighter than my older gas-powered mower and a lot less dangerous going up and down a steep hill in my backyard. Yeah, it's a workout, but not as bad as a gas mower.”
“They wished theirs looked like ours, except they are scared to work hard by using a reel mower.”
“this thing gives you an insane workout. You will be soaked in sweat after a grass cutting.”
“I found that going at a slight jogging speed remedy this and gave me a great work out in the process!”
“it’s a great way to get in those ever elusive 10,000 steps and some fresh air”
As a manual option, these mowers do not require gas or electricity, making them environmentally friendly. (30 reviews)
“It uses no gas. The pamphlet says 'All it takes is you.'”
“No need for gas, oil, batteries, or cords”
“NO gas, NO oil, NO stink, NO noise.”
“We wanted to leave a smaller carbon footprint hence the manual reel mower.”
“I'm glad I got it, and hope I never have to go back to a gas mower.”
“And that I have stepped away from gas powered push mowers for some time now to reduce our carbon foot print.”
“makes it easy to cut the grass without fossil fuels or much noise”
“I am a fitness enthusiast and huge environmentalist and I knew what I was getting into purchasing a zero carbon usage lawnmower.”
“No electricity, no gas, pollinator friendly”
“Love that it is Eco friendly”
These mowers offer easy adjustment for cutting heights, accommodating various grass lengths and lawn conditions. (24 reviews)
“Also this mower adjusted for cutting heights up to 4"! Finally I could cut my grass at the 2" - 2 1/2" it does best at.”
“One nice feature of this is the ease at which you can adjust the height. Just lean over & quickly raise or lower it for special needs.”
“There is a very easy height adjustment so depending on the length you could cut once on max height and maybe again at a lower height.”
“The height adjustment lever makes changes quick and painless”
“I like that you can adjust the height of the blades so I can cut the grass a little longer or less long depending on the season.”
“I really like how easy it is to adjust the mowing height.”
“The adjustments are easy to use for the grass height. The older reel mower I needed a screw driver and had to adjust both sides.”
“This model, compared to many of the other reel mowers on Amazon, can be raised high enough to cut cool-season grasses at an appropriate height”
“Adjusting cut height is easy as can be and a snap.”
“The handle and blade adjustments are easy to adjust to your needs”
The Fiskars StaySharp 17" mower cuts the grass effectively when the blades are sharp and properly adjusted, providing a nice cut. (24 reviews)
“This thing cut through my grass like a dream. I've held off on reviewing it to see if it would remain a great mower and a few months later it still hasn't let me down.”
“The mower cuts the crass nicely, provided that the blades are sharp and properly adjusted.”
“You won’t believe how this gobbles up the thickest, squirreliest, grass.”
“That being said, it cuts great so far.”
“It cuts the grass nicely.”
“This mower does a great job cutting the lawn.”
“It cuts a nice level cut which looks great when done, much better than a rotary mower.”
“The sharp blades really do a great job.”
The mower is reported to be easy to assemble, requiring minimal effort to get it up and running. (23 reviews)
“This mower assembled in about 10 minutes, the handle comes in 3 pieces which fit together with 4 bolts, which come pre-treated with Loctite.”
“It was easy to put together so I was able to get started quickly.”
“It was easy to assemble.”
“Assembly: EASY (5 min. tops *that's if you can't find your tools)”
“It took me about 10 minutes to assemble this, max. No tools required!”
“4-easy assembly”
“It was very easy to assemble, 4 screws, lever knob and that’s it.”
“With less than 30 minutes of unboxing and assembly you can start with the cutting height adjustment and get to mowing the lawn 😄. No tools required though it is an option to tighten up.”
“And assembly is a breeze.”
“It took me less than ten minutes to assemble it out of the box.”
The blades are made from a harder material, which keeps them sharp longer and cuts down on how often they need to be sharpened. (12 reviews)
“because the blades are made of harder material and stayed sharp longer.”
“The blades are still sharp, wheels are still firm and the blade rotates with little effort.”
“The blades are SUPER sharp which is great.”
“I bought it for the brand name and the fact it will stay sharp longer”
“the blade does not touch the bar and thus remains sharp for a long time, or as the company claims, the life of the mower”
“we've been using it for two months (about twice a week or more), and it's still cutting grass as well as it did the first day.”
“The blades are sharp and were perfectly aligned when I purchased it”
“once I made the first pass over my lawn with the super sharp blades I was blown away”
“haven't had to sharpen the Fiskar in the equivalent of close to 2 mowing years here in SWFl”
“The blade seems designed to last for years with minimal maintenance”
“blades are sharp and cut well, haven't had to sharpen or adjust them since first assembling it out of the box”
Regular maintenance like cleaning and lubrication is straightforward, contributing to long-term performance. (12 reviews)
“I spray everything, as recommended, with SILICON lubricant before and after each cut.”
“And on any of these mowers, don't forget to spray the blades with CRC or WD-40 when you finish cutting. Rust will dull the blade way faster than cutting the grass does.”
“Maintenance is fairy easy a couple sweeps with a dollar store broom and it’s clean. Gas powered required me to scrape the plastered grass out with a putty knife or hose. No thank you.”
“requires no gas or much if any maintenance”
“It doesn’t need gas, it’s always ready to go and needs little maintenance.”
“If it continues to require less maintenance and upkeep throughout its life cycle, then that would be a huge plus for me.”
“there is no motor to maintain, minimal maintenance”
“At the end of the season, I used the Fiskar maintenance kit to sharpen the blades, but this was probably unnecessary because it still worked great. I cleaned it carefully at the end of the season and sprayed it with a silicon lubricant, looking at it now you can hardly tell it has been used”
“The blade seems designed to last for years with minimal maintenance”
“haven't had to sharpen or adjust them since first assembling it out of the box”
“After mowing, especially if the grass is damp, I cut a small piece of paper towel, soak it in WD40 or similar oil, and wipe down the blades and cutter bar before storing the mower in the garage”
The Fiskars StaySharp 17" reel mower employs a non-contact cutting system, which reduces friction between the blades, allowing for less resistance and easier pushing. (5 reviews)
“These used a non-contact cutting system that greatly reduced the resistance, one because there was no friction with the blades since they don't contact each other but two because the blades are made of harder material and stayed sharp longer.”
“it also doesn’t make as much noise as some of the other reel mowers (Scott’s) as blades do not actually come in contact with the bar.”
“The idea behind this mower is that the bar does not touch the blade, as in other push reel mowers.”
“This mower reminds me of my youth using this type of mower on my Mom and Dads lawn, but this one is much easier to operate.”
“Since the Fiskars doesn't require the blade to touch it's also much quieter.”
The mower is easy to store because of its foldable handle, letting it lean against a wall and take up less space. (5 reviews)
“This lawnmower stows nicely inside a garage and doesn’t take up much space. The handle rotates forward far enough that I can rest it up against a wall with the reel cover facing outward, so the blades aren’t really exposed.”
“doesn't take up a lot of room”
“As it turns out, it is acceptably easy to remove the handle and I am not going to have any problem storing it.”
“it’s small and doesn’t take up much space to store”
“this mower is light and compact - easy to store.”
The cover around the reel is metal, enhancing the mower's sturdiness and durability. (4 reviews)
“The reel is a heavy (as in "sturdy") piece of metal, and the orange cover over the reel ... is metal”
“Overall, you can tell this is a high-quality product made of heavy steel and will last a long time.”
“It feels like a substantial piece of equipment”
“In fact, it is appropriately heavy duty but still light enough that it is easy to manage it satisfactorily. There is nothing flimsy about it, though.”
The mower features chain driven blades which are known to be remarkable and durable for cutting. (3 reviews)
“The chain driven blades are remarkable.”
“Biggest thing is this mower is chain driven. Most reel mowers ive seen have a plastic gearing system which are prone to breaking/stripping. Gear ratio is good and really gets the blade spinning fast even from a walking pace.”
4 reasons not to buy
Some users find the Fiskars StaySharp 17" mower heavy when stopped, hard to maneuver around fenced areas, and challenging to turn quickly or sharply. (31 reviews)
“it’s heavy when stopped-very hard to maneuver around fences-Very hard to turn quickly or sharply.”
“First, the front wheels don't pivot. If you wanna turn, YOU have to turn the mower.”
“None of the four wheels swivel, so the mower doesn’t turn right or left easily.”
“The reel is about 12" behind the front wheels. That's not a problem when you are cutting large swaths of grass or running parallel to straight edging. BUT... if you have a small yard, curved edging, or paths amid beds, and you naturally want to lift up/re-position the mower, you will rarely be able to get within 12" of your edging, at least not without a lot of lifting, backtracking and cussing.”
“a bit more awkward to maneuver than other brands I have owned”
“Maneuverability: Best used in straight lines... That's what makes me miss my regular mower the most.”
“And having the main wheels in the back is a maneuvering nightmare when near walls and fences. The handle is about the same width as the mower, so trying to turn away from something means the handle wants to drag on the wall or fence, which leads to being "sucked in", the need to just stop, back up, and take a new run at it.”
“There is some sort of rocking and spinning required to make sharp turns, as this thing is all powered by the operator.”
“However, I have long covid and other health issues so it takes me much longer than this. Because of the size of my yard, this mower is not great for maneuvering as there is little room to get it turned so I have to basically lift it to turn it each time. At 50# this mower is not light so that is a def negative for me.”
“Maneuvering turns and turning the thing around to go the other direction is difficult. You have to pick it up and turn it around manually.”
The mower has trouble cutting grass if it gets above a certain height, approximately 6 inches. (30 reviews)
“This mower is not hard to push but you can't let your grass get very high. They say in the booklet about 6 inches. I'd agree with that.”
“If there is a single blade of grass taller than about 6" it won't cut it no matter how many times you go over it, it just lays flat and pops back up.”
“beyond maybe 6 inch height the mower won't be able to handle the grass”
“The mower pushes over anything over about 6" in height and won't cut it--at all.”
“Tall grass isn’t great to cut with these. So if you slack and cut the grass after it’s about 4-6 inches high your not going to love it at all.”
“If you let it get too long between cuts, you will probably have to bring it back down to the level you want a step at a time.”
“Other reviews have mentioned this won't cut anything over ~6 inches and that's true from my experience as well.”
“The only real issue we have had is that if the grass gets much taller than four inches, then the mower has a hard time cutting it--if it at all.”
“It doesn't cut really tall grass sticking up, or really tall weeds, no reel mower will.”
“it will not cut anything above 6 inches tall”
In yards that are not flat or consist of various grass and weed types, the mower may not cut 100% perfectly, resulting in missed blades or spots. (12 reviews)
“My yard is bumpy with many varieties of grass and weeds, and the mower doesn't cut 100% perfectly, there are a few missed blades or spots.”
“If you're a perfectionist this might drive you crazy, but in no circumstance will you cut every blade of grass in a yard like mine.”
“Some of these issues are due to irregularities in my yard, so will try to level that out.”
“I think this is because of "straggler" blades of grass here or there that were missed or got pushed over instead of cut”
“It of course works much better on the flat front yard but does surprisingly well on the bumpy, sandy backyard.”
“My yard is ABSOLUTELY NOT FLAT!”
“I hate having to still pull weeds and use a weed eater to cut what the reel missed”
“The back is bumpy to say the least. You need a smooth area.”
“Lots of sticks, mole burrows, etc ... different grass heights and such.”
The mower only cuts while moving forward, so you might need to adjust your mowing patterns. (9 reviews)
“It only mows while moving forward, so you have to account for that in the pattern that you mow. Wasn't a problem in my case.”
“Best used in straight lines... That's what makes me miss my regular mower the most.”
“It's hard to retrain your brain that you'll only cut going directly forward (think: mowing around bushes).”
“cutting is different because it only cuts when it is moving, so you have to adjust your approach to parts of your lawn, particularly corners or areas near walls or edges.”
“since this mower does not mow in reverse”
“If you've never used a reel mower before, you will find that it cuts only in forward motion, not when pulling back.”
“It requires about a foot or two of push at walking speed before it get's blade speed up enough to really cut well, making mowing in tight areas troublesome”
“It does not cut when being pulled backward”
“it only cuts going forward and not when you pull it backwards”
Bottom Line
The Fiskars StaySharp 17" reel mower offers a quieter, eco-friendly alternative to gas mowers, requiring no gas or electricity. It's easy to assemble and maintain, with durable blades that stay sharp longer. This mower allows for adjustable cutting heights and provides a good workout. However, it can be heavy to maneuver, struggles with tall grass over 6 inches, and may miss spots on uneven lawns. Best for flat yards and regular mowing.
Facts
| Brand | Fiskars |
|---|---|
| Cutting Width (in) | 17 inch |
| Max Cutting Height | 4" |
| Min Cutting Height | 1" |
| Power Source | Manual |
| Category | Reel Mowers |
| Warranty | 2 Year Limited Manufacturer Limited |
| Weight | 52 lbs. |
Video Reviews
Special Features
- StaySharp Cutting System: This mower has special blades that don't get dull fast, so you won't have to sharpen them every year.
- InertiaDrive Reel: It's got a strong wheel inside that helps you cut through tough stuff like thick weeds or small branches without getting stuck.
- Eco-Friendly Operation: You won't need gas or electricity for this mower; it's all muscle-powered, so it's better for the environment and your wallet.
- 30% Easier to Push: It's designed to be easier to push around your yard compared to other similar mowers, so you won't tire out as quickly.
- Adjustable Cut Height: You can change how short it cuts the grass, whether you like it really short or a bit longer.
- Wide Cutting Path: It can cut a 17-inch wide strip of grass in one go, which means you can finish mowing the lawn faster.
- Quality Construction: It's made tough to last a long time, even with heavy use, so you won't have to replace it anytime soon.
- Ergonomic Design: The mower is built to be comfortable to use, so your hands and back won't hurt after mowing.
- Two-Year Warranty: The company stands behind this mower with a two-year promise to fix or replace it if something goes wrong.
- Low Maintenance: It's easy to take care of since it doesn't need oil changes or battery charges, and the blades stay sharp.
- Quiet Operation: It's really quiet, so you can mow early in the morning or late at night without making a racket and bothering your neighbors.
- Ease of Assembly: Putting it together is a snap, so you can get right to work on your lawn without fussing over complicated instructions.
FAQ
- Q:
Can the Fiskars StaySharp 17" be used on St. Augustine grass?
- A:
Yes, the Fiskars StaySharp 17" cuts St. Augustine grass effectively. However, it can become tedious to mow if the grass is allowed to grow too tall.
- Q:
What are the differences between this newer model and the older model?
- A:
The newer model features a reversible grass chute that allows you to direct clippings either forward, away from your feet, or backward and downward. This improvement makes it easier to mow tough patches while reducing messiness.
- Q:
Where is this mower manufactured?
- A:
While Fiskars' international headquarters are located in Finland, their lawn care equipment, including this mower, is manufactured in China.
- Q:
What is the total width of this mower, including the wheels?
- A:
The mower measures 22.5 inches from wheel to wheel.
- Q:
Does this mower cut in both forward and backward directions?
- A:
No, the blades on this mower spin in the forward direction only.
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| Final Score | 92 Great! | 92 Great! | 92 Great! | 91 Great! | 91 Great! |
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| Power Source | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual |
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