How's the reel mower working for you? I've got a smallish 14,000 sq ft lot that I mow in 20 minutes with an 25 year old commercial 48" walk behind mower. It's a four stroke and likely pollutes horribly. Having mature,50ft+ treesnin my yard, I depend on something that mulches leaves. I've always thought of switching to a mechanical mower. Cursory searches always led me ro believe it is a pipe dream.
The big downside is that while it cuts grass really well, it does nothing to weeds. Any stem thicker than a blade of grass might as well be steel. So if you have a lot of dandelions or whatever, your results will suffer. This is the one I have:
katakowsj - I have the Fiskars. have had for five years. b_b is right - weeds'n'such require a weed whacker. I have a 7000-ish sqft lot and in general, when it's growing season, I hit the grass every week (30min). I hit the stubborn stuff every other week with a weed whacker. Go cordless. All my stuff is black'n'decker, and all of it has the same battery mount. There's something delightful about being able to mow the lawn and listen to an audiobook.