Manual reel mower for bermuda grass

A guy told me one time that a reel mower cuts upward when cutting grass and the tug of the upward pressure on the grass causes it to grow faster.... he is an engineer that graduated from the Colorado school of mines... I hated working with him.

I've never used it on bermuda, but I've used a manual reel mower on Zoysia and st aug. Bermuda is probably easier because it doesn't get as thick, but a reel mower cuts great when you don't have to cut much. But golf courses cut basically daily. If you are only looking to cut once a week and take like a 1/2 inch off its going to be a biatch. Manual reel mowers are very hard work to do anything but a very light trim.

I tried using a reel mower for a while, and my take is that the ground needs to be very level. dips, bumps, and areas where the grass varies in height make it difficult. If I top dressed my yard perfectly level, I might think abt using the manual reel occasionally. for now it doesn't look different enough from a self propelled to make it worth it.