I test the 36v Ryobi Rotary Mower and the 18v Ryobi Cylinder mower on my yard following my renovation. Also, a quick update on how the yard is recovering. Music by Bensounds
The cutting height of any lawn mower is determined by measuring height on a “hard” surface. On a lawn, the weight of the mower is the determining factor as to how high/low a mower will cut. The Ryobi cylinder is a very light lawn mower. Thus the grass holds the cylinder up.
Great vid again! Re: rotary v cylinder HOC. The rotary is likely heavier and sinking in to the turf canopy providing a lower cut. Light cylinder mowers tend to float over the turf and not cut as true as a heavy unit. Cutting in multiple directions frequently will give you a nice even look. Much better than you might achieve with the rotary. It's a shame the ryobi doesn't cut as low as the victa razor. I wonder if you can drill out the roller position or retro fit a conveyor belt roller to lower the cut or add more weight. Cheers again for the comparison vid.
Hi mate, thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated! The weight of the rotary definitely impacted its depth of cut. I'm tempted to load the cylinder up with a bag of cement or a weight plate and see if that is heavy enough to drop it down. The two adjustment screws under the bed knife drag along the ground though, so that may cause an issue if I force them down harder. It's definitely worth some more consideration. I might sharpen the blades on both mowers, and do some more testing to see what I can achieve.
Considering how expensive the Ryobi reel mower is (AUD$4000) I would expect more blades than 5 blades than manual push reel mower and the mower can only cut to 18mm?? My Victor Lazer push reel mower has 5 blades and cuts down to 100mm an cost just over AUD$100.
I just found this video after a Google search. It would have been nice to see the model numbers and prices if you had them including the Victa push mower.
You'll probably find the cylinder lacks the weight of the rotary hence the different cut heights. I Ozito cylinder and also a metal roller to help increase the weight a bit.
Get some dynamic lifter into that lawn mate. Then weekly applications of a liquid fert mate. The lawn will be growing like crazy come xmas. And just keep up with the sprays mate. Only way to stay ontop of the weeds.
When they stopped selling them, I messaged Ryobi asking if they were likely to bring them back and got a fairly vague response that hinted towards a re-design, but that was 18 months or so ago now, and there's been no movement. Would be great if they could bring it back, in this form or even a slightly bigger/heavier spec. Considering the Ozito one is still selling quite well! 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for the video. How does the rotary mower look underneath - is it a steel or plastic body? Does having the motor on the cylinder mower make a noteworthy difference to the effort needed? I have around 3/4 acre of more spongy grass - how many battery swaps do you think that may take?
G'day - the rotary is a plastic body. It's quite light. The newer ones have a steel body, which I think would be an improvement in the overall mower life, but the plastic one is still quite sturdy. The battery cylinder mower really is only suitable for a small section of lawn. It's not heavy, it's intensive of the battery, and it's quite a small cutting length. Check out the new Brushless 36v rotary that Ryobi are selling with a 6ah battery for about $999. I think for a 3/4acre block, that's what you'd be looking at for a minimum. They looks the goods. 🤙
Thanks I really enjoyed that comparison. I have a manual reel mower but I’m thinking of buying a battery powered one from Wild Edge, it looks very similar to this Ryobi model. Did you find it difficult to push or not difficult?
Hi mate, thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it! The Ryobi is fairly easy to push and manoeuvre around. It's light enough that it really isn't tough to push up the hill. The fact that the reel spins independently through the motor is a huge plus. The manual one that needs the wheels spinning to have the blade spinning is tougher to push around by far. 🤙
Got to have a play with the ryobi cylinder mower once at a customer's house. And i have a 15k toro greensmaster cylinder mower at home so i can compare it against the best. It actually went ok. Far cheaper option for someone with a small lawn. Can you get your hands on the ryobi scarifying machine these days?
Yeah, I reckon with a sharpen on the reel, the Ryobi would be a great option. Just a shame it doesn't drop a bit lower. 18mm is great for a heap of lawns, but if they threw just one more adjustment in to bring it down to 12, it would be perfect. I imagine it would essentially need a 10 blade reel though at that point. I'm not sure if the scarifier is back in stock or not. When I picked mine up, it was like a lottery as to whether you'd find one or not. My new mower has a scarifier cartridge, so I won't need the Ryobi again, but it's handy to have tucked away!
I want to get a reel mower but don't want to be mowing every few days. For tall grass, is it possible to use a string trimmer first to get the grass shorter, then use a reel mower to complete the job to get the manicured look?
Theoretically you could. I know some people knock the height down with a rotary mower first and then polish it off with the reel mower, so you could do it with a trimmer I imagine!
Just picked up a used one of those Ryobi Cylinder mowers for $30 off FB marketplace. Any tips on how I should prepare it to cut its best given it's used?
I didn't ever get around to back lapping this one, but it can be done. You have to remove the drive motor off the wheel (behind the cover) to let you spin the reel with a drill etc, and find a nice paste to use. If it isn't in dire need of a back lap, just clean the blades and bed knife, and adjust it so it cuts paper evenly and you should be good go go! 🤙
@@scott-wright Yeah, I had a 10kg weight plate on mine to get it down low. But there are the two Allen Key adjusters right at the bottom, and if you put too much weight on it, they dig into the lawn as you go, so just be mindful of that. 👍
I prefer the Victa to the Ryobi. The benefit of the Ryobi is that the reel still spins even if the wheels stop, whereas the Victa has to be moving. The wheels on the Victa are on a ratchet, so if you go backwards the reel stops.
In KwaZulu-Natal you can hear the grass growing when you are trying to get to sleep. If you want a carpet you need to mow at least every two days in summer. If you leave it two weeks you will need a brush cutter. Fortunately we get a rest in the winter months, mowing only every three weeks or so...
