• Push mowers have both advantages and disadvantages.Woman trying to mow yard with manual mower image by bawinner from Fotolia.com
  
  There are several advantages to using a push mower, also called a walk-behind mower. They are a good choice for people who have small yards to mow, and prefer a lawn mower that is noiseless and doesn't use gasoline. Push mowers provide you with exercise and an opportunity to enjoy being outdoors. According to the Lawnmower Facts website, push mowers have blades that can last for years without needing to be replaced or sharpened. But there are a few problems with a push mower.
  
  

Effort

• Push mowers require more effort to run. For some people who are pursuing fitness, this is an advantage, not a disadvantage. If your yard has a lot of hills, the effort required to use a push mower may be a disadvantage. If you are using a push reel mower, you can't mow over twigs like you can with a standard mower, so you have to rake up twigs before using it. If you have any health problems, such as a heart condition, you should be aware that using a push mower is similar to a light aerobic workout and may be too difficult for someone who is in poor physical health. For those without health problems, using a push mower provides some exercise.
  
  

Efficiency

• Push mowers have to be used regularly, at least weekly. You have to be committed to mowing your lawn as soon as it needs it. When grass gets too tall, push mowers have difficulty cutting it, and it will require additional effort and energy on your part. Push mowers have difficulty with tall weeds, such as dandelions. If you have more weeds than grass, a push mower may not do a good job on your lawn. Another push mower problem is that you may have difficulty cutting up to the edges of flowerbeds and fences. It may require a little more time to mow your lawn using a push mower, because you have to push the mower forward and back a few more times around corners. You may need to use an electric weed-eater to trim the edges and fence line.
  
  

Effectiveness

• For people who are meticulous about the way the lawn looks, the lawn may not look as perfectly manicured using a push mower as using a rotary power mower. Reel mowers leave cut grass on the lawn, which is healthy for the lawn. If the look of cut grass on the lawn bothers you, there are basket attachments available, but these baskets only capture about half the cut grass.