Brill Luxus 38 reel lawnmower information

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Brill Luxus 38 reel mower summary

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The Brill Luxus 38 is a German made reel mower that weighs about 17 pounds. It has five blades, and it has a cutting range of 15 mm up to 45 mm. In inches, that's about .7" to 1.9". It mows a 38 cm wide path, which is about 15 1/2 inches. The Brill has a silent cut design, which means that the blades to not make contact with the cutter bar when the blades spin. This reduces friction, which makes the mower a bit easier to push, and also makes the blades go significantly longer before they need any kind of sharpening.

Assembling a Brill reel mower

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(The Brill Luxus 38 is pretty much exactly the same as the pictured Luxus 33. It is just a slightly smaller but otherwise identical mower.) Assembling the Brill is incredibly simple. There are no tools required, and it takes about five minutes max. The reel mower body is already completely assembled. You just have to attach the handle. As you can see from the photo at the top of the page, the handle comes in three pieces. The bottom part pops onto two metal attachments on the mower body. The upper two parts of the handle attach to each other, using wing nuts.


Box that the mower comes in.


What it looks like when you open the box.


All the pieces. No tools required for assembly!


Where the handle attaches to the mower body.

Changing the cutting height for the Brill reel mower

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This is also incredibly easy. To adjust the Brill reel lawnmower cutting height, you'll find an orange knob on each side of the mower body. You'll also find a measuring unit on each side that measures from 15 mm to 45 mm. Simply loosen the orange knob on each side, move the height where you want it so that it matches on both sides, and tighten the orange knobs back down.

Adjusting the blades on the Brill Luxus 38 mower

So wait a second! What's the difference between adjusting the blades and changing the cutting height? The cutting height adjustment changes how high the grass is cut. The blade adjustment adjusts how the reel turns inside the mower, keeping the blades cutting properly when the reel turns. The Brill reel mower comes with the blades pre-adjusted, so you won't need to mess with it initially.

The Brill owner's manual also comes with a little strip of metal and a really complicated explanation of how to adjust the blades. That method works, but it's a complicated German way. I'm going to tell you the easy American way to do the same thing!

After using the Brill for a couple of years, you might notice that it doesn't seem to cut as well as it used to. You'll then look down at the blades and see that the blades have a flat edge that isn't sharp at all and you'll think, "Gosh, the blades must need sharpening." But you are wrong, wrong, wrong! When the mower is brand new, the blades have that very same flat edge. They are not supposed to be sharp like a knife. Look at your new mower when you get it and notice this! I even included a picture.

So how do you fix it then, if it doesn't need sharpening? Simple! You adjust the reel. Flip the mower upside down, and you'll see that there are two silver spring loaded bolts that hold the cutter bar in place on the bottom of the mower. Now, go find an adjustable wrench. Next, you'll want to just barely tighten the bolts on each side. Keep tightening until when you spin the reel, the blades knock against the cutter bar. At this point, just barely, barely loosen the bolts until there is no more knocking.

Your mower is now perfectly adjusted again, and you're ready to mow for several more seasons! Wasn't that easy? I told you it didn't need sharpening!

Cool features of the Brill Luxus 38

Brill reel lawn mowers have several cool feature that set them apart from most other reel mower models. They have a powder coat paint job. You can read about the advantages of powder coating versus plain old paint here.

Brill reel mowers have sealed bearings. That means you don't have to mess with constantly oiling them, etc.

Brill reel mowers have flame hardened, welded steel blades. This flamed hardened steel, combined with the non-contact silent cut design, means that you pretty much never have to sharpen the blades. You just have to adjust them now and then.

Where to buy the Brill Luxus 38 reel lawn mower

Buy reel mowers here.

Other information about using push reel lawnmowers

Don't forget to read the general guide to using a manual reel mower on the front page of the site.




All of the information from this page is Copyright 2004. I spent a lot of time and effort writing this, using the knowledge I have gained from years of experience with reel mowers. You are welcome to link directly to this page or to other pages on the site, but do not steal my work. I search all the time, so I will find it if you do.