First I have to say that this is my first reel mower, so I have nothing to compare to, and my motivation for this purchase was not to be green, although it's nice to know I'm being green when using it. I bought this because the Tiffgreen sod supplier recommended cutting with a reel mower between 1/4" and 1-1/4" high.  Tiffgreen is a Bermuda hybrid creeping grass; so given the low cut setting and the fact this mower is specifically designed to cut Bermuda creeping grass and was the only one I could find in this price range, it was a no brainer.