Our yard is so uneven and hilly that a reel mower wouldn't work on it. We were looking for a small electric mower we could use to trim along the fences and get in the corners where the power mower can't go. What with the hills, it'll still be good exercise. :) We used to do all that trimming with the weed whacker, but it's murder on middle-aged hands and elbows. My arm hurts for a week after using the thing.