So, I got myself one of those scythes. Honestly, I was just sick of the noise from the damn string trimmer, and it felt like I spent more time fixing the line than cutting anything. Saw some videos, looked kinda peaceful, you know? Thought I’d try going old school.
Got one of those European ones, an Austrian blade they call it. Looked simple enough. Well, let me tell you, the first time I took it out, it was anything but simple. Felt awkward as hell holding it. I was swinging it like I was trying to kill snakes, hacking away. Mostly just dug the tip into the ground or bounced it off the thicker weeds. My back was aching after ten minutes. Thought maybe I’d made a mistake.
Getting the hang of it
Went back, watched more folks using it properly. Realized my whole approach was wrong. You don’t ‘swing’ it hard; you sort of glide it? It’s all in the body movement, a smooth twist from the waist, keeping the blade parallel to the ground. Feet planted, move forward a little step after each sweep. It’s more like dancing, real slow dancing, than fighting weeds.
And the blade. Keeping it sharp is the real secret. This isn’t like sharpening a knife once in a while. You’ve got this thing called ‘peening’, where you actually hammer the edge thin before sharpening it. Did that once when I got it, took ages, lots of careful tapping with a hammer on a little anvil thing. Then, while you’re actually cutting, you gotta stop every five, ten minutes and use this whetstone, a honing stone, to touch up the edge. Swipe, swipe, swipe. Gotta keep it razor sharp, otherwise, you’re just pushing the grass over, not cutting it.
- Stand right, feet comfy apart.
- Keep the blade low to the ground.
- Swing smooth, using your body, not just arms.
- Slice, don’t chop.
- Hone that edge often!
How it works for me now
Now that I’ve got the rhythm down, it’s actually pretty good. Way quieter, obviously. Just this nice shhhk sound as it slices through the grass. It handles tall, thick stuff much better than the trimmer ever did, stuff that would just tangle up the machine. Perfect for clearing patches of overgrown weeds or cutting along uneven ground where the mower won’t go.
Is it faster? Probably not for a big flat lawn. The mower wins there, no contest. And yeah, the sharpening takes time. You gotta be patient. But for certain jobs, it feels better. More deliberate. You feel connected to what you’re doing, cleaning up the land bit by bit. Plus, no fumes, no tangled cords, no dead batteries or empty gas cans.
So, yeah. That’s been my journey with the scythe. Took some effort, wasn’t plug-and-play like they sell you stuff these days. But stick with it, learn the moves, respect the blade, and it’s a solid tool. Happy I gave it a try.
