We had a pusher reel mower when I was a kid, but it has no associations with happy times.
Even then, it was an antique, with cast iron frame and cast iron wheels. When I was first asked to apply it's use to our lawn, the T-Handle came about level with my nose, so I sort of had to "hang underneath" and drag it above my head to "lean into it" enough to make it move. My estimate then might have been that it weighed "about half a ton," but I'm sure now that it probably wasn't more than about 40 pounds.
When it moved, the wheels turned only intermittently - mostly just skidding over the top of the grass. If even slightly out of adjustment the wheels wouldn't turn at all.
I did get to be quite expert at adjusting and sharpening to get "minimum achievable effort," but it was the difference only between "possible intermittent function" and no function at all.
A couple of years into my early lawn maintenance duties I had the opportunity to try out a neighbor's slightly more modern pusher, and was impressed that it actually worked.
Of course later that evening I asked:
Dad, do you suppose we might get one of those newer mowers like the one the G...s have.
The answer, of course was:
Shut up and help me push.
***
Having reached the degenerate age where walking across the lawn to get the morning paper requires a rest before walking back (it's usually about 60 - 80 feet out to where it lands) a "manual mower" is not a viable option.
My daughter borrowed my gasoline powered "pusher" mower "for the weekend" about five years ago, and it hasn't come back yet, so I got a small electric mower for the "finishing" after I use the riding mower for the large areas. It's about a third of the weight of my former gasoline mower, and does a "credible" job, but is somewhat underpowered when I cut through the denser "falls" of tree branches that accumulate around the edges where "trimming" is needed.
I try not to feed the electric lawnmower anything over about 3/8 inch diameter, and kick the stuff up to about an inch and a quarter out where the "rider" will "get it next time." Anything too large for the riding mower to eat easily is "habitat" for the critters until it decays enough to break up by hand - unless it's so big that it's hard to mow around it, in which case the tiny (14") chain saw eventually gets to play.
I've noticed that where there is decayed wood fairly large "logs" break down surprisingly quickly - sort of like with a healthy compost heap. You have to get it started; but then it takes care of itself mostly.