That’s some aggressive verticutting! I bought a Catalyst the week it came out, had a few growing pains learning the mower (coming from a McLane) but am in love now. It’s a beast, and have a verticut cartridge coming for next season. Great video, glad you were able to put this out
I have a McLane and use it on my Zorro Zoysia that I cut at 1.25 inches. The zoysia is very thick and the McLane tends to "float" on it. The zoysia needs to be verticut and thinned even after I severely scalped it this spring. I am considering the Catalyst for the cartridge feature and its heavier weight. How high will it cut?
Nice video! I have the 20" Catalyst and the verticutter cartridge. I've been very happy with my purchase. I'm 5'8" so I definitely needed to adjust the handlebars because I too found it uncomfortable at the higher setting.
Appreciate you stopping by ! It’s definitely a good thing they can be adjusted. I think as of right now it’s the most affordable option compared to the others. 👍
Interesting video! There isn't much content on the Catalyst yet, so thanks for posting this! I think it is the same (except for the paint, labeling, and the basic reel is 7 blade vs 6 blade) as the Cobra Fortis that is sold out of England. I believe both the Cobra Fortis and the California Trimmer Catalyst are manufactured by Greenman Manufacturing in China although they may say "Assembled in USA" or "Assembled in Great Britain" like the Rolux sold here claims. Cobra sells an Ego battery powered version and I wonder if California Trimmer will be offering a similar mower soon?
I believe when the Catalyst was first announced they did mention a battery version will also be coming out. I don’t quite remember but I think it would gain some traction in the states if they do. Appreciate you watching! 👍
Thanks for Sharing..I had the California Trimmer Catalyst 25in on my mind to buy. With the change out cartridge 👍🏾.you sold me with the great content coming soon ✌🏾😁💯
I've been torn about what mower i should go with. I currently have a 20" California trimmer homeowner model with a 5 blade reel. I was thing about picking up a greens mower like the Toro or John Deere on the used market. But now California Trimmer is releasing this Catalyst but I have not seen many reviews or videos yet on adjusting the reel to bedknife and backlapping. I like there is a 10 blade reel and verticutter cartridges as well as a rake to raise some blades up before cutting. I'll pull the trigger next spring and hope there are some more reviews and feedback like this one before I decide.
@@barakharlan The cut quality on a greens mower will always be superior to any residential reel mower. It comes down to convenience, because there are aspects in those residential reel mowers that make things easier to use than a greens mower. I wouldn't buy a Catalyst to replace my Toro but I would buy a Catalyst for verticutting and turf raking.
The Catalyst has been working out pretty well for me so far. I'll be changing out the cartridge to verticut soon for the fall season. Do you recommend doing this while the weather is still very hot, or wait till temps dip for the fall?
Definitely should be used during the active growing season so that the lawn can have time to recover. In our case with Bermuda grass, the lawn gets too thick during summer time and verticutting will help alleviate that.
@reelgardener does the reel to bedknife adjustment stay locked in after cutting grass. How often do you check to see If it's cutting paper and how ofter are you having to adjust the reel to bedknife setting. Also is the walk behind speed hard to manage from a stopped position? Seems to take off quickly
@@taylorlan3754 I usually do a quick check to see if its cutting paper well before each mow. I'm reeling into mowing, so I'd prefer to do a "quick check" just to make sure everything is all good. Its been cutting so, haven't made any adjustments yet. The speed usually takes off on me, lol, so I'm still acclimating to the pace.
@ReelGardener thanks for the reply! I was convinced I would get this one but then saw in a video you have to take out the cartridge to adjust the bed knife to reel. That seems too time consuming. Is that true?
It does have a dethatcher as one of the cartridge options. I haven't really looked into dethatching as I understand it works well for longer cool season grasses but if you're cutting below an inch verticutter should suffice.
Yard looks great please don’t Verticut yet,,, just deal with the thickness because you just leveled your yard with the Best Topsoil and sand. You’re having great results from all that hard work!!
California Love needs to be in the background
That's a great idea only wish UA-cam allowed it !
That’s some aggressive verticutting! I bought a Catalyst the week it came out, had a few growing pains learning the mower (coming from a McLane) but am in love now. It’s a beast, and have a verticut cartridge coming for next season. Great video, glad you were able to put this out
@asubeaufoster definitely an upgrade from the McLane. Enjoy the verticutter ! It’s a must when we reel mow often. Appreciate you watching 👍
I have a McLane and use it on my Zorro Zoysia that I cut at 1.25 inches. The zoysia is very thick and the McLane tends to "float" on it. The zoysia needs to be verticut and thinned even after I severely scalped it this spring. I am considering the Catalyst for the cartridge feature and its heavier weight. How high will it cut?
@@geomark8851according to the caltrimmer.com the 7-blade can cut as high as 1.25”(30mm). While the 10-blade cuts as high as .500” (13mm)
@@MyLawnStory Thanks!
I have a Mclane now and thinking of making the switch. What were some of the growing pains you experienced?
Nice video! I have the 20" Catalyst and the verticutter cartridge. I've been very happy with my purchase. I'm 5'8" so I definitely needed to adjust the handlebars because I too found it uncomfortable at the higher setting.
Appreciate you stopping by ! It’s definitely a good thing they can be adjusted. I think as of right now it’s the most affordable option compared to the others. 👍
Content please! I have seen your shorts but would appreciate a more in depth review of the CT Catalyst
@@geomark8851 from me?
Interesting video! There isn't much content on the Catalyst yet, so thanks for posting this!
I think it is the same (except for the paint, labeling, and the basic reel is 7 blade vs 6 blade) as the Cobra Fortis that is sold out of England. I believe both the Cobra Fortis and the California Trimmer Catalyst are manufactured by Greenman Manufacturing in China although they may say "Assembled in USA" or "Assembled in Great Britain" like the Rolux sold here claims. Cobra sells an Ego battery powered version and I wonder if California Trimmer will be offering a similar mower soon?
I believe when the Catalyst was first announced they did mention a battery version will also be coming out. I don’t quite remember but I think it would gain some traction in the states if they do. Appreciate you watching! 👍
Thanks for Sharing..I had the California Trimmer Catalyst 25in on my mind to buy. With the change out cartridge 👍🏾.you sold me with the great content coming soon ✌🏾😁💯
Awesome man ! Glad the content helped with your decision 👊
@@MyLawnStory Thanks bro ✌🏾
Would be nice to see the EGO powered version of this in the US like Fortis offers over in the UK.
I believe battery version will come to the States from the news I recall hearing during the announcement of the Catalyst.
I've been torn about what mower i should go with. I currently have a 20" California trimmer homeowner model with a 5 blade reel. I was thing about picking up a greens mower like the Toro or John Deere on the used market. But now California Trimmer is releasing this Catalyst but I have not seen many reviews or videos yet on adjusting the reel to bedknife and backlapping. I like there is a 10 blade reel and verticutter cartridges as well as a rake to raise some blades up before cutting. I'll pull the trigger next spring and hope there are some more reviews and feedback like this one before I decide.
Definitely not a bad upgrade from the Classic Cali Trimmer !
@MyLawnStory Would you recommend going with a used Toro or a new Catalyst?
@@barakharlan The cut quality on a greens mower will always be superior to any residential reel mower. It comes down to convenience, because there are aspects in those residential reel mowers that make things easier to use than a greens mower. I wouldn't buy a Catalyst to replace my Toro but I would buy a Catalyst for verticutting and turf raking.
The Catalyst has been working out pretty well for me so far. I'll be changing out the cartridge to verticut soon for the fall season. Do you recommend doing this while the weather is still very hot, or wait till temps dip for the fall?
Definitely should be used during the active growing season so that the lawn can have time to recover. In our case with Bermuda grass, the lawn gets too thick during summer time and verticutting will help alleviate that.
@reelgardener does the reel to bedknife adjustment stay locked in after cutting grass. How often do you check to see If it's cutting paper and how ofter are you having to adjust the reel to bedknife setting.
Also is the walk behind speed hard to manage from a stopped position? Seems to take off quickly
@@taylorlan3754 I usually do a quick check to see if its cutting paper well before each mow. I'm reeling into mowing, so I'd prefer to do a "quick check" just to make sure everything is all good. Its been cutting so, haven't made any adjustments yet. The speed usually takes off on me, lol, so I'm still acclimating to the pace.
@ReelGardener thanks for the reply! I was convinced I would get this one but then saw in a video you have to take out the cartridge to adjust the bed knife to reel. That seems too time consuming. Is that true?
Does CA have a dethatcher as well. And would u recommend dethatching Bermuda
It does have a dethatcher as one of the cartridge options. I haven't really looked into dethatching as I understand it works well for longer cool season grasses but if you're cutting below an inch verticutter should suffice.
Yard looks great please don’t Verticut yet,,, just deal with the thickness because you just leveled your yard with the Best Topsoil and sand. You’re having great results from all that hard work!!
I hear ya man I don’t have it in the plans this year so we’ll see next year ✌️