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The lawn mower marketplace is filled with an array of models that all promise to deliver a perfect cut for your yard. Because of this, it’s important to conduct some research to ensure that the mower you choose matches your lawn maintenance needs. To help you find the best lawn mower for your needs, we examined the top mower options on the market. Here are our top picks.
Best Lawnmowers: Our Top 4 Picks
- Best Cordless Mower: Greenworks Cordless Lawn Mower
- Best Multifunctional Yard Tool: BLACK+DECKER Corded Lawn Mower, String Trimmer, and Edger
- Best Corded Mower: Greenworks Corded Lawn Mower
- Most Adjustable: Sun Joe MJ403E Electric Lawn Mower/Mulcher
Best Cordless Mower
Greenworks Cordless Lawn Mower
- $499
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Cordless design
- 60-minute runtime
- 21-inch cutting deck
- Seven grass heights
- 74.1 pounds
- Four-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Customers who were pleased with this mower said that it was maneuverable, quiet, and powerful. Some customers did claim that its battery didn’t last as long as advertised, though. Others struggled to get in touch with someone on the customer support team.
Best Multifunctional Yard Tool
BLACK+DECKER Corded Lawn Mower, String Trimmer, and Edger
- $89
- $99.99
- 11% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Corded design
- 6.5-amp motor
- 12-inch cutting deck
- One grass height
- 9.9 pounds
- Two-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews characterized this three-in-one machine as lightweight, versatile, and easy to operate. However, customers who left negative reviews claimed that it didn’t work with extension cords.
Best Large Corded Mower
Greenworks Corded Lawn Mower
- $229.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Corded design
- 12-amp motor
- 20-inch cutting deck
- Seven grass heights
- 56 pounds
- Four-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Pleased customers thought that this mower was easy to assemble, operated at a low noise level, and had ample power. Of the displeased customers, many said that the machine was made from cheap materials.
Most Adjustable
Sun Joe MJ403E Electric Lawn Mower/Mulcher
- $158.56
- $179
- 11% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Cordless design
- 13-amp motor
- 17-inch cutting deck
- Seven grass height
- 31.5 pounds pounds
- Two-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
We found that customers who gave this product a positive review were largely pleased with how easy it was to maneuver around their yard and how easy it was to start. Several others pointed out how much they enjoyed the mulching feature for leaves and grass clippings.
Buyer’s Guide
To guide you through your purchase, we’ve outlined several factors to provide you with a baseline knowledge of a lawn mower and its functionality. Read our buying guide below to read more information on selecting the best lawn mower.
Mower Type
Lawn mowers fall into two categories—walk-behind and riding. They each have their own pros and cons, making them better suited for particular mowing tasks.
Push/Walk-Behind
Push mowers are designed for small- and medium-sized lawns that get mowed infrequently because they are compact and require pushing from the user. Depending on the model, they can be powered by gas or electricity.
Riding
Riding lawn mowers are ideal for homeowners who own multiple acres of land that require cutting on a weekly basis. While riding lawn mowers have a large cutting deck and a powerful gas engine, they’re a hefty investment. Because Amazon doesn’t offer many riding models, we focused more on walk-behind mowers for this review.
Power Source
To operate lawn mowers, you either connect them to a wall outlet, use a rechargeable battery, or fill their tank with gas.
Gas
Gas lawn mowers wield more power than their electric counterparts, which makes them suitable for larger lawns with thick patches. Almost all riding lawn mowers use gas, while some push models do. The downside to gas lawn mowers is their environmental impact, as they emit pollutants into the air.
Electric
An alternative to a gas mower is an electric mower. These mowers either operate with a power cord or a rechargeable battery. While corded models can’t run out of power, you need an extension cord to reach your entire lawn, and you have to take care to keep the cord away from the blades. On the other hand, cordless mowers are more portable, but they have a limited runtime. In comparison to gas lawn mowers, electric mowers are cheaper, quieter, more environmentally friendly, less powerful, and more user-friendly.
Cutting Width
Cutting width refers to how large of an area a lawn mower can cut in one pass. Riding lawn mowers can cut upwards of 50 inches at a time, while push mowers have much less reach, usually around 15-25 inches.
Clippings Collection
Prior to purchasing a mower, decide if you want to bag your grass clippings. Some mowers come with a bagging system that hangs under the mower’s steering handle, which is a must-have feature if you mow frequently. However, you can also choose not to bag your clippings, as these pieces can act as fertilizer.
Start
Electric lawn mowers boast a push-to-start button. This is far more convenient than the pull cord on a gas mower, which requires several strenuous yanks.
How To Make a Lawn Mower Last
The lifespan of your lawn mower largely depends on if and how you conduct maintenance. Though the manufacturer of your model should provide detailed care instructions, here are some basic tips you can follow.
Change the oil
Change the oil in your lawn mower at the beginning of every cutting season. This is usually around spring or summer.
Change the filter
Replace your mower’s filter one or two times per year.
Inspect the blades
Always ensure that your mower is off and cool before examining its blades. Look for dings, dents, and any other damage that may signal it’s time for replacements. If the blades are just dull, you can sharpen them.
In the video below, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and host Kevin O’Connor review tips on how to maintain your lawn mower throughout the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a lawn mower last?
The average lifespan for a lawn mower is between eight and 10 years with proper maintenance. In general, electric lawn mowers tend to last longer and require less maintenance than gas ones.
How long does an electric lawn mower’s battery last?
On a single charge, the battery should last between one and two hours. This is long enough to cut a small yard. However, after four or five years, the battery won’t hold a charge anymore.
Which is better: an electric or gas lawn mower?
Neither is better, as they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Think about your yard size, grass thickness, maintenance willingness, noise sensitivity, budget, and other factors to determine which type is best for your needs.
Why Trust The This Old House Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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