Spring has arrived and that means for many people around the U.S. that lawn mowing season is right around the corner. This means we’re pulling our mowers out of the garage or shed and firing them up for 2021. And, for many of us, it means time to buy a new mower if it’s just time to upgrade or the older mower is on its last legs.
Mower technology has come a long way in the last few years and there are more options to consider than ever before. Here is a quick primer to help you make the best decision on your new mower. First off, let’s look at some different types of mowers.
Push Mowers
These are the most common types of lawn mowers and similar to what your parents used in their yard. But, there are quite a few variations to consider.
Gas or Electric
The first big decision you need to make is whether you want a traditional gas-powered mower or an electric version. Gas mowers have a much longer history and in general, have a bit more power than many of their electric counterparts. However, electric mowers have evolved significantly in recent years. Gone are the days when every electric mower had a long extension cord you needed to run back to an outlet (although these still exist). Today, following in the line of many power tools, battery technology has advanced to the point where a fairly compact rechargeable battery can deliver more than enough electricity to power a self-propelled mower. Corded electric mowers always dealt with the challenge of dragging a long power cord around the yard. While this might be fine for a smaller lawn, it is more problematic for a larger yard.
From a pure convenience standpoint, each has pros and cons.
Gas-Powered – No cord and plenty of power, but you have to deal with storing gasoline and filling the tank.
Corded Electric-Powered – No need to gas up or change batteries, but you will have a long extension cord to drag around the yard.
Cordless Electric-Powered – No gas and no electric cord hassle. However, batteries can be expensive and some models have noticeably less power than their gas-powered counterparts.
What About Price?
Gas mowers tend to be a bit less expensive since a large portion of the expense for an electric mower is the battery itself. However, you can still spend from $170 – $800 a gas-powered push mower. Corded electric mowers tend to be quite a bit cheaper, ranging from $75-300. Cordless mowers are more expensive on average, starting from over $300 and running to $700.
Riding Mowers
If you have a larger yard, then it might be time to consider a riding mower option. If you’re dealing with an acre or more of lawn, then this is probably going to meet your needs better than any push mower. Most riding mowers are gas-powered, but more electric options are becoming available.
Riding mowers are going to set you back quite a bit more from a price perspective, with models easily running from $1,500 – $4,000 or more. Electric models have a lower floor price at around $2,600 and also run up toward $4,000 for a top-tier model.
If you watch professional landscapers, you’ll often see them using high-end riding models, with a zero-turn radius. These are really the top of the line, making it a breeze to cut around trees and other landscaping obstacles.
Robot Mowers
Last up, we wanted to mention the still fairly new, but becoming more common robotic mower. These still require the user to set things up a bit, but these battery-operated mowers can be programmed to handle relatively simple yards (fairly flat, without too many obstacles) with ease. They aren’t cheap, coming in from $1,200 – $2,500, but we can certainly expect to see more of these mowers in the years ahead.
