Stuff We Love: A Lightweight Electric Lawn Mower
We recently moved from a house with a tiny yard to one with a much larger yard. At our old house we used a push reel lawn mower (which was awesome because it cut the grass well, I got good exercise using it, and it required no gas or electricity to run). With our new house and a much larger yard, not to mention a giant hill, we knew there was no way we could continue to use the push lawn mower. So we bought an electric lawn mower.
Why I Chose an Electric Lawn Mower
Knowing we would need a new lawn mower for our new house, we started looking at options. The smell of gasoline fumes makes my spouse sick, and as I did not want to be the sole person in charge of our lawn, we started looking at corded-electric and rechargeable-battery lawn mowers. After a bit of research we decided that we didn't want to worry about the battery wearing out and not holding a charge in a few years, so we opted for corded electric. After spending hours and hours reading reviews we decided on the GreenWorks 3 in 1 Electric Lawn Mower.
What's Great About It
The best thing about the GreenWorks Electric Lawn Mower is that it's not a gas mower. There is no gas to remember to buy and then stink up your yard on a nice night. But beyond that, this electric lawn mower has a number of great features. It's easy to assemble right out of the box (it pretty much just unfolds). Here's what else I like about it.
- It's light and easy to maneuver (even up a hill).
- It cuts grass to a very low setting (1.5 inches) to a quite high setting (3.75 inches).
- It has a 20 inch cutting width.
- It comes with a 4 year warranty.
- There are three settings for the discharge: mulch, clippings (bagged), clippings (unbagged).
What It Compares To
There are a large number of corded electric lawn mowers on the market. Black and Decker offers several as does Earthwise. However, after reading the reviews and considering our options, we decided that we wanted a 20 inch cutting path (most others range from 16-19 inches). Our previous reel mower was only 16 inches wide and those extra inches add up quickly. Also, we wanted a mower that had an option for bagging if we wanted it. (Right now we just use the side mulch.) And ultimately, at the price point ($175) for the only electric lawn mower with as many good reviews as the GreenWorks has, we decided we couldn't go wrong.
Who It Is Best For
The GreenWorks electric lawn mower is best for someone who is looking for a corded electric lawn mower who has any size yard (except a huge yard, see below). It has zero gas emissions and is lightweight and easy to use.
How It Could Be Better
The one thing that I don't like about the electric lawn mower is the cord. Due to the size of our yard we bought a 100 foot extension cord. It is always tangled when I go to mow the lawn (no matter how good of a job I did putting it away the previous time), and I have a hard time mowing the lawn in just the right pattern to avoid the cord. But, I would have these problems with any electric lawn mower; they are not unique to GreenWork's design.
What They Don't Tell You in the Manual
There are two things to know about buying a corded electric lawn mower for a larger backyard with a hill.
First, regardless of the size of your yard, you want to start mowing from the point closest to the electric outlet. As long as you are always mowing away from the outlet you won't run the cord over. My spouse can do this perfectly. I, on the other hand, constantly seem to have the pattern in such a way that I have to move the cord.
Second, if you have a hill, you should mow across the hill and not up and down. You don't need a self-propelled electric lawn mower (this mower is not, like most), even for a hill, because the machine is light enough that it's very easy to push. But, if you're using it on a hill you will definitely want to cut across the hill and not mow up and down it.
Bottom Line Recommendation
If you're in the market for an electric lawn mower, the GreenWorks mower is the best mower you can get (at a great price).
Where to Get Yours
- You can buy the GreenWorks electric lawn mower on Amazon for about $176.
- You can also buy it on Mowers Direct for $199 and on Sears.com for $169 (plus tax, depending on your state.).
Do you have an electric lawn mower? How do you like it?
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I have the cordless GreenWorks electric mower. My house has a tiny lot, but there are lots of obstacles (trees, raised garden beds) and hills. I also used to have a push reel mower, but I sold that after a few weeks...way too many gumballs and trees to mow around. My only regret was not paying $100 more for the self-propelled electric mower. It is a struggle pushing that thing around my hilly yard.