Electric Lawnmowers are nothing new and we've discussed the topic a few times here and there. First generation models were either corded or plagued by poor battery life and power. Early adopters (like myself) had to deal with those shortcomings in their efforts to save the world, but with the recent wave of lawnmowers we may no longer have to compromise.
I had a Neuton mower like this one for a few years, and I liked it, but it had some limitations. The removable batteries didn't last long, so I bought two to tackle my lawn in one outing. A couple times the batteries even malfunctioned during the winter storage months, so I started practicing techniques to properly take care of them. One thing that I couldn't fix however, was the high-pitched whirring scream the mower would make — like a lobster going into boiling water — if I forgot to mow the lawn for a week and faced it against taller grass. Which by the way, reminds me of another weakness of that mower, it's highest mowing setting a too-short for Texas heat 2.5". It was Struggle-town.
Realizing my thick hearty St. Augustine grass wasn't going all manifest destiny because of that cut-length I sold it on Craigslist and purchased a new Worx electric mower. I should have done it sooner, as the 36V battery has more power and a much longer battery life. Now I can even forget to charge the battery for a couple weeks and it's still got the juice to tackle my large lawn. This mower also isn't scalping my lawn with its high mowing height of 3.5".
I really feel like there are finally some solid alternatives to gas mowers on the market — without any of the weaknesses of first-generation electrics. If you think you're ready to make the switch from stinky gas, then check out these other 36V mowers with similar batteries and judging from the reviews similar capabilities.
• Black & Decker 36V mower
• Ryobi 36V Mower
• Earthwise 36V Mower
The recent upgrade has even got me thinking that perhaps it's time to make some switches on a few other electrical lawn tools (Here's looking at you Neuton string trimmer).
Have you gone electric with your lawn tools yet?
Which tools get you through the task quickly and efficiently?
(Images: Chris Perez)
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We just got an 18v Ryobi hedge trimmer. Works great, fast battery charge and it lasted for a whole detailed trimming of our very bushy yard. Makes art where loppers fail.
I've used a Black and Decker 24V cordless electric ever since 2000. Black and Decker even upgraded it from the model CM1000 to the CM1200 at no cost. It's currently in its twelfth season of use with nary a problem (except having to replace one of the front wheels due to wear and tear. I can easily get through cutting my 1/3 acre lot on one charge as long as I don't let the grass get too long. I'm considering upgrading the the 36V self-propelled model after this year.
we ended up getting the neuton a few years ago plus -- as you mentioned an extra battery (an odd shipping bit left us with three batteries, actually) -- as well as the edger attachment. we like it and it works well for our bedroom-sized lawn, but we're much happier folks paying someone a very small amount to cut it. in fact, amortized out, i paid for nearly two years work of mowing with the purchase. now it's for sale... any takers?
I've got that Black and Decker 36V. I bought it when I moved to my new place where I was in charge of my own lawn maintenance. The first time I mowed the lawn the grass was at least a foot tall. (My lease began at the beginning of the month but I couldn't move in until the third week of the month.) The mower wasn't terribly happy about mowing that much, but it did as well as a gas mower would do, and the charge didn't run out. Now that I'm just doing maintenance mowing each week, the mower is a delight. I love love love that I can turn it on with a push of a button. It's also lighter than a gas mower, so I don't have to fight to push it or maneuver it. I also really love that I don't have to smell gas (or deal with transporting it) in order to mow my lawn. All in all, I'd definitely recommend the mower.
We have a Worx, and love it. We have a small lawn (.15 acres) and have no problems with mowing it on a single charge.
Before that, we had one of the Earthwise cordless mowers, and two years in a row, despite doing everything they say, I had the battery die on me over the winter. Not a problem with the Worx.
We had thought about getting a Neuton a couple of years ago when purchasing our first mower, but we opted for an old-school reel mower instead. It's actually not hard to push, even when the grass gets longish, and I love being able to pull it out anytime I need it. Needless to say, it's also very quiet, and the kids can actually come out and play while I mow.
The downside is that it absolutely can't cut up close to fences or in corners or anything, so I have to bust out our electric weedwhacker to tidy things up once in awhile. But overall we're in love with the no maintenance reel mower for our medium-sized yard.
If you want to go green why not just avoid the electric hassle alltogether and get a reel mower. Pun intended.
Agree about just getting a reel mower. I found one in the trash that needed a $3 replacement pin, but even brand new ones are only about $100. I have been re-thinking any purchases of battery operated tools when the flexibility of going cordless is trumped by the fact that the tool - which corded would last a lifetime - only lasts a few years. Given that quotient, gas powered tools are a better option too. It's not like electricity is a clean power source, at least yet, and it's basically guaranteed the battery will die. And then they get you by pricing replacement batteries almost as expensively as a new tool. Hopefully someday we'll advance to clean, renewable electricity, but we're not there yet.
These are great. Another option that may or may not be cheaper. Pick up a diesel lawn mower, used or new, and run it on biodiesel. It will not likely require any alteration to use B20 Biodiesel.
I have always had a reel mower and my lawn looks great. I don't spew fumes or make disagreeable noises with it, plus my legs and arms get a workout and I burn calories. It's a win/win. I can't imagine why there aren't more of these in use.
Sorry, but reel mowers just don't cut it for my lawn (pun intended). It works great in the areas where it's just clover or real grass. But weeds and crabgrass laugh at the reel mower. I would spend time and physical effort to push that thing around my lawn and it would look like crap when I was done, with big stalks of crabgrass sticking up. Very disappointed. If you take the time to hit your lawn with all sorts of herbicides to get rid of weeds, the reel mower will probably work for you. But on a more au natural type of lawn, forget it.
Link for the Worx isn't working.
I agree with #Macbride. I use a reel mower but have been looking to replace it with an electric model. Reel mowers balk at weeds, especially crabgrass, wet grass, and anything longer than 3-4 inches. I inevitably end up re-mowing the lawn with an electric string trimmer, so the net savings on electricity and noise pollution is zero. I've never had a complaint about corded models, so I'll probably go that route.
Ditto MacBride here, too. We had an electric mower with a cord, but the cord was a huge PITA to maneuver around all the obstacles in the yard and I hated mowing just because of that stupid cord. So, when it finally died, we got a reel mower. It was in perfect working order, but it was a joke--our yard has more than its share of weeds, I guess. It looked respectable with our old mower cut, but terrible after the reel mower cut. So, we priced the available battery-powered electric models at the time, found ourselves priced out, and got a small gas mower. It's great. It takes about 10 minutes to mow the lawn instead of the 30+ it took with the corded mower, and it looks nice. I don't know how the environmental equation works out, but I figure it has to be fairly similar to the marathon sessions with our old cord mower.