Congratulations on your decision to purchase an electric lawn mower! They have tons of great features, and with the prices of gas today, having an alternative source of energy for your lawn mower is a great way to save money. Plus, electric lawn mowers are much quieter than traditional gas-powered lawn mowers.
If you’re not sure how to choose the right one, this post is for you! Here are the top seven things to consider when buying an electric lawn mower:
#1 Width
The cutting width of a lawn mower is super important! Traditional lawn mowers are 21 inches wide. That means they can cut 21 inches of grass across each strip of the lawn. Depending on the size of your yard, you may also want a smaller width, like 17-inch, 16-inch, and even 13 inches across. Depending on how much grass you want to cut and how much time you want to spend, look at the width of different mowers.
For example, with a 21-inch lawn mower, you can cut 84 inches of grass in four strips, but it would take you five strips to mow the same area of grass with a 17-inch lawn mower. A bigger lawn mower is a huge time saver because you can cut more grass in less time!
On the left is the 17-inch Greenworks Electric Lawn Mower and on the right is the 21-inch EGO Electric Lawn Mower.
#2 Battery vs Corded
There are two options to power your electric lawn mower: battery and corded.
Battery powered mowers are powered by…you guessed it: Batteries! When you’re buying a battery, check how many amps it has. I’ve seen everything from 2-8 amps in batteries for lawn mowers. That will tell you how much power the mower can store. The larger the number of amps, the longer your lawn mower will run. I’ve had really great experiences with battery powered lawn mowers!
There are also corded mowers, where you attach an electrical cord to an outlet on the side of your house and use an extension cord to connect it with the mower to mow your lawn.
#3 Volts
The number of volts in your electric lawn mower determines how much power it has.
40 volts is just enough for a lot of lawn mowing tasks, but it can be a bit of a struggle if your lawn gets too tall or if the grass is damp. It’s the minimum, and it works, but if you go with a 40-volt electric lawn mower, know that you’ll need to mow more frequently, so the grass doesn’t get too tall, and not mow when the grass is damp.
Some electric lawn mowers go all the way up to 80 volts, and that amount of power is totally comparable to a traditional gas-powered lawn mower. Overall, I’ve had pretty good luck with a 48-volt and 56-volt mowers as well.
Make sure to look at both the volts and the width when you’re buying an electric lawn mower, because if you get a 21-inch lawn mower, you’ll want it to have more volts than a mower that’s only 16 inches wide. The wider your lawn mower, the more power it will need to cut the grass. The more volts your electric lawn mower has, the more powerful it will be.
Volts are the amount of power that a lawn mower can use at one time. Amps are the amount of power stored in a battery.
A creative way to think about this is to compare it to a leaking bucket. Amps are the amount of water the bucket can hold. Volts are the size of the hole that the water leaks out of.
So, the number of amps tells how much power the electric lawn mower can hold, and the number of volts tells how much power it can use at once.
#4 Push or Self-Propelled
This one is pretty self-explanatory. You can get traditional lawn mowers in two different styles. The first is a push mower, where you need to provide the power to move the mower forward. There are also self-propelled lawn mowers that can move forward on their own at the push of a button. All you have to do is walk behind it.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding which kind of lawn mower will work best for you:
- Self-propelled lawn mowers typically cost more.
- A self-propelled battery-powered lawn mower will use up the battery more quickly than a push mower. (Side note: doesn’t it just sound cool to be able to say, “I’m going to go mow the lawn with my self-propelled battery-powered electric lawn mower!”)
- Push lawn mowers usually weigh less, which makes them easier to move and store.
- Self-propelled lawn mowers make it easier to mow.
#5 Bag & Mulch
There are three options for this category. You can either mulch the grass clippings, or bag them, or use a side discharge that shoots the grass out the side of the lawn mower. You’ll want to decide which one(s) of those work best for you before choosing your electric lawn mower.
Even though most people don’t mow their yard with a bag all year long, it’s nice to have a mower that comes with a bagging attachment. We often bag the grass clippings in the spring if the grass has gotten long, or if there are some leaves on the ground in the fall.
Another thing to consider is whether the lawn mower has mulching capability. It’s pretty common, since most people prefer to mulch when they mow their yards.
The side discharge is a less common feature that shoots grass clippings off to the right side of the lawn mower as you’re mowing the lawn.
I would recommend getting an electric mower that has options to bag and mulch. The side discharge is an extra feature on some mowers, but it’s not necessary.
#6 Foldable Storage
This is a feature worth paying for! When you’re looking at a lawn mower, see if it folds up easily for storage in your garage or shed. You often have to pay a little more for lawn mowers that fold up nicely, but easy, foldable storage is a great feature to look for when buying a new mower.
The EGO Electric Lawn Mower folds up really nicely!
#7 Headlights
A lot of people don’t mow at night, but I’ve found this to be a great extra feature on electric lawn mowers. If you start mowing your lawn in the evening, and it gets dark before you’re finished mowing, it can be nice to have headlights.
Electric lawn mowers are significantly quieter than gas-powered lawn mowers, which makes it easier to mow at night or early in the morning without bothering your neighbors.
Having headlights on your lawn mower isn’t a necessity, but it’s definitely nice to have the option, especially if you often mow later in the evening.
Those are the top seven things to consider when buying an electric lawn mower. I hope this helped you find the mower that’s the best fit for you! Thanks for reading!
If you want to relax outside after mowing your lawn, check out our post about Caring for Your Intex Above Ground Pool next!
2 responses to “Electric Lawn Mower Buyer’s Guide: The Top 7 Things to Consider”
[…] For all the details on lawn mowers, check out our post about Electric Lawn Mower Buyer’s Guide: The Top 7 Things to Consider. […]
Ryan, your post was quite interesting! One of the most significant advantages of electric mowers is that they require less maintenance. Furthermore, they are lighter than gas-powered lawnmowers, making them easier to move, unload, and store. Some variants even fold up while charging. Compared to gas versions, electric lawnmowers are safer, quieter, less expensive, and more ecologically responsible.