Electric Mowers
Electric mowers are a great alternative to the traditional walk behind, gas powered mower. They are very similar in design but much different in terms of both the environmentally friendliness as well as maintenance and use. Electric lawn mowers have the advantage that they don’t pollute exhaust into the atmosphere (plus you don’t have to smell or smell like the fumes), they are much quieter, they have a push button or key turn start (instead of pulling and pulling [and pulling] on the cord), and they are much easier to maintain (no more oil changes and last minute trips to the gas station).
When it comes to electric lawn mower manufacturers there are only a handful out there and it’s not the names you are used to. Expecting to see a field of Honda, Toro, and John Deere’s you’ll be surprised to encounter the familiar Black and Decker but also the not so familiar Earthwise, Solaris, Epic, Greenworks, etc.
Corded Electric Mowers vs. Cordless Electric Mowers
There are two types of electric lawn mowers, the Corded and the Cordless variety. Each have their plusses and minuses, but my money’s on the cordless electric mower. Here’s a quick comparison:
Corded Electric Mowers
- Pros:
- No gas, no battery therefore never run out of fuel
- Lighter than both battery mowers as well as gas powered mowers
- Fairly inexpensive: cheaper than cordless mower and gas powered mower
- Cons:
- Generally smaller cutting width than gas powered mower means more cutting
- Dragging around a cord behind you is no fun
- Limited distance by extension cord
- Need proper gauge extension cord
Cordless Electric Mowers
- Pros:
- Battery powered; not limited by cord
- No emissions, easier maintenance
- Easy start up
- Advances in battery technology make larger lawns manageable
- Battery life indicator to let you know how much charge is left
- Cons:
- Battery makes unit more expensive
- Limited by battery life; difficult for larger yards
Electric Lawn Mower Features
While the early electric mowers got a bad rap for their shortcomings, the advances in technology and improvements in design have come a long way. There are many electric lawn mowers that have the same features that people have come to expect from their traditional push mowers.
One of the early stigmas of the electric mower was that it used a cord and therefore it was much like vacuuming your lawn; you had to keep dragging the cord behind you and you were limited by where you could reach with the cord. Even the early battery mowers had their drawbacks; the lead acid batteries were clunky and sometimes dangerous if you didn’t charge them correctly, plus they took a long time to recharge. However, today’s cordless electric mowers use lithium batteries (most, not all) which have many advantages such as longer lasting (higher watt-hours), full power until the end of the juice, and faster recharging. In fact, the rechargeable electric mowers are now easier to use than regular push mowers, you just may want to pick up a spare battery if you have a larger lawn.
Then there are the other mower features that we can’t live without. Things such as mulching, bagging, self propelled, etc. Not all electric mowers have them and they do take special engineering (because these functions are hard on the battery), there are self propelled electric lawn mowers, electric mulching mowers, and quick replaceable battery mowers (easier than filling up with gas).
Best Electric Mowers
If you’re looking to buy electric lawn mowers, you obviously want to get the best. This is difficult to say because there are many different options that will suit different situations much better. The best cordless electric mowers do have certain things in common, such as a battery life indicator, lithium battery, removable battery for indoor charging, easy height adjustments, bagging and mulching options, etc. You may want to check out our electric mower review (coming soon) to see which mowers we would recommend.
If you have any questions about electric mowers we encourage you to send them to us using the contact page. And if you have any experiences you would like to share, we would love to hear about them, just leave a comment below.
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