Lawnmower advice required: Gas or Cordless?

[Isaiah]

To all the mow-pros out there: I've read up on a few sites and know that the typical rechargeable battery on the cordless mowers last 45-60 min. My yard is larger than average but by no means supersize. My understanding is also that the electric/cordless mowers are lower maintenance. Is there an advantage to the gas-powered machines other than raw power? I won't be tracking the sucker so this shouldn't be a concern.

Also, what's the opinion on the good ol' reel mowers? Cheap, enviro-friendly, but do you just leave the clippings on the lawn or do you go around and rake it all up after? I have a dog that spends quite a bit of time outside so that could get messy. Thoughts?

My basic criteria in order of importance is:

1. Convenience (low maintenance)
2. Ease of use
3. Reliability
4. Self propelled
5. Cost (initial purchase/use/maintenance)


P.S. if anyone has a used mower out there at a decent price, come at me bro.

[kenny]

Get a push reel motor. Meets all of your criteria except for #4. Bag the clippings if your grass is really long, otherwise leave it on the lawn. Some reel mowers have the grass catching attachment so you don't need to rake it all up after.

[Isaiah]

Originally posted by kenny
Get a push reel motor. Meets all of your criteria except for #4. Bag the clippings if your grass is really long, otherwise leave it on the lawn. Some reel mowers have the grass catching attachment so you don't need to rake it all up after.

If I leave the clippings on the lawn, do they just mulch back into the grass? How long does it take? I just don't want a really sloppy lawn for the rest of the summer.

[benyl]

I got an cordless electric mower instead of buying a gas one.

We have a push reel, but I always left it too late and the grass is really hard to cut when it is too long with a push reel.

The cordless bogs down once in a while, but is a hell of a lot quieter and cleaner than a gas one. No oil or gas to worry about.

Funny thing is that my trimmer is a 2-stroke gas trimmer! haha

[kenny]

Originally posted by Isaiah

If I leave the clippings on the lawn, do they just mulch back into the grass? How long does it take? I just don't want a really sloppy lawn for the rest of the summer.

Yes, if you mow often enough. I do it every 2-3 days in the summer (good exercise!) and just leave it on the lawn.

[Kloubek]

I picked up a (barely) used mulching corded mower for $50 off Kijiji, and I could not be happier.

Back in the day as a teen my family had an older Black & Decker model which really lacked power and always had difficulty with thicker grass. Plus, it was almost as noisy as a gas mower.

The newer electrics are great. Power to spare and very quiet. And yes, I have a cord to contend with, but it is really pretty minor if you just start on one side and let it "follow" you.

Regardless, I strongly suggest a mulching model. It is the shit not having to rake up or even throw out the cuttings.

[Tik-Tok]

How small is your penis? If it's less than average, buy the biggest, loudest, noisiest gas powered yard tools you can... just like my neighbor did for his giant 1000 sq.ft lawn (and threw all his inl-aws nice quiet electric ones out)

['93 SR-V]

My concern with an electric mower would be the life span and cost of replacing the battery. I have a 20 year old gas mover with a briggs & stratton engine that's maybe seen 2 oil changes in that time... still runs stong, I can't imagine getting 20 seasons out of a battery!

[Weapon_R]

Definitely buy a gas mower. No messing with batteries or replacements and not nearly as much power as a gas mower.

[lint]

Originally posted by benyl
I got an cordless electric mower instead of buying a gas one.

We have a push reel, but I always left it too late and the grass is really hard to cut when it is too long with a push reel.

The cordless bogs down once in a while, but is a hell of a lot quieter and cleaner than a gas one. No oil or gas to worry about.

Funny thing is that my trimmer is a 2-stroke gas trimmer! haha

Same here. Found a cordless electric self-propelled model on clearance at HD last year and it's quick and easy and quiet with no gas smells. When I'm done, I just pull the battery and hook it up to the charger.

We have a fair sized lawn (cul de sac) and I haven't run out of juice for a cut yet.

I have a 2 stroke snowblower in the garage.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
Definitely buy a gas mower. No messing with batteries or replacements and not nearly as much power as a gas mower.

+1. Ive got one that the previous owner left. It must be from 1970 or something. Fires right up and does an awesome job. I never bag the grass. Just cut it and let mother nature take care of the mess.

[quik96]

I have owned all three types over the last 3-4 years. In my opinion it really depends on your lawn...how thick it is, how large it is, and how many weeds.

I found the push reel mower to cut regular grass fairly well but didn't do a good job on anything stiffer such as crab grass and/or weeds. I'd go for this if you don't have a really thick lawn that's weed free and you aren't worried about having the "prettiest" lawn on the block.

I ditched that mower after one season and got a cordless black and decker (~$400 three years ago at Home Depot). I bought this used cheap at a garage sale because the batteries were shot after one year. It cost me about $120 to replace the batteries. I used this mower after I laid sod down and at first it worked really well but my lawn became very thick and healthy and the mower would die about 3/4 of the way through a lawn that was 35ftx50ft. It got extremely frustrating to have a half mowed lawn and wait another 4 hours for the mower to charge up to finish it off. If your lawn isn't carpet thick you'll probably be fine with this style, and it is stupid easy to use.

This season I bought a 178cc 21" mower from Canadian Tire and it's definitely my favorite. Doesn't burn much gas, don't need to mix oil with it, no choke or priming required. It has started every time on the first pull so far. It also does the best job cutting by far. I definitely recommend the gas mower, the newest ones don't require much maintenance and they can be had a bit cheaper than electric ones.

Hope that helps...

[Ven]

Gas. I never did the reel mower but my neighbor did and it sucked huge balls, straight to the garbage. Then we both did electric and by the 2nd season the batts had noticeable power/time loss. Last year it was almost useless and a replacement batt was $140 and had to be ordered in. Mine was Yard Works and his was Craftsman, both crap. We both bought gas units and now the job gets done. I even had a cordless trimmer and had the same problems after 2 years. Now I have a 2-stroke trimmer that is actually fun to use and has 9 million times more power and uses at most 5 bucks gas for the year. Personally I really enjoy tinkering with the motors, I like to keep 'em tuned up, check the plugs and such, always use synthetics, and doing the yearly storage maintenance of all the seasonal stuff around the home makes for a relaxing Saturday putzing around with a few beers and tunes.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[ReflexFX]

Electric motors are shit, they lose batteries after a few years, and I find it such a hassle/stupid to get a corded one.
Gas all the way.

[MrSector9]

I work on mowers every day.....

don't bother with cordless, way to much money, batteries suck and can be unrelaiable.

Electric - this is what I have, 50 foot cord does both front and back yards, no messing around, just pull the switch and it works great.. quiet

Gas - I also have one of these for when the lawn gets longer or if I want a good mulch. there is more maintenance, dicking around with gas, oil changes...

It is compeltely up to you and your choice but def. stay away from cordless.

[sneek]

Gas.

The cordless ones don't have the guts to last an entire afternoon of mowing. Most mowers will last you a long time as long as you take care of them.

[nobb]

The batteries never seem to last more than 5 years. Since they are sealed lead acids, you need to keep them topped up or they'll sulfate. That means you either keep them trickle charging throughout the whole winter, or you give them a quick charge every few weeks.

[calgarydub]

Originally posted by kenny
Get a push reel motor. Meets all of your criteria except for #4. Bag the clippings if your grass is really long, otherwise leave it on the lawn. Some reel mowers have the grass catching attachment so you don't need to rake it all up after.

An older asian gentleman down the street from me uses a push reel mower, he has one of the nicest lawns on the block, and I am certain it is because of the manual mower.

[ExtraSlow]

Electric corded mower. More power and mow time than a battery one, and less maintenance than a cordless one.

If you have a huge lawn, gas saves you time, but for most city yards, electric will be faster in the end, even messing around with the cords.

has the push type reel mower once. Hated it. My lawn was really thick, and I don't cut it often. It wasn't for me.