Electric or battery-powered lawnmower.

[travelguy_73]

We are putting in an offer on a house and one of the items on our list is "buy new lawnmower." I have always had a Honda lawnmower, but think this time around that a smallish city yard might call for an alternatively-powered option. My partner would like a reel mower, but they just don't produce the cut I like. So, does anyone use or know how battery-powered or corded electric mowers works with thick St. Augustine grass?

[Guest Marty]

Those don't work good here because of the rainfall that we receive, it make the grass grow quick them types of mowers are good for the Northeast US or California.

[ricco67]

I've actually owned one in my suburbia days and they do work fine, the only real work that needs to be done is to take care of the undercarriage because of the previously mentioned wet grass. Other than that, it's no big deal and it keeps you from buying and storing gas in your garage!

[Guest Marty]

I am with you on the gas in the garage/shed in the heat them things would remind you of the girl in the Willy Wonka movie.

[Guest danax]

I bought a Brill Luxus battery powered about 3 years ago for about $300 including shipping and one battery. It works fine but any small debris like a twig will jam it and you'll have to stop and pull the item out with your hands. The cut is nice and crisp. You really can't let it get too long between cuts though because, once it's longish, the mower starts to miss a lot of the grass blades. It's quiet and I've had one neighbor thank me for doing my part to make the nabe more peaceful. I also edge my grass with old-time hand clippers.

The one real negative was how short the battery life was. It was supposed to be good for something like 100 cuts but mine lasted less than half that, and for $100 for another one, I've since used it solely as a push mower. My St. Augustine is normal thickness and it's a mild workout and takes about twice as long as it would with the battery because I have to sort of go forward, then back a bit, then forward etc in order to get it all, and then it still misses some. The other negative is that the battery charge doesn't last very long. I've got a fairly normal to small front lawn area and it would either barely finish with a fresh charge or would run out before I was finished and I'd have to do the rest manually.

I had planned on converting my entire back yard into garden and paths with no lawns, and the Brill would be perfect for the front. I still haven't done that so I finally broke down and got a used power mower until I get rid of the grass back there.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if you have a fairly small lawn and like the idea of cutting your grass without it sounding like a war zone and don't mind the inconveniences of buying and charging batteries. Otherwise, I'd say it's much quicker and easier overall to just pull out the powerbeast.

[Leon]

I have a corded electric mower (as well as trimmer and blower). Corded mower works great - I have had it for 5 years, never requires any maintenance, lubrication etc. It cuts St Augustine without any problems. Even twigs are not a big deal, this thing has quite a bit of power. The obvious downside is having to have a cord. But it has a lot more power than battery devices (since the battery can deliver only limited amperage). I would never consider a gasoline mower after this experience. (of course I do not have a big yard - only about 2500 ft2 of grass).

[Mark F. Barnes]

A good quality electric mower will work, but you have to keep it razor sharp and clear of any grass build up, heavy loading of the motor draws on it hard.

[Leon]

Funny thing - I have never had to sharpen the razor (now, granted out 5 years the mower probably got full regular use for only 2). I am not sure why sharpening requirements would be any different for electric vs. gasoline. Generally, electric motors are a lot more reliable and have higher torque than gas powered ones ..

[Guest Marty]

Funny thing - I have never had to sharpen the razor (now, granted out 5 years the mower probably got full regular use for only 2). I am not sure why sharpening requirements would be any different for electric vs. gasoline. Generally, electric motors are a lot more reliable and have higher torque than gas powered ones ..

My 6.0 hp Briggs and Stratton push mower has more torque than an electric mower. I think of them as weed eaters with wheels, they are good for a small yard though. Blades do get dull when people litter in your ditch.

[Porchman]

I bought a cheap-ass Homelite corded mower at...Lowe's(?) Home Depot(?). I really like it for my 5000 sf lot. There's a bit of a trick to rearranging the cord as you go along. However it cuts well, edges nicely, handles rough spots on the street-side of the ditch with vigor, starts easily, stores vertically, negates trips to the gas station, does not fill my snoot with smoke in addition to all the other stuff it's kicking up, and reduces my carbon footprint.

[Guest Marty]

Electric mowers has been around as long as I can remember 1970's but they where high dollar, but I do have an Toro electric weed eater, but my early 80's Homelight Textron chainsaw leaves a big carbon footprint sorry. I know that cordless drills have come along way since the 80's also.

[Porchman]

Electric mowers has been around as long as I can remember 1970's but they where high dollar, but I do have an Toro electric weed eater, but my early 80's Homelight Textron chainsaw leaves a big carbon footprint sorry. I know that cordless drills have come along way since the 80's also.

I also have a Toro weedeater, because I can't complete the ditch, otherwise. I really like it.

Not sure about your 20(+?) year old saw, but my one-year-old, corded, electric mower doesn't even dim the lights (unlike Mrs. Porchman's brand new laser printer). It doesn't use fuel in addition to that which is burned to provide electric power for my house.

It cost in the mid-range of other, gas-powered mowers. It's not self-propelled, but it's lighter.

[Guest Marty]

Not sure about your 20(+?) year old saw,

It cost in the mid-range of other, gas-powered mowers. It's not self-propelled, but it's lighter.

The saw is a 2 cycle, but the electric mower of the 70's,80's cost a lot more. I will dig though my 60,70 and 80's newspaper's and see what the prices where, when I have more time.

[RedScare]

I realize that this thread is a bit old, and it pertained to mowers, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on the new cordless weedeater I just bought. Previously, I had a gas weedeater. In addition to having to mix gas and oil, which necessitated a separate gas can from my lawn mower, it was a bit heavy, hard to start, and died if you turned it sideways to trim. The last straw was that the drive train separated from the head a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday, I decided to buy a new weedeater. I decided to consider electric to match my electric edger. I found an 18 volt cordless from Black&Decker at Lowes (also at Home Depot). The 2 batteries that come with it match my cordless drill, sawsall and circular saw. It has a swivel head to do edging. Automatic line feed, quiet, lightweight, starts on demand, and decent torque. For city yards, this thing rocks! I've been outside all morning trimming the fence, deck, ditch, sidewalk, and even the grass that has overtaken my shrubbery. The last one is a particular problem for the gas weedeater, as it is less precise, and therefore more prone to rip up the shrubbery.

I have now trimmed everything I could find, and am barely into the 2nd battery. It is so useful, I suspect that my electric edger will soon be a relic of my lawncare past, just like my gas weedeater. For those who are interested, I trimmed 100 feet of fenceline, 30 feet of sidewalk edging, 30 feet of deckline, and a shrubbery bed on a little more than one battery. I suspect that 2 batteries would more than cover the needs of a 7,500 square foot lot.

[crunchtastic]

I realize that this thread is a bit old, and it pertained to mowers, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on the new cordless weedeater I just bought. Previously, I had a gas weedeater. In addition to having to mix gas and oil, which necessitated a separate gas can from my lawn mower, it was a bit heavy, hard to start, and died if you turned it sideways to trim. The last straw was that the drive train separated from the head a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday, I decided to buy a new weedeater. I decided to consider electric to match my electric edger. I found an 18 volt cordless from Black&Decker at Lowes (also at Home Depot). The 2 batteries that come with it match my cordless drill, sawsall and circular saw. It has a swivel head to do edging. Automatic line feed, quiet, lightweight, starts on demand, and decent torque. For city yards, this thing rocks! I've been outside all morning trimming the fence, deck, ditch, sidewalk, and even the grass that has overtaken my shrubbery. The last one is a particular problem for the gas weedeater, as it is less precise, and therefore more prone to rip up the shrubbery.

I have now trimmed everything I could find, and am barely into the 2nd battery. It is so useful, I suspect that my electric edger will soon be a relic of my lawncare past, just like my gas weedeater. For those who are interested, I trimmed 100 feet of fenceline, 30 feet of sidewalk edging, 30 feet of deckline, and a shrubbery bed on a little more than one battery. I suspect that 2 batteries would more than cover the needs of a 7,500 square foot lot.

If you have battery juice left, I have beer and food. I'd be interested in a demo.

[RedScare]

If you have battery juice left, I have beer and food. I'd be interested in a demo.

Nice try.

[crunchtastic]

Nice try.

ah well, I gotta try.

You can tell it's almost summer; we did the full yard mowing, edging and trimming last weekend and it's getting tall again, already. With almost 9,000 sq feet and a corner lot, I opted for the gas powered. I do miss my electric tools, though. So much easier to work with.

[RedScare]

I still use a gas mower for my 6,600 foot lot (plus a 750 foot grass alley). As the previous posts suggest, battery mowers die too quickly, and dragging a cord around can be a chore. I have always used an electric edger, since I only have to edge the small front yard, and I installed an outdoor electrical outlet just for that purpose. But, this little cordless weedeater is so light and useful, I might start edging with it, too. I had already edged, so it will be a week before I see how it does.

[jmihl]

Yesterday, I decided to buy a new weedeater. I decided to consider electric to match my electric edger. I found an 18 volt cordless from Black&Decker at Lowes (also at Home Depot). The 2 batteries that come with it match my cordless drill, sawsall and circular saw. It has a swivel head to do edging. Automatic line feed, quiet, lightweight, starts on demand, and decent torque.

I think i picked up the same model last summer. It's been great. As long as you don't espect is to cut through steel or mow your whole lawn with it. The charges last about enough to edge an average corner lot, plus flowerbeds. Plus not fiddling with the cord is so much easier. Well worth the $90 or so.

[ssmallen]

I realize that this thread is a bit old, and it pertained to mowers, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on the new cordless weedeater I just bought. Previously, I had a gas weedeater. In addition to having to mix gas and oil, which necessitated a separate gas can from my lawn mower, it was a bit heavy, hard to start, and died if you turned it sideways to trim. The last straw was that the drive train separated from the head a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday, I decided to buy a new weedeater. I decided to consider electric to match my electric edger. I found an 18 volt cordless from Black&Decker at Lowes (also at Home Depot). The 2 batteries that come with it match my cordless drill, sawsall and circular saw. It has a swivel head to do edging. Automatic line feed, quiet, lightweight, starts on demand, and decent torque. For city yards, this thing rocks! I've been outside all morning trimming the fence, deck, ditch, sidewalk, and even the grass that has overtaken my shrubbery. The last one is a particular problem for the gas weedeater, as it is less precise, and therefore more prone to rip up the shrubbery.

I have now trimmed everything I could find, and am barely into the 2nd battery. It is so useful, I suspect that my electric edger will soon be a relic of my lawncare past, just like my gas weedeater. For those who are interested, I trimmed 100 feet of fenceline, 30 feet of sidewalk edging, 30 feet of deckline, and a shrubbery bed on a little more than one battery. I suspect that 2 batteries would more than cover the needs of a 7,500 square foot lot.

I also have that weedeater...got it in a set with the cordless blower, hedge trimmer, and 3 batteries. My review is just as glowing. I was kinda worried about the blower since it's so small, but it works fine... takes a little longer than a gas blower but it's much lighter so it evens out.

I want to add that I have a cordless mower that I picked up at Home Depot for ~$300 and it has worked great so far (it replaced a corded electric mower...mowing with the extension cord was just too much work for me). My lot is 7500 sq ft, but our pool/spa, and flower beds make the area that needs to be mowed somewhat smaller. I have never had it run down on me when cutting both front and back yards, the battery indicator still shows green after I'm done. The only drawback is that I notice about 10-15 uncut blades of grass that it has missed each time I cut the front yard (same thing with the back). I don't know if it's because the blade doesn't turn as fast as a gas mower or what. I cut my grass at the highest setting for the mower (3 3/4") and I never let the grass get too high so there is no worries about it bogging down. It has a bagging attachment, a side discharge, and a mulching option (I use the mulch option, seems to do a decent job). I've only had it for a few months but so far i have been very pleased.