Spring is here and the lawns are turning green again, after a long winter off, it's time to get back in the yard and enjoy the great outdoors. But if you are in the market for a new lawnmower the choices can be a little overwhelming, with mowers being offered in gas, electric, and even robotic like the Husqvarna Automower. But can an electric mower, especially a battery-powered mower really tackle suburban landscaping duty? I bought one to find out.
Electric mowers start for as little as $79.00 at most major hardware stores, I went to the local Lowes to shop in person, the least expensive mowers will be corded, meaning you also need enough extension cord to cover your entire lawn, and you have to pay attention to where your cord is. Cutting width range from just 12 inches to 21 inches, for battery power they range from 20-80 volts, and most advanced electric push mowers can cost upwards of $600.
I selected a Kobalt 40-volt mower, with a 20-inch cutting width, that included a battery and charger for $279, this was an in-store only deal, as online the battery and charger were not included, so shop in person if you can. Shopping in-store or online, do double check that the battery and charger are included with your mower as the batteries themselves often retail for over $70 each.
I grew up mowing lawns, in fact, my first car was purchased with the proceeds of many lawn mowing jobs, while unpacking the mower from the box it was essentially the same as any push mower I may have used growing up, but without that little plastic primer pump on the side of the carb to get it to start. The mower comes fully assembled, with the exception of the handle, which requires no tools to reposition and lock in place. The battery is the same 40-Volt battery used by a number of Kobalt lawn products so if you are going to go electric you might want to commit to a brand.
Unlike traditional gas mowers, the electric mower just has a slight buzz, with no oil levels to check, gasoline to store, or real maintenance I understand why these mowers are growing in popularity. The 40-volt battery says it will provide approximately 40 minutes of run time. This will of course depend on how much you are making the mower work, cutting thicker grass at a lower height setting might cut your time down to 30 minutes or less. The first pass I did on the lawn with the new mower, it ran out of juice at about 35 minutes, the following week since the grass had already been cut and was just being maintained at that height and it lasted nearly 45 minutes. If you only have one battery, you can always do some other yard work while the battery charges back up, spare batteries cost $70-$150 depending on the run time rating.
Online reviews of the older version of this battery are mixed with some purchases claiming that the battery only lasted a few months before losing significant run time. I will keep track of this and update the story as I keep using the mower. As far as cutting and ease of use, the electric mower does the job and I like never have to make run to the gas station to mow the lawn.
If you are in the market for a new mower, check out the electric options, there are several great electric mowers including models from well-known names like Craftsmen, Toro, and Dewalt. Also check out the retail brands like Kobalt, Home Depot's in-house brand Ryobi and Walmart's own brand HART, most of which are in the same $250-$300 range and are easy to pick up locally.
Be sure to check back for updates on the battery life.
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