Lawn Mowers - What are your experiences with gas vs cordless electric?

[4X4]

I gave away my gas lawnmower and bought a reel mower. Haven't used it yet. Am I going to want to punch myself in the face for making this decision?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I gave away my gas lawnmower and bought a reel mower. Haven't used it yet. Am I going to want to punch myself in the face for making this decision?

My old neighbour did that, I found his guilt at borrowing mine kept a steady supply of beer coming to my house.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

My old neighbour did that, I found his guilt at borrowing mine kept a steady supply of beer coming to my house.

So it sucks?

Well, at least I wont have too much guilt. My lawn is pretty small, and my neighbour has my lawnmower.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by JeanLucPicard

btw can the "SAE 30" oil be used in any (gasoline) lawn mower regardless of the lawn mower engine brand? I mean, you dont have to order the exact same container of oil that you got with your initial purchase of the lawn mower right?

Yes

[spetch]

http://www.husqvarna.com/ca/en/produ...or-homeowners/

Been trying to convice the wife to let me get one of these

[GP_Matt]

I got a Husky gas mower a while ago and it works great. I have a large yard so a battery wouldn't work and a cord is a terrible idea.
I usually mulch but I don't have kids so I have never had a problem with clippings.

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I gave away my gas lawnmower and bought a reel mower. Haven't used it yet. Am I going to want to punch myself in the face for making this decision?

As I understand it, reel mowers work great if you keep it sharp and only cut the top third of the grass at a time. The minute you miss a cut and the grass is too long you will need a powered mower.
If you stay on top of it though I have heard they work great.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

As I understand it, reel mowers work great if you keep it sharp and only cut the top third of the grass at a time. The minute you miss a cut and the grass is too long you will need a powered mower.
If you stay on top of it though I have heard they work great.

That's pretty much what I've been told. So I just have to mow my lawn every weekend, I figure. That's not even a chore for me. I actually like mowing my lawn.

[YYC in LAX]

Originally Posted by 4X4

That's pretty much what I've been told. So I just have to mow my lawn every weekend, I figure. That's not even a chore for me. I actually like mowing my lawn.

I have a reel mower and mow it like every third day. Super small area of grass just in the front yard and it takes me like under 5 minutes. IMO, once a week isn't quite enough. I've got the Fiskars StaySharp Max which throws the grass forward and remulches as you go forward. Great mower.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I gave away my gas lawnmower and bought a reel mower. Haven't used it yet. Am I going to want to punch myself in the face for making this decision?

Ouch I can't believe you gave that mower away. Now we are no longer connected!

I am also in the need of a new mower and trying to figure out which way to go with buying one

[photon]

I have a small yard so have an electric, works awesome.

[calgarywinning]

Husqvarna mowers are amazing. Real engineering at work. Have used Toro and Honda, prefer Toro. Nothing beats the lawn mower I used growing up as a kid "lawn boy" don't think the make them like they used to but a great profile. Super dangerous to feet though!

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I got a Husky gas mower a while ago and it works great. I have a large yard so a battery wouldn't work and a cord is a terrible idea.
I usually mulch but I don't have kids so I have never had a problem with clippings.

New dad, and about to be new home owner (move into my house this week) and need to buy a mower (this thread is a godsend btw).

What's the issue with mulching and little kids? Pretty sure my folks had a bagging and mulching mower thru out my childhood.

[taco.vidal]

If you have a mower that mulches poorly it will leave grass clippings in your lawn. They may not be visible when you're standing and looking at them. Yet when your kid plays in the grass he will get covered in grass clippings. A good mulching mower turns the grass clippings into very fine particles that fall into the turf and don't get picked up by shoes and kids.

Originally Posted by bubbsy

New dad, and about to be new home owner (move into my house this week) and need to buy a mower (this thread is a godsend btw).

What's the issue with mulching and little kids? Pretty sure my folks had a bagging and mulching mower thru out my childhood.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Buy a good Honda gas mower and you will never have to think about buying another lawnmower again.

as someone who has mowed about a million lawns this is your answer for the most part. There's Honda, really high end industrial mowers and then everything else. If your back hurts a self-propel is your best bet, if you have big hills in your lawn well just spend the $35 a week on a weekly service because you'll kill yourself trying to mow hills with a bad back.

[2ArmBands]

Originally Posted by dsavillian

You can get electric mowers that have enough power to mulch, yeah.

We recently bought a Ryobi 40V cordless and I really like it.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-16-...112A/203362211


Pros

• Really quiet. I can cut my grass at 8am on a weekend and not wake my neighbors.
• I don't have to buy gas.
• Really light and easy to use.
• Push button start. No more struggling to start the mower and looking like an idiot!
• No maintenance! No oil changes!

Cons

• Will require a battery charge if you have a large lawn or are cutting longer grass. I have a standard "new home" lot size, so I can do the whole thing on one charge, but your mileage may vary.
• Charge time. If your battery runs out, you have to charge it to continue. My model came with 2 batteries though, so it's not a huge deal for me.
• Power. Obviously less power than a gas mower, not by much though.

All and all, I'm really happy with the electric. If I keep my grass at a reasonable length and don't cut when it's really wet, I never have to worry about running out of juice mid-cut.

I wouldn't want one if I was on an acreage, but I think it's fine for city use.

Thanks for this! I just bought the 40V trimmer/edger and I absolutely love it. I'm in the market for a new mower and I am definitely looking at this Ryobi. Don't have a huge lawn so I think it might be perfect. Also plan on purchasing the 40V hedge trimmer as well. You don't by chance have this and can weigh in?

[Bootsy]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Buy a good Honda gas mower and you will never have to think about buying another lawnmower again.

This, bought one 10 years ago one of my best purchases . Zero issues , easy to start, great mulching can't say enough good things.

[dsavillian]

Originally Posted by 2ArmBands

Thanks for this! I just bought the 40V trimmer/edger and I absolutely love it. I'm in the market for a new mower and I am definitely looking at this Ryobi. Don't have a huge lawn so I think it might be perfect. Also plan on purchasing the 40V hedge trimmer as well. You don't by chance have this and can weigh in?

I don't, sorry.

But apparently the batteries are interchangeable, so that would be a plus for sticking with the same brand.

[Derek Sutton]

I have a 36v Black and Decker and I really like it, battery life not an issue, plenty of power when the grass is tall etc... Also nice not hiaving to fill and keep a jerry can in the garage (alos have elctric weed eater). No oil change, fuel fillter replacement or anything. Also the wife can start it... though she rarely does.

One downfall, which was mentioned earlier, is that grass in the tire path gets flattened and you have to go over it again in the opposite direction.

We had a gas mower that would never start, then went to a reel mower which sucked ba77s. Maybe that is why I like this one so much, anyways my nieghboor recommended this one as he has one to.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Ouch I can't believe you gave that mower away. Now we are no longer connected!

I am also in the need of a new mower and trying to figure out which way to go with buying one

For the record, I love that mower. It's a Honda, so it's bullet proof. I lent it to a buddy a couple years ago, and he broke the self propel cable, but the rest of it still works fine.

Only other problem with it is that the gas evaporates out of the tank and makes my garage stink like gas, plus it takes up way more space than a reel mower, so that's why I gave it to my neighbour.