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Lawn Mowers

What to Look for

Electric Mowers

Your choice of an electric or a reel mower will most likely depend on your lawn's size, terrain and grass variety.

Electric mowers are definitely preferable to their gasoline-powered relatives, in terms of both noise and particulate pollution. They produce less than one percent of the carbon monoxide of gas mowers and only 1/9000th of the hydrocarbons, as well as being considerably quieter than gas models. Because they're lightweight, they are easy to maneuver on large, hilly lawns.

Reel Mowers

Reel push mowers have no electricity costs, no on-site emissions and cost less than electric mowers. They are also quieter, more maneuverable and easy to maintain. In his book The Organic Lawn Care Manual, Paul Tukey recommends using reel mowers on lawns less than 2,000 sq. ft. in size and on grasses that don't grow above 2.5 inches tall. The scissor-like cuts from reel mowers are also cleaner and healthier for grass than rotary mowers, which tear the blades.

Cord-run or Cordless

Electric mowers are either cord-run or cordless. Cordless options work best on large lawns, while cord-run mowers, which typically limit mowing to within 100 feet of a power outlet, are best for smaller lawns.

Battery Life

Most cordless electric mowers will afford about an hour of mowing time, between one-quarter and one-third of an acre, before the battery needs recharging.