Lawn mowers review

In deciding what lawn mower to buy, it seems like you have 6 options 

1. Cordless (battery) lawn mower, like the Black & Decker Cordless 24-Volt Mulching Mower.
2. Gas push lawn mower, like the Poulan Pro 21-Inch 6.5 HP Gas-Powered Self-Propelled 3-In-1 Mower.
3. Electric push lawn mower, like the like the Black & Decker Hog 19 inch electric lawn mower.
4. Robot lawn mower, like the Robomow rl850
5. Lawn tractor/riding lawnmower, like the Yard Man 42-Inch 17.5 HP Riding Mower.
6. Lawn service

Your decision will be determined by the following considerations 

1. Budget: Affordability
2. Size of your lawn
3. Lay-out of your lawn
4. Slope of your lawn
5. Maintenance and service of the appliance
6. Environmental issues
7. The premium you put on comfort
8. Other personal issues
9. Safety
10. Noise

Your decision will be determined by the following considerations 

(that is, when affordability is an issue)

1. The size of your lawn:
   If your lawn is really small, the best option will surely be a battery push lawn mower. These mowers are great for small lawns, easy to operate, effective and a real pleasure.
   For bigger lawns you will have to choose between a gas and an electric mower.
   Then other issues will come into play, like maintenance, impact on the environment and safety.
2. Impact on environment:
   If you have strong convictions on pollution and stuff like that, surely gas lawn mowers are no option; you'll have to go for one of the electric models.
3. Reliability:
   Electric lawn mowers are very reliable. Pull the trigger and they go - time and again. They also have a safety cut-out, which will safeguard the motor from overloading. Unfortunately, this does not hold true for gas lawn mowers. One does tend to struggle from time to time, in particular in the fall when a lot of dust tend to block the air filter, dirty stuff gets into the carburettor and the real trouble begins.
4. Maintenance and service:
   Electric lawn mowers have less hassle - no need to replace oil and service the machine on a regular basis, which is imperative for gas mowers.
5. Convenience:
   The electric cord of an electric mower always seems to be in the way or at least has to be negotiated all the time - which is not a problem with gas models. They are easier to handle with no electric cord to negotiate all the time.
6. Safety considerations:
   ii. If you do cut the cord of an electric mower, you could get a nasty shock.
   iii. Mowing the lawn when it's still wet (rain, dew etc.) does pose a risk of a short-circuit as well.
   iv. If you need an extension cord to get to the furthest corner, the plug of the extension could become a risk.
   v. None of these hazards exist in the case of gas mowers.

Options when affordability is not an issue 

1. Size of your lawn:
   If you have a BIG lawn, lawn services will cost you a fortune, so you should actually consider a lawn tractor or run the risk of spending hours over the weekend sweating it out with a push lawn mower. A robotic lawn mower is a marvellous appliance, but not suited for lawns bigger than 20,000 sq. ft., unless you get two to do the job. For a discussion of the different pro's and con's of a robotic mower, please read my article on this subject.
   As a matter of fact, the cheaper lawn tractor models and robotic models fall in the same price range, which makes making a choice considerably easier.
2. Lay-out of your lawn:
   If you have a big lawn and actually has to go for a lawn tractor, the lay-out of your garden becomes very important. The reason for this is the fact that no lawn tractor can deal with sharp corners and interesting little spaces in a satisfactory way. But there's a way out of this. Simply adapt your lawn lay-out to the capabilities of your tractor and the results will be satisfactory. If you do not want to do that, simply accept the fact that you will have to supplement your lawn tractor with a small gas, electric or battery lawn mower to reach all the little tricky corners where your lawn tractor could not reach.
3. Slope of your lawn:
   If your lawn is really slopey, you should consider one of the lawn mowers in particular made to negotiate this problem.
4. Personal comfort:
   If you like a nice lawn, but don't want to do the job yourself for whatever reason and at the same time are not willing to pay too much (like in the case of lawn services), you should consider a robotic lawn mower. You set it up once and that's it. It does the job - you don't. I discussed all the pro's and con's of the Robomow robotic mower in another lens of mine, so I suggest you go there and see what I have to say.
5. Other personal reasons:
   If you hate working in your garden, but still like a nice place, a lawn service is basically your only option. Some people simply just don't have the time to work in their gardens, so they have to make use of lawn services in any case.