Apologies in advance to Walt Whitman and Ray Bradbury. Today I mowed my lawn for the first time this season so I thought I’d take the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of electric lawn mowers. This is an area where I have real street cred. My father bought an electric lawnmower from Sears back in 1965 when I was in second grade and I began cutting the lawn to earn my allowance shortly thereafter. I quickly became a master of the orange power cord, whipping it around like a rodeo cowboy twirls a lasso. Up one row, flip, down the next, flip, repeat. That lawn mower followed us to four different houses and was finally retired only after my father died because my mother no longer needed it. After 20+ years of service it was still going strong.
When I became a suburban homeowner in 1997 I once again went electric, this time with a cordless rechargeable. For the most part, it was a perfectly serviceable mower however it had some annoying limitations that eventually led me to purchase a gas powered mower. I used that gas mower for five or six years until last year when something broke on it. Rather than pay to have it repaired, I decided that it was time to return to the future and purchased a corded electric mower. Now every time I mow my lawn I am also reliving my childhood. That’s a pretty good deal.
So why did I go back to the corded electric mower? Let’s look at at a comparison chart:
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| weight | winner! | 2nd place; battery adds weight | heaviest |
| noise | winner! still noisy, just not as noisy | winner! still noisy, just not as noisy | noisiest |
| pollution | winner! carbon footprint depends on your source of electricity | runner up carbon footprint depends on your source of electricity; battery must be recycled due to hazardous materials | loser! According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles. |
| service and operating costs | winner! just clean it and keep the blade sharp and it will last a lifetime | will eventually need a new battery; otherwise maintenance free | oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filters, air filters; engine must eventually be rebuilt |
| power | winner! electric motors have tons of torque | depends on battery charge; heavy use discharges battery quickly | winner! |
| cutting range | unlimited duration; distance limited by length of extension cord; practical range is 100-150 feet from nearest power outlet | unlimited distance; duration limited by battery storage capacity; heavy use discharges battery quickly; battery recharge can take several hours though faster charging batteries may be available soon. | winner! limited only by the size of your gas can |
| fuel | winner! as long as the power is on at your house you’re in business | limited by battery charge; heavy use discharges battery quicker; power is as close as closest power outlet | extra trips to the gas station to fill your gas can |
| safety | winner! no need to store flammable liquids | winner! no need to store flammable liquids | storage of flammable liquids required |
The environmental impact of electric lawn mowers depends on the efficiency and fuel source of your local electric power company. You can assume that coal fired plants produce more environmentally harmful byproducts that those fueled by natural gas. But no matter what your source of electricity, use of either a cordless or corded electric lawnmower is better for the environment than a gas powered equivalent.
Electric mowers aren’t for everyone. If you have a yard with more than a half acre of lawn or if you are a lawncare professional, the limitations of both corded and cordless electric lawnmowers will make them impractical.
Finally, I’ve also owned a pushreel mower and would offer up some thoughts based on my experience. I used it a few times and then gave it away. They are simply not a very effective solution for the suburban homeowner with a quarter acre or more of lawn to care for. They only cut grass that is within a certain height range. If you let grass get too long it won’t slip under the mower’s front bar into the blade; the mower simply runs it flat whereupon it immediately springs back up. Given busy schedules and weather, it is nearly impossible to not let the grass grow at some point during the season. Once you do, you’re screwed. And of course pushreel mowers are useless for picking up and composting all those fall leaves which make excellent mulch.
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