Best Lawn Mowers Reviews 2022

You can trim your lawn with different types of lawn mowers. You are spoiled for choice as to what type of lawnmower it should be. Above all, the circumstances in your home play a role. If you own a small garden or a small lawn, we recommend using a cordless or electric lawn mower. For large areas, on the other hand, you should consider a petrol lawn mower, possibly even with an automatic wheel drive. Modern lawn tractors, on the other hand, offer even more applications, with which even very large lawns can be mowed comfortably, quickly and effectively.

Last but not least, a fairly new type of lawnmower should not be forgotten, robotic lawn mower. It can make your work considerably easier on preferably flat and not too angled areas. Once set up, this type of lawnmower mows your lawn completely independently, leaving you more time for the beautiful things in life.

What types of lawnmowers are there?

For the layman, the current range of different lawn mower types with all working methods, functions, and equipment is unmanageable. Before you can even decide which lawn mower model is relevant for you, you should at least have gotten to know the different types. We, therefore, want to start our journey to your new lawnmower with the different types of equipment.

Walk-behind lawn mowers

The most common type of lawn mower is the hand-held models. The operator stands behind the device and pushes or pulls it in the desired direction. As a rule, these types of mowers are motor-driven and have a sickle knife on the underside, which cuts the grass cleanly due to very fast rotation. Walk behind push lawn mowers are ideal for small and very large gardens up to approx. 1,000 m². In addition, other types of mowers are usually more effective. We now want to go into the most common lawnmowers of this type:

Gasoline lawn mowers

The classic among the mowers is the petrol lawn mower, also called petrol for short. Due to the powerful petrol engine, it is primarily designed for large gardens and, unlike the electric models, offers much higher performance.

Gasoline mowers are usually started using a starter cable that starts the engine by hand with a quick pull. In contrast to the past, fortunately, this is now possible with little effort. If you like it even more comfortable, buy a model with an electric starter or starter button.

Many manufacturers also offer gasoline-powered lawn mowers with a wheel drive, which considerably simplifies working with the most heavy implements. We recommend such a model, especially for uneven lawns or hills. The owner can turn the self-propulsion on and off at any time and has average speed of 3.5 km / h. More expensive petrol lawn mowers also offer different gears to adapt the pace to your own walking speed.

What are the advantages of petrol mowers?

Thanks to the powerful petrol engine, taller and damp grass can also be mowed without problems, where electric lawn mowers often refuse to work. The extremely robust devices are also more independent and offer the owner complete freedom of movement without constantly paying attention to getting caught on trees or bushes.

Disadvantages of petrol mowers?

The main disadvantage of petrol engines is the increased noise pollution and the smelly and toxic fumes that can harm you and your surroundings. Ear protection is therefore recommended during mowing. The higher weight can also have a negative impact on the operator’s working speed and endurance. In addition, gasoline mowers require more maintenance than other types of lawnmowers. Petrol should be refilled regularly and the current oil level checked.

Electric mowers

The market for electric lawnmowers has grown enormously in recent years. Due to the increasingly powerful engines in these devices, they gradually outstrip the long-established petrol engines, even if they are far from being equal in terms of strength. The increasing environmental awareness of consumers also plays a major role here. Loud and smelly mowers continue to fade into the background.

Electric mowers are primarily designed for small to medium-sized gardens up to a maximum of 500 m². Sometimes there are also models that do much more. After connecting to the power supply, the device is started with a simple push of a button. The light lawnmowers are on average only 10 to 15 kilograms and are therefore very suitable for older or weaker people.

What are the advantages of electric mowers?

The biggest advantage of electric mowers is their environmental friendliness and low volume. Lawnmowers with cables are also much less maintenance-prone since neither oil needs to be refilled nor oil and air filters have to be replaced regularly. You don’t have to do without comfort functions such as central cutting height adjustment or mulching.

Disadvantages of electric mowers?

The biggest disadvantage of electric lawnmowers is the cable that limits the range of motion considerably. So when mowing, it often happens that the power cable gets tangled in trees and bushes. A cable drum or an extension cable is also required for use. Incidentally, the greatest danger is that the power line is cut with the mower itself if it is not cared for. There is no danger to life for the user, but it is still necessary to purchase a new extension cable.

When purchasing an electric lawnmower, it should also be noted that the slightly weaker motor can have problems with very tall or damp grass. With regular mowing, however, this disadvantage is no longer significant.

Cordless Lawn Mower

Modern cordless lawn mowers are in no way inferior to their cable-connected counterparts. They combine the flexibility of petrol engines with the advantages of electric mowers. This means maximum freedom of movement in connection with a lower volume and without exhaust emissions.

The decisive factor for the success of the battery mower is the battery technology used. The development of better and stronger lithium-ion batteries, in particular, helped these devices to become more widespread. The charging time of the batteries is on average up to one to two hours. If you want to continue mowing without major interruption, we recommend purchasing a second battery. When buying a battery-powered lawnmower, you should also pay attention to the capacity of the energy store, because this directly influences the mowing time. Factors such as temperature, grass height and moisture in the lawn also play a role in the endurance of the battery.

In any case, you should be very skeptical about the manufacturer’s information on battery runtime, as these were determined under optimal conditions and are rarely very practical.

What are the advantages of cordless mowers?

Cordless lawnmowers have the same advantages as electric mowers, with the difference that you can be much more flexible when mowing. In terms of strength, you hardly have to make any significant cutbacks here. The environmental aspect is just as effective as the lighter weight. Although these mowers are a bit higher due to the heavy batteries and are around 15 to 20 kilograms.

Disadvantages of battery mowers?

One of the biggest disadvantages is the higher purchase price compared to wired lawnmowers. Many manufacturers offer devices without a battery, which must be purchased separately. You should take this into account when purchasing a cordless lawn mower.

Battery operated mowers also have a limited range. On average, here too, approx. 300 to 500 m² of the lawn area is assumed. If you don’t have a second battery, you have to put up with the long charging time.

Hand mowers and cylinder mowers

In very small gardens, cylinder mowers or hand mowers are still available today. Especially environmentally-conscious garden owners or ambitious lawn lovers like the advantages of this hand-operated lawn mower . Noise pollution is almost non-existent and physical effort saves fossil resources. In addition, the lawn is cut perfectly with a hand mower, which prevents the plants from drying out and protects the grass.

In the professional sector, hand mowers are used primarily on golf courses, on sports facilities, and in parks, since these lawn mowers can also achieve very low cutting heights.

How spindle lawn mowers work

The operation of reel mowers differs from that of other types of mowers. When moving, a spindle with slightly inclined cutting blades rotates on the horizontal wheel axis. These run against a fixed, fixed counter knife and cut the clippings very finely and cleanly. The cutting height is determined with the distance of the counter knife to the ground.

Entry-level devices usually have five to six cutting blades. High-priced devices sometimes more. The average cutting width of reel mowers is 35 to 76 centimeters. For larger lawns, spindle lawn mowers are also available as ride-on tractors.

Robotic lawn mowers

A robotic lawn mower is interesting for those who own a corresponding property and want to save themselves the hassle of gardening. The small autonomous robotic lawn robots have been around since the mid-1990s and were first presented by Husqvarna. In the meantime, these lawnmowers are very mature and come with all sorts of modern technology that works extremely reliably.

How a robotic lawn mower works?

The mowing system is identical for most lawn robots: several free-floating, razor-sharp blades are attached to a turntable on the underside of the device, which cut the grass very finely and cleanly when the disk rotates rapidly. In this way, the robotic lawnmower drives the entire lawn area completely independently at regular intervals. Depending on the manufacturer, he either uses a random mowing strategy or travels the property in parallel paths. When the battery capacity is nearing its end, the robotic lawn mower drives back to the charging station to be charged. The maximum lawn size is around 400 to 500 m², However, some robots also create areas of up to 1,000 m².

What are the advantages of robotic lawnmowers?

Once the time-consuming setup is complete, you rarely have to worry about your robotic lawn mower. Only the cutting knives should be replaced at certain intervals. Another plus is the quiet way of working, which means that a robotic lawnmower can also mow your lawn on weekends or even at night.

Another positive aspect concerns the high level of environmental friendliness. Lawn robots are very energy efficient and efficient. Because there is no grass catcher, the mown grass remains as mulch on the ground and thus feeds vital nutrients back into the lawn plants.

If you are afraid that playing children can injure themselves on the device, you can rest easy. Many safety functions and sensors on the device prevent injuries as well as theft or damage to obstacles lying around.

Disadvantages of lawn robots?

In contrast to other lawnmowers, which only need to be unpacked and installed, a lawn robot requires a very time-consuming installation. So that the device knows in which area of ​​the garden it should do its work, a so-called boundary wire must be laid beforehand. Depending on the size of the property, this can take a few hours. A suitable place with a power connection must also be found for the base station. In addition, not all lawns are suitable for robots. This primarily refers to steep inclines or too many obstacles that make effective work difficult.

One of the biggest drawbacks is still the price of robotic lawn mowers. Entry-level devices are available from around 500 dollars. For professional robots with more functions and longer battery life, you should expect at least 1,000 dollars and more.

Lawn tractors / ride-on mowers

Do you own property beyond 1,000 m²? Then you should definitely consider buying a ride-on tractor or may be a zero turn lawn mower. With the king of lawn mowers, you can create large meadows in no time. And when your neighbors struggle with the hand-held mowers in summer, sit relaxed on your lawn tractor and enjoy the ride.

There are also differences in cutting width and range for ride-on mowers. Therefore, think in advance about the properties your new lawnmower must bring. A tractor with gear shift is particularly useful in order to be able to adjust the speed individually. This way, even narrow spaces in the garden can be carefully mowed.

What are the advantages of lawn tractors?

In addition to the usual mowing functions, ride-on mowers also have another great advantage. Many tractor manufacturers offer attachments and trailers for their models, with which the mower can be expanded with additional functions :

• Scarifiers, mossers, and shredders
  Save yourself the time-consuming scarifying or shredding of shrubs and shrubs
• Snow blower, snow plow, and spreader truck Simply
  push the snow out of your driveway or remove the ice from the sidewalk
• Sweeping brush Use
  a rotating sweeping brush to clear leaves and dirt from your driveway
• Lawn sweeper
  Hang a sweeper behind your ride-on mower and pick up grass clippings and leaves even more efficiently

Disadvantages of ride-on mowers?

The purchase of a lawn tractor is generally not worthwhile for smaller gardens. The high purchase price and regular maintenance are the biggest disadvantages of these lawnmowers. However, if you can use it all year round thanks to the many additional functions or buy the ride-on mower with a neighbor, the costs can be amortized over time.

One should also not forget that ride-on tractors have a very high noise level. This is accompanied by higher exhaust emissions compared to hand-held mowers.

Interesting facts about lawn mowers

Here you can find out everything you need to know about lawn mowers. The information is general and may vary depending on the type of lawnmower. You can find out more on the respective device page.

Which lawn mower is the best?

There are different types of lawnmowers that we have compared independently. You can find out which model is the best in its device class in our clearly arranged comparison tables:

• • • Cordless Lawn Mower
    • Electric mowers
    • Gasoline lawn mowers
    • Cylinder mowers
    • Riding lawn mowers

How much does a good lawnmower cost?

The price of a good lawnmower depends on the respective device class. While good electric mowers start at around 150 dollars, equivalent petrol lawnmowers cost from 250 dollars upwards. Only a little more money should be planned for modern cordless lawnmowers: including the battery and charger, good models start at around 350 dollars. The cheapest device class is the cylinder mower, where reasonable models are already available for 100 dollars.

Which lawnmower is suitable for which area?

The choice of the right mower depends in particular on the size of the lawn to be mowed. The location of the garden and the planting also play an important role. In our table, you will find some guidelines. The following lawn mowers and cutting widths are recommended for ground-level properties without many obstacles such as trees, shrubs or garden ponds:

* The cutting width only applies to self-guided lawn mowers. Robotic lawnmowers are excluded from this.

If you want to use a lawn mower with a grass catcher, the capacity should also be adapted to the size of the property, otherwise, the mowing process will often have to be interrupted. In the case of sloping and very large green areas, a wheel drive is also recommended, which considerably reduces the effort required.

Can I sharpen the sickle knife on my lawnmower myself?

We generally recommend checking the sickle knife of a lawn mower once a year and replacing it if necessary. Suitable mower replacement blades are available for all common models. With a little manual skill, however, the cutting knife can also be resharpened. It should be noted, however, that the cutting edge is sharpened again by grinding, but the knife loses its stability, shape, and mass. Any imbalance can damage your lawnmower or the drive. Therefore, the sharpened blade should be re-balanced after every grinding process. There are special sharpening and balancing kits that you can use.

Important: If you want to carry out work on the cutting tool, you must first remove the spark plug connector, the power cable or the battery of the device!

Why does the motor of my lawnmower make rattling noises?

First, check the oil level on your petrol lawnmower. You may need to add oil. If the lack of oil is not the cause of the noise, the external components such as the silencer, spark plug, and cable must be checked for the correct connection. Sometimes these components are no longer so tight that they have to be tightened again. If this does not solve the problem or you cannot pinpoint the problem, we recommend that you consult a specialist dealer.

What can I do if the grass gets caught under the cutting deck?

There are several reasons why clumps of grass can get caught under the cutting deck.

• The grass could be too wet and too long. Let the grass dry sufficiently and cut with a higher setting. You can then gradually reduce the cutting height until the grass is cut to the desired height.
• The blades can be worn. Replace it with the right type of blade.
• The knives are not attached correctly. Check that the blades are mounted in the correct direction.
• The ventilation holes in the spindle could be dirty. You should remove all grass debris from the cutting deck.
• The cutting deck is incorrectly installed. Its back must be half a centimeter higher than the front, measured at the outer ends of the blades. Most of the time, you will find instructions on how to do this in the operating instructions for your lawnmower.

Buying advice: Tips for buying a lawnmower

With the help of our buying advice, you will find the right lawn mower for you

Which lawnmower suits me and my garden?

You may have asked yourself this question before. The choice of the right lawnmower depends on many different factors, which we will discuss in more detail below. Garden owners often use the same type of mower that they had previously used. Owners of petrol lawn mowers in particular often cling to their devices. Modern cordless lawn mowers, for example, offer similar comfort and the same independence. It is definitely worth looking outside the box here and also considering other technologies when buying a lawn mower.

What criteria are important when choosing the right lawnmower?

• • • Lawn size
    • Location and shape of the garden
    • Occurrence of the soil / lawn
    • Drive type (electric, battery, petrol)
    • Mower
    • cutting width
    • Cutting height adjustment
    • Wheel Drive
    • catcher
    • power
    • Weight
    • ergonomics
    • volume
    • quality
    • price
    • Physical condition and mowing time
    • neighborhood

Lawn size

A large garden is nice, but it also does a lot of work. Therefore, the lawn is one of the crucial points, what kind of lawnmower is considered when buying. On plots up to approx. 1,000 m², a hand-held mower is still sufficient in most cases, although petrol mowers are often also designed for larger lawns. Beyond that, however, mowing becomes exhausting and time-consuming.

For areas over 1,000 m², a ride-on mower, also called a lawn tractor, is ideal. With these small tractors, extensive meadows can also be mowed in a very short time. The prerequisite for this is that the property does not have large trees and is not restricted by paths, beds or ponds.

If the property is largely at ground level and has a clear shape or many obstacles, the acquisition of a robotic lawnmower can also be considered. These are available for small and large lawns and completely relieve you of the regular work.

Location and shape of your garden

The shape of the area to be mown is also not insignificant. Tangled plots, such as trees, shrubs, and flower beds, often make mowing difficult. If there are many narrow passages and green areas in your garden, you should definitely choose the right lawn mower accordingly. Nothing is more annoying and time-consuming than having to cut individual sections of the garden separately.

Also, slopes on the property should be respected. A heavy mower with a full grass catcher can only be checked to a limited extent on a slope or on a slope. In this case, a lighter model or a wheel-driven lawn mower should be used. Lawn tractors are also not a good choice on slopes, as they can tip over at a certain number of degrees and injure the driver. Rarely to be found, but very suitable for steep terrain, are hover mowers or lawn trimmers with a cutting attachment.

Occurrence of the soil/lawn

Take a closer look at the grass in your garden. Especially in spring, it is often matted and weeds and moss have spread. After scarifying, the grass density is usually thinner and the lawn more sensitive. Healthy grass with strong plants should be treated differently.

The nature of the lawn plants is therefore not insignificant when choosing the mowing system. Only when you know your lawn will you know how to mow it optimally. For a healthy green area, for example, it is often advisable to buy a mower with a mulching function.

Price

Often the price also plays a significant role when buying a new mower. We have therefore divided the models into different price regions for you. For gardens up to 150 or 200 m², lawn mowers with a purchase price of up to 100 dollars are often completely sufficient. On the other hand, if the lawn to be mowed is between 200 and 500 m², you should consider a more expensive device since these already offer more comfort functions. In terms of price, lawnmowers up to 300 dollars are particularly interesting. If you own a larger garden over 500 m², you should invest more money accordingly. The choice of mowers up to 500 dollars is quite large and confusing. You will quickly find the right device in our price overview.

Physical condition and mowing time

As the last point, your own physical condition should not be forgotten. Large petrol lawn mowers often weigh over 30 or even 40 kilograms. For older and weaker people, mowing the lawn with such a garden tool quickly becomes torture. Therefore, choose a model that suits you and can be optimally adapted to your height. Many hand-operated lawn mowers also offer so-called Ergoholme with rubberized handles, so that you can survive a longer mowing time without sore muscles and fatigue.

Don’t be fooled by a short lawnmower test at the hardware store. A mower that can be pushed and maneuvered well on flat ground can behave very differently in the tall and damp grass. Especially since a filled grass catcher can increase the total weight of the lawnmower to a large extent. This can be remedied by a self-propelled mower that supports the operator at work.

Neighborhood

If your house or garden is in a residential area, you should also pay attention to the volume of the lawnmower when buying. Regardless of the noise protection regulations in your city or municipality, you should always take your immediate surroundings into account. You don’t want to be disturbed by loud lawnmower noise in your after-work or weekend rest. The motor of a petrol mower or lawn tractor generally causes a lot more noise than the low-noise cordless or electric mowers. In addition to noise emissions, gasoline-powered garden tools also generate a lot of exhaust gases that could disturb you and your neighbors.