SAN ANTONIO – If mowing the lawn is on your weekend to-do list, Consumer Reports’ lawnmower tests can help. They found several battery-powered mowers to recommend.
They mowed for miles to see how evenly they cut and how easy they are to operate. They also check side discharge, bagging and mulching.
“We’re seeing more and more battery-powered mowers coming onto the market that are at a lower price point, but manage to compete in terms of performance with the better ones,” said Consumer Reports’ Misha Kollontai.
For battery mowers, they tested how long you can run them before the battery juice runs out, and they tested charge time.
“Charge time is an idea of how long it will take to recharge the battery - whether or not it’s something you can turn around within the same day or something you’ll have to wait overnight for,” Kollontai said.
Testers found several to recommend, including some Ego and Ryobi electric mowers. They also singled out these:
The Greenworks MO80L421 self-propelled battery mower for $749 earns top scores for evenness, mulching, and handling.
You’ll lose some bagging performance but save hundreds with the Green Machine GMSM6200 self-propelled battery mower for $449, which also offers very good mulching.
If you’ve got a smaller lawn or aren’t as concerned with recharge times, consider the Skil PM4910-10 battery push mower for $249, which delivers excellent cutting performance and mulching.
Unless you need to bag your clippings, mulching is actually better for your lawn because the clippings deliver nutrients, which means you can use less fertilizer and save water, too.
For lawns larger than a half acre, a riding mower may be a better option. But if your lawn is too big for a walk-behind but not quite large enough for a tractor, CR’s experts say a mower with an extra-wide cutting deck can help trim your grass and the time you spend cutting it.