Gas or Electric Lawnmowers – What are the Options?

If you are thinking of purchasing a new lawn mower you’ll have to make some choices as there are many options available. The first thing you might think about is whether to buy a gas lawnmower or an electric lawnmower. In addition, if you opt for an electric mower should you choose a corded or a cordless model? Both gas and electric lawnmowers have their advantages and disadvantages and you’ll want to carefully weight them up before you decide.

Gas Lawnmowers

Gas has been the traditional choice to power a lawn mower since push mowers were fitted with engines in the 1940’s. Gas mowers are powerful and will keep going as long as there is gas in the tank and some kinds of mowers, zero turn lawnmowers for example can only be bought at the moment with gas engines. However gas driven mowers have some distinct disadvantages including the level of noise they produce, the emision of noxious fumes and the need for regular maintenance. If you opt for a gas mower you will have to maintain it in the same way you would your car engine, including changing the plugs, filters and oil regularly. Most gas powered mowers are noisy and if you want to mow the grass early in the morning you may not be so popular with your neighbors. Gas lawnmowers are good for those with large areas of lawn or if you prefer a riding lawnmower or lawn tractor. If you have a gas station close by you can even ride it there to fill up the tank!

Electric Lawnmowers

Electric lawnmowers, both the corded and cordless types are becoming increasingly popular with good reason. They are quiet, easy to maintain and cheap to run. You won’t have to haul fuel from the gas station and messingly fill up the tank. They are more environmentally friendly as they produce no noxous fumes or contribute to noise pollution. Electric lawnmowers are virtually maintenance free, just clean off the accumulated grass clippings when you’re finished and it will be ready to go next time.

Should you buy a corded or a cordless lawnmower?

Which type of electric mower you choose depends on a few points. One distinct disadvantage of a corded model of course is that it needs that cord! Most corded models can only operate up to 100 ft from a power outlet so if you have grass to cut further away than this you won’t be able to use it. The trailing cord can also be a nuisance as you need to make sure you keep it out of the way of the blades and it can get tangled around obstacles in the garden. However, a corded model is convenient for smaller lawns as you can plug it in and mow away until you’re finished without having to stop and recharge.

Cordless models used to be poor in perfomance comparted to electric models but nowadays the improvement in batteries has made them a real alternative. Many of the models using these newer batteries will recharge in an hour and cut up to 600 square metres on one recharge. So even for a large lawn you could easily mow half, recharge while you take a break and finish off easily. With no electric cord to trail around behind you, you can easily get around awkward objects and you won’t have to worry about chopping through the cord or the cord being a hazard to children.

Conclusion

There is no one solution to suit everyone as people have different needs so check out all the options before making a decision. Once you have decided on the power source for your new mower you will still need to decide the type of model to buy.