Best Electric Lawn Mower (Corded)

Ahh, yard mowing… the task that must be done but generally requires gas, noise, dirt and general unpleasantness. As such, I strive to make mowing less of a burden and more enjoyable. Switching over to electric mowers for a portion of our yard has made mowing about as good as it can get. Except for maybe a robot mower, but that will be for another post 😉

I checked out dozens of corded electric mowers and put them through their paces. From antique behemoths to modern mowers they ranged from good, bad to ugly.

After the dust (and clippings) settled, the best electric lawn mower was the Greenworks 13 Amp 21-Inch Corded Law Mower

The best electric mower

The best electric mower

UPDATE: Amazon currently has the mower for $141.80 if you have Amazon Prime. I paid $181.98 for mine, so at $40 less this makes it a total steal! 🙂

Performance

This mower handles grass height that makes cordless models choke. There are definitely gas mowers that go beyond this model, but it handles most grass and yards with ease. It is also quieter than most gas mowers and extremely reliable (see below).

Reliability

I have been heavily mowing for 2 months with this model. It has been absolutely reliable. Pull the safety, press the button and mow. No gas, no spark plugs, no oil, no pull starting. Just easy mowing.

Adjustments

The deck/blade height adjustment is easy and effective. I generally mow at a middle setting, unless terrain or conditions dictate a higher/lower setting.

Verdict

Totally recommended!

6 comments

  • Alex

    Nice post. I think electric lawn mower would be the first choice while buying lawn mower. Thanks for sharing.

    • Hi Alex,
      Thank you for your comment. I am glad to hear you are considering an electric lawn mower. They certainly are a nice choice for small lawns or for those who desire a move away from oil/gas and fossil fuels in general. I am especially please to be able to use our electric mowers in conjunction our solar powered home. 🙂

      Have a great day and thanks again for commenting!

      Best regards,
      -J.D.

  • I would like to know how “green” you think electric mowers really are. I am unsure about them being a good substitute for a gas powered mower and would love to hear your views on it. Though an electric mower isn’t burning any fossil fuels the electricity it is filled with most likely comes from a power plant that burns fossil fuels. So are these mowers really “green”?

    • Hi Mick,
      Thank you for your question. You raise a great point, the source of the electricty is definitely a factor in determining how “green” the use of an electrical device is.

      In my situation, living off the grid and utilizing solar energy for all of my electricity generation, I would consider an electric mower extremely green.

      Every time I mow, all the power used for mowing has has been generated using PV panels that convert sunlight into clean electrical energy. 🙂 This is about as zero-emission as you can get for mowing your yard IMHO.

      However, if someone lived in an area that utilized coal for power generation, I would consider electric mower usage in that scenario less green.

      Lastly, for anyone that may concerns about the “greenness” of solar panels, I would like to alleviate their concerns. We have panels that are well over 20 years old and they are STILL generating electricity well within their rated capacity. Any energy originally consumed in the production of the solar panels has long been recouped and exceeded by the
      many years of reliable power output that they have provided. Likewise, by sourcing panels from responsible eco-friendly companies you can insure that your energy production is as environmentally friendly as possible.

      Have a great day and happy mowing to you!

      Best regards,
      -J.D.

    • Peter Green

      Lawnmower engines are usually really dirty and inefficient. Electric even if supplied from fossil fuel power plants is almost certainly much greener.

      • Hi Peter,
        Thank you kindly for your comment. I would agree that there are certainly some very inefficient and dirty small mower engines out there, hopefully power plants (these days) are cleaner!

        Have a great week and thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂

        Best regards,
        -J.D.

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