Push Lawn Mowers – Popular Workhorses

Push lawn mowers are without a doubt the most popular style of lawn mower. Within the broad category of “push” there are many variations – the manual reel mower, the electric mower, and the gas mower, all with a variety of cutting, bagging and discharge options.

In the history of the lawn mower, manual push lawn mowers were the first developed. These machines use the pushing power provided by the operator to turn cutting blades that snip the grass much like a pair of scissors cuts paper. Manual push mowers are still manufactured today, and many people extol their virtues – they are environmentally friendly, they are quiet, they are better for the health of the lawn and they provide a good workout for the operator.

Next up the ladder in our lawn mower history is the gas powered mower. These gained in popularity over the manual mower because they were able to cut through long grass with ease. Big cutting jobs are easier to handle with a gas powered push lawn mower, and they quickly became the “norm” in the lawn mower world.

Gas Powered Mowers and disadvantages

Gas powered mower have quite a few disadvantages, though. They are noisy, dirty, smelly and require a fair amount of maintenance. Modern gas push lawn mowers have more efficient and quieter engines, but they still require regular maintenance to keep them running efficiently.

Electric Push Lawn Mowers

Electric push lawn mowers had the advantages of gas mower without the mess and noise. These machines are relatively quiet, require very little maintenance and are very cheap to operate. Electricity costs less than $10 a year for the average electric lawn mower.

The big disadvantage of electric mowers is their cord. A large lawn requires a long extension cord that gets in the way while you are mowing the lawn. The answer? A cordless electric push lawn mower. These allow you to cut anywhere without worrying about the length of the cord.

Cordless Lawn Mowers

Of course, cordless mowers depend on batteries, so your cutting time is limited by the battery’s capacity. Still, most cordless push lawn mowers are suitable for lawns of up to 1/3 of an acre in size. Bigger than that and you might find a gas mower to be a better choice.

Which type of mower is best? It depends on a number of factors. The size of lawn is an important consideration, and the cutting conditions are also something to keep in mind. If you let your lawn become a jungle between cuttings, a gas push mower has the extra power to cut through long grass. Electric mowers are better performers in the emissions and noise departments. Manual mowers are suitable for small lawns. The choice is yours!