Are you looking to make an informed decision on the best electric lawn mower for your precious lawn? In this electric lawn mower review, we’ll delve into the essential features of corded electric lawn mowers and evaluate some top options that offer great value for your money. Let’s explore how these mowers work and help you find the perfect match for your lawn care needs.
Why Use an Electric Lawn Mower?
A lawnmower is a fast and efficient way to cut your lawn. A true American wouldn’t leave the front yard overgrown and untidy, would they? A well kept lawn is the crown jewel of a house and could be a source of pride and joy.
There is no more satisfying feeling than looking over a neat lawn on a Sunday morning and smelling the freshly cut grass.
But mowing lawns can be hard work. It is stressful for the grass for sure but does not necessarily need to be for you. Choosing the best lawn mower for you and your lawn needs is a very important decision.
Good For the Lawn
After all, lawns need regular mowing, which makes them dense and healthy in the long term. If you don’t mow at all, the grass will get thinner and thinner, while invasive weeds will overcome and eventually overtake the territory.
Moreover, it’s not just the regular mowing that is important, but the right frequency and the cutting height too.
This is where the best lawn mowers can help. If chosen well, they not only make your regular chore less troublesome and feel like a waste of time, but can actually make you want to just go out, take your mower out of the shed, and go mowing.
Type of Lawn Mowers
The traditional cylinder or reel mower is what you see in movies from the 50’s and might find in the shed of your father and grandfather. These manual, old school machines have been out since the 1830’s and worked well. They are still considered best for the lawn and for the money for sure.
However, these days motorised push lawn mowers, especially corded electric mowers became rather cheap as well, thanks to mass production and modern technologies used both during manufacturing and in the end products as well. The best electric lawn mowers are not just cheap but lightweight, low maintenance, and environmentally more friendly than their battery or gas counterparts.
Stepping up the game, riding lawn mowers are fantastic for yards, gardens and fields of more than an acre, where using a normal push mower would be a hell of a workout. Zero turn mowers, as their name suggests, have zero turn radius therefore making them ideal for big yards with many obstacles. These great machines are costing over $2000 so a rather big investment for a regular homeowner.
Ease of Use
There are many different styles of electric lawn mowers and none of them is truly the best. They are all suited for different purposes. For example, the kind of mower you want will depend on how large your yard or garden and what shape it is, as well as how many trees, flower beds and other obstacles are in there.
Lighter and small electric lawn mowers are easier to use, but they can’t cover the same area as bigger ones. The power of the engine, the deck size, the adjustable height of the blades – all of these things affect how it will perform for your needs.
You might need to consider the distance you need to cover from the power outlet, and either get a decent extension cord or look for another kind of mower, be it cordless, gas, or manual reel mower.
Other Features
There are other things that you might want when you are looking for the best electric lawn mower for your needs. Features like adjustable cutting height, powerful motor, and steel blades are all important for that much needed performance and efficiency.
Some push mowers have fold over handles for easier storage, grass collector bags to get all the clippings instead of leaving them behind, and the list of comfort options is just going on and on and on.
One thing is sure, as opposed to the traditional gas mowers, these corded, electric lawn mowers are all easy to start with a push of a button, low maintenance, and good for the environment.
BLACK+DECKER MTE912 12-Inch Electric 3-in-1 Trimmer/Edger and Mower
12
Cutting Path (inches)
6.5
Motor (Amp)
Let’s start our list of electric lawn mower reviews with this interesting 3-in-1 tool. The Black and Decker MTE912 can be a string trimmer, lawn edger, and push mower. It’s ideal for those who do not wish to buy all these as separate tools, have a small to medium garden, a yard with many obstacles, or lack storage place in the garage or shed to store a number of big machinery.
The MTE912 is powered by a 6.5 Amp electric motor, which is satisfactory for such a small tool. The cutting mechanism is not blades as with other typical lawn mowers but a regular AF-100 0.065 inch string spool. B+D features an Automated Feed System that ensures the string length is always correct, no need to turn it around and check all the time or adjust it manually.
How Does the Black and Decker MTE912 Mower Work?
To put it simply, the MTE912 is a string trimmer with the rather unique features of an additional lawn mower deck and the flexibility to be turned into an edger.
As a string trimmer, it is lightweight, and powerful and the Automatic Feed System does its job well. There is a guide wheel that helps move the trimmer around obstacles or walls while keeping the right distance.
The edger is like the string trimmer but enables you to form sharp, nicely cut edges for your lawn. With the above mentioned guide wheel, just roll the edger by pathway, and with this increased control shape the sides nicely and quickly.
The lawn mower function is achieved with the additional lawn mower deck that can be attached and secured to the trimmer with a quick-release pedal. The cutting height can be adjusted between 1.6 and 2.4 inches.
The handle position can be changed between 33-43 inches as well to fit your height and mowing style.
We recommend getting an extension cord (16 gauge at least) to make the best out of this electric mower/trimmer. In case you need more freedom, Black and Decker manufactures cordless, battery powered lawn mowers of pretty much the same model, the BLACK+DECKER MTC220 20V Lithium Ion 3-in-1 Trimmer/Edger and Mower.
Sun Joe MJ401E Mow Joe 14-Inch Electric Lawn Mower With Grass Bag
14
Cutting Path (inches)
12
Motor (Amp)
The Sun Joe MJ401E electric lawn mower is a compact yet powerful little mower that is easy to maneuver but still has a reasonably sized deck to cover small and medium sized gardens. Its affordable price combined with all the features could easily make it the best electric lawn mower for the money we have seen this year. But let’s get into the details.
Easy to start with a push of a button, the 12 Amp motor provides more than enough cutting power, one of the most powerful engines on our list. Being electric, it also operates cleanly without fumes and needs much less maintenance than gas models.
Rugged wheels should give more confidence on slopes and wet grass while the light, 29 pounds weight should be easy to push around even for unfit or elderly buyers. It’s available in four colors
As opposed to the 3-in-1 Black and Decker model, this classic mower design uses a durable, no-rust single blade with a clearing path of 14 inches. The cutting height can be adjusted manually in 3 positions between 1.18 and 2.52 inches.
The Sun Joe mower comes with a detachable grass catcher for easy disposal of clippings with a capacity of over 10 gallons, while as an optional extra, you can purchase a side discharge chute (MJ401E-DCA).
In case you own a medium to large size garden or need more power, Sun Joe produces bigger and stronger lawn mowers with the same design and similar features:
- The Sun Joe MJ401E-PRO offers the same 14-Inch blade but with 13 Amp motor
- The Sun Joe MJ402E has an increased deck size of 16-Inch and the same 12 Amp motor
- There’s the Sun Joe MJ403E is 17-Inch with 13 Amps
- While the big boy Sun Joe MJ408E offers a stunning 20 Inch cutting path and the usual 12 Amp motor
All Sun Joe (Mow Joe) models here come with 2-Years Full Warranty.
Greenworks 16-Inch Electric Walk Behind Lawn Mower
16
Cutting Path (inches)
10
Motor (Amp)
Greenworks is a widely popular brand when it comes to garden tools and lawn mowers in particular. This Greenworks 16 Inch walk behind push mower is not the latest model but well well-proven and tested unit.
Features a 16 Inch deck, which is considered a great compromise between maneuverability and cutting capacity. The durable steel blade offers performance and longevity. This claim is backed up by the exceptional Full 4-Year Warranty on the tool which is double the industry standard.
10 Amp motor delivers enough power to get the job done while the 7-Inch wheels make it easier to get around on slopes and rough terrain.
There is a single, easy to access lever for 5-position height adjustment, setting the cutting height for the mower between 5/8 inch and 2 5/8 inch.
Taking care of the grass clippings can be done in two ways, either using the rear grass bagging or through the mulching option, both included with the mower. The rear bag has a limited capacity but is still quite handy.
One last, nice touch is the fold over handles for simple and convenient storage or transportation.
For more details, you can find the Greenworks 25142 owner’s manual here.
Greenworks 20-Inch Corded Electric Lawn Mower
20
Cutting Path (inches)
12
Motor (Amp)
Greenworks has always been popular among residential lawn mower customers but this 25022 20-inch model is one of the most popular and highly rated electric lawn mowers on the market.
What’s on the table (or indeed, lawn) here is a well made, durable mower with a 20-inch steel (not plastic!) deck with a 7-position single lever height adjustment system. The cutting height can be adjusted between 1 1/2 and 3 3/4 inches.
The wide cutting path of 20 inches offers great performance and efficiency even for bigger than average size yards. The powerful 12 Amp motor is more than enough for cutting and mulching.
Highly versatile, the Greenworks 25022 is a 3-in-1 mower, meaning it can be operated with bagging, side discharge or mulching modes. All attachments are included in the package and for the price.
Like the previous Greenworks lawn mower, this one also comes with the exceptional Full 4-Year Warranty on the tool itself which is double the industry standard.
Additionally, it has fold over handles for simple and convenient storage or transportation.
All in all, we can confidently state that this Greenworks push mower is the best electric lawn mower we have tested today. It is great for small to medium size lawns and according to the outstanding online reviews, it is difficult to find a better mower for residential use.
For more details, you can find the Greenworks 25022 Owners Manual here.
Which Electric Lawn Mower is Best for this Year?
If you want the biggest and most powerful lawn mower, the Greenworks 25022 20-inch mower is your best bet.
Prefer value instead? Get the best electric lawn mower for the money, the Sun Joe MJ401E model may be a better choice. The Sun Joe lawn mower is also a bestseller and we are sure that you will not regret buying it.
We also find the Black and Decker MTE912 12-Inch mower / trimmer an interesting concept and a power tool that punches way above its weight. Definitely, an alternative to consider when looking for the best electric lawn mower for your needs.
In case you have a huge yard then we suggest you get a ride on mower or zero turn mower to be honest, as a push mower is only recommended for up to 1/2 acre for reasons like efficiency and comfort.
Once you’ve got your shiny new mower don’t forget to get a protective cover, it can extend the life of new and old mowers alike.
Kids love playing along and imitating what their Dad is doing in the garden. Make sure you keep them entertained by checking out some kids lawn mowers to play with!
