Part of renting a house in Portland is having to take care of the lawn. I do mean that you have to as well. If I were to let the grass become too unruly, I'd get a call from the city and fines would follow soon after that.
But being opposed to using gas except where truly necessary, I am not about to go out and buy a gas lawn mower. There are better options now. Electric mowers aren't even a new development and have been standard lawn equipment in the UK especially for decades.
Maybe you're in the same boat, or similar? Maybe you're tired of dealing with pull start gas mowers and the filters, oil changes and various other headaches they entail. I'm right there with you. I used to have to mow my parent's lawn with a gas mower as a common Summer chore, and it has burned into my mind an irreversible hatred of gas mowers.
What are the electric options out there, then? This is by no means a comprehensive list. Rather it's some of the better options I've been able to find, and the ones I'm considering for my particular application: A small, rather flat lawn. If your needs differ, the mowers listed here may not be right for you.
That's not to say there aren't electric mowers of all sizes and power ratings. Powered wheels or push style, some even ride-on(!). I'll cover one of those in a bit just for the fun of it. The rest are models suitable for light duty, chosen for convenience and ease of storage mostly.
Ryobi was one of the first corded models I looked at. Like all the others, it comes in a variety of blade diameters from 14 inch up to 20 inch. I have some Ryobi tools already and generally like the brand. But then, as I already have a bunch of Ryobi batteries, why not go cordless?
Prices for these cordless ones are pretty steep, and for the most part you get what you pay for, so it's unwise to buy the cheapest one. You're looking at between $300 and $500. Not as bad as expected, but still not cheap. On top of that, most models have only 75% or so positive reviews.
Makita was the only brand of cordless mower I could find with only 4 and 5 star reviews. Evidently Makita is a fairly trusted brand, but you'll pay a little extra for that build quality. The one I looked at was $350 without batteries.
Then there's the really weird, fringe stuff. Like hovering electric mowers. Long have these been widespread in the UK, but oddly they're very rare in the US. Why? I don't know, by all accounts they work a treat and and especially maneuverable because of the lack of wheels. Flymo makes these, though there's a gas version that Husqvarna offers.
That brings us to robot mowers. The WorX Landroid was the only one I found on Amazon with a highly positive rating. I used to recommend the Lawnbott Spyder, but it's no longer manufactured. The Landroid, like most robot mowers, requires hammering stakes down to secure a signal wire around the lawn perimeter which tells the robot where not to go.
I saved the Ryobi electric riding lawn mower for last because I have no conceivable use for it. My lawn is simply too small. Apparently it's exceptionally good however. It uses lead acid batteries to keep the price down to an astonishing $2,500 (as low as $1,950 some places) but of course that means you'll be replacing them more often.
Apparently it runs plenty long, has good cutting power and good build quality. I almost wish I had a huge lawn just for an excuse to buy one of these. But really, cutting grass is robot work. I will probably buy a cheap corded mower for the time being, then a robotic one when SBD next surges.
Stay Cozy!