Lawnmower Buying Guide 2024
In this video, I want to talk about a lawn mower-buying guide 2024. So, in other words, the main different types of lawnmowers, what types are available, and an approximate cost, etc.
First of all, before I show you any mowers, just remember that there are a lot of cheap mowers on the market that aren’t brilliant. They may last you a year or two, but in my experience, I have found that if you can, and I know we all have a budget, you’re better off buying something solid and good that will last.
Actually, in the long-term, it will work out cheaper, and you will have a more excellent piece of machinery to use. There’s nothing very pleasant about using a cheap lawnmower, but I do appreciate we all have a budget. But overall, in my experience, I’ve found that buying a quality product works out much better than buying a cheap product, and that applies to most things, to be fair. You can see my YouTube lawnmower buying guide 2024 below.
Electric Lawnmowers
So let’s start with the budget-type mowers, which are electric lawnmowers. Now, I think all these mowers are electric four-wheel mowers, and some are also available in batteries. But just be careful with the battery ones because the batteries, a lot of them on the domestic machines, don’t last that long, and it can be frustrating if you can’t get the job finished.
So, although I’m not a lover of electric mowers because you have the trailing cable. However, they are low maintenance and cheap, and the biggest obstacle for me is the cable. But they are reliable and easy to use, and if you’re on a limited budget, you can see you’ve got £49. I have actually used these, and they’re not too bad for what they are. They do offer value for money.
Rear Roller Mowers
So, that’s kind of the basic type of electric mower, and cheap as well. If we go here, we’re going to go kind of upmarket now. We have petrol, or what I call rear roller mowers. So, in other words, they drive off the roller. Let me show you an example of the machine that I use, which is a bit bigger. It’s a rotary mower powered by the roller behind the mower. The grass is thrown into the collector here, leaving a striped finish.
Now, for many people, this is a very practical type of mower. This is one of the more expensive ones, but you can get cheaper models, as you can see here. We’ve got them for £319, £399, etc. So, they vary in price, but this one is a professional model, which I’ve used for some years now, and a very good machine. And you have the added bonus of having stripes, making your lawn look quite nice. It’s not the next best thing to a cylinder mow. These Weibang mowers have five-year domestic and three-year commercial warranties, so they obviously trust their brand.
Four Wheeled Rotary Mowers
Moving on to more types of rotary mowers, these are four-wheeled rotary mowers. Some are self-propelled, and some are push models. Obviously, the self-propelled ones are a little bit dearer, but it’s definitely worth paying a little bit extra for the self-propelled machines rather than having to push them. It does make life easier, and in general, there’s not that much difference in price, but it will definitely make your life easier.
Once again, we’ve got a wide range to choose from, all different prices and so forth. But I like the idea of petrol because you can use it; you’re not restricted with a cable. There’s no battery that’s going to run down. All you need is petrol. Obviously, there is a bit of servicing, but it’s very simple on a modern petrol mow, to be fair. And with a rotary mower, you can almost cut grass in the wet, within reason, providing it’s not waterlogged or anything. Obviously, it’s better if you can cut in the dry, but these are quite a good allrounder and offer value for money if you just want to literally cut your grass. No stripes, but just make it look neat and tidy.
Hover Mowers
So the next type are petrol hover mowers, which are also available in electric. They’re not quite as popular as they were a few years ago. Although I don’t own a hover mower, I quite like them as they’re just quite practical for doing banks and things. You can swing them around. I’ve actually always found it easier to pull them backwards because I think as soon as you start to push on them, they push the cushion of air down. So you’re almost better off dragging them.
But they can be quite universal, even though they are not quite as popular as they were a few years ago. It seems like other machines have taken over, but if you’ve got banks and things, it’s worth looking at because you can use a two-stroke engine on a bank, and they’ll still work and be quite effective. I’ve done around ponds and things and even had them on a rope.
It may not be the best idea, but it’s a good way of getting to awkward places. They’re quite universal. Most hover mowers, some of the electric ones, do have collectors, but most of them just mulch the grass. So you don’t really need to collect the grass.
Cylinder Mowers
Right, the next mowers are cylinder mowers. And in some ways, I wouldn’t recommend a cylinder mower unless you have a really fine lawn. It’s the sort of mower that is used on bowling greens and golf courses, etc. But if you take pride in your lawn, they’re worth looking at. But they are certainly not as universal as something like the Weibang rear roller mower would be, or something similar and it would give almost as good a finish. Not quite, but almost!
However, there are people who insist on a cylinder mower, and I fully understand. But obviously, the cutting action is very precise. It’s almost like a scissor action, two metal blades touching each other. So, really, every year, you need to have your cylinder reground to make sure it’s cutting properly and efficiently. If it’s not cutting properly the mower will have a tendency to push the grass down rather than cut it.
So, if you want your lawn to look tip-top, it’s important to look after the cylinder and make sure you don’t any obstacles with it. These are, obviously, in general terms, normally more expensive than a rotary. There’s a 14-inch one, £985, the larger one £1,185, 17-inch, and so forth. Now, there are some seriously expensive ones as well, but if you’re after something long-lasting and good, and you like your lawn looking nice, take a look at our cylinder mowers and I’m here to receive any comments that you might have any questions about.
Ride on Mower’s
The next category is ride-on mowers. We have a range of different ride-on ones, from smallish machines like this Alco, for £1,899 to £1,599. Just be aware with ride-on mowers. Some people like the idea of a ride-on, but sometimes you are better off with a good quality walk-behind if you have many obstacles. Ride-on mowers are not always as practical as people think. Obviously, if you have a lot of land, then you have to have a ride-on, but some people would be better off with a walk-behind, even though they think they need a ride-on.
The fact is that ride-on mowers cost money to maintain and service, and normally, the larger the machine, the higher the maintenance costs. Ride on mowers come in different shapes and sizes. Some of the tractors are rear discharge, some are side discharge, some are mulching, and some have collectors on. I actually quite like the idea of mulching, as there’s no grass to pick up, but we’ll come on to those mowers next.
What I would make sure of is when you have one of these ride-on mowers, make sure you can empty the mower from your seat. There are some models that have two or three bags at the back. You literally have to get off your seat on the mower to empty the box, which, to me, defeats the point of having a ride-on mower. You want to be able to cut your grass, stay on the machine, and not have to keep jumping off. For example, you can empty the box from the seat, which is great. I don’t think we have any ones where there are multiple boxes on the rear of the mower. It’s not a good idea, and to me, it defeats the idea of having a ride-on mower.
Out Front Ride Ons
So the next type of machine is an out-front ride-on. These are mulching mowers, but they are articulated steer, so they’re highly maneuverable. And you can swing in and out, around trees and obstacles, and into awkward places. Probably one of the most practical mowers, apart from Zero Turn Mowers, which we will look at in a moment, but certainly highly maneuverable. There is no grass to collect as they mulch the grass clippings. The prices start around, around just over the £2,000 mark, £2,300 here for the smaller one, and there are all sorts of different sizes. Four-wheel drive ones and wider cut ones, but certainly, the principle of these are brilliant. I have used them, and I can recommend them for manoeuvrability. For example, if you have a large area or an orchard, they may cut grass very straightforward.
Pedestrian Mulching Mowers
So, the next type of mower we will look at are pedestrian mulching mowers, some that drive and some push models. Now, once again, I like the idea of being able to mulch. No grass to collect, which is good. It’s one less job to do. But you do have to cut your grass regularly to mulch efficiently. Otherwise, if you let the grass get too long, you cannot mulch effectively and efficiently.
You are supposed to cut your grass really once a week in the growing season to get the right effect. But it’s definitely worth looking at. And we don’t actually have that many mulching mowers, but we have a few here to choose from. Straightforward petrol push ones. This one’s a self-propelled one. So, it’s definitely worth looking at, but you can’t stripe your lawns with this type of mower. They are just wheeled mowers. There’s no roller on them, so you won’t get stripes.
Zero Turn Mowers
Now, zero-turn mowers are the most manoeuvrable mowers on the market. These are Zero Turns. Basically, let’s click on this Stiga zero-turn mower. So you’ve got two large wheels at the back, each with a hydraulic motor. You’ve got the caster wheels at the front, and you’ve got these levers. And literally, you’ve got instant forward and reverse, and you can literally go around trees. The mower will turn around on itself. They are highly maneuverable. I’ve had several zero turn mowers, not a Stiga but similar machines, they really are great mowers for manoeuvrability. But they are mainly designed for larger areas.
Let’s just go back to see some of the larger models. So, there are all different types here. Stiga, Greenworks, Snapper, once again, all mulching mowers. Now, this is a battery one. Once again, I would just be a little bit careful with batteries because you never quite know how long they’re going to last. But a lot of people like battery-powered equipment. I have my reservations, to be fair, especially when you get to machines of this size. I know there are some commercial battery ones, but they are well we’re talking about getting on to £30,000 for a commercial battery mower, so a lot of money. But I can definitely recommend the principle of zero-turn mowing for manoeuvrability, speed, and getting around obstacles. They are absolutely brilliant and my preferred type of mower for large areas.
Robotic Mowers
Finally, robotic mowers are becoming more popular. I go to quite a few different gardens where I see robotic mowers. The biggest thing with a robotic mower is to make sure that you have the time to do a proper installation, in other words, to make sure it’s set up well.
Most robotic mowers have a perimeter wire that runs all around the perimeter of the lawn, and the mower follows the perimeter wire. In years to come, you may not need the perimeter wire; it may just be from a GPS signal. But at the moment, most robotic mowers need a perimeter wire around the outside of the lawn, which you can’t see, as the grass grows over it.
Remember, it’s important to take time doing the installation so you can cut right up to the edges to minimize strimming and any trimming around the edges afterwards. So if it’s carried out properly you will have very low maintenance. You can set these robotic mowers to come out at a given time. I know someone who lets his mower out daily because he likes it cut regularly.
Obviously, these mowers mulch; you don’t have to collect the grass or do anything else, it’s purely robotic. So it’s all very much a labour-saving idea. And the people who have robotic mowers, who I’ve spoken to, really seem to like them. Some people enjoy going out to cut their grass, but this could be the answer if you want to see your grass neat and kept tidy, with no stripes.
There are many different manufacturers out there, so have a look at our range. There are many that are worth looking at. And one of the most popular robotic bars I probably see our the Husqvarna models. I don’t think we’ve got any Husqvarna models in stock at the moment, but they seem to be quite popular with people. So, once again, they are definitely worth having a look.
To Conclude
So, if you have any questions on the lawn mower-buying guide 2024, please let me know the YouTube comments. This isn’t particularly a detailed review of mowers; it’s more just what’s available. So, in other words, it is a buying guide of what’s available. But once again, buy the best you can afford, as I believe it’s cheaper long-term, and carry out some research before you buy. If you’ve any comments on this video and blog post, please feel free to comment in the YouTube comments area. I would be pleased to help.
