How to buy the best battery powered cordless electric lawn mower

In many ways a cordless electric lawn mower gives you the best of both worlds when you are looking to select the best lawn mower. With a cordless lawn mower you get the flexibility and freedom of movement associated with gas powered lawn mower models, but the quietness and environmental soundness found in the the electric lawn mower category.

Choosing the best cordless electric lawn mower involves assessing the the size of mower that you need for your lawn, which is largely a question of battery power and mower cutting width, and then thinking about the features you need. For example: do you want a self propelled mower? Do you want one that has lots of adjustability? Do you want a mower that collects the grass clippings? There are many cordless lawn mower models available these days, so it usually possible to find one to suit your budget.

How does a cordless electric lawn mower work?

The essence of the cordless lawn mower is that it is operated by a rechargeable battery. So you’ll often see one of these models referred to as a battery powered lawn mower, a battery operated lawn mower or a rechargeable mower.

The battery provides the power to spin the cutting blade and, in self-propelled models, to drive the front or rear wheels. Therefore, in a battery lawn mower, the battery is critical. We’ve therefore provided some detail about batteries for cordless mowers below.

Size and power of cordless electric lawn mowers

Cordless electric lawn mowers typically come with 20 to 80 volt battery packs. Some of the leading brands are introducing higher powered batteries all the time and/or including multiple separately rechargeable batteries in the pack.

Although the amount of power each battery size can actually deliver depends on a number of variables, such as grass conditions and the design of the mower, generally a battery with higher voltage will get you more power and a longer run time.

Manufacturers will reference run times for their batteries of up to 60 mins, but this is usually based on optimum conditions, e.g. short dry grass on a flat lawn. Realistic run times are between 25 and 45 minutes. So if you have a large lawn (more than 150 square metres) look out for longer run times or get a spare battery back.

The other important size consideration with cordless electric mowers is the cutting width. Obviously, the bigger the cutting width, the more grass you cut with each pass of the mower. So, if you have a bigger lawn area to cut, look out for mowers with greater cutting width.

Overall the largest cordless mowers are generally smaller than the largest gas powered mowers. Cordless mowers typically have cutting widths between 18 inches (45.5cm) and 21 inches (53cm).

Types of cordless electric lawn mower

Cordless electric mowers vary according to:

• Battery size
• Whether they are self-propelled or not
• Grass discharge options
• Cutting widths.

In self-propelled models the battery drives the wheels as well as the blade. So, these models take the effort out of mowing. This is good if you are not especially powerful yourself or if you have large mowing areas to contend with.

Grass discharge may be by way of mulching, bagging or side/rear discharge of clippings. We look at the pros and cons of these different capabilities here. But in short:

• mulching means the clippings are chopped up small and distributed back on the lawn
• bagging means the clippings are directed in to a collection bag, which needs emptying from time to time, and
• side or rear discharge means the clippings are fire out of the side or rear of the mower to be left where they fall or swept up later.

How do cordless electric lawn mowers compare to other types of lawn mowers?

Cordless mowers have all the advantages that corded electric lawn mowers have over gas mowers – and then some.

They are good for the environment, good for your relations with your neighbors (they’re quiet) and very easy to use and operate.

You need to make sure they are properly charged, but other than that they’ll work on demand with little in the way of upkeep to be done.

Of course, they are not as powerful as gas powered mowers and are not suitable for cutting long and/or very lush grass, or very large lawns (unless you have multiple batteries that you can interchange).

They have the obvious major advantage over corded models that you can use them anywhere without the need for an electric power source.

On the downside, though, even the best models won’t run for more than a hour or so at most and re-charging fully can take up to 12 hours, although some models have quick charging options that will restore charge in 45 minutes to an hour.

Cordless mowers are also more expensive than corded models (similar in price to gas powered mowers) and can also be heavier heavier because of the weight of battery, although these days manufacturers are finding ways to make cordless lawn mowers much lighter than they were.

For example, the Black and Decker 20 inch 40V Max cordless mower weighs 47 pounds where as an earlier Black and Decker model the the CM1936 19 inch 36 volt cordless electric mower weighed 72 pounds.

Features to look out for in cordless electric lawn mowers

Batteries

The heart of the cordless electric mower is the battery, so look for power and quality there.

Most models these days have Lithium-Ion batteries. Avoid older models with Nicad (Nickle-Cadmium) batteries as they don’t hold a charge as well as the others and fade as the charge dissipates.

Some battery mower models have fixed batteries, but increasingly manufactures are making models with batteries that can be removed for re-charging. Often, the batteries are interchangeable with other power tools that that manufactures sells, so technically you only need have one battery because it can be used with all compatible tools. Greenworks, for example, advertises “one battery – 60 tools”.

However, it is usually a good idea to have more than one battery, so that you can keep one on charge while the other is being used, or, if you are using multiple compatible tools, you can use more than one at the same time.

Bear in mind that no battery will last indefinitely, though you should be able to get 500 recharges out of a good one.

When you are comparing prices of cordless lawn mower models, make sure you compare like with like. Some models are sold without batteries or charger units, some are sold with them and some are sold with spare batteries.

This is useful if you already own a tool that uses the same type of battery – you may not necessarily want a new battery or charger. But, make sure you are not buying a bare unit, with no battery or charger, when in fact you need both. It is easy to see the lower price and think you are getting a great bargain.

Drive: Self propelled or push mower?

With a self propelled cordless electric lawn mower, the battery has to turn the wheels of the machine in order to move it forward, as well as rotate the blades at high speed to cut the grass. Obviously, a push mower model requires you to propel the mower forward by pushing it.

Therefore, a push mower will need less battery power, but can be hard to handle if the machine is a bigger model or the grass is long.

In my experience, given the added weight of cordless electric mowers, the self-propelled capability is preferable, especially if you have any inclines to mow, or you’re not quite as strong and fit as might like to be.

Some models have a fixed drive speed, others a variable speed. Some even adjust speed automatically to match your walking pace.

In terms of cost difference, the Greenworks 48V, 20 inch self-propelled model, for example, is around $100 more expensive than the push mower of equivalent spec.

Power Indicator

It’s useful to have a power indicator light to alert you to the battery’s level of charge.

Grass Discharge and bagging

This is discussed above, but be alive to the fact that some discharge options may require added extras, e.g. mulching inserts or side discharge chutes, that have to be purchased separately.

It’s worth noting that mulching takes more power from the battery than bagging, so you’ll cover less ground in one charge when mulching than you will using the other options.

Adjustability

Is there such a word?

If not, there should be. In this context I’m referring to the capacity to adjust cutting height easily and to set handle heights and angles that are suitable for the operator. This helps prevents injuries and strains. The more adjustability the better!

Cutting height is particularly important for lawn care, as the wrong cutting height, especially early and late in the season can damage your lawn. Read more on this on our lawn care page.

Storage

The handles on many models can be folded down for ease of storage. But remember, these things can be pretty weighty, so they’re not as easy to swing around your garage as other types of mower.

Best uses for cordless electric lawn mowers

A cordless electric mower will suit you if:

• You have a small to medium size yard to mow
• You have trees, shrubs or other obstacles to mow around
• You don’t have slopes or hills to mow
• You are reasonably strong
• You can get your mowing chores done in about an hour and half (or you have a spare battery)
• You want an environmentally friendly option
• You want a quiet option
• You want a low maintenance option
• You want to avoid petrol/gas, oil and electric cords
• You don’t have especially lush grass
• You don’t leave your grass to grow long between mowings.

Best selling cordless electric mowers

Best cordless lawn mowers: US Buyers

Below are some current best selling options from Amazon. If you are interested in a Greenworks mower scroll further down for options to buy direct from Greenworks.

Buy direct from Greenworks

Buy direct from Greenworks and use the coupon code welcomecode at checkout to get an extra 10% off

Greenworks 48V (2 X 24V) 20 Inch HP Self-Propelled Brushless Lawn Mower W/ (2) 4.0 AH USB Batteries And (1) Dual Port Charger Included

Best cordless lawn mowers: UK Buyers

Summing up

I like cordless outdoor power equipment more and more and battery powered mowers are leading the way in improving the convenience and ease of use when it comes to lawn care.

If I was satisfied that I wouldn’t need a gas mower for the extra power and the extra operating time, I’d be quite happy to just have a cordless electric mower.

Unless I had a really small lawn that was easy to cut lawn, I think I’d always be willing to stump up the extra cash for a cordless mower instead of a corded mower.

Not sure if you need a cordless mower? Just beginning your lawn mower research? Start with our definitive guide on how to buy the best lawn mower.