The best mowers all have certain features in common that allow them to get the job done. When purchasing an electric mower, you have to be very careful that you are getting your money’s worth. I know we are trying to be Eco-friendly but at the same time, the mower needs to get the job done efficiently, without any extra hassle and in a cost-effective manner every mowing season.
How do you know that you have found the perfect mowing beast? Here’s how to choose a good cordless electric mower-separate the trash. How?
Top ten areas you cannot afford to miss when investigating about a cordless electric mower
There are 10 factors that you must consider when purchasing a lawnmower. These include:
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Power
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Design
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Performance
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Efficiency and ease of use
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Durability
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Ease of locating replacements for wearable parts
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Value
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Complaints from buyers
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Praises from buyers
- Customer service support from the company
Power – Hard to assess by just reading the specs!
This is very difficult to asses by just looking at a mower and is best assessed with the mower on your lawn. This is where online reviews come in. Read about how the mower works on different lawn types before purchasing it! Watch videos if available. It might look perfect on paper but gets stuck over 4 inches of grass! You want to consider your grass type and the weather you experience and cross-reference that with how often you plan to cut your lawn and at what time.
For example, mowing once every 2 weeks, thick grass plus a rainy area or mowing in the dewy morning means you need a powerful mower!
Take a look at some Powerful lawnmowers reviewed here so far:
Design
The design of a mower is one of the most important features. This will determine all the other factors and should match your abilities (for example, minimal ambulation means you need a robotic lawnmower, moderate ambulation means you need a self-propelled lawnmower). Below are a few design aspects you should look into.
Size, Shape, and Weight:
- Must be able to fit in the back of a normal-sized van
- It should be light enough for you to handle. Most electric lawn mowers are a lot lighter than gas mowers.
- If the front of the mower is too far out from the front wheels/blades and the blades are safely packed away under a bulky deck, then it will be hard to get edges
- All comes down to what you prefer.
Start option:
- For electric devices, a push-button start option is preferred and an option to control the speed is a bonus.
- Ease of starting with the pull string option. One pull should be enough.
Safety features and signals:
- Protection from blades and other dangerous parts.
- Warning signals for overheating battery etc.
- We should have a battery charge level signal system so that you can have a relative idea of how much charge is left in the battery.
Adjustable heights available:
- It should be high enough to get taller weeds and avoid stones of reasonable sizes.
- It should be low enough to get that nice golf lawn look if that is what you prefer.
- Heights should be available between high and low (3 or more) to give more options.
- One handle for adjusting all four wheels is preferred. Nobody wants the hassle of adjusting all four.
- It should be easy to adjust.
Noise level: Most are pretty quiet
- Should not disturb the neighbor’s football game!
- Ideally, it should not wake the baby in your house!
Performance- Can the mower handle your lawn or any lawn?
- How clean is the cut?
- How tall can your grass grow before it gets bogged down?
- How much area can it cover before the battery dies?
- How well does each featured work compared to the company’s claims?
Efficiency and ease of use:
- How easy is it to assemble? Does it come pre-assembled? Is the manual even in English? Unboxing videos will come in handy here.
- How easy it is to start?
- How easy it is to maneuver around the lawn or bushes considering rocks and hills?
- How easy it is to make adjustments?
- How easy it is to charge the batteries?
- How easy it is to remove grass if bagging is included?
- How easy is it to clean, sharpen blades, etc?
Durability
- How long does the device last before getting replacement parts (example wheels, blades, etc)?
- Will it even last a season?
- Is it plastic or metal deck?
- Look into the battery carefully! One of the major problems with electric mowers is frequent faulty batteries. Ideally, your battery should no go before the warranty does. 10 years is excellent.
Ease of locating replacement parts and accessories
- How compatible are the batteries and chargers are with other machines of similar specs? It is easier to find replacement batteries and chargers for mowers that fall under a series of tools with similar voltages from the same company.
- How easy is it to find replacements for wearable parts online or in stores? If the replaceable parts are available online, that is usually a good sign.
Complaints from buyers- Boo and YAy!?
Look around on the online stores and other online discussions to find out what people are really saying about the products.
If you look on the company Website you will see what the company wants you to see! All brightly shining, 90-100% positive reviews. This is because they can filter and reject certain reviews.
Under our reviews at C-ELMR, we provide you with a list of complaints that we found online so that you can know what is trending about the product
Praise from buyers
To be fair, we also consider the positive comments given on the product usually outlining personalized opinions about the best part of owning the electric mower. Beware of paid reviews! Some people get paid to write good reviews, not by companies but often time by the sellers. If you are buying online, choose reputable sources with money-back guarantees!
For example, the Amazon lawnmower section, Home Depot, Lowes and sometimes eBay (Check seller before purchase!) are good places to shop online for cordless electric mowers.
Customer Service support from the company
If the customer complaints are resolved then there should not be a problem.
- How easy is it to contact the manufacturer of the reviewed product?
- How well they deal with customer complaints?
- You should just give it a test run. Google some things about the mower that you think they should know, call and ask about the mower and see how well you are treated and how well the information is delivered.
- This would also fall under complaints from buyers. In my experience, this is the easiest part to play detective with online. Lucky for you, people love to complain about everything on the Internet for everyone to see!
Overall Value – Is this mower worth the purchase?
After considering all of the factors mentioned above, is the cordless electronic mower worth it? Some brands will give a killer price for a product that is all hype and no substance. More importantly, is this mower worth is for you? Is the mower right for your lawn?
Consider:
- How big is your lawn? Does it fit with the mower specifications?
- How thick is your grass?
- Will one battery be sufficient to cut your entire lawn? Or will you need to buy an extra battery or two? How much will that cost when compared to another mower with longer-lasting batteries?
- How much will it cost you to buy wearable parts?
- How much does the company charge to do repairs?
What are the best electric mowers that we recommend?
Well, we made your life a lot easier. Check out our top ten electric mowers list to the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Also, take a look at the following:
- Best lawn mowers for small lawns
- Best lawnmowers for medium-sized lawns
- Best lawnmowers for Large lawns
- Robotic Lawnmowers! Never mow again!
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