If you want to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful, you must mow it with regularity. Unfortunately, however, traditional lawnmowers that run on gas have enough disadvantages to make most people groan every time it’s time to go outside and cut the grass.
Apart from being loud, they emit plenty of toxic fumes. Even more than that, they require constant maintenance, and the fuel they run on can get very expensive.
Thankfully, though, there is a great alternative to gas-fueled mowers. Without the pollution, the noise, and the hassle, electric and reel mowers can be as effective as their gas-fueled counterparts. Interested? Keep on reading to find out what the best non-gas lawn mowers on the market are.
Table of Contents
The Best Non-Gas Lawn Mower – Three Reviews & Comparison Table
1. American Lawn Mower Company Push Reel Lawn Mower – Best Walk-Behind Lawn Mower
Featuring a 14-inch, a 4-blade cutting deck that’s shockingly effective, this non-gas lawn mower is a fantastic option for lovers of practicality. Made of high-quality plastic and featuring stainless steel blades, this mower is very durable.
Compact and lightweight, the American Lawn Mower Company Push Reel Lawn Mower is amazingly easy to maneuver. It’s also very user-friendly: Set it up, stand behind it and begin pushing through your lawn.
Material Quality
As I mentioned earlier, the American Lawn Mower Company Push Reel Lawn Mower is made of high-quality materials, including stainless steel blades that only require sharpening once every three to five years.
Meanwhile, the frame is made of tough and durable industrial-quality plastic that perfectly guards its internal mechanism. Speaking of the internal mechanism, this machine requires little to no maintenance.
No Pollution
Without a doubt, one of the best things about the American Lawn Mower Company Push Reel Lawn Mower is that it produces no fumes at all. That is not all, though: It’s also tranquil. You won’t even need to oil its mechanism for it to run smoothly and quietly at all times. In fact, when you use this product, you will only hear the sound of the grass blades being cut. If you are a lover of quiet, this may be the best reel mower on the market for you.
- Easily adjustable cutting height.
- Requires very little maintenance.
- Very easy to assemble.
- Effective with various types of grass.
- Does not require oil.
- Rolling backward can cause the mechanism to become stuck.
- Wheels offer very low friction.
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2. Greenworks 20-Inch Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Catcher – Best Non Gas Lawn Mower with Mulching Bag
Without a doubt, this product will appeal to those looking for a non-gas lawn mower that offers a healthy balance between practicality and efficiency.
Featuring a 20-inch deck, this walk-behind lawnmower by Greenworks is capable of getting the job done quickly and effectively. In fact, this may be the best reel mower for homeowners with a small or medium-sized lawn.
Expert Construction
Despite being compact and very lightweight, the Greenworks 20-Inch Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Catcher is a competent product. Without a doubt, this has a lot to do with its expert construction. Its reel mechanism is flawless, allowing for smooth and uninterrupted cutting action at all times.
Manage Grass Clippings
To make it more convenient, the manufacturers of the Greenworks 16-Inch Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Catcher decided to include an effective mulching bag that’s capable of capturing grass clippings. This is wonderfully helpful as it prevents you from having to sweep up said clippings after mowing your lawn. Even though it’s somewhat difficult to attach and detach, this mulching bag is very functional and durable. As if that wasn’t enough, the product includes a blower that can help you eliminate any leftover grass clippings and traces.
- Very quick and efficient.
- 5 cutting blades
- Offers both a mulching and a rear bag.
- Do not emit toxic fumes.
- Offers four height adjustment positions.
- Very lightweight.
- Somewhat difficult to clean.
- The mulching bag is difficult to attach and detach.
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3. Greenworks G-MAX 40V Cordless Lawn Mower – Best Cordless Electric Lawn Mower
If you are looking for a walk-behind mower that doesn’t require you to push it, look no further. Using a powerful and long-lasting lithium-ion battery, the Greenworks G-MAX 40V Cordless Lawn Mower is capable of going through the grass of any type and thickness with barely any effort from you.
Fantastic Durability
The Greenworks G-MAX 40V Cordless Lawn Mower stands out due to its fantastic material quality. The mower’s frame is made of high-quality plastic that’s amazingly tough and durable. The machine features guards that prevent rocks or other types of debris from reaching its internal mechanism.
Doyle Mathews Lawn Expert
Maneuverability and Precision
Being made of plastic instead of metal makes this non-gas lawn mower very lightweight. At the same time, it provides great maneuverability. Cordless, the machine can be effectively guided through lawns and yards full of obstacles, resulting in fantastic precision and high-quality results.
- Very tough and durable.
- Lightweight.
- Easy to maneuver.
- Single lever 5-position height adjustment.
- Requires almost no maintenance.
- The battery loses power very quickly.
- A large number of grass clippings tend to fall off the bag.
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The Best Non-Gas Lawn Mower – Buyer’s Guide
Types of Non-Gas Lawn Mowers
Before going more in-depth into the different characteristics of electric lawnmowers, it can help divide them into categories. They are as follows:
Walk-Behind Mowers
The most traditional lawnmower, a walk-behind mower, requires the user to walk behind it and direct it. They can be electric, gas-powered, or reel-based. By and large, walk-behind mowers are the most practical, budget-friendly, and environmentally conscious type of mower out there. They also tend to be very compact and lightweight, particularly when compared to the various gas-powered models out there. However, walk-behind lawn mowers are slower and less efficient than other types of mowers.
Riding Mowers
People who have large lawns may not have the time and the energy required to take care of them using a walk-behind mower. If that’s the case with you, it may be a good idea to get a riding mower. Apart from preventing you from walking from start to finish, this type of mower tends to be larger, faster, and more powerful than walk-behind ones. However, it would help if you kept in mind that, in essence, they are small vehicles. For that reason, you will have to provide regular maintenance to them.
Corded vs. Cordless Lawn Mowers
When you go for an electric lawnmower, two options are immediately presented to you: corded or cordless. Let’s go over each option:
Corded Lawn Mowers
As the name clearly indicates, corded lawn mowers are powered using an extension cord. That makes them very practical: To use a corded lawn mower, all you have to do is plug the cord into an electrical socket, and you are ready to go. Normally, this type of mower ranges between 14 and 20 inches in deck width. Without a doubt, they are efficient.
However, there is one major inconvenience: Having an extension cord behind you at all times makes it difficult to move through yards with a lot of obstacles. However, if you own a small lawn with few or no trees or bushes, a corded mower can be a great choice.
Cordless Lawn Mowers
If the idea of an electric mower appeals to you but a cord does not, you can get a cordless device. Cordless mowers are using a rechargeable battery and providing the practicality and mobility of a gas-powered mower without noise or fumes. This type of mower comes in a variety of voltages. Typically, the higher the voltage, the greater the torque is. The higher the torque, the cleaner and more precise the cut will be.
What to Look for in a Non-Gas Lawn Mower
The next time you are in the market for a new non-gas lawn mower, take into account the following aspects:
Deck Size and Cutting Swath
The first thing you should consider before buying a new lawnmower is its deck size. The wider the deck is, the longer the cutting swath of the device will be. Of course, a large cutting swath can do the job faster (in fewer passes) and more efficiently than a short one.
Apart from saving you time, a wider deck reduces the amount of energy consumed to mow your entire lawn. There are also downsides to having a wider deck, though. For one, a mower with a wide deck can be more difficult to maneuver.
Grass Management
When you mow your lawn, a lot of grass clippings are produced. It’s important to look for a mower that helps you deal with these clippings in an efficient, clean, and practical manner. It should be noted, though, that some models are better at this than others.
Some lawn mower models shoot the grass clippings from the side. Of course, this means you will have to sweep up the clipping yourself after mowing the lawn. Clearly, this is not the most convenient and practical option. On the other hand, you have mowers that collect the clippings in a mulching bag.
Height Adjustment
Another important feature that you should take into account before buying a lawnmower is height adjustment. This feature allows you to easily and quickly control the height that you will cut the grass. At this point, I should note that grass experts say that you should never cut the grass to less than thirty percent of its overall height. If you do this, it will weaken the grass, causing it to become more susceptible to disease.
Starting Mechanism
One of the greatest advantages of non-gas lawn mowers is that their starting mechanism is quick and simple. Normally, you only need to push a button to get the device going. However, some are started with a key or by pulling a starter handle.
Safety Features
Many electric lawnmowers include safety features that help prevent accidents. For example, some of them require the user to pull an activation handle while using the device actively. If the handle stops being pulled, the mower automatically stops. Other safety features include shields or guards that prevent rocks from reaching the user or the machine’s internal mechanism.
Alternatives
Tow-Behind Mowers
If you need to mow large extensions of grass (like the fairways of a golf course), nothing beats a tow-behind mower. As the name implies, these mowers are towed by an ATV or tractor. They are very powerful but require gas, so this option is for large yards.
In Conclusion
With everything on the table, it’s easy to see how products like the ones featured in this guide are changing people’s preconceptions about electric lawnmowers. Using advanced technologies, new products like these can be as effective and useful as gas-powered ones. Amazingly, they can achieve this without making noise or releasing toxic fumes. Hopefully, this buyer’s guide will help you decide whether a non-gas lawnmower is right for you.
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