During growing season, mowing the grass is a task that must be tackled all too frequently. These Choice Buy lawnmowers will help get the job done, cutting time and effort.

Lawnmower types

For anyone in the market for a new lawnmower this spring, their purchasing decision will largely depend on the size and layout of their lawn.

Traditional hand-pushed lawnmowers have a number of advantages in that they are a cheap form of exercise and they are environmentally-friendly as the only energy they take to operate comes from the person behind the handle. They are also generally less expensive than more advanced models. These lawn mowers are good for small-sized, regularly trimmed, fairly flat lawns. However, they will struggle with long grass and represent a lot of hard work if you have a medium-to-large-sized lawn.

For most people with family-sized lawns, a corded electric rotary mower is the most popular option. These mowers generally deliver great cutting performance on short-to-medium-length grass and are light for ease of pushing around. They are significantly quieter than petrol mowers and there is no messing about with fuel cans. However, electric mowers might not be the ideal choice if you let your grass get on the long side or if you try to mow it when wet. In addition, the power cord can make mowing a little awkward, as you are limited in how far it can stretch from the nearest power point and it can become tangled around obstacles. You also need to plan your cutting pattern carefully so you don’t run over the cord.

Battery-powered or cordless mowers eliminate these problems and are great for manoeuvring around various obstructions – so they are worth considering if you have lots of trees and bushes in your garden. You are not tied to a power point and there is no cord to negotiate. However, these mowers tend to be more expensive and heavier than their corded siblings and you will need to consider both charging time and the length of usage you will get out of a single charge. For small lawns, 15 minutes of charge may be all you need to complete the task but for larger grassy areas, you will need the battery to provide significantly longer than that or you will find yourself having to interrupt your work to recharge the mower, which could take several hours.

Petrol mowers are powerful machines suited to tackling larger lawns and they have no problem handling long, rough and even damp grass. Often they have a wider cutting diameter than electric models, so that you can get the job done faster. However, they are heavier and harder to manoeuvre than electric mowers and they can be tricky to start and refuel. As well as ongoing petrol costs, there is the problem of handling and storing petrol safely. These machines also tend to be noisy and they are less eco-friendly than other options.

What to look for

Having determined the type of mower you need, you should then consider various features that might help make mowing less of a chore.

  • Check that the handle is at a comfortable height or that it can be height-adjusted to suit you. Turned up handles are generally easier on the wrists and provide more control over the machine.
  • Consider the mower’s cutting diameter – the larger the cutting diameter, the faster your lawn will get cut.
  • Look for a mower that has a number of cutting positions over a useful range of cutting heights for different times of the year. Make sure that the cutting height is easy to adjust and won’t require you to take the lawnmower apart.
  • Self-propelled mowers take the pain out of pushing, particularly on large petrol models that can be heavy to move around.
  • A roller attached to the rear of the mower will produce an attractive striped effect – the heavier the roller, the more pronounced the stripe.
  • A grass collector is handy if you don’t want to leave the cuttings lying on the ground and don’t want to bother raking them up afterwards. Look for large grass collectors that won’t need to be emptied several times during your mowing session.
  • • Folding handles will make a lawnmower easier to stow in your shed and hooks on the handles for storing the cable neatly are also useful.

Think safety

In July 2013, the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons called on parents to ensure their children’s safety when cutting the lawn. The call came following four serious accidents involving powered lawnmowers that occurred in the Leinster region in a six-week period and in which children lost fingers and toes. The advice from the association’s president, Dr. Patricia Eadie, is for parents to lock up their children before starting the lawn-mowing or to have a second adult to supervise them.

It is not only children that are vulnerable to lawnmower injuries, and given that these machines involve a rotating blade, some common sense is in order when using them

  • Never mow the lawn in bare feet, sandals or flip flops. Instead, make sure to wear sturdy, non-skid footwear.
  • The body of the mower should come close to the ground so that it is not possible for your foot to come into contact with the blades.
  • The mower should stop quickly once the engine is turned off.
  • Check for stray objects, such as stones and sticks, in the path of the mower as if struck by the blades, these objects can be flung upwards, potentially causing injury.
  • Mow along slopes, instead of up and down them, to avoid pulling the mower over your feet if you happen to slip and fall.
  • Never remove debris from the mower with your hands or feet even if the mower is turned off – use a stick or sweeping-brush handle instead. If the debris is obstructing the blade, once you clear it, the blade can quickly swing around and cause serious injury.
  • If you have a petrol mower, handle fuel with care. Stop the motor and let the engine cool down before filling the fuel tank.

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