Small Lawn Mower - Recommendations Please

HunterBargainHunter on 30/07/2020 - 22:46
Last edited 03/08/2020 - 14:40 by 1 other user

Hi (sorry longer post than I thought)

I've just gone ahead and put around 30 meters of buffalo lawn in the back yard instead of synthetic, so now I'll have to some mowing every now and then. add to that around 50 Square metres of nature strip.
The corded whipper snapper that I have won't be able to cut it anymore if I ever want to get a remotely even cut.

Options are :

  1. push mower. virtually indestructible, too expensive imho at $70, not sure I want to go through that chore manually every other week.
  2. petrol mower, old school, don't like their maintenance. used to borrow my friend's petrol mower which chewed everything 50cm+ in its way on the nature strip.
  3. corded mower, $100, not fun tripping over the cord in a small area
  4. battery mower, I have one ozito battery that makes the $169 ozito brushless mower seem reasonable. Not sure if that's too underpowered.

Like any OzBargainer, there's little fun in getting things at RRP, and taking into account historical data from Aldi, there may be a battery mower end of August, at around $400, not sure if that's an overkill.

seeking advice from the collective wisdom, or a swipe at my tiny lawn, feedback welcome.

Thanks.

Home & Garden Lawn Mower

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 30/07/2020 - 22:53
    +4

    For such a small area, a cheap battery mower.

    Half the fuss of mowing such a small area is clean up and maintanence. Battery mower negates most of that.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/07/2020 - 22:59
    -1

    Rip it all up, crushed rock
    Or get someone else to cut it

  • HunterBargainHunter on 30/07/2020 - 23:03

    thanks tshow, thinking the ozito 18V is good enough in this case. thinking whether warranty good enough vs other options?

    crushed rocks + kids playing is not a good idea methinks, maybe overprotective of me XP

    • iampoor on 31/07/2020 - 08:02

      My front landscaping is crushed rocks and plants - sure looked nice at the beginning.

      My son loves skidding around the crushed rocks, unfortunately the weeds love the crushed rocks even more.

      • HunterBargainHunter on 31/07/2020 - 08:48

        I put synthetic grass and crushed rock on the front lawn.
        I thought the weed mat under the rocks would give the weed a hard time
        I'll see how it goes in spring :|

    • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2020 - 09:23

      Mowing power really depends on type and length (hence frequency) of grass. If you're mowing in Melbourne, weekly during growth season is okay.

      The longer the grass, the more bogged down the blades get.

      If it gets to the point where it is slowing down the blades, pushing slower will compensate.

      It is good enough.

    • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2020 - 10:19

      30 meters of buffalo lawn

      Sounds like oodles of fun

  • StonedWizard on 30/07/2020 - 23:04
    +2

    Get a battery Ozito or Ryobi 18v.

  • elgrande on 30/07/2020 - 23:06
    +1

    Use scissors

  • nepalesesquirrel on 30/07/2020 - 23:08

    I have no experience with battery mowers but your lawn sounds like a good candidate for one. If Ozito back it for 5yrs like their other products you can't go wrong.
    I personally have a larger lawn, so have a petrol mower, it was just a cheapo around $250 from mitre 10. I have used it every week (recommend cutting weekly) for 8 yrs and done zero maintenance on it ever.

  • nepalesesquirrel on 30/07/2020 - 23:20
    +1

    Option No.4 may be ok, although I would get a spare battery if you only have one. Also, as you mentioned, it may be underpowered, did you see picture 5? Looks like the guy is carrying a kids toy lol.
    If you are happy to spend the money then the $399 2 X 18v mower should do the job easily.

  • s3th2000 on 30/07/2020 - 23:21

    Battery mowers are great from something like this. I have a ryobi 36v and it works fine (just don’t expect a golf course green).

    Re the edges- try and get a edger instead of a line trimmer (if all your edges have a flush border)- looks waaay better, easier to use and can better cut though tough buffalo runners (my ryobi 36v string trimmer struggles but edger cuts through easy).

  • Muzeeb on 31/07/2020 - 00:28
    +1

    Is this a backyard for ants?

  • Janko on 31/07/2020 - 05:30

    Not sure about Ozito, but I've been replacing all my power tools with battery versions and just amazed how good and convenient they are without mucking around with petrol & servicing, or power cards. I wish I could justify the mower, but too litte lawn and it's close to a grand in my battery range (Ego).

  • Sammy2000 on 31/07/2020 - 06:16

    Push mower is nice. Will keep you for. Battery sounds like the best option.

  • Peter Enis on 31/07/2020 - 07:06

    I have been using the cheapie Ozito battery mower for 1 year now and it is fine.
    Roughly the same sized lawn as yours. Steep block so I love that it can be carried around with one hand, it is so light. Only once did the battery not last a full mow, that was when the grass was long and a bit wet.
    Negatives for me, the grass catcher is tiny so have to empty it frequently. Also cutting width is quite narrow so many laps needed.

  • iampoor on 31/07/2020 - 08:00
    +1

    I used option 1 last weekend, about 100 M2.

    Good option if you want to exercise at the same time, my arms are still aching a little.

  • skid on 31/07/2020 - 08:40

    I'd go the $400 Ozito 36V as it'll be able to get through longer grass if have been a bit tardy with the mowing. The 18V will work but you have to mow frequently.

  • inherentchoice on 31/07/2020 - 09:33

    Buy a used one.

  • dc4207 on 31/07/2020 - 09:48

    I have been using an Ozito 2 x 18v mower works really well for me as I have Ozito tools and plenty of batteries.

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 31/07/2020 - 09:49

    I have had all of these mowers.

    The pusher mower won't work well on Buffalo type grasses, it's more suited to fine grasses, like fescues. Even on a small area, a push mower will be a frustration on tough grass types.

    Corded mowers work well, but dealing with snagging extension leads is a pain. I only ran over the cord once, that was an experience.

    I had an old school battery powered mower (small lead/acid battery) which gave an okay cut, but if charge dropped during use, you would have to put up with a partially cut lawn until recharged. Disposed after the battery died. New battery was more than the worth of the mower.

    I'm currently using an ancient Victa 4 stroke, that my father purchased in 1989. It had sat in a shed for about 8 years unused. A set of new blades, new air filter and spark plug, oil change and it runs like new. I think the spare parts set me back about $30, from Big W (blades and plug - cheaper than Bunnings) and a specialty lawn mower place (air filter). Fitting the replacements and changing the oil (kit from Bunnings) was an hour's work max.

    For the edges, on a similar size lawn and nature strip, I bought one of these from Bunnings. https://www.trojantools.com.au/product/629631/ It works well on Buffalo grass with its strong runners.

  • jamescavs on 31/07/2020 - 09:57

    The Ozito mower is great. We have a small backyard and a nature strip to mow and it does the job well. It does struggle a bit when the grass is long so getting the $400 one would solve that issue, but really, long grass turns a 10 minute mowing job into 20 minutes so the extra cost isn't worth it.

    The mower is really easy to use. You hold down two buttons and it turns on. No more dealing with petrol, fumes, or struggling to turn the mower on because you didn't prime it properly or you didn't pull the cord hard enough, and no more maintenance/replacing oil/spark plugs.

    Bunnings used to bundle the mower with an extra battery for $199 but they seem to not advertise this online anymore. If they have it in store, get it as the extra battery is worth it.

    As for Line Trimmers, I got the Ozito branded one, and it is better than any petrol trimmer I've used. It's $229 with batteries, but if you have two spare batteries, then you could get the $145 version.

    This is the one https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-pxc-2-x-18v-cordless-line-…

    Don't get the one which uses blades, it is horrible.

  • Ryanek on 31/07/2020 - 10:01

    Good opportunity to select a power tool system. I like the Ryobi One+ range personally.

  • [Deactivated] on 31/07/2020 - 10:22

    Push mowever is super easy to use if turf is flat.
    Only problem is if you let grass grow too long.

    Bunnings used to have this for ~$50 (maybe less). https://ozito.com.au/products/lawn-mower-push-300mm/

    Otherwise go battery.

    Depending on the lawn (if it is near fence/conrete). You will need something for the edges. So you could probably get set of battery power tools from bunnings.

  • Euphemistic on 31/07/2020 - 12:07
    +1

    As you have the battery, get the Ozito. Your lawn is quite small so if the grass is a bit long it won’t take long to mow it twice (high then low setting)

    Don’t buy a petrol version for such a small area.

    You could get away with a corded one. Just need to be smart about the mowing pattern so you don’t cut the cord.

  • lainey13 on 31/07/2020 - 19:37

    We got the ozito dual battery one and it's fine for small areas. Not dealing with petrol is great!

  • HunterBargainHunter on 14/08/2020 - 18:37

    I've noticed ever since stage 4 started in Victoria, Bunnings don't show Ozito mowers in their online website.
    they can't have sold out can they?

    • Yosh1 on 18/08/2020 - 15:51
      +1

      you can try this maybe - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/555413. it has been taken off their site but if you complete the form, the stores may be able to process as special order if they have it in stock. that is what i did over the weekend. gave it a test run yesterday and gave me approx. 50 minutes run time. i have never used a mower in my life so i can't give any feedback but i do have very thick grass. hope this helps.

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