Looking for the best recommendations for lawn mowers based on ease of operation and maintenance. Value for money model/brand will be great. It will be used for around 600 sq mtr area. I haven't dealt with it yet but I would hate to buy, store and fill petrol so I would prefer battery version unless it is a way poor choice. Thanks in advance.
Lawn Mower Recommendations
virhlpool on 10/12/2023 - 21:49
Last edited 10/12/2023 - 21:50
Last edited 10/12/2023 - 21:50
Comments
- 1
- 2
Honda
I have a stihl battery mower, the big self propelled one. I bloody hate it.
The power is ok, but it is shockingly heavy and awkward to turn. It needs 2 batteries for my front & backyard.
I like not using petrol though so I'm keen to explore a alternate brand
I recommend Jim's Mowing.
I have this bad boy … https://alstonvillemowers.com.au/products/product/masport-m-…
About twice the battery capacity of a 36V 5Ah, crazy torque.
Heavy but benefits include a steel deck, proper height adjustment, proper catcher, mulching plug.
That a pretty big yard, I'd be getting a ride on unless you like wasting a bunch of time mowing each week. Otherwise I'd get a self propelled Honda HRU216 (screw using a push mower on that much grass) it'll last forever and cut better that a battery mower.
Which ride on model do you recommend? Do they work on slopes too?
A relative of mine uses a ride on on some very steep slopes that are a struggle to walk up. Has done for decades. Just don't go parallel to the slope or you risk rolling.
Have both Ego and Honda Hru196. Love both, always use the ego for a quick and weekly maintenance because of the self propelled function. But the Honda gives a shorter cut if you have buffalo grass. For 600m2 size lawn go for a self propelled Honda if the budget allows.
Please share a link if you can.
What lawn are you cutting, most battery-powered lawn movers only go down to 25mm. If you want a carpet look, then you need to look at petrol.
If you want the golf green look or want stripes, you need a reel mower.
Check out this YouTube channel to get your lawn addiction going.
Can also possibly have a look at the robot lawn mowers which I’ve been keeping my eye out on
I have a Ryobi brushless 38cm, uses 1 or 2x 18volt batteries and mows around 700-800 sqm every few weeks.
(Note you’ll need to buy a few batteries, we go through 3 sets 6x when we mow our lawn) (when they’re depleted, just recharge them, they click in and click out easily)Bunnings tend to have a special:
Mower, whipper snipper and blowerBut for 600sqm, either do it weekly or fortnightly or it gets a little harder to manage - you can also upgrade to “brushless models” which should make life easier
This is the base model combo which pretty good, but you might want a more powerful trimmer and mower.
I have roughly equivalent to the below (with a touch more powerful mower) and just upgraded to a higher end trimmer, but could see how you go. I’m big on DIY so this ties in with the tools I use occasionally around the home as well
The ozito I imagine would also be similar to the below possibly a touch cheaper with a smaller range.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-18v-one-3-piece-garden-car…
One additional thing, although it’s not petrol, brush the bottom with a hand broom after mowing and have a can of wd40 and spray on the “blades” of the lawn mower to prevent rust, which should keep it lasting longer.
Has a 6 year warranty anyway which is pretty good as well!
If you're getting petrol, definitely Honda. Starts every time and I serviced mine after 12 years for the first time and still feels like new
Coming from a commercial property service provider I would recommend the below:
https://egopowerplus.com.au/52-cm-self-propelled-mower-selec…
It has just been released - It is more powerful (read: more torque) than any of the equivalent 21" commercial petrol mowers on the market - product support and warranty is great in Aus.
The above kit would smash out your 600sqm no problems at all.
I have purchased the kit with 2x 10AH battery's and at the moment you can redeem an additional 5AH + 7.5AH battery if you purchase this - for a single residential property all those batteries are an over kill so would look at selling the bonus batteries to reduce initial outlay.
Using a 21" petrol SP mower previously and then going to this is night and day. It is light and very easy to maneuver (almost too light as when the catcher is full it almost does a wheelie).
25mm lowest cut is very high. don't understand why they don't make them lower.
Buy something with Self-Propelled and Mulching capability. It would make all the difference in the world. Last year, I bought from the ALDI for 250$, apart from loud noise (compared to other petrol mowers), can't complain about the performance.
I wonder why no one is recommending electric mower. Most people have solar and it would save lot in running cost using electric mower in the day.
I need to buy a better electric mower as well.Do you want to drag the electric cord in a 600m2 grass area? Really?
Better than jerry can, store petrol, $$. I don't mind cord tbh.
I had a corded mower. Was OK, but battery has got close enough to the same power so I’m now happy I can drop in a battery and go and don’t have to worry about dragging a cord all over the yard - or running it over which happened once. If you’ve got a tiny single section of lawn I’d go corded. If you’ve got multiple areas running the cord out multiple times is a pain in the butt. My current lawn would require running the cord out for 5 different areas.
EGO is like the Tesla of battery garden tools. Great if you can afford it. But it’s like Tesla, it’s not cheap.
how does it compare to Stihl?
And it's not run by an antisemitic lunatic.
Does ego have a narcissistic man-child in command?
Get a 2 stroke off gumtree for $30 hand it down to your kids
Waiting for the comments…
But I don't want to mix petrol and oil and spill it on my baby hands
The new gen father's and kids couldn't change a tyre
If that's the case, then it's probably your (and my) generation's fault…
@ESEMCE: Don't blame me. I've taught my kids. Living regional if you can't change a tyre (or other mechanical basics) you'll be waiting a bloody long time for roadside assistance.
@Muzeeb: My son is 3 so not there yet. To be honest my father didn't teach me anything. I was self taught watching videos and others and trying for myself. To this day I help my father with things and I service his car.
Tried a whole gamut of 4 strokes from cheap buys to Honda commercial grades over the years. A 2 stroke beats everything for getting through the toughest cuts. It'll work up a wall if needed and mixing a fresh batch of fuel takes a minute off your life once you have it worked out. You can have my Victa 2 stroke when you can pry it from my cold dead hands.
The greenworks 51 is great. Lots of power, takes 2 batteries and switches between them so no stopping on a big block. self propelled too
https://www.totaltools.com.au/buy/204079-greenworks-60v-1-x-…
Do you have any exisiting batteries?
No, I don't.
If you want battery for that size lawn you’re up for some coin for a good one.
I’d recommend Ego as the premium option.
Ryobi 36v as a mid range option.
Entry level Ryobi/Ozito aren’t going to cut the mustard.
Purchased a Honda HRU196 for my dad last week. Amazing machine. WAYYY better than my dual-battery brushless Ozito thing. But then again his lawn is 3-4x the size of mine, but it is a thin grass whereas I have sir walter buffalo and the battery mowers bog down when it gets long.
720sqm block here and hot and sunny. Thick buffalo 🦬 grass.
Ryobi 36v has been great at 3 years of use. I have 6mah and 4mah batteries from other kits including whipper snipper and hedge trimmer.
Came from a Masport mower. I can do my yard and self propelled is not as powerful as petrol but overall an easier job using Ryobi
Can you link the exact models that you have? I am considering Ryobi too.
That looks expensive. Does it go for cheaper sale ever?
And this hedgetrimmer
https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-36v-cordless-60cm-hedge-tr…
Yes, expensive and I paid less on eBay plus with coupon code from a small seller. Now out of stock, but mower from Bunnings.
+1 for ego
I got the Ozito a few months back, and am very impressed! I use it 2 times a week on my smaller yard, however I mowed a yard about 500sqm and had 1 bar left on the batteries. Could buy a 2nd set, and you would end up with enough juice to do your whole yard.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/804323Do not look past a petrol (GXV160 powered) Honda - If you can afford it, sounds like you will need a self-propelled from the HRU range.
This is not for everyone, but I bought a corded Bosch about four years ago.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/bosch-arm-37
This thing is light enough to carry in one hand with the catcher in the other hand.
Never worry about enough fuel or battery charge.
Yes, you do need to plan how you lay out you extension cord, but it is no big deal. I would buy again.Get a Landroid robot mower and never mow again.
Had mine for a week and it's the best. Lawn looks pristine everyday.
Bought a $200 Aldi mower, and hated every single day of mowing the lawn, eventually died and invested in a $1000 Honda mower, never had a better time. You don't buy right you buy twice
Which model do you own?
Just sharing my experience.
I'm kinda newish to the whole needing to mow an actual backyard thing. Only been around 5 years. Prior to that, all I ever used was a push mower because I only ever a tiny patch to take care of.
On those previous tiny patches, I had one season that I went away and it got really overgrown. Borrowed a mate's battery mower and it couldn't hack it.
Now that I have a much bigger patch that takes far more effort to work, I decided I'd go for petrol. Bought a 20 inch deck/B&S engine off FB marketplace 5 year s ago for $100. The thing hasn't skipped a beat, and make short of work of the grass, even when I've been remiss in trimming them.
It does require maintenance however. I've replaced gaskets and cleaned carbs and replaced the pull cord, but the thing has been nigh unkillable. I reckon that $100 was a pretty darn good deal.
i got the cheetah mower https://www.bunnings.com.au/cheetah-16-127cc-cut-and-catch-l…
from bunnings- works well- i think it has the briggs statton motor -used in victa mowers
Starts usually first time or 2nd time max
Going well after 6months600m^2 ?
Get a goat. Not even kidding. Fence off a garden area (cause it will eat that otherwise), keep a goat in the rest. Will also sort out your kitchen scraps, give the kids something to get bossed around by, etc.
or a horse
Check out Ego. Powerful and battery powered. I’ve had mine for years. No spark plug, no oil, no air filter.
put trees around the edges, and put some veggie garden in the middle… that will take care of any need to mow.
I don't consider myself 'tough' but the number of folks saying 600m2 needs consideration of a rideon or SP mower makes me think perhaps I am, if I can do 4000m2 of Kikuyu on sloping land with a 21" push utility mower at 50yrs old. Beats a gym pass ;-)
People always insist on recommending mowers without knowing the grass type & nature of the yard i.e big open area or lot of trees, obstacles etc. Also key is whether the owner is very savvy with basic small engine maintenance - as cheap mowers poorly maintained tend to end up on the roadside within a few yrs. 90% of this is from poor fuel mgt practices e.g leaving fuel in carb when stopping mower, leaving fuel in mower & carb over winter, using E10.
The Ozito PxC 2x18V steel deck would suit most users for 600m2 and keep maintenance dead simple. SP mowers have their place but add cost, weight & maintenance costs/time. Frankly most home users could do with the extra cardio once a week so I encourage them to avoid unless required.
By all means grab a 2nd hand cheap petrol mower from Gumtree etc - but for average suburban user needs cordless is the way to go (IMHO).
I got a Honda petrol mower approx 15 years ago and it is still running as intended. One pull start most of the time. I think I paid approx $800 that time.
Lots of people cleaning up this weekend, you’ll get a working petrol one on the side of the road or marketplace easy. Probably will have to change spark plug, and check blades. Air filter, you should check too
Ryobi vs Ozito PXC… thoughts? I see more recommendations on Ozito on this post, hence asking.
IMO it comes down to what you want to do with the batteries in other tools - or if you’re happy with a couple of different brand of battery and tool.
I haven’t used ozito much, but found it not as good as Ryobi - which was not as good as makita in my personal back to back testing.
If you aren’t a serious tool user ozito is fine. If you work them harder Ryobi seems better value for money. If you really work your tools hard, get trade quality gear.
Still deciding? Is your grass getting long?
Ryobi 36V mowers are more expensive but worth it. Good warranty, you can extend the mower to 6 years by registration. Batteries have 3 years and if the battery from the kit dies you get a whole new mower kit!
Models at Bunnings…. they sometimes go on sale, but not often.
- Ryobi 36V 46cm 4.0Ah Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower Kit: $499 (model RLM36X46BL)
- Ryobi 36V 46cm 6.0Ah Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower Kit: $629 (model R36LMW16)
- Ryobi 36V HP 46cm 6.0Ah Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower Kit: $799 (model R36XLMW16)
The cheapest model is the lightest and least powerful of the 3. Call it "entry level" in the 36V mowers. It will do normal lawns easily, but will struggle in thicker grass and overgrowth. You will probably need a second battery to cover 600 sq m.
The next two are significantly more powerful. They look the same but there's an important difference. The $799 model is slightly more powerful, and has a "dashboard" where you can choose the power setting between eco, smart, and power. This is the model I have. I use eco mode 90% of the time, switching to power mode for thick overgrowth. The other difference is the second battery slot is powered. The $629 model has a second slot, but only for storing the battery, it's not connected. You might need a second battery for 600 sq m of lawn. Probably a 4Ah battery in addition to the 6Ah the mower kit comes with. Some days you will get away with one battery.
If you're prepared to spend $499, I would save up a bit more and get the $629 model for the extra power. I have 700 sq m of lawn with some sloped and nasty thick areas, I went for the $799 model and two additional 4Ah batteries and all is well.
I just bought the 4Ah model, my lawn is about 400 sq m. The first time I cut it the lawn had longish grass and it died after only cutting about 60%. The subsequent times when the grass has been shorter I've managed to get about 80%-85% done
I regret not going the more powerful model for only $130 more and you get a bigger battery too. Even the grass catcher is slightly bigger which should mean having to empty it fewer times
- 1
- 2
We have a Victa wide cut battery mower with a spare battery to swap out. It’s great.
We are on 10,000sqm and while we do have a ride on, try to do the yard with the Victa if the grass is not overgrown and have the time.
Servicing cost on the ride on are expensive, so try to use the Victa when I can. Have a petrol push mower as well and use that occasionally if I don’t have to use the ride on buy the grass has gotten longer.