Best Lawnmowers for $500 and Under

Nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass can bring such a feeling of satisfaction and contentment in me. Writing this review on mowers in the dead of winter has really contributed to my cabin fever, and plans have allready commenced on the upcoming spring seasons lawn and garden projects, but I digress.

Being a homeowner, and having an amateur lawn care business since I was a teen, has enabled me to judge various mowers, most of them push, and self propelled types that your average homeowner with a small to medium size yard would purchase. I've had some great ones, and some absolutely horrible pieces of garbage as well. In this article, I will outline a guide based on various top performers, their prices in major chain stores, but also will include what I believe you should look for in a mower in this price range, and what to expect for your money.

First let's explore about lawnmowers in general. Many folks who buy their first home are rather confused with all the choices in push or self propelled models these days. I mean, their are all sorts of confusing jargon like, "hi deck suction", and "twin blade technology", but it's really fairly simple. What you want out of a mower depends on what it's capable of, and in this price range, you have a lot of good choices.

Different types of push mowers include electric, push gas models, self propelled models, (similar to push gas models but are driven by either front or rear wheels), and lastly, the old style reel mower. Let's outline each mowers general pros and cons.

Electric mowers. Pros=Cheap and light. Easy to push. Environmentally friendly. Cons=Cheap, single blade system and lack of power prevents quality cutting in grass that is hardly damp, or slightly tall. Not designed for yards larger than the extension cord due to risk of cutting the cord. Conclusion=A fine mower for those with an uneven, or divoted very small lawn who are concerned about the environment and enjoy wrestling with extension cords, and a less than quality cut if their grass is damp or tall. Most lack bagging abilities.

Push gas mowers. Pros=Inepensive models available, more expensive models offer wider range of features such as bagging, mulching, or three in one, (mowing,mulching,bagging), to reduce debris. Different competitive deck designs for more blade induced "suction", resulting in cleaner, more even cuts. Some models offer different blade designs for better cuts, and numerous engine configurations for a decent power range for cutting thick and, or wet grass. Cons=Inexpensive models are what you get, and lower horsepower and torque ratings may effect the mowers ability to cut heavy or damp grass. These mowers, in the more expensive range, also offer three in one, and two in one features.

Self propelled mowers. Pros=You obviously don't need to push them, they are propelled by either front or rear wheels, and some even have different speeds. These mowers are gas engine only, and offer the same features normally found on other gas type push mowers. Cons=Not the greatest when you are in a rush, you can only go as fast as the self propell feature will let you. Hills, and damp grass are of concern for wheel slippage and poor traction, and lastly these mowers have more parts that will require maintenance, and possibly break, adding to more costly repairs.

Reel type mowers. Pros=Excellent cut of grass, minimal parts to break. Good for the environment because they have no engine. Cons=Requires frequent sharpening of blades for good cut. Will not perform well on hilly or divoted terrain. Most will not bag. Designed for very small, flat lawns.

So there you have the different mowers, now how to pick one. It really depends what you are going to use it for, for instance is your yard hilly, or flat. Do you want to bag, or just mulch, as mulching into the ground gives your grass a bit more nitrogen but can also build up thatch over the course of a season. Do you want your lawn to have those "stripes" you see on well manicured lawns? If so, make sure the mower has a weighted roller in the rear, or at least a flap, as that is what is actually making the "stripe", by bending the grass in opposite directions.

Now to different mowers available in this price range. Starting from the cheapest in each catagory.

Electric push mowers. Black and Decker model 24 retails at Lowes for $249.00 Quite a bit for an electric mower, and one of the cheaper ones. Nineteen inch cutting width, and has a bagger attachement.

Gas engine push mowers. Bolens makes a cheap mower that retails at around $150. It offers a five horsepower engine, 22 inch cutting width, but no bag, and only side discharge, lacking a mulching feature. Troy Bilt offers a decent array of mowers in this catagory, and having owned a couple, I love them. Their cheapest one is around $250, has a six and three quarter horsepower engine, bagger, and three in one mulching system. One of the more solid mowers out there. Getting more expensive, we get into brand such as Honda, who offers mowers beginning at around $450 in this catagory, and those offer basic three in one bagging and mulching, but have a patanted blade from Honda designed to cut clippings even finer than most. Next up is brands like Snapper, who's Hi Vac mowing decks are among the best made for clean cuts, but push models start at around $600, andcome with a bag, and Snappers patented "ninja" mulching blade. Not the most reliable mowers out there.

Self propelled gas mowers. A lot of the same brand apply, but the cheapest ones you will find start at around $260 for Troy Bilts mower, and lacks a bagger. Moving up in price are the Honda mowers, starting at $500, and the John Deers, at around $450, both excellent, reliable mowers that will give very clean cuts, even in heavy damp grass.

Reel type mowers. Not a lot of options, but generally start at around $100, for a Scotts, or Task force push mower. You can pay up to $200 dollars for one however with a bagger.

That about sums it up for a quick review of mowers in this price range, and there are a lot more brands out there I didn't cover, but stick with the well known ones, and generally you won't regret it.