How2Day: Which Push Lawn Mowers Are Easiest to Use?

Riding lawn mowers allow homeowners to keep their lawns neat without walking, but some homeowners prefer the less expensive cost and exercise offered by a push lawn mower. Large, heavy mowers or models with cumbersome starting mechanisms can make mowing a struggle. Many manufacturers have added self propelling systems or lightened the load of the mower to make them easier to use.

The mowers in the Honda HRX line are all gas powered models, but they feature self propelling systems to make them easier to maneuver, according to ConsumerSearch. Changing from bagging the grass clippings to mulching them is easy as well, requiring pulling just one lever. Professional and consumer models are including in this line, with the higher end models like the HRX217K2HMA and HRX217K2HXA featuring cruise control settings and speeds as high as four miles per hour. Expensive pricing and an excessively long handle are the main downsides to these models.

Pull cord starting systems that most gas powered mowers feature make starting difficult, especially if the motor hasn't been started in a few months. Starting this Troy Bilt mower is easy due to the Touch-N-Mow system says Popular Mechanics. Pull the string cord the first time you start the mower, then a special spring mechanism will allow you to start it with a button push the next time. Homeowners often find the starting of their lawn mower to be the most difficult part of using it. This model also cuts well and is self propelled. The location of its clippings bag was the only downside noted in reviews.

Despite complaints that its engines create more noise pollution than other similar gas powered mowers, the Toro Recycler 20333 is easy to maneuver, clean and features a unusual system that adjusts to each user's walking speed, according to ConsumerSearch. Toro's Personal Pace system slows the mower down for slow walkers and works faster for people with longer strides. It also features a manual blade override system. Shutting down the blades without stopping the mower lets you skip parts of your lawn that don't need to be mowed, or idle the engine while you move something out of the way. Similar models from Toro, such as the Recycler 20331, add features like larger back wheels to improve the maneuverability of the mower. Engines in this line produce more noise than other mowers.

Large lawns may require the power of a gas or electric lawn mower, but for a small patch of grass in a suburb or city a traditional push reel mower may be the easiest to use. Push reel mowers are lightweight and easy to handle because there are no heavy engines or fuel tanks, and maintenance is limited to sharpening the blades. Galt Home Buying Guides say that the Scotts 2000-20 Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower is the best model available, due to its 20 in. cutting width and nine adjustable cutting heights. Drawbacks to this model include few options for catching grass clippings. Attachments are available, but reviews say they fall off easily.

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