With typical American homeowners taking a certain amount of pride in healthy, well-manicured lawns, almost every garage, basement or backyard shed contains a lawn mower. When it comes time to purchase a lawn mower, though, prospective buyers will likely find themselves overwhelmed with the variety of styles, features and prices available. They might be tempted to focus on one of those items when comparing lawn mowers, but, more important cutting blades, propulsion systems and price tags, each lawn mower shopper has to ask, “What kind of mower of lawns am I?” While such questions may leave many scratching their heads, you can count on our handy Lawn Mower Personality Type Indicator to help you through this challenge.
Mr./Ms. Clean, Green and Lean Mower
Our first Lawn Mower Personality Type (or LMPT) wants to maintain the lawn without waking up the neighbors, belching smoke into the air or making extra trips to the gas station. Homeowners of this variety view lawn mowing not as a necessary chore to endure, but as an opportunity to commune with nature and get some exercise. They will be immediately attracted to reel mowers, but, if the more uniform cut of a rotary blade system is just too appealing, they can also purchase electric mowers. While these mowers put principle above all else, they’ll actually spend the least on their lawn mower purchases, as reel mowers can cost as little as $100, and electric mowers start at $125. For slightly more, they can get the best of both worlds in electric-powered reel mowers. Of course, these homeowners likely have smaller yards, making manually-propelled mowers less of a hassle. If you believe this LMPT applies to you, remember: closed-toe shoes are a must when mowing – leave the Birkenstocks inside!
Mr./Ms. Let ‘Er Rip and Get ‘Er Done
Not every mower of lawns enjoys the experience, though, and our second LMPT places efficiency above all – they’re missing the game! Power and performance mean more to these mowers, so they find themselves lingering over gas-powered mowers, likely intrigued by features such as self-propulsion, bagging and mulching attachments. At the same time, they secretly adores the feel of the starter cord in their hands and the roar of the engine running. These mowers don’t mind slopes in their yards or obstacles such as plants, sidewalks or porches because the fine-tuned piece of machinery under their control works around such things quickly and easily. These mowers will pay a little more to indulge their passions for anything other than mowing, as a gas-powered walk-behind lawn mower can run as high as $900 with all of the bells and whistles, though non-self-propelled models can cost as little as $150. These mowers will also find that they have to spend some of that saved time maintaining their machines with oil changes and part replacements.
Mr./Ms. Livin’ Large
Our third LMPT has to think big, as in a riding lawn mower. The reasons for this can vary from big pieces of land to mow to big needs to keep up with the Joneses. While these mowers will get to ride in luxury instead of merely walking behind or pushing their lawn mowers, they will find that their big mower comes with a big price tag: riding mowers can cost as much as $9500. The sweat avoided from pushing may only be saved for even more maintenance on the mower. Still, the feel of the steering wheel, the ability to put the pedal to the metal, and the g-forces produced by taking a tight turn around the rose bed overcomes these minor inconveniences.
Price, power and convenience should all figure into the purchase of a lawn mower, but ultimately it all comes down to a long, hard look in the mirror.
For comparisons of specific manufacturers and models, the lawn mower shopper is always well-advised to consult Consumer Reports’ annual review (a brief version is available here)
