We lost a lot of branches in the ice storm. We have these two huge trees in our yard, 1 front, 1 back.
I had been planning to build a dead hedge along one edge of our front yard come spring, but the storm made it much more urgent.
Pounding the stakes into wet, frozen clay was not a fun time. I will need to get them in deeper and add more once the ground thaws some.
Rip. I used untreated garden support stakes, so if they broke, I could just toss them into the hedge. They’ll break down with the rest of it.
First day, not much brush. I spent most of the time doing the stakes
Second day, good progress. I moved some old wood pieces from part of the yard and remains of a failed project my mom tried some months ago. I was thrilled to have a way to deal with the old wood without having to load it up and move it to the dump. I made sure to remove any old nails in the wood by pulling it out with a hammer or cutting off the chunks with the nails with the mini chainsaw.
There’s still plenty of brush behind the garage to move and endless amounts of dead leaves. Some I’ll use as mulch cover once I relocate the planter beds. Some will be composted.
There’s a lot of heavy moving to be done, the planter beds, the compost bin, all the dirt.
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Day 4360 - Kiddo is still obsessed with raking leaves, but all that’s left are the areas that we’re leaving for wildlife habitat. I’ve managed to satisfy him with the idea of aerating these leaves instead. By which I mean he hasn’t yet noticed that I’m not actually scopping any of them into the yard waste bag ;)
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So picture this: me, standing in my driveway at 7 AM, staring at my gas mower that just died. Again. Third time this season. My partner’s like “just get an electric one” and I’m thinking electric mowers are basically fancy toys.
Spoiler alert: I was completely wrong.
The Voltage Scam That Got Me
Here’s where I messed up big time. I walked into the store obsessing over voltage like some kind of power-hungry maniac. “Give me that 80V beast!” I demanded.
Plot twist: voltage means basically nothing.
What actually matters is amp-hours (Ah). My expensive 60V mower with tiny 2.5Ah battery? Dead in 23 minutes. My buddy’s humble 40V with 6Ah? Ran for over an hour while I sat there charging like it’s 2005.
Three Electric Mowers That Don’t Suck
After testing way too many mowers (my neighbors think I’ve lost it), here are the ones that actually deliver:
Ryobi 40V 19-inch - Small but mighty. Perfect for yards under ¼ acre. Doesn’t break the bank.
Greenworks 40V 20-inch - The sweet spot mower. Around $250 and does everything most people need.
EGO Power+ 21-inch - The overachiever. Expensive but runs forever and cuts like a dream.
Stuff That Actually Matters vs Marketing BS
Real talk: ignore 90% of what they tell you in stores.
What you need:
Steel deck (plastic = regret in 6 months)
Battery over 5Ah (or enjoy constant charging breaks)
Good weight balance (your arms will thank you)
Single lever height adjustment (life’s too short)
What you can skip:
Bluetooth connectivity (it’s a mower, not a smartphone)
47 different cutting heights (you’ll use maybe 2)
“Professional grade” anything (you’re not mowing Yankee Stadium)
The Corded vs Cordless Drama
Cordless = freedom but battery anxiety Corded = unlimited power but you’re tethered like it’s 1995
Small, simple yard? Corded might be your friend. Bigger yard with obstacles? Cordless all the way, despite the higher price tag.
Budget Reality Check
Those $149 mowers? They’re beautiful lies. The real budget winners live around $175-195. Found a Greenworks that’s been solid for my 78-year-old neighbor for over a year.
2025 Brought Some Good Stuff
Bigger batteries (finally), better weight distribution, and thankfully less “smart” nonsense. Your mower doesn’t need an app, Karen.
The Environmental Bonus
Zero emissions while running, way less maintenance, no gas storage drama. It’s like the responsible adult version of lawn care.
Want the full breakdown? I’ve put together a comprehensive guide that covers everything above, including detailed brand comparisons, maintenance tips, and specific recommendations tailored to different yard situations. Check out the full electric lawn mower buying guide here if you’re ready to avoid my expensive mistakes.
The electric mower game has finally gotten good. Just don’t fall for the same voltage trap I did.
Why I ditched my gas mower after 11 years (and you should too)
ALT
So there I was, sweating my ass off at 9 AM last Saturday, watching my neighbor Jim wrestle with his stupid gas mower. AGAIN. Pull the cord, nothing. Check the primer, pull again. Cuss a little (okay, a lot). Fiddle with the choke. More pulling. More cussing.
meanwhile? i’m already halfway done with my lawn. one button push and boom – i’m mowing.
Jim finally got his beast started after what felt like forever, and the first thing that hits you? The NOISE. Holy crap, it’s like a freight train parked in suburbia. My poor dog, Max, bolted for the house.
that’s when it hit me – i used to be jim. three years ago that was me every weekend, fighting with a machine that seemed designed to make my life harder.
not anymore though.
Look, I’m Oliver. Been doing lawn care here in Austin for over eleven years, and I’ve probably fought with more mowers than a small engine repair shop. Gas was all I knew. Figured that’s just how it worked – loud, smelly, and temperamental as my teenage daughter.
boy was i wrong.
7 electric mower benefits that floored me
after three years of using electric mowers both at home and for clients, plus testing more models than my wife appreciates (the garage situation got… crowded), these seven benefits keep smacking me in the face.
environmental benefits that actually matter
here’s something that made me do a double-take: running your gas mower for an hour dumps the same crap into the air as driving your car 300 miles.
THREE. HUNDRED. MILES.
i thought somebody was pulling my leg until i looked it up myself. turns out these little engines are dirty as hell. way dirtier than cars, which have emission controls that lawn mowers just… don’t.
my wife sarah pointed this out after we switched. “the garage doesn’t smell like a gas station anymore,” she said. and you know what? she was right. i’d gotten so used to that smell i didn’t even notice it.
then there’s my kids. before, i’d shoo them away when i was mowing. all those fumes can’t be good for little lungs, right? now they actually hang around while i’m working. my youngest even “helps” by pushing her toy mower alongside me.
cost benefits that’ll shock you
alright money talk. and i’m talking real dollars here, not some theoretical savings that never show up.
my wife handles our finances (thank god) and she made me track every penny i spent on lawn care. embarrassing? yes. eye-opening? hell yes.
turns out i was dropping about $180 a year just on gas for my old craftsman. plus oil changes, spark plugs, air filters, all that maintenance jazz. another $65-70 annually.
with electric? my power bill went up maybe twenty-five bucks for the whole season. that’s it.
but here’s the kicker – no more saturday mornings at the small engine repair shop. jim dropped $140 getting his honda serviced last spring. “fuel went bad over winter,” he said. “whole system needed cleaning.”
meanwhile my electric mower sat in the garage for four months and guess what? pushed the button, started right up.
i’m saving roughly $220 every year. that adds up FAST.
quiet operation changes everything
gas mowers hit 95 decibels. that’s literally motorcycle loud. i measured it myself with one of those phone apps because i’m a nerd like that. electric mowers? about 75 decibels. think washing machine, not harley davidson.
now i can start mowing at 7 AM without feeling like the neighborhood asshole. and in texas summer heat, getting done before 9 AM is the difference between sweating and straight-up suffering.
mrs. henderson across the street actually thanked me for switching. “i can’t even tell when you’re mowing now,” she said. “it’s so much more peaceful.”
performance that surprised even me
this was my biggest hangup. would some battery-powered gadget really handle thick texas grass in july heat?
short answer: it handles it better than any gas mower i’ve owned.
electric motors deliver full power instantly. gas engines need to rev up, build rpms, all that. so when you hit thick grass, the electric just powers through while gas engines bog down and struggle.
tested this last spring after three weeks of rain. my st. augustine was thick, wet, probably six inches tall in spots. looked like a jungle. my old gas mower would’ve choked and died. the electric? cut through it like butter.
maintenance became a non-issue
remember spring mower prep? oil changes, spark plug gaps, cleaning air filters, checking fuel lines, praying it starts?
yeah all that crap is gone now.
my maintenance routine: sharpen the blade once, maybe twice a season. sometimes i’ll hose off grass clippings if they’re really caked on. that’s literally it.
last weekend i watched jim spend his entire saturday morning servicing his toro. oil change, new spark plug, air filter, fuel filter, checking belts. four hours of work before he could even think about cutting grass.
i sharpened my blade in fifteen minutes, plugged in my battery overnight, and was done.
the honest limitations
electric mowers aren’t perfect for everyone:
higher upfront cost for decent models
runtime limits on battery versions
not great for huge properties
cold weather can hurt battery life
but for typical suburban lots? the benefits crush any limitations.
why i’ll never go back
three years ago i thought electric mowers were for people who didn’t take lawn care seriously. today i think gas mowers are for people who enjoy making their lives harder than necessary.
the convenience factor alone is worth the switch. no more fighting with pull cords, no more stinky garage, no more wondering if it’ll start when you need it.
the whole lawn care industry is shifting whether we like it or not. battery tech keeps getting better, prices are dropping, more companies are dumping money into electric platforms.
you can jump on board now and start enjoying the benefits, or wait until everyone else figures it out.
stop making your life harder than it needs to be.
Want the complete breakdown? I wrote a detailed guide covering specific brand recommendations, exact cost comparisons, and everything else you need to know about making the switch. Read the full expert analysis here →
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I just got this Greenworks mower and I love it. I will use it for trimming and the ditch cutting. I had also bought their string trimmer and blower. Great tools, look out yard, here I come. 😀
I’ve spent about 8 hours the past two days doing yardwork and cleaning out the garage in 90+ weather, and I’ve got at least that much more left to do. I love being outdoors, I want to enjoy the outdoor spaces of my home, but all the work it takes to do so seems a little excessive and seems to grow larger every year
