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every year in thedead of winter, consumer reports chief powerequipment tester peter sawchuk heads to florida. tough gig, right? actually, he spends sixweeks cutting, mulching, and bagging onfive acres of grass to test which lawnmowers makethe consumer reports cut, all so you have an easiertime when you go shopping. you'll want to matcha mower to your lawn.

there are three majorcategories, manual reel, walk-behind, and riding mowers. looking to put the manualback in manual labor? the reel mower offersa touch of nostalgia. when you push this mower, itturns a series of curved blades that cut your grass. generally, reel mowersrun from $70 to $200 and have a cutting widthof 14 to 18 inches. reel mowers are best for smallplots of land, about an eighth

of an acre. they're quiet, inexpensive,relatively safe to operate, easy to maintain, and good forthe environment since there's no gas engine. but, our experts say,keep these things in mind before buying oneof these throwbacks. reel mowers tend tobounce over bumpy terrain. if your yard surface is uneven,consider a different style of mower or look for one withoutsmall front wheels that might

get stuck in divots or holes. you'll need to keep your grassheight under three inches or it will get too hard to cut. that means trimmingmore frequently, roughly every four days inthe height of growing season. reel mowers leave grassclippings on your lawn. so if you don'tlike that, you'll have to get outa rake or blower. but clippings are agood source of nitrogen.

walk-behind mowers are themost popular mowers in america. they're best for small to mediumsized lots, about a half acre, depending on whichtype you choose. they use a spinning rotaryblade to slice through grass, and usually have a cuttingwidth of 15 to 22 inches. you can choosebetween models that run on gasoline engines, batterypower, or an electric power cord. more on that in a moment.

first, you'll need todecide whether to opt for a push walk-behind moweror a self-propelled one. push mowers are lessexpensive walk-behinds. a basic one costsless than $200. they can tackle lawnsabout a quarter of an acre or less, and most mulch,bag, and discharge grass. while walk-behind push mowerssupply power to the blades, keep in mind, you're stilldoing all the pushing. look for a pushmower with little

to no flex in the handlebar. that way, you cankeep a sturdy grip. you'll find models sportingthis indentation more comfortable to hold. self-propelledmodels do everything the push modelscan, but can handle bigger yards than pushmowers, generally, anything under an acre. they're a greatplace to start if you

don't want to do all thepushing because the engine also drives the wheels. they typically comewith cutting widths of about 21 to 22 inches,and range from $250 to $800, depending onfeatures you choose. you'll see side valve andoverhead valve gas engines. overhead valve engines are apremium option and only cost about $20 more. plus, they starteasier, are quieter,

and tend to last longer. look for the lettersohv on the engine. next choice, singleor variable speeds. single speed, self-propelledmowers tend to cost less. but variable speeds let you movefaster when the job is easier, or slow down for thick grass. variable speeds are availablein front, rear, and all wheel drive. if you've got arelatively flat lawn,

a front wheel drive mowermay be all you need. if you've got hills,consumer reports says consider arear wheel drive. it delivers bettertraction on slopes. it also helps if you bag grass. a mower's front wheels tendto rise as the bag in the back fills up. most single speed mowershave front wheel drive. you'll generally need tomove up to multiple speed

mowers for rear wheel drive. all wheel drive mowers boastsuperior traction on hills, but they come at a premium. now let's talk power. gasoline mowers performsignificantly better than corded electric andbattery powered mowers in consumer reports tests. today's gasoline modelsare easy to start and offer stellar cuttingpower, especially

in tall, thick grass. battery powered,walk-behind mowers typically use a 24 to 80 voltbattery to power the mower. they'll cost $300to $500 or more, depending on whether you wanta push or self-propelled model. they're generally quieterand require less maintenance than gas engines. but they have smaller cuttingwidths than gasoline mowers, 14 to 20 inches.

and some batteries can makethe mower heavier and harder to push. lithium ion batteries arelighter than lead acid batteries and more powerful. and remember, batteriesrequire some maintenance. they need to be chargedeven in the winter. skip this step and yourbattery may die for good. a well cared for batterycan last about five years. a new one costs over$100, so factor that in.

then there are corded electrics. they're inexpensive,$160 to $250. but consumer reportssays the cord makes maneuvering extremelydifficult and dangerous if you run over it. and like batterypowered mowers, they have smaller cutting widthsthan gasoline mowers. if you're looking foradvanced features, you'll find them mostly onself-propelled walk-behinds.

here are the ones thatour testers like the best. electric start on gas enginesis easier than pulling a cord. single lever cuttingheight allows you to move the deck up anddown with a single lever rather thanadjusting each wheel. washout ports make it easyto clean all those clippings under the deck. a blade brake engagement controllets you release the handlebar and stop the blade whilethe engine stays on.

that way, you can emptythe bag or move an obstacle and not have to restart. if you got more thanan acre of land to mow, or you're mowing for more thanan hour with your walk-behind, it might be time toconsider a riding mower. almost all ride-ons arepowered by gas engines, but we checked out oneelectric ride-on mower and we expect to seemore coming to market. today's riding mowers are a lotmore high tech, often souped up

like cars with hydraulic powersteering, cruise control, satellite radios,smartphone connectors, and some manufacturersnow offer apps that use a bluetoothconnection to tell you when it's time for maintenance. nearly all ride-on mowers areequipped with an overhead valve engine, either single ortwin cylinder engines. consumer reports saystwin cylinder engines provide a little more power,particularly in heavier grass,

run a little smoother, andoffer longer engine life. there are three types ofride-ons, lawn tractors, zero-turn radius mowers, orztrs, and rear-engine riders. lawn tractors generallycost $1,000 to $4,000, and have 42 to 54inch cutting decks. they can bag, mulch, orside discharge clippings. you drive with a steeringwheel, and some go as fast as 7 miles per hour. but consumer reportssays stick to 3 and 1/2

to 4 miles per hour, or you'llend up with clumps of grass on your lawn. consider a narrow turningradius on a tractor so it's easier to cutaround obstacles like trees. for more money, a few tractorshave four wheel steering, where the front and backwheels turn together for even tighter turning. but consumer reportssuggest skipping it. turning radiuses are narrowingon new two wheel steering

tractors. many tractors offer addedattachments like snow throwers, plows, and rototillers. we're also seeinghybrid machines like this utility vehicle. it can mow, tow, andgenerate electrical power for all your other tools. then there arezero-turn radius mowers. this is our highestrated category, and also

the most expensive--$2,300 to $4,000. these riding mowers are similarto the ones landscapers use, with a rear engine andrear wheel steering. they offer cutting widthsfrom 42 to 60 inches. most ztrs you drive usinga set of levers that accelerate, steer, and brake. that can be tricky if you're notaccustomed to the design, which is why more manufacturersare offering ztrs with steering wheels.

ztrs can turn circles in oneplace and are the fastest way to cut your grass. like tractors, they canside discharge, bag, or mulch your grass clippings. but on hills, ztrscan lose traction and are hard tosteer and control. and if you're not careful,the rear steering wheels can tear up your grassduring turns, especially at higher speeds.

there are alsorear-engine riders. in many cases, these areless expensive than ztrs or tractors, about$1,000 to $1,600. since the engine is inthe back like a ztr, there's more trimming visibilitythan with a lawn tractor. rear-engine mowers alsotend to take up less space, so storing them is easier. however, they havenarrower cutting widths, about 24 to 33 inches.

and while they provide adecent cut, in general, consumer reports testsfind they don't go as fast or handle as wellas tractors or ztrs. as for features, ride-onmowers have plenty. you'll see conveniences likehigh backed, comfortable seats, padded steering wheels,and cup holders. here are some other key featuresour testers say to consider. infinite drivespeeds is like having an automatic transmissionfor your mower.

an electric power takeoffengages the blade electrically, instead of requiringyou to do it manually. reverse lets youmow going backward, helpful in tight areas. look for fuel levels youcan see from the seat while you're riding. plenty of ride-ons comewith hour meters that track the number of hours theengine has been operating, so you know when toservice your mower.

a washout port makes iteasy to clean up the blade. you just connect a hose inthe port, turn on the hose, start up the machine,and engage the blades and wash out clippings. this is easier than tryingto get under the tractor. having a robot do allyour mowing sounds great, but you'll pay for that. prices typically start at $1,400and go up to more than $2,000. that's the costof a lawn tractor.

you'll need to set aperimeter wire to keep the machine in your yard. the robot will randomlycrisscross within the wire and reverse direction when ithits the wire or an obstacle. you can programsome using an app. they can mow whenyou wouldn't want to, at night and in theheat, for instance. consumer reportstests in the past found cut quality wasn't asgood as conventional mowers,

but we plan on checkingout some new robotic mowers this summer to seehow they perform. no matter whichmower you choose, it's important totake good care of it. here are some top tipsfrom consumer reports. store your mowerin a covered space. wash away grassclippings after each use. with powered mowers,have the blade sharpened at the start ofeach season, and about three

to four more times after that. sharp blades save fuel andcut the grass more cleanly, making it healthier. sharpen reel mowerblades every two years. also, set the bedknife. this is the stationarypart of reel mowers the blades pass overto cut the grass. the bedknife has to beclose enough to the blades so that they graze itwithout hitting it,

kind of like cuttingshears or scissors. you can buy kits to dothis, but consumer reports suggest finding a pro. if your mower won't start,bad gas is likely the culprit. empty the old fuel andmake sure to add a fuel stabilizer next time. replace spark plugs every 100hours, or two to three years. change the oil. for ride-ons, checkthe manual to see

how many hours themachine can operate before it needs an oil change. for walk-behinds, change itat the start of the season. change the air filtersaccording to the owner manual instructions. if the belts look worn, frayed,or cracked, get new ones. check the tire pressure atthe start of the season. finally, mow safely. wear hearing protection,keep children and pets

away from running mowers, andbe careful mowing on hills. most manufacturers include adiagram in the owner's manual you can use to figure outwhether the slopes in your yard are too steep. and keep gasoline inan approved container, away from ignition sources. for all of our latest ratingsand reviews on lawnmowers, be sure to check outconsumerreports.org.

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