There are several different types of walk behind mowers. There are human powered reel-style mowers, gas powered mowers, electric mowers that use a power cord and electric mowers that use a battery. In addition, gas and electric walk behind mowers may either be pushed manually or self-propelled. So I have a lot of ground to cover in these walk behind mower reviews.
Walk behind mowers are the oldest type of mower and they survive to this day because they provide several very real advantages over riding mowers. If you’re here looking for a high quality walk behind mower I’m sure you’ll find one to your liking reviewed below.
Our Walk Behind Lawn Mower Reviews
Should you opt for a walk behind mower or would another type be a better option? Only you can answer that question. To help, we're going to talk through the main pros and cons of walk behind mowers below.
Advantages of Walk Behind Mowers
Affordability
I start with this because it’s the main reason people choose a walk behind mower over a riding mower. The price difference can be considerable so it definitely must be seen as an advantage. Just be aware that within the category of walk behind mowers you’ll find a pretty large price range, with reel-style mowers at the bottom end and electric self-propelled models at the high end.
Maneuverability
Riding mowers are great on large flat lawns with few obstacles. But when it comes to smaller lots punctuated by trees, shrubs, flower beds, water features and more you’ll want the maneuverability of the walk behind mower. If there are a lot of features you’ll typically want a push mower since the self-propelled mower can be harder to pull backward should you need to. However, that self-propelled mower will come in mighty handy on hilly terrain.
Ease of Storage
With a riding mower you need to have a dedicated space to put it that is both large and safe. Sometimes that means building a shed for the mower. Other times it means rearranging the garage. You won’t have to do either with a walk behind mower. They’re more compact with about the same footprint of a large trash can.
Cons of Walk Behind Mowers
They Require More Effort
Even self-propelled mowers require that you walk behind them, steer them and pull them out of any tight spots they get into. All that takes effort. Push mowers require even more work on the part of the operator. With a riding mower all you have to do is turn the steering wheel and hit the brakes from time to time. Something to think about when browsing through our walk behind lawn mower reviews.
They’re Slower
Compared to a good size lawn tractor, a walk behind mower will take considerably more time to mow the whole lawn. A self-propelled mower will cut into the time disparity a bit, but not much. So you need to decide whether or not you mind spending the extra time in the yard.