If you’ve made the decision to replace your old lawn mower there are a ton of options to choose from. Basically, you can spend as much or as little as you want on a new mower – prices typically start under $100 and range well beyond the $1000 mark. The first thing you have to decide before you begin looking for a new mower is what your budget is and then you can start thinking about what type of mower you want and what features you’re looking for.
With so much choice available, it’s not easy narrowing your choice down to the one right machine for you and that’s where we come in. We’ve scoured the market and looked at many different options before settling on seven lawn mowers that we believe are some of the best options in their category available for purchase today. Below you’ll find our reviews of these products, including both the good and the bad.
These are the best lawn mowers you can buy:
1. Honda HRN216VKA
The best self-propelled mower
Overall, we like the Honda HRN216VKA. It’s priced right at under $500 and it has some great features. We love the Smart Drive, the 7-position cutting height and the 21-inch cutting deck. The difficulties you may run into in wet grass aren’t a deal breaker if you’re okay with cutting your lawn when it’s dry and as long as you cut your lawn at least once a week it should start just fine when you need it.
If you’re looking for a self-propelled mower at a mid ranged price you’ll want to take a close look at the Honda HRN216VKA. This is a great machine priced under $500 with all of the standard features you’d expect in a good mower as well as a few pleasant surprises. We’ve selected this one as our best self-propelled mower based on a combination of price and features.
The GCV170 engine gives this mower all of the power it needs to push through even the longest grass. It has more than power going for it though – it also has a nice wide 21-inch cutting deck that slices through a good size portion of your lawn with each pass.
The Smart Drive feature helps the mower propel it forward to save your back and it has 7 adjustable cutting positions to choose from. When you throw in the Twin Blade MicroCut System you have a premium mower at a price that will fit in most budgets.
While the HRN216VKA is a great mower it isn’t a perfect one. It tends to have some trouble in wet grass and may bog down or even stall pushing through tall wet grass. You may also have trouble getting it to start up if you haven’t used it in a while – although it does run great once you get it going.
- Powerful GCV170 engine.
- 21-inch cutting deck.
- Smart Drive, self-propelled.
- 7 adjustable cutting positions.
- May bog down in wet grass.
- Hard to start after long layover.
2. Ryobi RY401110-Y
The best push mower with adjustable cutting height
There isn’t a lot not to like about this mower. Sure, you have the typical limitations of a battery-powered mower, but 48 minutes on a charge is enough runtime for the average homeowner. Our biggest disappointment was actually that the bag isn’t included. Other than that we think the Ryobi RY401110-Y is well worth the price.
If you’re looking for a great push mower with adjustable cutting height we highly recommend the Ryobi RY401110-Y. This is a nice mower at a very reasonable price – usually well under $300. It strikes a good balance between power, affordability and features. Ryobi has always had a reputation for making great outdoor gardening equipment and this mower clearly lives up to that pedigree.
One of the best features of this mower is that it also happens to be carbon neutral. This is a cordless battery-powered machine that doesn’t sacrifice power to operate cleanly. As far as its actual cutting capabilities are concerned, it’s not lacking there either. The RY401110-Y has a nice wide cutting deck at 20 inches and it has a 40-volt battery which provides plenty of power for most residential purposes.
If you’re looking for something that you can use for a lawn care business you may want to consider something with a little more power though.
The height is adjustable, with 7 different positions to choose from. It also has headlights for low light conditions and it comes with a great 5-year warranty.
We do have a couple of concerns with this Ryobi mower. First, you have to buy the bag separately which is disappointing. Also, even in the best conditions, you’ll only get about 48 minutes of run time on a charge, so it’s not ideal for use on large yards.
- Clean battery-powered.
- Headlights.
- 20-inch cutting deck.
- Adjustable cutting height 7 positions.
- Limited range.
3. Black & Decker MM2000
The best corded electric mower
Apart from the limitations of needing an outdoor power receptacle and the less than generous 2-year limited warranty, we didn’t find many flaws with the Black & Decker MM2000. This is a smooth operating machine with a nice wide 20-inch cutting deck. The inclusion of a 13-gallon grass clipping collector bag is a nice addition that many manufacturers at this price range omit at purchase.
For anyone that wants an environmentally friendly mower that isn’t limited by how long the battery will last, a corded electric machine is a great option. In this category we’ve selected the Black & Decker MM2000 as our best choice. This is a feature-packed machine at an amazing price just under $200, making it ideal for the budget conscious consumer. For more information, check out our best lawn mowers under $200 article.
The generous 20-inch cutting deck on this machine allows you to cut a larger area in a short period of time. We were also happy to discover that a 13-gallon capacity grass bag comes standard with this model at purchase. This is a push mower, but it’s pretty lightweight which makes it easy to maneuver.
You have tons of versatility in terms of cutting height, with 7 different positions to choose from between 1 1/2 and 4 inches. If we haven’t convinced you of the merits of this mower yet, we should also mention it has an adjustable handle for comfort.
One of the biggest worries with this mower is that it only comes with a 2-year limited warranty when many of its closest competitors have at least a 3-year warranty and some as long as 5. Since it is a corded mower, you also have to have an available outdoor wall outlet, so it’s not ideal for large yards unless you want to drag an extra long extension cord behind you.
- 20-inch cutting deck.
- 13 gallon grass bag included.
- 7 adjustable height positions.
- Adjustable handle for comfort.
- Limited 2-year warranty.
- Must have available wall outlet.
4. DeWalt DCMWP233U2
The best affordable battery-powered mower
DeWalt usually makes a great product and they’ve done it again with the DCMWP233U2. This is a nice option for a battery-powered mower priced under $400. It isn’t the most powerful machine on the market, but it will handle the cutting work quite easily for the average lawn. We think the inclusion of two batteries is a great way to solve the limitation of a battery-powered lawn mower.
Battery powered mowers often come with a steep price tag, but not the DeWalt DCMWP233U2. This is an affordable option at just under $400 at most major retailers. We’ve selected it as our best affordable battery-powered mower for this spring and summer. Our decision wasn’t based just on price though, this also happens to be a reliable machine that easily lives up to the DeWalt reputation for quality.
Since it’s powered by a battery you don’t have to worry about any harmful emissions as you cut your lawn and you’re not constrained by a cord either. This machine also has an impressive 21.5-inch cutting deck that will make short work of most backyards. You don’t have to worry about straining your back to get it started either, you just push the start button and start mowing.
DeWalt has also got around the limitations of battery power by including two batteries at purchase, so you can always have your backup charging while you cut. There are 6 different cutting heights to choose from.
One criticism we do have for the DCMWP233U2 is the 20-volt battery which doesn’t give you a lot of power – if you have some hills in your yard you may want to consider other options. Also, we should mention the wheels on this mower aren’t the best quality and do have a tendency to wear quicker than we would like.
- Comes with 2 battery packs.
- 6 adjustable cutting positions.
- 21.5-inch cutting deck.
- Push button start.
- Limited 20-volt power.
- Wheels aren’t the best quality.
5. Toro 21332
The best gas-powered mower
Aside from the fact that gas powered mowers can be somewhat harmful to the environment, we couldn’t find too much wrong with the Toro 21332. This is a nice machine with a good sized 21-inch cutting deck that can be adjusted to 9 different positions. We love the large rear wheels and the fact that you don’t ever have to change the oil.
While there are a lot of benefits to choosing a battery or corded electric powered mower, there’s still no substitute for a gas-powered machine when it comes to raw cutting power. That’s why we felt it was important to include our best gas-powered mower in our lawn mower reviews. In this category we went with the Toro 21332 as our top choice. It’s priced well under $300 and it’s powered by a reliable Briggs & Stratton engine.
One of the most important features on any lawn mower is its cutting deck width and this Toro has an impressive 21-inch deck that will reduce cutting time. Another feature we like about this mower is that you never have to give it an oil change – all you have to do is top up the oil from time to time.
The steel frame body makes this mower durable and built to last. The rear wheels are larger than the front ones on this machine which makes it more easily maneuverable. You can really fine tune your cutting height as well with 9 different position options.
There are always one or two less desirable features with pretty much every mower, including the Toro 21332. It is a gas-powered mower, so there are emissions when you operate it, although it is one of the cleaner gas-powered mowers. The 2-year warranty is a little disappointing as well, but at least it is a full warranty.
- 21-inch cutting deck.
- 9 different cutting positions.
- No need for oil changes.
- Larger rear wheels.
- Emissions.
- 2-year warranty.
6. Honda HRX217VKA
The best variable speed gas mower
If you’re not too concerned with the price you can’t do much better than the Honda HRX217VKA variable speed self-propelled mower. This is a powerful machine with a wide cutting deck that’s completely rust proof. We think it should come with a grass clipping back at this price range, but that wasn’t a deal breaker in our opinion. This is one of the best built mowers on the market today.
When you’re shopping for a lawnmower these days there are many different things to consider. For example, self-propelled mowers are quite popular and that’s why we wanted to find at least one that also allows you to adjust the speed as you go. Our choice for best variable speed gas mower is the Honda HRX217VKA variable speed mower.
The Select Drive speed adjustment feature on this mower is easy to engage and it comes in handy when you’re switching from flat ground to hilly ground. It also has a 21-inch cutting deck for shorter cutting times and it can be adjusted to 7 different positions. The deck is made from rustproof NeXite that’s made to last for years of use.
This Honda has a 3-position adjustable handle to set it at the right height for you. On top of that it comes with large 9-inch wheels that will track through any terrain and it has an impressive 5-year warranty.
It was a tough task finding fault with this mower with the possible exception of the fact that it is a gas powered mower so there are some emissions when you use it. Unfortunately, the grass clipping bag is also sold separately and considering this is a premium mower priced more than $600, that seems like a major omission.
- Rust resistant deck.
- Select Drive speed adjustment.
- 21-inch cutting deck.
- Adjustable deck height and handle.
- Gas-powered with emissions.
- No bag.
Honorable Mention Lawn Mowers
With limited space, we couldn’t include every lawn mower in our reviews that we would have liked to. There are just so many options for the consumer today that we couldn’t review everyone and we did leave some out that probably deserve serious consideration. That’s why we decided to include an honorable mention section with a couple of other choices for you to consider.
Makita XML03CM1
The Makita XML03CM1 is a great lawn mower that just missed our main list. The only reason it didn’t make our full reviews section is because the battery isn’t the most powerful at 18 volts. They do supply 4 batteries when you buy this mower so you’ll never have to worry about running out of juice. The folding handles make it nice and easy to store and we love the 10 different cutting height options. Check Home Depot
Yard Force YF60vRX
There isn’t much not to like about the Yard Force YF60vRX. It’s powered by an impressive 60-volt battery, so it will cut through just about anything. It’s also one of the few self-propelled battery powered mowers we came across. Add to that 7 different cutting height positions and 3-year warranty and you really have a great product. The only reason it missed our main list is that it’s a new offering so we’d prefer to see how it holds up over years of use before endorsing it fully. Check Home Depot
Greenworks MO60L
Greenworks is famous for making affordable, reliable, environmentally friendly outdoor lawn equipment. That’s why we thought long and hard about including the MO60L in our main section, but it just missed the cut. This is another battery-powered mower with a powerful 60-volt battery. It’s self-propelled for ease of use and it has a massive 25-inch cutting deck. It is a little pricey at almost $600, but it’s a great machine. Check Home Depot
For more specific picks, make sure to check out our recommendations for the best budget lawn mowers under $200, the best mowers under $300, the best riding lawn mowers of 2024, the best riding mowers under $1500, and the best robot lawn mowers.
Final Observations
Our biggest takeaway from doing these lawn mower reviews is that there’s a wide range of choice in the market. The Honda HRN216VKA is probably our favorite because it’s durable, reliable and self-propelled – not to mention the wide 21-inch cutting deck. We’d be happy cutting our own lawn with anyone of the products reviewed here though and we hope this article makes your own buying decision easier.
