Originally published July 13, 2008
Editor’s note: One in a series.

Mel Harrison said he has had to mow his lawn twice a week with recent rains.

Although he uses a gas mower, he has considered electric mowers to save on the price of gasoline.

His only complaint: the cord.

“Anything you use with an extension cord is kind of a problem,” he said. “That’s why they went to batteries on the electric power tools. If you had a big lot to mow, it might take a huge cord.”

Harrison, 71, a retired supervisor from Oklahoma Interpak, wishes more people would keep their lawns mowed, especially near roads where visitors enter Muskogee.

Even with the small tank on his mower, he has noticed the price creeping steadily upward.

“It’s awful expensive,” he said. “I use a two and one-half gallon gas can for my mower, and it costs me $6 to $7 dollars to fill my can up. My yard is about 50 feet by 80 feet, so it’s a pretty good chore.”

Could the price of gas ever get so high that he would consider an electric mower? Harrison thinks so.

“I guess you’d have to,” he said. “Between the lawn mower and the car, it takes a lot to keep them going.”

Although gas mowers still dominate the market, Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse offers three types of electric mower.

Lynetta Jackson, department manager in Outdoor Power Equipment, said simplicity is one of the strongest selling points.

“The main attraction is that all you have to do is plug it up,” she said. “With the cordless electric you don’t even have to do that unless you are charging up the batteries. I sell the most to women; a lot of them tell me they don’t want to have to mix the gas, or be bothered with filters and oil.”

Jackson said the typical homeowner could easily buy a cord to meet their needs.

“With the corded models you buy your extension cord separately, and you could put it on a reel to manage it,” she said. “The cord can be 50 feet or 100 feet; whatever you need.”

Lowe’s most economical model is the 12-amp Task Force with a 20 inch blade. All four wheels are adjustable, and it offers the choice of a mulch bag in the back or a standard side discharge.

The other two models are both Black & Decker. The first is a 12-amp with a 19 inch blade and a rear mulch bag.

The cordless Black & Decker looks almost identical to the corded, but Jackson said it is heavier because of an internal 24-volt battery.

“The cordless will cover one-third of an acre on a single charge,” she said.

Choosing an electric mower seems to be a balance between ease of use and the size of the owner’s yard.

“The main interest in the electric mowers is the fact that there is nothing mechanical like the gas mowers,” Jackson said. “I sell a few of the cordless electrics but some customers are worried about how long the charge will last. They don’t want to do half their yard and have it die and need to be recharged.”

Jackson said her customers haven’t mentioned gas prices.

“As far as people saying they’re looking at electric mowers because of the cost of gas; not yet,” she said. “But if gas keeps going up, it may happen. A couple of our customers have said the electrics work great. No one is bringing them back; so that’s a good sign.”

Reach Keith Purtell at 918-684-2925 or Click Here to Send Email