Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Here's the review I wish I'd read when I bought this a year ago. My yard has a lot of weeds and crabgrass and who knows what. People who have that fine, thick grass like a golf green won't need this review. (I have that in one part of my yard and this cuts it perfectly.) 1. This mower is quiet, it smells nice when I mow, and it's actually a little easier to mow with than with my old gas mower. It also cost me less than my old mower did. I'm glad I got it, and hope I never have to go back to a gas mower. 2. Used correctly, this mower will cut about 99% of the lawn very nicely. If you're a perfectionist this might drive you crazy, but in no circumstance will you cut every blade of grass in a yard like mine. The reason for that is what I would consider a design flaw. The mower pushes over anything over about 6" in height and won't cut it--at all. When you have weeds in your yard and other non-ideal grasses, some of those will get over 6" before the lawn really needs mowing. For me that's about 1% of my lawn that I need to go back and manually cut. The bigger problem with this is if you go on vacation or it rains for two weeks straight, you might not be able to mow at all. 3. This thing handles hills with no problem. It's considerably lighter than my older gas-powered mower and a lot less dangerous going up and down a steep hill in my backyard. (My yard has no flat spots.) Yeah, it's a workout, but not as bad as a gas mower. (Self-propelled mower burned out the drive belt in less than one season on that hill.) 4. After 30 years of mowing with gas mowers, this was a learning curve. It's hard to retrain your brain that you'll only cut going directly forward (think: mowing around bushes). With gas if you miss a narrow strip you'll get it next time you mow--but not with this mower, because then the grass is too tall to cut. I could go on. It's a lot of little things that you just have to get used to. 5. I can't mow in direct sunlight, or I won't be able to tell where I've been. I don't know why but it's harder to tell with this mower than a gas mower. Late afternoon shade seems to take care of that problem. It also helps to keep the mower no higher than halfway. 6. It looks cool to push the clippings forward, but it works better if you tilt the shield up and let the clippings come out the back. Unlike a gas mower, this one won't throw clippings on your sidewalk or in your beds if you use it this way. 7. Don't stress about sticks in your yard. Unless you're sprinting or are super strong, the mower will just stop, you'll pull it back to clear the stick, and on you go. BOTTOM LINE: I'm glad I bought this mower. It was a learning curve, but I'm stubborn and figured out how to use it correctly. I can't say whether my lawn has improved, but the experience has.