The best lawn mowers you can buy

The Sun Joe MJ401E Mow Joe 14-inch 12 Amp Electric Lawn Mower was designed for people who want to maintain small yards and don't want to spend a lot of money.

When you first lay eyes on the Sun Joe MJ401E Mow Joe 14-inch 12 Amp Electric Lawn Mower, you may be struck by how small it is. At 29 pounds, it weighs almost half as much as the next lightest mower on our list. This makes it easy to maneuver, but it does raise questions of durability.

Fortunately, the Snow Joe + Sun Joe Company backs the quality of the mower with a full two-year warranty. With a 14-inch blade, this mower is meant for yards that are a quarter-acre or smaller, and the 16-inch deck makes it easy to get into tight spots.

The Sun Joe MJ401E to adequate for people with a small yard who don't want to spend a lot on a mower. It has similar benefits to an electric mower (no fossil fuels, lightweight, etc.), but there are only three height positions with the lowest scraping the ground. And, due to its 14-inch blade, it takes longer to mow a lawn.

The mower is a finalist on Your Best Digs's list, but the reviewer noted the budget price is reflected in its toy-like build quality and "flimsy-feeling" height adjuster. The reviewer thinks it's best for very basic lawn care.

The Sun Joe MJ104E has more than 1,500 5-star reviews on Amazon. One buyer says he had his Mow Joe for more than a year and left it in the weather and abused it otherwise. He is happy with how it has performed. He cautions against buying the 16-gauge extension cord recommended by Amazon. Instead, choose 12 gauge for 100 feet or more and 14 gauge for under 100 feet.

Pros: Inexpensive, lightest mower on our list, good for the environment

Cons: Three height adjustments on each wheel, only good for basic lawn care

Buy the Sun Joe MJ401E Mow Joe 14-Inch 12 Amp Electric Lawn Mower from Walmart for $79.99

The EGO 21 in. 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Battery Walk Behind Push Mower is your best option if the idea of using fossil fuels to cut your lawn isn't appealing.

EGO has two 21-inch-deck, 56-volt lithium-ion cordless battery mowers that are quite popular and share a number of similarities: the LM2101 and the LM2102SP. The major differences between the two are that the LM2102SP is self-propelled, has a larger-capacity 7.5Ah battery, and it costs $100 more. For the purposes of this review, we're going to focus on the features they share in common.

The EGO 21-inch handles side discharge, bagging, and mulching. It is designed for use in all weather, and even features LED headlights for when mowing in heavily-shaded areas or after dark. There are six deck heights to pick from, and adjustments are made with a single lever. EGO backs the quality of their mowers with a five-year limited warranty.

The EGO LM2101 is a highly-rated electric-battery mower on Consumer Reports by far. Its lowest category rating is for its bagging for which it is rated "good." Despite testing the push option, the reviewer found this mower was easy to operate and had effortless handling. However, they found the 40-minute battery runtime to be fairly short, a common issue with cordless electric mowers.

Techaeris tested the EGO LM2102SP and found the battery lasted 60 minutes, which was long enough to finish the reviewer's 1/3-acre lawn. He estimated that the yearly cost to operate the EGO would be $1.50.

More than 2,000 buyers have left 5-star reviews of the LM2101 on Home Depot's website. After a year-and-a-half of ownership, one owner was impressed by how lightweight and quiet it is. He shared a story of hitting a metal pipe in his yard with the mower. It damaged the electronics, and EGO sent him a brand new mower to replace it. Buyers also appreciate that the battery only takes about 40 minutes to recharge from dead.

Pros: Easy to operate, good for the environment, excellent customer service, folds up for easy storage

Cons: Battery only lasts for an hour at most

Buy the EGO 21-In. 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Battery Walk Behind Push Mower (5.0Ah Battery) from Home Depot for $399 Buy the EGO 21-In. 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Walk Behind Self Propelled Mower (7.5Ah Battery) from Home Depot for $499

If you want an electric mower but don't want to deal with the hassle of recharging or the high price of a cordless alternative, consider the Greenworks 20-inch 12 Amp Corded Lawn Mower.

The Greenworks 20-inch 12 Amp Corded Lawn Mower has a lot of features that can make your mowing experience enjoyable. Since it is corded, you don't need to stop to recharge a battery or gas up. It's a three-in-one that has mulching, side discharge, and rear bagging capabilities. There are seven cutting height positions ranging from 1.5 to 3.75 inches, and you can adjust the height with a single lever. Plus, the 10-inch rear wheels, 7-inch front wheels, and 56-pound size make it easy to push around the yard.

For the past three years, I have used the Greenworks 22502 Corded Lawn Mower on our quarter-acre lawn. We particularly like how easy it is to adjust the blade height, and it's surprisingly light. There are just a couple of negatives we have noticed. We live in the Pacific Northwest where mowing wet grass is unavoidable. When the grass is wet, it does not feed into the bag of this mower easily. Also, we had to replace the cord after my teenager ran over it with the mower. So, cord control is important and takes a little planning.

Your Best Digs rated the Greenworks 22502 as the best electric lawn mower. The reviewer found this push mower easy to maneuver thanks to its lightweight design. He also liked that it was much quieter than the gas mowers he tested. However, he noted that dumping the clipping was awkward since there was a crossbar in the way, and he would have preferred it if the mower came with an extension cord. Greenworks offers the option of buying the mower with an extension cord for $30 extra.

More than 3,000 buyers have left 4- or 5-star reviews of the Greenworks 22502 on Amazon. The most helpful reviewer compared this model to a couple of Black & Decker electric mowers he had owned in the past. He was much more satisfied with his Greenworks mower because it could handle wet grass and was easy to maneuver.

Several buyers suggest coming up with a mowing pattern that moves away from the outlet and thus makes it harder for you to trip over the cord. One buyer found that the motor would get dirty during use and recommended opening it up and cleaning it with compressed air.

Pros: Lightweight for easy maneuverability, good for the environment, four-year warranty

Cons: The cord can get in the way

Buy the Greenworks 20-Inch 12 Amp Corded Lawn Mower on Amazon for $149.99 (with extension cord)

If you have a larger yard and prefer gas-powered mowers, the Toro Recycler 20333 Lawn Mower is for you with its 22-inch cutting width and self-propelling abilities.

One of the coolest features of the Toro Recycler 22-inch Personal Pace Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self Propelled Lawn Mower that kept coming up in our research is the blade-brake clutch. This allows you to stop the blade without stopping the motor of the mower, which is helpful for moving debris out of the way.

The Recycler has a powerful 163cc engine that doesn't require priming or choking to start, and there's no need for oil changes. There are nine cutting positions, and Toro backs this mower with a three-year "guaranteed-to-start" warranty.

Consumer Reports recommends the Toro Recycler 20333 because of its "very good" ratings in ease of use, handling, side discharging, and bagging and "excellent" mulching. The reviewer specifically liked the washout port for cleaning buildup under the sizable deck. The Wirecutter used to list the 20333 as the "runner-up pick" but supplanted it with the 20340 because of the newer model's upright storage. However, the reviewer still recommends the 20333 if the blade brake clutch is more important to you than compact storage.

More than 2,100 buyers on Home Depot's site recommend the Toro Recycler 20333. The most helpful reviewer found the powerful engine did an excellent job of chopping through foot-high grass, and the rear wheel drive gave him power while turning. He also mentioned that he could almost jog with it.

Another buyer notes that his Toro still runs well after three years of questionable maintenance. He does note a couple of negatives: It's a bit louder than the Honda, and if you go to fast, the mulch is not fine enough.

Pros: Blade-brake clutch, self-propelled, three-year "guaranteed-to-start" warranty, 163cc engine

Cons: Gas powered

Buy the Toro Recycler 22-In. Personal Pace Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self Propelled Lawn Mower from Home Depot for $449