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Old 12-10-2006, 03:35 PM
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I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types, with respect to grass cutting quality?
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Old 12-10-2006, 04:30 PM posted to rec.gardens
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"Korbinian" wrote in message
...

I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?
Korbinian


www.consumerreports.org
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product tests. Or, find them at your local library.


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Old 12-10-2006, 04:45 PM posted to rec.gardens
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On Oct 12, 9:35 am, Korbinian
wrote:
I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?

--
Korbinian


I've never had an electric mower, but I have had an electric weed eater
and an electric leaf blower. I'm sticking to gas/petrol for now
because when the electric ones break, I can't fix them. I can usually
get a gas engine running again. I suspect that there are plenty of
small engine specialists out there to help also if you're not
interested in working on it yourself. I figure that the reduction in
greenhouse gases is not worth the trash in the landfill. I would think
that the electric mower could do the job if you mow regularly and keep
the blades sharp.

hth,

nick

--
Nick Owen
http://www.gardentodo.com

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Old 12-10-2006, 05:44 PM posted to rec.gardens
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On Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:35:16 +0100, Korbinian
wrote:


I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?



These are very different types. An electric mower will do the job is
the yard is small. Electric has very limited power and is more likely
to bog down with high grass. The quality of the cut has more to do
with the sharpness of the blade. If I could get away with an electric
mower that would be my choice.
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Old 12-10-2006, 08:19 PM posted to rec.gardens
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Google:
gasoline OR gas versus OR vs electric lawnmower

Many of the first page's hits from Google look very informative.




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Old 12-10-2006, 11:42 PM posted to rec.gardens
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I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?


With corded electrics, you're hauling cord with you... can get heavy. With
battery powered, you've got low battery problems eventually. Either tend not
to do well with heavy, wet grass.

Gasoline engines are more expensive but easier over the long haul, imo.
They're good for large area cutting and heavy grass, but can be hazardous
because of the powered blades and mowing over various objects. They will
handle dense lawns and fairly long grass.

Two-cycle engines (where you mix oil and gas in a preset ratio, rather than
having separate oil and gas in the engine) are major air pollution causes.
Four-cycle engines are some better, but need tuning now and then.

The best cuts tend to come from reel mowers -- the old fashioned push mower,
rather than rotary blades, but they won't handle long grass very well, and
usually have fixed cutting heights. IMO, if the lawn is small enough for
an electric mower to handle, it's small enough for a people-powered reel mower
(assuming a healthy owner). Quieter, too.

Whatever you choose, keep the blade sharp and learn to mow properly -- timing is
very important.

Kay



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Old 13-10-2006, 02:54 AM posted to rec.gardens
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Kay Lancaster wrote:
The best cuts tend to come from reel mowers -- the old fashioned push mower,
rather than rotary blades, but they won't handle long grass very well, and
usually have fixed cutting heights. IMO, if the lawn is small enough for
an electric mower to handle, it's small enough for a people-powered reel mower
(assuming a healthy owner). Quieter, too.


Since cut quality was mentioned, I don't suppose a scythe is in order, but a scythe
never bogs down, and if you like the outdoor break every day, cut a daily 10' wide swath
across the lawn, and soon the lawn is done and you get to start over.

I keep an acre cut with a scythe http://www.scythesupply.com (US, Maine)

Strangely, it winds up being much more expensive than a mower, since once you're
into it, you leave no blade untried, just out of curiosity, and looking for the perfect
one for the conditions. And then there are the accessories, stone, anvil, cross-peen
hammer ...

The grass cuts very differently in each season.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Old 13-10-2006, 02:58 AM posted to rec.gardens
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Ron Hardin wrote:

Kay Lancaster wrote:
The best cuts tend to come from reel mowers -- the old fashioned push mower,
rather than rotary blades, but they won't handle long grass very well, and
usually have fixed cutting heights. IMO, if the lawn is small enough for
an electric mower to handle, it's small enough for a people-powered reel mower
(assuming a healthy owner). Quieter, too.


Since cut quality was mentioned, I don't suppose a scythe is in order, but a scythe
never bogs down, and if you like the outdoor break every day, cut a daily 10' wide swath
across the lawn, and soon the lawn is done and you get to start over.

I keep an acre cut with a scythe http://www.scythesupply.com (US, Maine)

Strangely, it winds up being much more expensive than a mower, since once you're
into it, you leave no blade untried, just out of curiosity, and looking for the perfect
one for the conditions. And then there are the accessories, stone, anvil, cross-peen
hammer ...

The grass cuts very differently in each season.


Incidentally, I think a scythe-cut lawn looks much better than a mower cut, but it's not
at all the same style.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Old 13-10-2006, 03:12 AM posted to rec.gardens
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"Ron Hardin" wrote in message
...

Incidentally, I think a scythe-cut lawn looks much better than a mower

cut, but it's not
at all the same style.


Yeah, but those black hooded capes are no picnic in the summer.

dwhite


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Old 13-10-2006, 11:41 AM posted to rec.gardens
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On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:58:22 GMT, Ron Hardin wrote:

Incidentally, I think a scythe-cut lawn looks much better
than a mower cut, but it's not
at all the same style.


And then there's the Central American style machete-cut lawn... oh, my
aching back....

Kay






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Old 13-10-2006, 02:12 PM posted to rec.gardens
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Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:58:22 GMT, Ron Hardin wrote:

Incidentally, I think a scythe-cut lawn looks much better
than a mower cut, but it's not
at all the same style.


And then there's the Central American style machete-cut lawn... oh, my
aching back....

Kay



A scythe is designed to cut on the ground with the least effort.

The chief physical constraint is running out of breath, but then you cut at a pace
that allows pauses to sharpen the edge give you exactly the breather you need ; so
the real constraint is that you have to keep the edge sharp, and you work at a pace
that accommodates that.

(Pauses vary depending on grass condition, but may be as short as ten strokes, or
as many as a hundred, before sharpening is adventageous. The edge has to be really
sharp for cutting short grass.)

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Old 13-10-2006, 09:29 PM posted to rec.gardens
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Korbinian wrote:
I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?





A good electric can do a superb job of cutting lawn areas if one keeps
after the job and doesn't try to chop down weeks of growth at a single
go. When a blade of grass is cut by a rapidly-spinning sharp blade it
doesn't stop to consider what the source of the spin might be.

Personally, I decided on a battery powered mower since, despite a lot
area of 1.25A, my mowable area probably doesn't cover 100 square meters.
The two 12-volt batteries make this mower heavier than the corded sort
but in my experience the latter aren't good for more than a postage
stamp lawn. Besides I'd invariably lose concentration and mangle the cord...

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com
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Old 13-10-2006, 11:40 PM posted to rec.gardens
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On Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:35:16 +0100, Korbinian
wrote:


I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?


Allow me to offer a truly subversive suggestion:

If your lawn isn't too, too, too large, consider a non-motorized push
mower. Good exercise, and a nice feeling beating the system.

Aspasia
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Old 16-10-2006, 11:17 AM
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Thanks for all the help. Now that i think about it, the scythe seems the best option. Plus thats half of my halloween costume taken care of.
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Old 18-10-2006, 12:51 AM posted to rec.gardens
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"JoeSpareBedroom" writes in article dated Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:30:27 GMT:
"Korbinian" wrote in message
...

I am about to purchase a new lawnmower, but i am in a quandry as to
which type i will buy, either petrol driven or electric. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a significant difference between these types,
with respect to grass cutting quality?
Korbinian


www.consumerreports.org
You can pay a few bucks for something like 30 days of access to all their
product tests. Or, find them at your local library.


They never charged me for my membership, but my e-mail address which I made
up especially for them wound up in the hands of a spammer after I cancelled.

For a mower I use a 6.5 HP Craftsman. It gets the job done quick, usually
45 minutes for my 0.25 acre.

When I was a kid my dad had a *corded* electric. That one stunk.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net
The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.
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