It took a single mow for one homeowner to ditch their gas-powered lawn mower for good.
Posting on the r/lawnmowers subreddit, a Reddit user described how they upgraded to a Kobalt electric lawn mower and were instantly convinced.
The Redditor described their yard as "about a third of an acre with about half obstacles and half open grass" in their post. The $200 Kobalt model they chose notably has a cord, which could be less desirable for larger yards.
For the Redditor, though, it was no big deal. They said they found it "annoying" initially, but "forgot it was there after a while."
What really blew them away though was the electric mower's performance. They called it "more powerful and more consistent" than their recently tuned-up 20-year-old Craftsman gas-powered mower.
As for why they didn't splurge for a cordless one, they said they "couldn't justify the price given how quickly the battery seems to drain."
The Redditor declared "I'm never going back" to a gas-powered mower, and called themselves "super happy with my purchase!"
There are a host of reasons to make a switch to an electric mower.
Despite their modest size, gas-powered mowers are major polluters. Using one for an hour can release as much planet-heating pollution as driving a car for 350 miles, per the EPA.
🗣️ If you're thinking about switching to electric yard tools, which of these factors would be most persuasive for you?
🔘 Better for the environment 🌎
🔘 Cheaper to fuel and maintain 💰
🔘 More enjoyable to use 💁
🔘 Produce better results 👏
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
That doesn't even take their extremely loud nature into consideration. The noise and the pollution are big reasons why many governments nationwide are banning the sale of new gas-powered equipment, and even forbidding their use entirely.
With many electric mowers available, it's encouraging the Redditor was thrilled with one of the cheapest available. For those with a DIY streak, one homeowner got creative in swapping their electric mower's battery to one designed for an e-bike that addressed their own concerns about power.
Commenters on Reddit had a healthy debate around this most recent post, with corded lawn mower users chiming in with their support.
"I'd hate dragging that cord…," one Redditor wrote, to which the original poster responded, "honestly, it wasn't that bad."
Some commenters indicated they still preferred a battery mower overall, but the general consensus from those who replied was that the benefits of corded outweigh the negatives.
One commenter asked the skeptics: "Have none of you vacuumed before? How hard is it not to run over the cord?"
"You get quite skilled with the cord and you don't even know it's there anymore," another Redditor wrote, calling theirs the "best mower I've ever had."
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