11 Of The Best Lawn Mower Models For Beginners

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On the surface, maintaining a lawn may not look like much work. At least that was my thought process before I became responsible for my own porch. If you've never cared for a lawn before, spoiler alert: it's a lot more involved than you'd think. It's a balancing act of watering, fertilizing, weeding, and mowing. Do any of these tasks wrong (or in the wrong proportion), and that shiny, healthy green hue, so often a source of pride for homeowners, can prove elusive.

Of those tasks, mowing can be daunting for a beginner. Buying one, for starters, requires careful consideration. One mower could be great for flat land but struggle on hills. Another can trim short grass but labour when it grows more than a couple of inches. Some of these variables are brand-specific, which is why we've also ranked major lawn mower brands from worst to best.

However, as a beginner, buying the best brand based on pedigree alone is hardly the best strategy. At that stage, you don't need the most powerful or efficient model. What you do need is a selection that flattens the learning curve of mowing mechanics, whether through reduced maintenance, ease of operation, or intuitive controls. The following 11 lawn mowers are the models we believe are best suited to beginners, and we explain our methodology at the end.

As a newcomer to lawn mowing, buying the fanciest engine or blades on the shelf isn't the best idea — you likely don't know how to care for them or their parts. That's why the American Lawn Mower 1204-14 is a great fit: it doesn't use a battery or run on gas. Instead, you familiarize yourself with the basics before scaling up in complexity.

It's a manual grass cutter, so you're in total control of how it moves. Hold the handlebars, push it across the lawn, and let the blades do the work. The American Lawn Mower 1204-14 sits on 8.5-inch polymer wheels and only weighs about 19 lbs, so maneuverability is one of its strong points. It comes with four blades that cut 14 inches across. The blade height is also adjustable for cutting taller grass.

You should note a few things, though. For starters, while it can cut tall grass when push comes to shove, it's not as effective — so don't let the grass grow too long before leveling it. Secondly, cutting too low into the grass blade can destroy the roots. You'll want a few inches of allowance to prevent this. Third, follow standard mowing procedure: don't run the lawn mower on wet grass. You could tear your grass blades, spread lawn diseases, or worse, damage your mower blades. Beyond those, there isn't much to worry about. For $89.99, you can get the American Lawn Mower 1204-14 on Amazon.

If the manual engineering of the American Lawn Mower 1204-14 doesn't sound powerful enough for your tastes, this Ryobi 40V Push Mower could be more up your alley. It doesn't differ much in terms of user mechanics — the only difference is that you push a button on the handles to rev up the motors. It's cordless by design, which removes the danger of trailing wires. As an electric mower, though, the main boon for a beginner is avoiding the steep learning curve of managing a gas-powered mower entirely.

A gas model requires frequent maintenance procedures like changing the engine oil, servicing the air filter, checking and replacing the spark plug — all while keeping an eye on your fuel gauge. That complexity can be too much for a beginner to handle, not to mention the cost; it's why we suggest replacing a gas-powered lawn mower with an electric model. You'd still clean and sharpen the blades periodically in an electric model like the Ryobi 40V Push Mower, but that is basic housekeeping.

The Ryobi 40V Push Mower charges fully in about 90 minutes, and a full charge can deliver up to 50 minutes of runtime. According to manufacturer specifications, that's enough time to mow about half an acre. If your lawn has patches of taller or tougher grass, the mower adjusts its blade speeds to power through them, too. The Ryobi 40V Push Mower is on sale for $359 at Home Depot.

While the 40V Push Mower can be considered Ryobi's entry into the full-size cordless niche for this list, the RYAC130-S operates in the corded segment. Deciding the better power tool class between corded and cordless can be technical, but a beginner only needs to consider two operating factors. First, the boon: you'll get essentially unlimited runtime with the RYAC130-S. Where cordless tools use batteries for their operation, corded ones are plugged into a power source, so the efficiency and power delivery never taper. That makes a difference for larger lawns; a cordless mower that needs multiple charging breaks to cover your lawn makes keeping your front yard tidy a bigger chore than it needs to be.

On the flip side, the RYAC130-S (like any corded tool) needs adept cable management skills. You may need an extension cord to reach every corner of your yard, and at the maximum allowance (100 feet), that's a lot of rope to keep under control. The problem gets worse if your yard has trees and other obstacles — you'll be stepping over wires frequently, and the more obstacles a yard has, the harder it is to maneuver a cord to access every nook and cranny.

That being said, the RYAC130-S weighs only 23 lbs, cuts 13 inches across, and comes with easy-collapse handles. Essentially, you shouldn't have any problems maneuvering it around any obstacles or folding it to store in your garage. It's on sale at Home Depot for $199.

Ever wondered how homeowners push and drag their lawn mowers for the long hauls (sometimes hours) it takes to give the grass a nice even cut? It's only natural to wonder whether that's the only (and most efficient) way to maintain a lawn. The good news is that it isn't: self-propelling lawn mowers exist to reduce the physical workload of manning these machines.

The EGO Power+ Select Cut basically lets you mow at your own pace. Engaging the self-propelling system is easy — just apply a little pressure to the handles in a push motion. Once the Select Cut is moving, you can control the speed with a dial. The available speeds are between 0.9 and 3.1 miles per hour, so it's pretty much a standard walking pace. You'll still need to keep your hands on the mower, though.

It comes with a 56V 7.5 Ah battery that can run for up to an hour, but as one can imagine, that measurement can vary depending on your speed settings. It takes roughly an hour to charge fully, too. Like most other mowers on this list, the EGO Power+ Select Cut is adjustable; it has eight distinct cutting height positions from 1 to 4 inches, and at 21 inches, it has a pretty wide cutting width. Furthermore, the multi-blade cutting system (interchangeable lower blades and upper blade) gives you more control over how your lawn is cut. The EGO Power+ Select Cut retails on Amazon for $749.

The third Ryobi selection on this list is not a push mower or a corded electric like its sister products. Instead, it's a walk-behind self-propelled mower, much like the EGO Power+ Select Cut. It also cuts 21 inches across, and although the battery capacity is slightly smaller at 6Ah, Ryobi's engineering uses two battery ports that deliver up to 80 minutes of runtime. According to the manufacturer, that timeframe is sufficient to handle a ¾-acre yard. It charges fully in under an hour with the 40V Rapid Charger, too.

What makes Ryobi's Self-Propelled mower particularly good for beginners is the variety of modes it can access. For instance, in thicker swathes of grass, it automatically switches into turbo mode (which increases the speed of its blades) so it can cut through the resistance. You can also change its operation from bagging to mulching with the flip of a switch.

If you'd prefer to mow early in the day, late at night, or just need extra lighting (check your local area's legislation; some jurisdictions have time restrictions on when you can mow), the Self-Propelled Ryobi comes equipped with LED headlights to illuminate the work area. If the self-propelling technology and mode switchability sound interesting, the Ryobi RYHPLM01K2 could get you started on your lawn mowing journey for $639 at Home Depot.

While self-propelling technology helps reduce the physical strain of lawn mowing, it can be overkill for smaller yards. As a beginner, a mower that's easy to maneuver may be a top priority. At a 16-inch cutting width, the Greenworks Push Lawn Mower is one of the thinner machines on this list.

It's electric, and its motor is pretty quiet for a lawn mower at around 72 decibels. For reference, the typical gas mower operates between 85 and 100 decibels. That's a significant difference that makes for a much smoother experience cutting your grass — a loud lawn mower can irritate your neighbors.

Unfortunately, the Greenworks 40V Push Lawn Mower is far from the most powerful out there. Its battery capacity is 4Ah, and you'll only get about 35 minutes of runtime before needing a recharge. That's a poor metric considering it takes longer than an hour to charge. So, if your lawn's on the bigger side, using this model can quickly become frustrating. Beyond that, its lightweight deck (37.5 lbs) can translate to uneven cuts on taller grass as it's prone to bouncing over uneven terrain. That said, if you have a small lawn, the lithe maneuverability and quiet operation could make the Greenworks Push Lawn Mower's $350 price tag on Amazon worth it.

We've discussed the Select Cut's capabilities, but choosing your lawn cut's aesthetics can be one degree too complex for a rookie. EGO Power+ offers a slightly less complicated (and powerful) model in the LM2114SP to keep things simple at a friendlier price tag. Where the Select Cut could run for about an hour, the LM211SP's 56V 6Ah battery lasts roughly 50 minutes and delivers 6 ft-lbs of cutting torque.

Those marks come in just shy of the Select Cut's — that model sported a 57V 7.5Ah battery and 7 ft-lbs of cutting torque — but the differences are not so stark that the LM2114SP is "inferior", so to speak. Its cutting deck measures the same 21 inches, and it comes with three modes for mulching, bagging, and side discharge. For taller clumps of grass, you can adjust the deck through seven cutting heights ranging from 1.25 to a maximum of 4 inches.

The main selling point for the LM2114SP, though, is the self-propelling feature. The handlebars are engineered to let you activate the system with either hand, and a dial lets you adjust the mowing speed. In a nutshell, it can do nearly everything the Select Cut can do. If the differential doesn't materially change your mowing experience, the cost savings the LM2114SP offers should be attractive. It's on sale for $529 on Amazon compared to its sibling's $749 price tag.

Depending on your lawn size, how comfortable you feel pushing a mower, or how much storage space you have, some of the larger options on this list might be too much to handle. In that case, the WORX Nitro WG737 is worth a look.

At a cutting width of just around 16 inches, the WG737 doesn't cover much ground per pass. However, its 41.3-lb frame means it's light on its wheels, and that compactness also lets it get through narrow paths that bigger mowers couldn't access. The design has implications for storage as well — you don't have to change your garage's layout to fit the WG737.

With the smaller size, however, comes more limitations on its power. The WG737 is powered by two 4Ah PowerShare batteries that last for about 40 minutes before it needs to charge. Charging can take up to an hour, too. That's a pain on any decently sized lawn — according to the manufacturer, it's ideal for lawns no larger than a quarter-acre. That being said, it can still suit basic lawn maintenance needs. Its cutting heights are adjustable (six positions between 1.5 and 3.5 inches), and you can switch between bagging and mulching. It retails at Lowe's for $283.49.

While cordless mowers are increasingly popular, a mismatch between the runtime and your lawn size can make mowing tedious. That's where corded mowers like BLACK+DECKER's MM2000 keep their edge: constant power delivery. The MM2000 uses a 13-amp motor that runs on alternating current, allowing you to plug your cable and mow without calculating how many charging cycles you need.

The other corded model on this list, the Ryobi RYAC130-S, lags behind that metric at 11 amps. That translates to higher cutting strength in the MM2000 — it can squeeze out more power to get the type of trim you want your lawn to have. Where you're likely to notice the difference between the two models is the cutting path, though. Compared to the RYAC130-S's 13-inch cutting width (the slimmest on this list), the MM2000 cuts across 19 inches. That translates to fewer passes to get the job done.

As a corded machine, you'll have to contend with cable management. The maximum recommended extension cord length is 150 ft. One pro tip to manage a long cable like this is to plug the cord in and then push outward to reduce fall risk. That way, the wire always stays behind you. The MM2000 is also adjustable for up to seven cutting heights to handle taller grass. It's one of the cheaper options we've covered; it's on sale at Home Depot for $199.

If corded tools don't appeal to you, and a self-propelled drive system feels a little too fancy (especially since you're learning the ropes for maintenance), a standard cordless push mower could be the right pick for you and your lawn. The SKIL PWR Push Mower, like the Greenworks 40V, fills that middle ground by retaining the traditional push experience. It's not the fanciest piece of equipment out there, but it gets the job done.

It's powered by a 6Ah battery, although it's unclear what that capacity means for runtime, as the manufacturer doesn't specify how long you can expect it to run. You'll get both standard bagging and mulching modes, and the engine starts at the push of a button. The blades can be set between 1.25 and 4 inches, like most of the options on this list. Storage-wise, the SKIL Push Mower has a telescoping handle that folds so you can store it vertically.

Simply put, the SKIL Push Mower's value proposition is mowing your lawn without the hassle of managing a gas engine. It has a rating of 4.6 stars from over 1,500 reviews at Walmart, where it retails for $329.99.

At this point, we've covered all sorts of lawn mower engineering, from self-propelled to corded and cordless models. Of these options, self-propelled mowers are particularly interesting for a user who would like to relieve some of that push labor while still getting the job done. However, while the propelling speeds are adjustable, there's no guarantee you'll find the perfect working pace — it's easy to imagine the mower going slightly too slow or a bit too fast for your natural stride pattern.

That's where the Toro 60V Personal Pace comes in. It's a type of self-propelled mower that dynamically matches your walking speed with its Auto-Drive transmission — no speed dials involved. Additionally, if your lawn has an incline or hill, pushing a standard mower up the angle can be physically demanding. The Toro 60V Personal Pace handles that too by sending extra power to the wheels.

In terms of performance, you can expect roughly 40 minutes (or half an acre) out of the Toro Personal Pace's 6Ah battery. That estimate varies depending on usage conditions. For cutting and bagging, the cutting deck uses turbocharged airflow to keep clippings suspended. That engineering detail lets them be cut for longer than usual, which translates to a finer mulch to spread across your lawn to fertilize it. The Toro Personal Pace costs $669 at Lowe's, where it has an average rating of 4.5 stars from over 1,300 reviews.

The most important factor we considered for choosing the best lawn mower models for beginners was ease of use. Efficiency is still a factor, but we favored models that boasted kinder maintenance schedules (and operations), could easily be stored in the average home, and were outfitted with intuitive controls. After settling on this benchmark, we filtered our list to models with a minimum rating of 4.0 stars from 100 reviewers on the platform it retails on.