Need a new mower , petrol or battery?

[nog]

Sadly my Honda izzy 16" petrol mower has cut its last lawn. Have repaired the metal deck a few times with fibreglass but a big piece of the deck came off today
Had it for 17 years so can't complain I suppose, Could get a new deck but that's £150, need a new blade and other bits so not worth fixing really.
Will probably get another Honda izzy at £350 unless anyone knows of any good alternatives - petrol or battery. Not a big lawn takes about 30 mins to do front and back.
Cheers

 

[MDH6D]

For your lawn size, I recommend going for a battery mower. I’ve had a Bosch battery mower for about 5 years now and I wouldn’t go back to a petrol mower. Battery mowers are quieter, probably cheaper, more reliable, don’t need servicing and you don’t have to go to the petrol station for fuel.

My mower is quite old now and it takes two batteries to cut for about 45 minutes (luckily my mower came with 2 batteries). Check the ratings for lawn size coverage, some mowers wil cover your requirements with one battery, some will need two.

Two of my immediate neighbours have since converted to battery mowers since I’ve been using mine and they agree; they wouldn’t go back to petrol.

 

[stevewestern]

Just bear in mind that it was always said that batteries need to be used fairly regularly or they cease to hold charge as well. If you have any power tools already then sticking with the same brand may be a good idea..
I have a lot of Makita tools so my batteries are charged and used frequently and have lasted many years ago so don't know how true this is, cheaper brands have a reputation for a reason I guess...
Is a mains powered mower not an option - I don't find mine any hassle.

 

[boogie man]

A couple of my neighbours have those GTech cordless mowers and swear by them. You really need an extra battery though as Sod’s law says it will always run out of juice at the most inconvenient time. Charge time is also quite slow I think? I’m also not sure how well they would cope with really long grass, so maybe they work best if you mow regularly.

I’m still using a petrol Hayter mower, but that’s because we have a big area outside the house that’s covered in very coarse grass and I doubt a battery mower would touch it. The downside is it is a heavy old beast and my wife can’t use it easily.

Servicing a petrol mower isn’t really an issue and is easily done at home with a few basic tools. There’s not much to do apart from changing the oil, swapping/cleaning the air filter and cleaning the spark plug. Then a bit of grease here and there and that does it for the year.

 

[Peter123]

Battery for me. Small lawn, only need one battery. I give it a couple of charges over the winter to keep it healthy.
I did look at getting a dewalt battery mower - I have several dewalt power tools and batteries - but the test reviews all rated it mediocre.
This was 2 years ago so things may have changed.

When we moved house I sold my 2 petrol mowers and they financed my Honda battery mower. More expensive than the Gtech but
Honda’s are never cheap. Been faultless so far. Choice of battery sizes for differing size lawns.

 

[nog]

Have some flower beds in middle of lawn so find cables are a pain. Have a couple of ryobi batteries but the reviews I’ve see on YouTube did not fill me with confidence, just read some reviews on makita mowers and seem better.
The Izzy mower I had lasted 17 years and if I’d looked after the deck would still be going well, so I know the Izzy does a good job, don’t know if I should “ chance” the battery mowers.
oh well makes a change from looking at a camera or lens review
Thanks all

 

[sphexx]

Have some flower beds in middle of lawn so find cables are a pain. Have a couple of ryobi batteries but the reviews I’ve see on YouTube did not fill me with confidence, just read some reviews on makita mowers and seem better.
The Izzy mower I had lasted 17 years and if I’d looked after the deck would still be going well, so I know the Izzy does a good job, don’t know if I should “ chance” the battery mowers.
oh well makes a change from looking at a camera or lens review
Thanks all

I have an an Izy (about 7 years I think), excellent. Self propelled, which you don’t mention and I don‘t think any battery ones are yet. I think the deck is metal on this one, anyway highly recommended but I have a lot of rough areas and tree debris to cope with and I think battery ones are too fragile. However I have a Bosch battery mower too which does a good job on smooth areas — but I have a lot of Bosch batteries and tools so it made sense to get Bosch. Really battier, which are very expensive, are the key here, comparability etc.

 

[JonathanRyan]

30 mins to cut - I'd get battery.

I have a lawn that takes about 30 mins to cut front and back with my petrol mower - that includes 2 of us lifting it up and down the steps. When my lawn was bigger and batteries weren't as good, I'd go for petrol all day long but when mine dies (10 years+ old - always starts OK but no longer turns off when I tell it to....) I'll get something from one of the new ranges of battery mowers.

Last year when the Fat Max range came out they were practically giving away spare batteries to get you into the system. Maybe look for what people are desperate to flog this year.

 

[sphexx]

30 mins to cut - I'd get battery.

I have a lawn that takes about 30 mins to cut front and back with my petrol mower - that includes 2 of us lifting it up and down the steps. When my lawn was bigger and batteries weren't as good, I'd go for petrol all day long but when mine dies (10 years+ old - always starts OK but no longer turns off when I tell it to....) I'll get something from one of the new ranges of battery mowers.

Last year when the Fat Max range came out they were practically giving away spare batteries to get you into the system. Maybe look for what people are desperate to flog this year.

Yes, I missed the 30 mins. If it’s two small, level, short grass lawns, battery is a no brainier and if it needs to be lifted that goes double.

 

[nog]

Well after all the advice re getting a battery mower, just ordered another Honda izzy

For me its a known quality and easy to handle, nearly got the

MAKITA DLM382CT2 at Howe tools which was cheaper, next day delivery and a freebie to claim worth £80ish​

Looking at batteries they may need replacing after a few years and they are pretty expensive.

Anyway thanks for the replies.

​

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[Marc]

Bought a Hyundai battery mower last year. a couple of weeks before the warranty ran out, the clip that holds the battery in broke. Phoned AO but they advised me to contact the manufacturer who said they'd send the part out. A couple of weeks later, I phoned them to ask when I could expect to receive said part only to be told it was out of stock and they didn't know when it would be back in. Phoned AO again who put me on hold for a couple of minutes before. telling m to choose a new mower and they'd replace the Hyundai. Oh yes, the mower that arrived last year was broken so had to be replaced back then. So the point of that little tale was don't buy a Hyundai mower but AO are brilliant to deal with.

We now have a Black & Decker mower although it came with 2 batteries which have to be used together but can only be charged one at a time. We were also able to claim a free battery.

 

[sphexx]

Well after all the advice re getting a battery mower, just ordered another Honda izzy

For me its a known quality and easy to handle, nearly got the

MAKITA DLM382CT2 at Howe tools which was cheaper, next day delivery and a freebie to claim worth £80ish​

Looking at batteries they may need replacing after a few years and they are pretty expensive.

Anyway thanks for the replies.

​

​

The main reason I went with the Izy (apart from a very good write up by the local specialist mower company) was that it was made in France not China. Had a couple of bad experiences with long established British makes which seem to have sold their brand names (for at least low+end model) to China.

 

[beyond the blue]

All l can say is l recently replaced my old Izzy with a new Izzy and it uses far less petrol.

 

[nog]

Excellent that should save a couple of gallons a year so at current prices....

TBH read lots of reviews and nearly every Izzy buyer said they'd buy again, battery reviews all had a few moaning about power or battery life.

 

[JonathanRyan]

Excellent that should save a couple of gallons a year so at current prices....

TBH read lots of reviews and nearly every Izzy buyer said they'd buy again, battery reviews all had a few moaning about power or battery life.

As some balance......my last mower was a Honda (not an Izy - it was before their time). Just over a year old the clutch failed. I mentioned the 7 year warranty and the dealer said "ah, but you hadn't had it serviced every year....". I pointed out how unfair this was and eventually they repaired it for a discounted amount. 2 years later the clutch failed again. Again I hadn't had it serviced (because who does?) and the cost was eye watering so I gave the mower away and bought an Oleo Mac.

I remember doing the calculation that if the Oleo Mac made it to its 3rd year then it was cheaper than 3 years of servicing a Honda. I think it's about 12 years old now. As I mentioned, it needs a screwdriver to stop it but it starts every time. When I moved into a new build where the lawn hadn't been mowed all summer and was waist high in weeds it managed to cut it all. I planned to strim it first but it was too tough for a strimmer so I just battled through it with the mower. Incredibly tough machine.

It's a similar model to this one which has been in the news lately

Ukrainian Man Mowing Lawn amid Bombed Buildings is a Picture of Resilience

Amid Russia-Ukraine war, a man was seen mowing a lawn in the hope that 'life would come back'.

www.news18.com

 

[F1.2]

I have a Stihl battery electric mower and 2 AK30 Batteries , suitable for a small to medium lawn on a single battery and on the second battery a medium to large lawn.

 

[Peter123]

My Honda battery (the middle choice of the 3) cuts our small/medium lawn in one charge,
Very happy that I don't have to mess around with petrol any more.

 

[sphexx]

All l can say is l recently replaced my old Izzy with a new Izzy and it uses far less petrol.

I do find my Izzy drinks petrol — runs a little bit fast (self drive) for me but no adjustment. Cylinder mowers were more economical I think and a pleasure to walk behind being so much quieter.

 

[sphexx]

As some balance......my last mower was a Honda (not an Izy - it was before their time). Just over a year old the clutch failed. I mentioned the 7 year warranty and the dealer said "ah, but you hadn't had it serviced every year....". I pointed out how unfair this was and eventually they repaired it for a discounted amount. 2 years later the clutch failed again. Again I hadn't had it serviced (because who does?) and the cost was eye watering so I gave the mower away and bought an Oleo Mac.

I remember doing the calculation that if the Oleo Mac made it to its 3rd year then it was cheaper than 3 years of servicing a Honda. I think it's about 12 years old now. As I mentioned, it needs a screwdriver to stop it but it starts every time. When I moved into a new build where the lawn hadn't been mowed all summer and was waist high in weeds it managed to cut it all. I planned to strim it first but it was too tough for a strimmer so I just battled through it with the mower. Incredibly tough machine.

It's a similar model to this one which has been in the news lately

Ukrainian Man Mowing Lawn amid Bombed Buildings is a Picture of Resilience

Amid Russia-Ukraine war, a man was seen mowing a lawn in the hope that 'life would come back'.

www.news18.com

Depends what “clutch fail” means. I’ve had that twice when it’s hit a hard rubber ball the dogs left in long grass. It disconnects and the spring detaches but if you can find the spring immediately it a simple refining job. I do misuse mowers on long grass, cow parsley, chunks of fallen branches and so on. Best rotary I ever had was a little Mounfield which had very hard misuse but never physically broke.

 

[sphexx]

Depends what “clutch fail” means. I’ve had that twice when it’s hit a hard rubber ball the dogs left in long grass. It disconnects and the spring detaches but if you can find the spring immediately it a simple refining job. I do misuse mowers on long grass, cow parsley, chunks of fallen branches and so on. Best rotary I ever had was a little Mounfield which had very hard misuse but never physically broke.

Yep, batteries. I happen to have about 6 Bosch that came with various power tools so it was a no-brainer to get a Bosh electric as backup.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Battery would be the most convenient one for sure. Petrol that nasty stinky toxic stuff that is a right hassle to bring back and it runs out again and again.... definitely not! There is also the fully manual option. Husqvarna make decent ones. Zero expense, just push the bloody thing.