Electric lawn mowers are making more sense than ever

Do you have any childhood memories of mowing lawns? I sure do. I spent a few hours each week of my teenage years cutting the unfortunately hilly lawn around the family homestead, suffering through heat, noise, and those weirdly pleasant but unhealthy exhaust fumes.

I don't think there were any viable electric lawnmowers back then, but today there are many choices, including at least one cute robotic one.

If you're curious about just how powerful and practical a top-of-the-line electric mower can be, check out the Neuton mower as reviewed by Michael d'Estries over at Groovy Green.

His take: "I was pleased to see that a large majority of the Neuton is made from plastic; making this an easy product to recycle once the end comes. As expected, that means it's also fairly light and nimble-coming in at a manageable 48 lbs with the battery.

After the 12-hour initial charge, I easily popped the battery in and got to work on my roughly .6 acres of lawn."

d'Estries like the cutting power, the cleanup (you can tip the mower over and clean underneath with no problems), and the absence of gasoline, oil, and all the problems they create. He didn't like the mower's lack of mulching power and a self-propel mode, and he was hoping to see a lithium-ion battery rather than the heavier lead-acid battery which takes more time to charge.

Two mower models are currently on sale at $349 and $499. If you're in the market for one, check out the free DVD and decide if now may be the time to consider going electric.

Don Willmott's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.