Corded or cordless electric lawn mower?

Go over to Amazon.com and look at the corded and cordless mowers they have to offer, then read the reviews (I always start with the lowest reviews first). When I was researching mowers, that's what I did. I opted for the corded because I wasn't thrilled by the short charge time, and how long it took to recharge -- that just wasn't suitable for me.

The trick to corded mower is to start your mowing the furthest away from the outlet and work towards it -- it makes dealing with the cord much easier and less likely to dragging through the bed. My purpose for getting a small mower is I have intricate garden beds and walkways that my big riding mower won't fit in, and what I did is stick a few stakes in the ground around the flower beds to help direct the cord around the beds rather than the cord being dragged in them. One flower bed is too large to go around, so for that one I fashioned a "bridge" out of some pieces of rusty metal to lay the cord over that bed. I keep it there permanently -- it's sort of rustic garden art.

I also put a snap holder on my jeans' belt loop (or just the mower if I'm mowing in my swimsuit -- hey, I like getting a tan) and as I am working my way toward to the outlet I loop up the cord on my belt/mower handle so it isn't dragging all over the place.

I know 3 people, including my daughter who bought corded mowers. All 3 have ran over the power cord and cut it into two pieces. That is why my wife bought a battery model.

The batteries are strong the first year, weaker the second year, and the third year, you must purchase a new battery to mow the lawn without charging the battery.

Keep the old battery and charger for back up to finish mowing if the new one dies. It is the same price to order an new battery by itself, or order a charger with the battery. May as well get a new charger too.

If your yard is really that small, get one of those old timey mowers that you push yourself.

Buy an old-fashioned reel mower. They're not particularly expensive, and as long as your yard is fairly level it isn't really any more work than pushing around any other mower. Also, the blades actually cut, not tear, your grass, which is better for your lawn.