6 Expert Picks: Best Mower for Small Yards

Customer Review: Like others, I needed to know the lowest measurement setting from the ground to the operating button with the mower attachment and trimmer in place. For some unknown reason, the community answers seemed to avoid such an easy question for those who owned one?! With that said, I just purchased my own to get that exact answer with a measuring tape.The LOWEST MOWER HEIGHT (from ground to button pressed): 22-1/2 inches.The HIGHEST MOWER HEIGHT (from ground to button pressed): 31-1/2 inches.**Due to my very own physical needs, the lowest height works perfectly for me! Fortunately, I did not have any of the ‘troubles’ that some have reported with theirs. If it works as it all did with my first use on a small yard today for even a season or two, I would definitely purchase again! Although it does kind of sound like a small shop vac in use, it is absolutely adorable and FUN for me to use. I love it!!It does look like a toy and is nearly identical to vacuuming (with both physical motions & width). So those that are impatient, hate vacuuming or want to look ‘manly’, may not appreciate this trimmer/mower like I already do. Did I mention that I I love this thing! :)However, as not to wear down the thin and very narrow plastic lip that holds the trimmer into the mower attachment, I personally won’t be pressing the trimmer into the mower attachment until it “clicks” per the instructions. Instead, I simply press on the pedal and gently seat the trimmer all the way in before releasing the pedal to lock it in place. Noting again, that’s just my own suggested solution to hopefully prevent that thin plastic ‘lock’ from wearing down so easily, or as I see that it probably could otherwise.Further, the trimmer seems to hold in place just fine when pressing the trimmer handle down to make turns (just like placing the weight on the back wheels to turn a vacuum). To ‘lift up’ on the trimmer handle when mowing, is when it wants to detach from the mower –so don’t do that people lol.Just like every electric tool that I’ve ever owned, it does NOT come with an extension cord (and it makes me laugh that anyone would expect it to). However, since I wanted an extension cord designated just for this unit, I also purchased what did NOT work –and that was a 50 ft 16AWG Yellow HUANCHAIN brand through Amazon at the same time as well. To my disappointment and even trying to force it further into the plug hole, that extension cord does NOT and will NOT make a tight enough contact to fit but for ‘brief’ contact spurts. At first, that was a big GRRR there for me because the mower kept cutting out before I realized it was that extension cord that was barely making contact. Okaaay….**Instead though and most fortunate for me, I ended up using my older orange extension cord (that most of us have laying around) that has a slightly narrower plug encasement … which seats all the way into the plug for continuous contact well and fits perfectly tight! With my recent experience: If it feels slightly wobbly, kind of loose or pulls out too easily… just forget it and try another extension cord plug! You’re welcome. LolAgain, before getting super frustrated with the extension cord constantly coming loose from the plug (like I did with the brand new yellow one), you may want to try to find an older style or better fitting extension cord first (even if to take the trimmer to your local hardware store to try one there)!See my extension cord pics as example: Orange (narrower) = Perfect & Tight Fit! Yellow (chubbier) = Frustrating, Loose & Horrible Fit!!Lastly, my reason for purchase: Living in an apartment with a small yard has became just too ridiculous annoying every year to ‘wait’ for yard maintenance not even mowing until the weeds are almost 18″ high and allowing the clippings to just fall where they may for their tenants to just track long grass/weed clippings into our cars and apartments — I finally had ENOUGH when a thorn weed recently caught my pant leg causing me to trip and fall! With this fun to use, light and nifty little edger/mower that I can enjoy taking care of my yard weekly and all by myself… I won’t and NEVER will want such careless “yard maintenance” in or around my yard (or vehicle) again now anyway! I’m not done yet but just after mowing the whole yard once & quickly edging to ‘test’ it today, my yard already looks way better than it ever has before! I’m HAPPY and very pleased with this fun little B&D trimmer/mower being my new ‘toy’!The only reason I’m not including pics of the results with its use on my yard today is due to some privacy concerns but it already looks GREAT! Yet, I hope my lengthy review helps answer some of the questions that I had prior to my having to purchase it to find out for myself anyway. I’m sure glad I did though! I don’t enjoy raking so to prevent that, I will just be sure to mow weekly through the growing season because I CAN and will enjoy doing so, too. Just make sure you get a tight fitting extension cord and well then . . . Happy mowing the easy way!! 🙂

Customer Review: UPDATE: May 17, 2024, after owning for one year This little lawn mower has been GREAT! Haven’t had ANY problems with it so far. I only cut my grass every 2 weeks or so. The original trimmer string lasted all that time. I just bought replacement string off a web site (rhymes with hay) super cheap.While my string was out and I waited on a replacement, the front and back grass was getting TALL. Easily 8-10 inches, thick, like a small jungle. I should have taken pictures but it never crossed my mind. It was much taller than the pictures submitted in my original review.I did have to go over most parts 2-3 times, but this little mower did the job just fine, never bogged down in HEAVY grass, just chopped it right up, and kept going.Honestly people, for a small to medium yard, this thing does a great job! ORIGINAL REVIEW MAY 2023:Pros: Easy assembly. Just had to connect shield to weed wacker, lock it in the base, and attach the trimmer/edger handle. Light weight, can pick it up with one hand. Compact, can be tucked into a small corner. Did exceptionally well on my tall grass! Many sections were well over 6 inches. It took a couple times going over, but this little unit worked great and never bogged down! I kept the wheels at the lowest setting the entire time. I didn’t find it loud at all. Just a typical weed wacker. Definitely not as loud as a gas lawn mower. Wheels adjust from about 1-2 inches high if you like your grass a little taller. Handle telescopes out approximately 12 inches. If you are really tall this might not be adequate. Briefly used the edger, the wheel was a big help, it did the job fine. Haven’t tried the trimmer yet. Great for a small to medium size yard, limited space for storage, people with arthritis, seniors, disabled, those who can’t lift much weight, and want virtually maintenance free! Besides cleaning, you only need to replace the trimmer cord when it runs out. Cons: Weed wacker locking mechanism into base is poorly designed. Mine popped out several times. It’s not a constant problem, but annoying (like the IRS or DMV). Power cord came out of the loop in the handle numerous times. A spring loaded clamp would be much better. Would be nice to have a grass discharge port in the side. Sucks having to rake grass afterwards. Other: Some reviewers said it doesn’t come with a power cord. My warehouse item said missing cord but I don’t recall the box or description saying it is included. You will need an extension cord regardless. Any standard cord plugs into the 2 prong handle fine. This doesn’t require an engineering degree folks. I bought a warehouse return to save a little money. It was FILTHY! Previous owner did a bad job cleaning it. I’ve bought many warehouse items, but never had anything this dirty before. I did get a nice discount so I can’t complain too much. Also didn’t include owners manual. Maybe I can download a PDF from B&D? These are not product cons as none are B&D fault.

Customer Review: Update: Decided to keep this mower and have used it 4 times now. I am impressed at what a good job it does at cutting evenly, the bag is plenty big for my small size yard (approx 24’x 60′), and the batteries have plenty of power left at the end of the job. Still not thrilled about the need to use both batteries then charging them separately, but I suppose it would bother me more if I had a bigger yard and ran out of power in the middle of cutting. If one of them does die, I will need to replace, but crossing my fingers they have longevity — at least 2 or 3 seasons. Other than that, still kind of cheap feeling, but the plastic is pretty sturdy and it is very light weight to move all around the tight spaces in the yard.Original review:The mower was delivered timely and the driver was extremely cordial. The Amazon box that it came in was a bit rag tag and the product box had a hole in the top.When I opened the box, it almost looked like this item was returned and re-packaged as there were knobs and bolts scattered throughout the box. All parts appeared to be included in the box.As I assembled it, the mower was smaller than I expected and I am apprehensive about all parts except the bolts, handle, and blade being plastic of very light to light grade-especially the wheels. I charged the batteries immediately, and it’s nice that there is a way to check their charge status with the light on the batteries themselves. Not real thrilled about needing both batteries to run this as it takes over 2 hours to charge both.Once both batteries were charged, I inserted and began mowing the smallest portion of my yard (the entire yard is small at 10’x40′). I just bought this home that has an automatic sprinkler system, so I set the height at 3 to make sure I cleared the sprinkler heads. The mower itself seemed to cut evenly and well, but this yard is really “clumpy” (earthworms, I think). and getting through it was a little challenging with these small plastic wheels (I had to tilt the front and lift the back many times to get through it). It took 20 minutes to finish where my previous lawn took 45 minutes to complete with a self propelled walk behind (120’x75′). Plus the bagger was full after this small section. I charged the batteries before mowing the second half of my yard (took an hour to charge one and 40 minutes to charge the second one and both had at least 1/3 power left).Like the 1st side, this section of the yard is extremely clumpy and has more obstacles than the first section (more sprinkler heads, had to move some rocks from neighbors yard, and some downspouts to mow around). It was also a little taller than the 1st section, so I adjusted the height by 1 setting higher. It took 40 minutes to mow this section and I had to empty the bag in the middle of mowing and at the end (this section is 60’x13′). The batteries were strong throughout and the cut was clean and even.My biggest concern is whether this mower will last through one summer with its flimsy plastic parts especially the wheels. I will mow one more time with it to see how it holds up, but I think my skepticism about the construction is leaning toward a return especially if I end up needing to buy a new mower after one season (about 3 months of mowing) when I could spend a little more now for a gas powered with better construction and no need to stop half way through to charge the batteries !

Customer Review: I just love this little lightweight mower. I did half my yard on Sat and the other half on Sunday. It did a really good job and took care of a lot of the weed eating also. With nothing sticking out on the sides, it cuts close against all the trees and shrubs. I hope it holds up for a long time. I love it. Would highly recommend.

Customer Review: Coming up year 3 with this, a great purchase!! Fairly easy to put together, and to operate. I use it on a 1/2 acre lawn area out of about 2 acres….. works very well!

Customer Review: Once I mastered how to operate the electric lawnmower mowing the lawn was easy breezy.A powerful mower cut through thick grass worked well got the job done in no time. Overall a good purchase worked well for large yard space. Assembly was easy folding the handles down for storage space a plus.

Customer Review: Okay first of all, I’d just like to say that I am autistic, and I absolutely LOATHE mowing the lawn. The mower is too loud, the vibrating of the handle makes my arms go numb, and I can never quite pull on the cord hard enough to get it started by myself. I always have to find someone else to turn it on for me. And not to mention the fact that the smell of gasoline gives me a headache.So I finally decided to see if any old-fashioned mowers still existed, because I would much rather deal with something slower and time-consuming if it meant I wouldn’t have to deal with using a normal lawn mower.Imagine my surprise when I found that there are /new/ manual lawnmowers, and I can just order them from Amazon!So I decided I had nothing left to lose, and I would give it a try.Best. Decision. EVER.NOTE OF ADVICE: If you have difficulty putting it together (specifically, attaching the handle to the blade part), find someone with more upper-body strength to help you. They’ll get it done in two seconds. (it took me half an hour of attempting to do so before I gave up and waited for my sister to get home so she could help me)Also: it only cuts while you’re pushing it forward, so all you have to do to move it when you’re not cutting is to pull it along behind you.As for cutting grass? I love it. It works perfectly, aside from a few snags on branches that I didn’t notice. If you move it forward and back a few times, you can cut even tall weeds! Much easier than pulling them out by hand in the areas that the normal gas mower can’t reach.It’s not silent, but it’s also not the deafening roar of a gas mower. If I had to describe the sound, I’d say it’s a whooshing sound, and much much quieter than a gas mower. Plus, you don’t have to deal with your arms vibrating or constantly having to turn the mower back on!No more buying gas, no more struggling to pull on the cord hard enough to turn the mower on, and no more complicated wire-pulling to turn it off.All I have to do is push forward, and the grass gets cut. Stop walking, and it stops cutting. It’s easy to maneuver, and it’s not so heavy that I can’t pick it up and carry it up a flight of stairs to my porch if I need to.I’m never using a gas mower again.

Customer Review: My husband did not want to buy this and thought it would be so dumb to have a push lawn mower , that isn’t motorized. But we have a small lawn so there’s really no point in Us having a huge lawn mower that takes gas or electric. So finally I talked him into it And this thing is great the first time you use it if you haven’t Mowed the lawn in a while It will be difficult to mow because of the height of the grass. But after some upkeep , you’ll be fine. The other thing to keep in mind is if you get stuck on a clump of grass. That’s kind of thick. It does take a bit to get it cut but it’s really not bad. Personally, I love mowing the lawn because of this thing. It’s a good workout and it’s quiet , and you can do it at any time of the day , so you’re not disturbing anyone. It’s also light, so if you’re living in a place where you’re in a row home and you’re in the middle this way you can carry it through your house to the front or back. And it’s not too heavy to carry. That way , you don’t have to walk it down the alley or figure out something else. It’s honestly really nice and such a good workout like I said, and it makes me really enjoy mowing the lawn. as a short woman it’s not very hard to push. I am pretty strong but I’m also really short. So big things are kind of hard for me to move if they’re too tall but it’s not bad for me. I’m very much an outdoor person. So I like taking care of the yard and I also love being independent so this way I don’t need to constantly ask my husband who’s super tall to help me pick things up or move them. And I can just do it on my own. I wish we never got away from using lawn mowers like this. It really is great, especially if you have a small lawn, but even if you had a big lawn and you like being outside doing yard work And just working out in general , it’s such a great workout , so you should try it. I will say you will need someone to help you put it together if you need a lot of upper body strength. So my husband helped me put the rest together. Because I had a hard time hooking the blades in but it was great. It didn’t take long to put together either.

Customer Review: Anyone can put this together in less than 5 minutes. All’s needed is a fraction of upper body strength in order to snap on the handle bar assembly. No tools required besides your bare hands. Best Mower I have ever owned. Period. I no longer worry about an extension cord getting in the way, gas not keeping the thing oiled besides using wd40 to keep the rust off and things running smoothly. People suggest it’s a work out, well I say it’s equivalent to owning a rotary manual push lawn mower (The ones with a loud motor). Takes just as much force and energy! I have seen an 80 year old push Reel mowers easily.. If your Grass is so long use weed eater first then reel. Watch for rock as hitting one can knock the bed blade out of alignment but easily fixed. So far after my first cut it seems to be holding together! Someone said the tires are rubber but that’s not true more of a soft hard plastic but even in slight dry mud it maneuvered extremely well! I didn’t see a lot of people using the bag so I wanted to say the bag works great with some minor adjustments to the clip strap I was able to mow my entire yard by pushing the clipping to the back and filled the bag all the way to the top! My yard is large. Went through crab grass, weeds easily. Cut quality superb much better than any rotary! After I was done I wiped it down best I could, clean it and hit it with some wd40 including the blades. Highly recommended! By the way 1 reviewer said his stopped moving…Thats because you probably hit a rock and the blades are hitting the bed blade to much causing it to lock.. you need to actually read your manual there are 2 screws you need to find on the sides and minor adjustment to fix that!

Customer Review: I’ve been using a reel mower for a few years now, and I can honestly say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made for my lawn. Initially, I was a bit intimidated – I’d only ever used rotary mowers – but it turned out to be much easier than I expected, and the results are truly impressive.The biggest advantage is the cut quality. A reel mower slices the grass blades cleanly, like a pair of scissors, rather than hacking at them like a rotary mower. This creates a much healthier lawn that’s less susceptible to disease and pests. The grass looks incredibly lush and even, almost like a golf course. It’s a noticeable difference.Beyond the aesthetics, I also appreciate the eco-friendliness of a reel mower. Mine is a manual push model, so it requires no gas or electricity, making it completely emissions-free. It’s also much quieter than a gas-powered mower, which my neighbors appreciate. Even the electric reel mowers are significantly more energy-efficient than traditional gas mowers.While there’s a bit of a learning curve, mastering the reel mower is surprisingly easy. The key is to mow frequently, taking off only a small amount of grass each time. This prevents the mower from getting bogged down and ensures a clean, even cut. It also encourages the grass to grow thicker and healthier.Some people might think reel mowers are only suitable for small lawns, but I’ve found that’s not necessarily true. While they’re certainly great for smaller yards, I’ve seen people use them effectively on larger lawns as well. It just might take a little longer.Overall, I’m thrilled with my reel mower. It gives me a beautiful, healthy lawn, it’s environmentally friendly, and it’s a great way to get some exercise. If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional mowers and want to take your lawn care to the next level, I highly recommend giving a reel mower a try. You might be surprised at how much you love it.

Customer Review: We have a lot of lawn to mow, but are not fussy about it being mowed every week or “perfectly”. Use the gas mower for some of the big areas, but wanted to try and become more environmentally friendly and LESS NOISY! First, the assembly. Let me say that even tho’ I am a 61 year old female, I am VERY handy. I gave 3 stars to ease of assembly. This is the biggest negative about the mower. I am not saying it is difficult exactly, just annoying at times. One good tip I got from reading the reviews was this: ASSEMBLY is a bit of a…..pain. There are 3 bits: the handle, the middle, and the reel. The handle assembles easily. You will have issues if you follow the instructions by attaching that to the middle part and then putting the entire assembly on the reel. The trick is to attach the middle part to the reel as you will have to push on it (compress it) to get it on the posts. That will be impossible if you’ve fully assembled the handle as it doesn’t flex to fit. Once it’s on the reel, bolt the handle to the middle bit. THAT reviewer knew what they were talking about! ALSO, regarding assembly I agree with this reviewer: BUILD quality seem acceptable for a 100 dollar piece of equipment. However, it’s engineered terribly. They basically send you two left sides to a handle. And this is actually an issue if you want to fasten the wing nuts/bolt in the same direction on both sides of the handle. Because the left handle is basically the right handle upside down, the bolt no longer fits inside of a dimple in the handle frame. So you’re left with two choices: bolting one bolt and wing nut upside down and one right side up, or muscling one of the wing nuts so hard that you make your own dimple in the frame. THIS IS TRUE! I did the former.I also found that altho’ it is true that ideally one doesn’t want to set the reel too low and cut too much height off the grass at any one time, the mower works WAY better if you adjust the blades close to ground. I have not found that doing so causes the usual problem of grass too short and “burning”. Oh, the method for adjust reel / blades is just awkward. But, not too hard. Regarding trying to cut longer grass. I have found that the blades are so sharp that even letting the grass get rather long (say 6-7 inches!) is perfectly fine. It is true that it does a much better job on soft grass. If you have a lot of “straw”, you will get frustrated; it will not cut this sort of grass. People commented that it is better to walk fast and get the reel turning faster…yes, definitely makes cutting easier. Sometimes you benefit by giving a spot a second swipe. I think no matter the type of mower that overlapping your “lanes” of mowing and essentially double mowing is beneficial. I don’t know why, but I like the “cut’ produced by this mower much better than the gas mower. It is much greener and thicker looking. If you want a reel type mower, this one is highly recommended. Oh, yes it only goes forward. Not really an issue. Sticks? Well, if they are small and flat on ground, not an issue. If one gets in the blades…it stops SUDDENLY. Just pick the stick out. Hardly an issue for me; most small twigs get mowed right over. Lastly, the best thing is you can quickly grab it, no gassing up, do a small area only if need be…sometimes there are patches that grew faster than the rest. I am glad I bought it. Get the wider one for a few more dollars.

Customer Review: Do not hesitate, get this one!! This is a great lawn manual lawn mower! I am amazed at how it is just the right weight to not jump when pushing it and not feel like you a pushing a shopping cart with a broken wheel. It is very smooth and can easily be pushed with one had with little effort. My grass was high and think due to our battery powered mowers batteries keep dying. This unit did the job well getting though. This time my yard was just as high as the neighbor’s is now in the pictures. You can see how well this manual mower did. The grass still is damp from dew and at no point in time did the mower choke. I finished faster then if I used a gas or battery powered.My neighbor in is 80’s tried it out and was impressed with how easy it was to push and lighter than his mower. Also my girls checked it out as well 11 and 14 and both said it was easy.I read the complaints and here are my suggestions..Do not push hard and up on the handle hunkerdown as you would a powered mower. This does not take that much force to push. Keep th handle low with a gentle but firm grip. If it bogs down check your grip and form.Clear your yard of small and big sticks, you should do this anyway with any lawn mower to protect the blade and help it to last longer between sharpening.Go at a steady pace if you stop take two steps back to restart.When cutting grass always keep the line of your last mow in the middle of the mower so you do now miss sections. No matter what kind of lawn mower you use I advice this. Never wheel on wheel but center that last wheel line.I use the mower on its lowest setting. You can buy a bag for it, it has the area to attach one. The mower took me not even 5 minutes to put together it was that easy!! I would clean the blade with a paint brush and wd40 the blades to keep them from rusting. Do not be afraid to wash it just make sure to dry it completely in the sun.A clean mower is a long lasting one.