Gardens and backyards with green patches are great to make the house look homey and warm. They also provide various functions to home occupants such as green space for the kids to run about instead of being cooped up in the house the whole day and adults could laze around in the cool of the day or night. Home owners could also plant their favorite trees and bushes to enjoy the fruit of their labor.
However, any green space in the home would also invite weeds to grow wildly which could be a nuisance to homeowners. Unwanted weeds and ferns or strange shrubs may appear which homeowners need to get rid of on a regular basis. Grass and weeds tend to grow overnight and before the week is out, long strands make the home very unsightly.
This is where conscientious homeowners would have to mow the grass in their garden or backyards. As technology progresses, better mowing options have come along since manual pulling of weeds or cutting of grass in primitive measures.
Different Market Options
Simple machines have been aptly invented to ease the tedious workload of many tasks which humans have to execute. The lawn mower is a vibrant invention which helps homeowners in tending their gardens and yards.
There are manual, gas-powered and electric lawn mowers in the market for consumers depending on their objective and budget. A comparison between the available varieties in the market would help consumers make an intelligent choice in the purchase for long term application and benefits.
In the past when technology was not so advanced, manually operated mowers were the in-thing but today, advanced technologies offer gas-powered and electric lawn mowers which are more dynamic without too much effort on consumers. Hence, it is not surprising that consumers prefer one over the other. A proper comparison would have the consumer make the better purchase decision for their use.
Greening the Environment
As more consumers become more eco-friendly or environmental conscious, the choice of lawn mowers tends to incline towards the electrically powered option. It is known that gas-powered lawn mowers tend to emit a higher dose of dangerous carbon components into the atmosphere which is one of the major causes of global warming. Gas-powered lawn mowers utilize fuel energy which worsens the greenhouse effect. These machines are not eco-friendly where small petrol spills could prove unfavorable to the environment.
Electric lawn mowers function based on the availability of electricity, but as more homes install solar or geothermal energy, this option is more eco-friendly. More savings could be enjoyed with such a lawn mower that is powered by solar electricity or geothermal sources of energy.
Maintenance Requirement
Gas-powered lawn mowers incur a higher cost of maintenance as gas could be a costly component, especially in times of rising living cost that impinges on utilities. However, electric lawn mowers offer a better alternative in maintenance costs since these are rechargeable units. There is not as much maintenance and care required as gas-powered machines.
Modern technologies bring on better designs of lawn mowers that are ergonomic in shape and components to be more durable and versatile without incurring heavy maintenance for a smooth and longer operation.
Energy Consumption Cost
Fuel costs tend to be higher than electricity costs as technology improves on the delivery of electricity. Moreover, with the growing preference and availability of solar and geothermal sources of energy, the energy consumption costs could be brought down lower.
Hence, electric lawn mowers would consume less energy compared to gas-powered units. More savings could be enjoyed using the electric lawn mowers than gas-powered options. Greater flexibility comes in with rechargeable and cordless electric lawn mowers where greater convenience is experienced by consumers.
Comfort in Usability
Choosing between gas and electric lawn mowers could be a daunting task unless the user knows what factors must be considered for a good purchase. With an electric lawn mower, users could be more comfortable at the task as long as there is a constant supply of electricity unless there is a power outage and no backup is available.
Gas-powered lawn mowers require sufficient gas to last the size of the lawn to be mowed. Users must have ready gas for replenishment if they want to complete the mowing for the day. However, electric lawn mowers could be cumbersome with the long reels of electric cable which must be properly maintained to avoid damage and dirt. Undesired shocks could be induced through the electric cable through lack of maintenance.
Noise Levels
The choice of lawn mower type depends also on the volume of noise it makes while at work. The louder the noise, the more uncomfortable the user may feel as the noise pollution increases, which could be detrimental to health over the long run. Moreover, the noise could prove annoying to neighbors which could limit the working hour options for the user if good neighborly relations are to be retained.
Gas-powered mowers tend to generate a higher volume of noise than the electric mowers which may emit about 75 decibels; this is equivalent to the noise volume of the standard washing machine while the former emits about 95 decibels which is as loud as the motorcycle.
Scientific research reveals health hazard potentials for a continuous exposure to noise levels exceeding 85 decibels, which could lead to hearing loss.
Range of Use
Another factor of consideration when it comes to choosing the right lawn mower is the range of usability that depends on the garden size. A manual mower is too tiring on the user if the lawn is large; an electric mower may be preferred but it could generate some issues.
An electric mower with cord may require different plug-in points for the power supply to facilitate the mowing operation for the large lawn at different sections if the cord is not long enough. However, if the cord is too long, the mowing task could prove cumbersome with the lugging of the cord around and across the wide space as it could get tangled over rocks and plants.
Users could choose a battery-powered cordless lawn mower to enjoy greater flexibility in mowing a large lawn to overcome the specific challenges. However, the potential usability of this option is still dependent on the lifetime of the battery; even a rechargeable battery requires re-charging if a fully charged battery is insufficient to cope with the large lawn.
On the other hand, standard gas-powered lawn mowers last many hours with a simple and quick refill of gas if available. The moving task is not delayed too long with the refill of gas when required. Hence, gas-powered lawn mowers are more suitable for large lawns besides the bigger savings enjoyed.
Safety Issues
Whichever option of lawn mower preferred by any consumer, safety must be at the foremost on their minds for themselves and others in the vicinity during the mowing operation. The electric and gas mowers must be manufactured according to the safety standards insisted by the industry as a lot of safety hazards could happen.
Many consumers are known to be injured during mowing with a high risk of electrocution over the cord. Gas mowers could present toxic hazards due to potential spills of gas along the way and there could be a dangerous exposure to gasoline fumes which proves hazardous by excessive inhalation of emitted pollutants.
Conclusion
Users should consider these factors carefully before making their choice of lawn mower.
Zequek Estrada says
September 26, 2016 at 9:04 pmThese are really great considerations to take into account when choosing a lawn mower. Most of these factors are something that I hadn’t even thought of. The noise level is something that would be important to me.