6 On Your Side: Consumer Confidence, CR’s tested lawnmowers

(ABC 6 News) – It’s not your typical vacation photo dump but every year, CR’s lawnmower experts escape the cold northeast winters for sunny Florida.

“We go down to Florida in February while some people are still digging themselves out from snow so we can test mowers before people are thinking about what they need,” Misha Kollontai from Consumer Reports said.

And it’s serious business!

Every mower goes through a series of tests; From how evenly the grass is trimmed to how easy the mowers are to operate. Testers use the mowers in all the cutting modes, side discharge, bagging and mulching, to see how well they work and to make sure you’re getting what you pay for.

Whether it’s a traditional gas-powered mower, or newer battery-powered technology that keeps getting better and cheaper.

“We’re seeing more and more battery powered mowers coming on the market that are at a lower price point but manage to compete in terms of performance with the better ones,” Kollontai said.

Greenworks self-propelled battery mower earns top scores for evenness, mulching, and handling.

You’ll lose some bagging performance but save hundreds with this Green Machine which also offers very good mulching.

If you’ve got a smaller lawn or aren’t as concerned with recharge times, consider this Skil which delivers excellent cutting performance and mulching.

A final tip, CR says unless you need to bag your clippings, mulching is actually better for your lawn because the clippings deliver nutrients; Which means you can use less fertilizer and save water, too. Plus, you won’t have to dispose of all those clippings!