The Best Lawn Mowers To Buy Online In Australia
There’s a very simple way to reduce the amount of time you spend on lawn care and make this task significantly easier, and that’s getting yourself a decent lawn mower. Good lawn mowers can make lawn care very easy, and we've gathered our top picks for various types of lawn mowers to assist with choosing your next one.
Best Petrol Lawn Mower
Victa 18" Classic Cut Mulch Or Catch Petrol Lawn Mower
- Has a rapid start ignition
- Mulching Functionality
- 5-year warranty
- The wheels are plastic, which gives slightly less grip than the rubberized alternative
- The turning circle is a bit wider than what you’d expect
The Victa comes with two blades that are attached to a 500E series motor, which is known for being remarkably quiet, at least for lawn mower standards. You also have a 0,75 L fuel capacity, which will be enough for you to get through a decently sized lawn, and you also have a soft grip handle so that your hand won’t slip even after you’ve been working for a while and your palms have gotten sweaty.
The catcher in the back is made out of durable plastic and can handle around 26 kg of grass before it needs to be emptied out, which means that it has a pretty decent capacity. The wheels are eight inches and are a ball bearing type, so you get a better turning circle which makes the mower easier to manoeuvre.
Best Battery-Powered Lawn Mower
Ryobi One+ 18V 4.0Ah 36cm Lawn Mower Kit
- 5 height levels
- The catcher is easy to detach and empty
- Ideal for smaller lawns
- 6-year warranty
- The battery struggles to cover large lawns in one go
- Less powerful than a petrol-powered mower and can struggle with very long grass
The 36-centimetre wide deck can cover a decently sized area with each pass, and the lawnmower as a whole is pretty lightweight. The latter makes turning and maneuvering a lot easier, even if the 45L catch bag is full. Moreover, you can adjust the cutting height in five different ways from the lever on the top left side of the mower, which essentially looks like a gear stick.
This model comes with a collapsible handlebar, which means that you can find storage space for it a lot easier, and all you have to do to start it up again is extend the handlebar. The battery is in the front of the mower under a protective plastic casing, which takes around two hours to charge up, and will last you around 30 minutes in total.
Additionally, next to the battery you also have a safety switch that ensures the mower doesn’t start up accidentally, which is always a welcome feature if you have children in the house.
Best Electric Lawn Mower
Ozito 1500W 360mm Lawn Mower
- Comes with a safety start switch
- Very quiet and eco-friendly
- 3-year warranty
- The single blade doesn’t have as much cutting power as other mowers
- You always need to be near a power socket or carry an extension cord with you
The Ozito comes with a 38 kg grass catcher that has more than enough space to fit the clippings from even the largest lawns. You also have thermal overload protection that ensures all of the components won’t overheat from being used for long periods of time, and even an adjustable handle that can be adapted for easier movement depending on the lawn type. All of these seemingly small features come together to make the Ozito one of the best lawn mowers of choice if you’re looking for something that you can reliably use for hours.
The biggest fault of this model is one that’s shared between all corded lawn mowers - it needs to be constantly connected to a power outlet. On the bright side, this also means that it has unlimited energy and you can use it for however long you need to. Corded models are also a lot lighter than the others, so they’re much easier to push and manouver as well.
Best Budget Lawn Mower
Ryobi 1300W 330mm Lawn Mower
- 5 position height adjustment for the blade
- Mulching capability
- Comes with a cable holder
- Not as powerful as a petrol model
- Some customers found the blade gets clogged up with grass easily
With a weight of around 9 kg, the Ryobi is about half the weight of the other lawn mowers that have appeared on our list, which makes it very easy to push around. For a bit more maneuverability, you also have a collapsible handle that can be set to three different heights in order to make things easier on your back, and it can also be removed entirely for when you want to put it away in your shed.
The lawn mower comes with a 10 m long power cable, which almost eliminates the need for an extension cord, as well as a collapsable grass catcher with a capacity of around 35 kg that’s remarkably easy to detach and clean. The plastic chassis doesn’t make this the most durable device on the market, but it should hold together even if you use it on rougher terrain. We would, however, recommend not using it on lawns that have a lot of rocks since they can chip the blades or get launched into the mower itself and damage it.
Best Self-Propelled Lawn Mower
Husqvarna LC419SP 2.75kw 480mm Self Propelled Lawn Mower
- Two-in-one cutting system
- Has a very light pull starter cord
- The cutting height is very easy to adjust
- Some people find the mower moves too fast when the self-propelled function is active
The best thing about the self-propelled mowers is that you don’t even have to push them. All you have to do if you want to mow the lawn with the Husqvarna is start the engine, engage the self-propulsion lever, and just stand behind and guide it as it goes. Moreover, the handle is rubberised to give you a better grip, and the height can be adjusted so it’s more suitable to your height or comfort level.
You get 4 swing back blades with a cutting area of around 19 inches, as well as a 2.75kW engine, which means that this lawn mower can cover a decently sized area in a modest amount of time. The speed of the blades also ensures an even cut so that the grass can more easily get collected in the 44 kg catcher.
Best Ride-On Lawn Mower
Ryobi 38" Battery Ride On Lawn Mower
- Surprisingly quiet
- LED headlights allow you to cut in the dark
- 3-year warranty
- Some reviews complained about the seat being uncomfortable
- The battery is quite expensive to replace
The Ryobi comes with a 38-inch cutting deck, 12 adjustable cutting heights, and a 48V 100Ah battery that allows you to use your ride-on mower for up to 2 hours before it needs to be recharged again. The brushless motor doesn’t have the same belts and spark plugs that the petrol motors have, and you don’t need to change the oil or the fuel, which makes maintenance surprisingly easy for a machine of this size.
The mower comes with an easy stop/start switch, a switch for the headlights, a forward, neutral and reverse gear, and even cruise control. The battery charging port is at the back, and it even has a USB charger attachment.
Ride-on mowers are usually a bit too cumbersome to be used on anything other than football field-sized lawns. However, if you have a spacious backyard and you want to cut the grass in record time without having to push a regular mower, then the Ryobi is one of the best lawn mowers for the job.
Best Manual Lawn Mower
Bosch Manual Garden Lawn Mower
- Very light and simple to use
- 25 kg grass collector
- 3-year warranty
- The plastic cogs that move the wheels can be flimsy
- The handlebar grip gets a bit slippery with sweaty hands
This Bosch manual mower is as simple as they come. There are no cables, no oil or fuel changes, no batteries that need to be recharged, and no gears that get caked with grass and mud and need to be cleaned or replaced. The mower has a cutting width of 15 inches, the wheels are large and allow for quite a bit of maneuverability, and it’s so lightweight that you won’t even feel any resistance while you’re mowing the lawn.
Both the handlebar and the grass catcher are removable, but you can put the mower back in your shed even while they’re still attached and it’ll still take up very little storage space. The classic cylinder cut system with the curved blades allows you to quickly get through your lawn with quick clean cuts, which means that the catcher will collect most of the grass and leave very little of it still on your lawn.
Best Premium Lawn Mower
Makita 36V Li-ion Cordless Brushless 534mm Self-Propelled Lawn Mower
- 3 power settings
- Has a convenient battery fuel gauge
- 2-year warranty
- The maximum cutting height is only three inches off the ground
The Makita has a self-propelled feature that allows you to set it to 3 different settings, depending on whether you want to work slowly and quietly or if you want to get the job over and done with as quickly as possible. This device comes with a staggeringly large 70 kg grass catcher, which makes it one of the best lawn mowers that you can use for large lawns since you won’t need to stop to empty out the trimmings every half hour.
The battery has both heat protection that can maintain a reasonable temperature even after strenuous work for a long time and a discharge protector that maintains the battery at optimal levels during charging and discharging so that it can last for longer without getting damaged. Speaking of batteries, it only takes around an hour for it to achieve a full charge, which will provide you with 20-30 minutes of working time before it gets depleted again.
Best Lawn Mower Brands
Ryobi has a decent lineup of ride-on mowers and self-propelled models which have a lot of features that make cutting the grass a lot quicker and much more effortless. This usually results in their lawn mowers being a bit more pricey than most other brands, but the upfront cost is definitely worth it when you consider that you’re paying for quality and convenience.
Victa can provide you with lawn mowers that might not have the same number of features as the Ryobi, but they’re still well built reliable machines that work well and won’t set you back all that much. The models that come from this company range from battery-powered to petrol-powered mowers, but all of them have a reliably sturdy quality to them, and any one of them is all you really need to take care of your lawn.
How to Choose The Right Lawn Mower
The simplest answer is that you should definitely go for something simpler and cheaper if you have a small yard and you don’t really have that much grass to get through.
Ride-on mowers are definitely useful for larger lawns, but a self-propelled model can also do an excellent job. The tradeoff here is whether you value the money you’ll save on the simpler models or the hard work you’ll be spared from if you buy the more expensive ride-on or self-propelled alternatives.
What Other Features Should You Look Out for in the Best Lawn Mower?
An easy to use pull cord is always a plus on petrol-powered lawn mowers. A little bit of rubber on the cord can really improve the grip and help you start the engine on your first try a lot of the time. Speaking of rubberised components, the handle can either be covered with rubber or foam, but either way, this will improve the grip significantly and help you push the mower with a bit more ease.
The grass catchers are usually removable on most lawn mower models, and we’d seriously recommend steering clear of the models that don’t have this feature, but rather just have a lid that can be opened. This makes cleaning out the grass a lot more needlessly difficult, and there’s a good chance that most of it will end up back on the ground as well. You might also like to try to find a model that has a removable handle since it can make storing the mower a bit easier, but it all comes down to preference.
Cutting Width and Height
The cutting width of your lawn mower honestly isn’t all that important in the long run. A bigger cutting width can give you more coverage when you’re cutting the grass, but the extra inch or two doesn’t really cut down the amount of work you need to put in to mow the lawn, so buying a mower primarily for its cutting width isn’t really recommended. Cutting height, on the other hand, is a bit more important.
The frequency at which you mow your lawn will largely depend on the height at which you cut your grass. A lot of mowers can get as low as half an inch off the ground and can go up to three or five inches. The lower settings obviously seem more appealing, but the danger here is that the blades might either hit some rocks or dirt if your lawn is uneven in places, which most lawns are. This can lead to the blades getting chipped or outright destroyed in some cases.
The higher settings avoid these problems but cutting your grass on the tallest height setting will obviously mean that you’ll have to do it at regular intervals since the grass can easily become too long and unsightly very quickly. You’ll need to figure out the cutting height that works for your lawn, but since most mowers come with several settings, we’d personally suggest starting with the middle one.
How Often Should I Be Mowing the Lawn?
This question sort of plays into the previous topic on cutting height that we mentioned. If you don’t cut the grass to a low height of around an inch or so, then it’ll become long and unsightly a lot more quickly. On the other hand, if you’re working with tall grass, it’ll need to be trimmed at a shorter interval than your standard grass so it won’t really matter much how long or short you keep it. A basic rule to start off with though would be to mow the lawn once per week.