My trusted mower had been with our family for many years. Unfortunately, as true as its heart was, age got the better part of the mower and it didn't wake up from its winter slumber. After honouring its accomplishments over the years, we disposed it and went looking for its successor.
Now, my property is a pie-shaped lot, so the backyard is fairly wide and the front yard isn't too shabby either. Our yard isn't very big, but it definitely isn't small. We needed something that can live up to the task.
Shopping for a mower was an interesting experience. I was surprised by the selection of electric lawnmowers available. There were a lot of advertisements trying to get people to move to electric mowers to reduce pollution. Unfortunately, I was caught with the dilemma of the environmentally friendly option vs the tried and tested option. I didn't know whether the electric mowers were powerful enough and in today's wireless world, I didn't like the idea of dragging a cord behind me. Cordless versions had the issue the rechargeable battery dying after a while. I needed a mower that can last for years, so with much reluctance, I made the executive decision to go with gas mower early on. :(
After some debate, I settled on Cub Cadet CC-550SP. I was leaning towards cheaper push models, but this self-propelled version was only CDN$50 more. This model got very good online reviews too.
After giving this machine a spin, the self-propelling feature is so awesome. I'm literally just walking the machine while using a little effort to guide its direction. The single drive speed is a limitation, as I could used slower speeds when navigating around corners and edges. However, I can make do by turning off the drive mode and using the lawn mower as a push mower in these situations. All in all, after a single use, I'm in love with this machine. I still hate mowing the lawn though.
Update (May 19, 2007): After using CC-550 SP for a few weeks, I have a better feel for the mower now. It's definitely not as great and super as its initial impressions, but it's still a very decent mower.
Pros:
- Auto propulsion system is really helpful, though the single speed is a little difficult to maneuver at times.
- The wheels and bearings are smooth. Effortless gliding across lawn.
- 19" wide. While it is just 2" smaller than the typical 21" mowers, the missing inches makes the blade holding noticeably smaller.
- Mulching slightly wet grass is problematic. The smaller blade assembly makes mulched grass easily caught in the holding. I've had the engine stall on me a few times due to this.
- The motor is ridiculously hard to start after a stall. I thought the motor died on me when I couldn't start it. My older mower never had this problem.
I happened upon a relatively new second-hand mower that was not cordless (which made me hesitate). But I'm actually very happy with this mower, because it is plugged in, I never have to recharge and it's always got the power to tackle tall grass. Another plus is that without a battery, it's *very* light.
Yes, the cord is a minor annoyance, but you can deal with that strategically.
One of my mowers in Toronto had self-propulsion, and I found it useful--it was a very heavy mower.
My relatives once had an unfortunate experience where they severed the power cord with the mower... hence, I was particularly hesitant with wired mowers.