Best Lawn Mowers Under 100 for Small Yards (+ Buying Guide)
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It is not melodramatic to say that the lawn represents the price of home ownership, making us feel good about ourselves. A lawn can tell a lot about you and your home, it’s like “Tell me about your lawn, I’ll tell you about yourself” stuff. So maintaining a beautiful, well-manicured yard is a must for every homeowner. However, a perfect lawn doesn’t mean that you have to pour thousands of dollars into it. In fact, let us present you with the most affordable way you can keep your lawn of American dream. Here is the list of 5 best lawn mowers under 100 dollars for those who are on a tight budget:
Welcome to the winner of the section- the Greenworks MO09B01. This lawn mower offers you a mid-range motor of up to 9 amps that can handle tough grass like a charm. Two grass clipping options are mulching and rear discharge to make your lawn more healthier instead of throwing grass in the trash bin. The 14-inch desk is lightweight and versatile making it suitable for the elderly and less physically strong homeowner. Along with 5 height adjustments that cater to cutting grass of all heights, this lawn mower is perfect for small to medium lawns of up to 1/2 acre.
Features
Size of Yard
½ acre
Cutting Width
14 inch
Amperage
9 Amp
Cutting Heights
5 Settings (5/8 inch - 2-5/8 inch)
Weight
33.3 lbs
Highlight Features
2-in-1 mulching and rear discharge capabilities, Versatile and lightweight desk
Verdict
Greenworks MO09B01 is a 2-in-1 lightweight machine that can cope with long and tough grass without breaking your bank.
Really efficient at clearing even tough overgrowth in one pass
Easy to maneuver
Cons
Small catch bag
Short cord
Another machine can handle all the hard work with no oil or gas is this American Lawn Mower Company 50514. It is even lighter than the editor’s choice product, making it the most suitable one for elderly gardeners or those with physical limitations. Featuring a high-efficient and powerful motor with 11 amps, this lawn mower says yes to mowing all kinds of grass in your small garden. The rear discharge and mulching system gives you versatile options of what to do with grass clippings. What’s also great is this little mower comes in 5 settings that cut grass at different heights to your liking. It also includes a grass catcher bag with a level indicator letting you know when the bag is full. However, the bag needs to empty frequently due to its small size.
Features
Size of Yard
¼ acre
Cutting Width
14 inch
Amperage
11 Amp
Cutting Heights
5 Settings (1”- 2.5”)
Weight
25.4 lbs
Highlight Features
2-in-1 rear discharge and mulching system, Lightweight
Verdict
Who says you have to give up the pleasure of mowing the lawn when you’re not getting any younger? With American Lawn Mower Company 50514, anyone can own a beautiful lawn without sweat and tears.
Why occupy your storage space with 3 tools when you can have all 3 in 1 compact silhouette? Yes, we are talking about BLACK+DECKER BESTA512CM. Designed for small gardens, it offers 6.5 amps motor that efficiently mows up to 1/8 acre with a single pass. What makes this mower stand out is its ability to convert from mower to trimmer and edger in the blink of an eye. It is so small that you can reach tight spots where bigger mowers miss with trimmer function and is able to create a crisp, neat edge around your lawn with the edger function. Automatic Feed Spool prevents you from stopping to adjust the spool all the time. However, its capacity is limited due to the small design so large lawn owners will have to look for other options.
Features
Size of Yard
⅛ acre
Cutting Width
12 inch
Amperage
6.5 Amp
Cutting Heights
2 Settings (1.6” - 2.4”)
Weight
13 lbs
Highlight Features
3 tools in 1 (mower, trimmer & edger), Automatic Feed Spool, Cord Retention System
Verdict
Don’t waste money on many tools to keep your lawn well-manicured and flawless, you just need this 3-in-1 BLACK+DECKER BESTA512CM.
There are reasons why this lawn mower is so popular with more than 2,000 reviews and gets 4.3 out of 5 on Amazon. First of all nothing can beat the quality and the price of this reel mower from American Lawn Mower Company. Featuring 14” cutting width and a pair of 8.5” composite wheels, you can easily maneuver this lawn mower through your garden. The blades are made of high-quality and heat treated alloy steel that can stay sharp longer and last longer. No more problem with tired arms when mowing with T-style design handle with cushion, making mowing lawn the most comfortable job ever.
2-in-1 grass clipping option keeps your lawn healthier
Lightweight and compact
Super maneuverable
Easy to set up and use
Great workout!
Cons
If you have an uneven yard and hills, forget this mower
The grass catcher doesn’t work well
This Greenworks 25052 has taken reel mowers to the next level with its 2-in-1 mulching and rear bag capabilities. From now on, you don’t have to buy a large machine for your backyard when you don’t want to waste the grass after cutting. Along with this, this little lawn mower is also super maneuverable with two large front wheels of up to 10” and two additional rear rollers on even ground. However, like all of the reel mowers, it isn’t cut out for uneven ground with bumps or holes.
Features
Size of Yard
½ acre
Cutting Width
12 inch
Composite Wheels
10 inch
Cutting Heights
4 Setting (1.125" - 2.25")
Weight
26 lbs
Highlight Features
2-in-1 mulching and rear bag capabilities, 4 position height settings, 2" rear rollers
Verdict
Keep our lawn healthier with mulch produced by this 2-in-1 Greenworks 25052.
A corded electric vs a reel lawn mower, which is better?
These two kinds of lawn mowers are best suited for small lawn mowers that are under ½ acre. Each of them has special features that can cater to different needs.
Corded electric lawn mowers
They are lightweight, noiseless, emission-free and don’t cost you as much maintenance work as gas models. The only real maintenance they need is cleaning.
Reel lawn mowers
A reel lawn mower is a perfect match to you if you are an environmentalist, a fitness enthusiast, a noise hater or a safety lover. You know what we mean.
They don’t rely on any source of energy like oil, gas, electricity, just your sweat. It turns out in the end that you save a lot of money of energy thanks to zero operation cost (well except for an occasional blade sharpening once or twice every year).
Since there is no motor in reel lawn mowers, hence without emissions, they are a healthier alternative for both environment and yourself. Moreover, they literally make no noise, so you can use them all day long without neighbors knocking on your door complaining about the noise.
On top of that, unlike a gas or an electric mower that spins single blade in an east to west motion to cut the grass, a reel mower rotates multiple blades in a horizontal direction, like a scissor.
This mechanism allows the grass to maintain its natural moisture, and be more resistant to problems such as disease and insect infestation, hence becoming healthier.
However, reel mowers are not designed for large and rough yards or overgrown lawns. Tall grass will bog down the machine and twigs and branches scattered in a garden full of trees will make it harder to navigate.
Pay attention to the cutting heights
The cutting heights of your lawn mower depend on the type of grass you have on your lawn. If you want to keep your grass 2-inch high, set your lawn mower to that level and wait until the grass reaches 3” to mow.
Here is a chart that helps you figure out the ideal heights of some common types of grass:
Look for ways to deal with grass clippings
If you don’t wanna spend more time and energy raking grass after mowing, a rear-discharge function with a grass catcher bag is a perfect solution for you. The bag will catch grass clippings, leaving your yard clean and smooth without any big clump of grass.
However, if you don’t wanna waste the grass clippings which can be excellent fertilizers for your lawn, opt for a lawn mower with mulching capacity.
This feature chops grass clippings into finer pieces so that they can break down easily and feed the lawn.
There are many 3-in-1 lawn mowers in the market that integrates 3 grass clipping fuctions, making it easier for you to choose and use.
Take weight into consideration if you are not so able-bodied
Did you know that cutting the grass, even by a machine, can mow your calories too? A 150-pound person can burn 80 calories after 15 minutes of mowing the lawn. So lawn mowing requires a lot of strength, more than you imagine.
So senior gardeners or homeowners who have physical limits may opt for a light lawn mower to move around easily and avoid being coopered up before finishing the job. Moreover, a light lawn mower makes sure that your pain won’t speak to you or get worse after an activity that is supposed to be relaxing and fun.
Who Makes The Best Lawn Mowers Under 100?
Greenworks
You probably see this brand in every post we have about lawn mowers, we just can’t talk about how much we love Greenworks. From lawn mowers, pressure washers to leaf blowers and drills, Greenworks always amaze us by how high-quality, durable, easy-to-use and affordable their products are.
The company is also the industry leader in battery-powered garden power tools for homeowners and even professional landscapers.
American Lawn Mower Company
Established in 1895, American Lawn Mower is the greatest and the oldest manufacturer of reel lawn mowers. The company has been with America through every of its industrial revolution and has learned and applied plenty of technology to make American lawn greener and healthier.
BLACK+DECKER
Obviously, we can find all we need for indoor or outdoor projects with Black+Decker. They even have products for pet care. Talking about the quality of Black+Decker, we can only give you one word: exceptional. Thousands of customers are satisfied with Black+Decker and you can join them too.
FAQs
Can you cut wet grass with a reel mower?
Imagine using a scissor to cut wet grass, it would not be so effective, would it? There are many convincible reasons why you should leave wet grass alone. First of all, you can slip, especially for those who have trouble getting around.
Grass should be in an upright position when you mow, but since wet grass is heavier than dry one, it tends to hug the ground. When some grass blades dry more quickly than others, your mower only cuts the dry ones and passes right over the wet ones rather than cutting them. It leaves you a uneven and patchy lawn after that.
Moreover, in such damp conditions, your mower is tearing grass rather than giving a clean cut, which opens the door to fungus. Plus, the chlorophyll of the grass tends to leave a stain when it is wet. Your hands, your clothes, your boots, your driveway and home might end up painted green by the chunk of clippings. So if you want to have a green thumb, just mow wet grass.
If you must mow when the lawn is wet
You’re expecting more rain in the next few days and your grass is higher than you, or you’re expecting some special guests or some estate companies. You have no choice but to mow wet grass. In this case, first, make sure that your soil is not too wet and soggy. Try walking on the lawn, if you sinks, give up the thought of mowing.
Secondly, the blades of the mower should be very sharp. The last tip we’ve got for you is praying under your lawn mower’s desk with silicone spray or spread oil over it. Now you’re ready to fight wet grass.
Do electric lawn mowers need oil?
Not at all, as we have mentioned, electric mowers don’t give off any emission because they don’t function on oil or petrol.
Conclusion
Why hesitate to get one of these amazing lawn mowers when they cost less than 100 dollars? Such a small amount of money for such excellent performances in your small garden. We hope this list of 5 best lawn mowers under 100 dollars will help you find a lawn mower that can keep your lawn well-manicured and beautiful to amaze any by-passer. Thank you for reading and see you in the next post!