Lawn Mower for Small Yard
 

OK,

I had the swimming pool and spa removed from my yard.

Replaced with turf. It is an area about 40 by 15.

Looking for an electric or battery operated mower.

Can the collective share their experiences regarding this topic?

For 600 square feet why not just go old school and get a reel mower? No chords, no batteries no motors to burn out.
FWIW, I have no experience with their mower but I have a greenworks hedge trimmer as well as a leaf blower and have been satisfied with both.

Only experience is DON'T buy a battery operated lawn tool from Sears.....Pure junk...

I suspect a good reel mower ain't cheap, and probably worth it. I've only used a rusted one in my youth to see what I was missing out on, but see a guy using one all the time on his smaller lawn...seems to do great.

I have a small front yard and an even smaller back yard. Probably around 750 sq. ft. I have a reel mower and it makes quick work of both. Including edging with my battery powered edger, I easily spend less than 20 minutes doing the mowing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072CTQWC/ref=oh_aui_detail
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HH4K4HQ/ref=oh_aui_detail

What kind of grass did you plant?

+1 on the reel mower. Easy to use, easy to take care of, no motors or electric parts to break and they work.

Reel mowers are OK on fine textured turf. Especially if you want a lower height.

On anything coarse.....a lot of work.

I would go rotary - don't have a recommendation but I'm sure there are a few acceptable models on the market - and all with plenty of online reviews.

I have the fiskers reel mower and it does a great job.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Inch-Staysharp-Reel-Mower/dp/B0045VL1OO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520896204&sr=8-2&keywords=fiskers+mower

Here's a Ryobi, for example with a 4.3 out of 5 rating with 583 reviews:

Ryobi
16 in. 40-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Battery Walk Behind Push Lawn Mower without Battery and Charger

LINK

I mow the lawns on a number of rentals and I use a weedeater. Unless the lawn is bowling green perfect the weedeater will do a more than adequate job. And it's easy to store.

I like this one even more due to the self propel aspect plus wider cut (20 vs. 16):

Ryobi
20 in. 40-Volt Brushless Lithium-Ion Cordless Battery Self Propelled Lawn Mower with 5.0 Ah Battery and Charger Included

4.2/5 rating out of 646 reviews

LINK

Technically it tears the tips of the grass blades...rather than cuts them. A torn grass blade not only looks less desirable than one that is cut - it also allows easier entry for disease.

But there are certain conditions where a weed wacker is the tool of choice, no doubt.

About 20 years ago, my cubical-mate got married and bought a house. The yard was small, 10x40 in the front and 20 x 40 in the back. He decided he was going to buy a reel type push mower. He used it twice and bought a 100 dollar 3 hp gasoline unit.

Go to homedepot and get a cheapo gas mower. You're welcome.

I cut 50’ x 150’ lot for years with a reel mower. Easy to sharpen and it cuts th grass with a scissor versus machete method. Downside is it’s tough to keep up with Spring growth. If the grass gets too high the reel mowers basically just run it over.

Pushing a reel mower in Coastal SoCal is easy, even for an old fart like me. Just as long as the yard is flat. Maybe your cubical-mate was lazy, or maybe the weather was oppressive, or maybe both, red-beard. ;)

My friend in high school had to cut his parents grass with a manual reel mower.

When he graduated from university and moved out, his parents bought a gas powered mower.

He wasn’t happy.

Corded electric mower/mulcher . Used on Craigs list for $75

Marathon.

That is an option as well.