01.Introduction
We test 14 mulcher and catcher-only lawnmowers, priced from $246 to $1039
CHOICE tested 13 petrol-powered mowers and one battery-powered that keep your lawn looking its best. One has a self-propelled drive mechanism and the others are propelled by the user.
In a way, mulching mowers produce more of a compost than a mulch, chopping grass finely and forcing the clippings back down between the blades of grass and back into the lawn. Normal catcher only lawnmowers produce grass clippings that are much longer and need to be removed from the lawn to avoid suffocating the cut grass.
The fine clippings from a mulching lawnmower can also reduce your lawn's need for water and fertiliser, helping slow down the evaporation process, providing not only an environmental advantage but a cost saving one as well. All the models also can be used as a standard mower with grass catcher if you want to completely remove the grass cuttings from your lawn.
For more information on Lawnmowers, see Backyard.
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Four stroke good - two stroke bad
All the models we tested in this mower test are four-stroke. CHOICE does not recommend two-stroke engines, no matter how well they perform, as they emit more pollution, burning a mixture of petrol and oil rather than straight petrol. A four-stroke motor typically emits half the carbon monoxide and one-tenth the hydrocarbons that a two-stroke produces.
For example in our previous test on non-mulching petrol mowers the Victa Tornado Classic TCS482 had the same cutting and ease of use scores in our test as its four-stroke cousin, the TCS484. So although it scored well in performance, we could not recommend it on environmental grounds. After this test it was decided that we would no longer test 2 stroke varieties.
Mulcher lawnmower brands tested
- AL-KO Silver Premium 470BRV
- Honda HRU19M1PKUA
- Honda HRU196M1PBUH
- Masport President 4000ST Combo 579937
- Masport President 2000 Combo 567817
- Pope Aurora 101PM450
- Ryobi Cordless Lawnmower RLM36
- Sanli Power Mulch PMS400
- Sanli Power Cut 460 PCS400
- SupaSwift Lawn Range Blue
- Toro Recycler 20323
- Victa Corvette 650 GMS486
- Victa Bronco BRA484 (Discontinued, but may still be available in some stores)
- Victa Mustang MCA485
How we test
Our CHOICE tester, Peter Horvath, tests the mowers at Tropical Lawns, a turf farm in Cairns, Queensland The consistent climate provides plenty of grass to cut all year round. All mowers are weighed and their cutting height range assessed. He checked how close each model can cut along a vertical wall at the front and sides.
Ease of use He rates them for vibration through the handle bar, ease of pushing and manoeuvring, handle comfort, convenience of controls, ease of adjusting the cutting height, catcher convenience and ease of starting.
Cutting grass He tests the lawnmowers for their ability to cut short- and medium-length grass with a catcher, and long grass without a catcher.
Mulching In mulching mode, he cuts short and medium length grass and assesses the appearance of the lawn after the short and medium grass cutting tests.
Noise He measures noise at 7.5m and at the operator’s ear level.
Safety He also carries out safety tests, which include measuring blade stopping time and a foot probe safety test.
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