What we do
We read spec sheets and manuals. Brands say how steep a hill their mower climbs, how much grass it cuts, and how narrow a gap it fits through. We explain what those numbers mean for a real lawn. Then we say which yard a mower suits. We also say which lawns are beyond the mower's rated limits.
The yard finder works from details about your lawn. You give it an address. It works out your lawn size, how steep it is, and how many trees shade it, using free maps and satellite photos. Then it compares your lawn size, slope and tree cover with what each brand says its mower can handle.
We never test a mower ourselves
We work from documents and from maps. We read what every maker publishes. How steep a hill each mower climbs. How much grass it cuts. How clear a view of the sky the mower's satellite antenna needs to find its position. Then we measure your yard from the map. We recommend a mower only when the brand's limits cover your lawn's size, slope and tree cover.
So we never tell you a mower cut well, or that it always found its way back to its charger. We tell you what the brand rates it for. Then we tell you how the maker got that number. And we say when the brand's test method makes the mower seem more capable than it is.
Ratings
We score out of five. An average mower gets a three, and we do not raise that score. A cheap mower rated for your slope scores higher than an expensive one that cannot climb it. More on that in how we rank and review.
Who writes this
Two writers' names appear on this site, and each one covers a different subject. Both are pen names. Neither writer is a landscaper or an engineer.
- Wes Carmody covers lawns: hills, trees, wire, setting one up and living with it.
- Dana Whitlock covers mowers: how they find their way, what the numbers mean, and two put side by side.
How we make money
Buy links are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy after clicking one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Earning that money never changes a score. It never changes who we recommend either.
Getting it wrong
Specs change, and brands sometimes update them without saying so. If something here is out of date or plain wrong, tell us and we will fix it. Our email address is on the contact page.