By Allyn Paul, filed under Environmental Info, Lawn Tips.

You guys know how passionate I am about mowing my lawn. It’s my chance to craft my grass and get some time alone. I’m probably over the top, but that’s ok. So when the folks from Neuton Battery Powered Lawn Mowers agreed to send me a demo of the latest model 6.2 to try out and review, I was excited! (For the record, this is NOT a paid review).

Those of you who are regular readers know that I am all about proper balance when it comes to caring for your lawn, and keeping an eye on environmental impact. The Neuton Mower seemed to be a perfect fit in its claims to mow thick grass properly, while reducing noise and pollution.

In fact, here is what the Neuton folks say about their product:

“We are dedicated to making the world’s most innovative and dependable battery-powered lawn and garden equipment for people who care about the maintenance of their properties and the health of our environment.  Our forward-thinking designs reduce the noise and pollution of traditional gas power equipment, making yard work more enjoyable…

…Neuton battery-powered mowers are the #1 selling battery-powered mowers on the planet. Our belief in the environmental benefits of Neuton is a strong one. We call it our Clean Air Initiative…”

Well folks, I have to be honest with you: The Neuton Mower sucks! In fact, I’ll smoke out my entire neighborhood with harmful emissions and wake up the entire town with loud roaring before I will EVER let aother one of these mowers ruin my grass ever again!

Here’s the main problem with the Neuton: SCALPING:

The cutting height, even on the highest available setting, scalps the crap out of my grass. Their owner’s manual claims the very highest setting cuts the lawn at 2.8″ tall. In my tests (see picture) it is more like 2.25″. Either way, that is entirely too low for my tall fescue. I also tried it on a section of Kentucky Bluegrass in my back yard, and same thing, scalped it and turned it yellow.

Now I understand that most authorities say that KY Bluegrass and Fescues can be cut near the 2.5″ level, but the Neuton leaves no room for real world “fudge factor” when it comes to cutting height. I always recommend setting your traditional gas-powered rotary mower on the second-to-highest setting, which usually cuts the lawn just under 3″.

My Lawn Boy mower has settings all the way up to 4″ which is nice if I happen to miss a mowing and need to bring the lawn back to normal slowly. No chance with the Neuton.

Second Problem: MULCHING:

The second problem with the Neuton is the mulching feature. The mulch plug was easy enough to install, but the blade was not able to actualy mulch the clippings. In fact, the Neuton Mower left huge clumps of grass behind that I had to rake up!

I am not sure if the lack of good mulching ability comes from RPM problems or blade issues, but I do know that the deck underneath is extremely shallow, meaning the grass does not remain in the path of the blade for very long before falling back out.

My environmentally destructive Lawn Boy mower has a deep deck and grinds the clippings to tiny bits which are recycled back into the lawn properly, meaning less fertilizer and watering is necessary. THAT is environmental.

Final Problem: CHEAP CHARGER:

The final gripe I have with the Neuton is the cheaply made charger that came with it. It came broken in pieces, which could have happend in shipping, but nonetheless, the charger is lightweight and cheap feeling. I doubt that it would last much more than a few weeks in my garage. If the charger breaks, your mower is not usable. I was able to piece it back together for this review nonetheless.

Things I Did Like About The Neuton

Just to be fair, there were some things I did like about this mower.

First off, it is easy to start and push. It moves through the grass very well for a push mower. I found the battery power to be adequate, but I did not mow my entire lawn with it due to the reasons mentioned above.

Honestly, I am pretty upset about this mower. Can’t anyone out there come up with something that is good for the environment without asking me to sacrifice on quality? Think about Birkenstock shoes: they are made of renewable resourced materials, but they are the most comfortable damn shoes you can get! That’s environmental baby! The Neuton mower: not so much… and I really wanted this mower to work well, but sadly, it did not live up to the quality I expect.

Final Note: If you have a thick lawn that is KY Bluegrass or Tall Fescue, the Neuton Mower IS NOT for you. But if you have a thin lawn that you really don’t care much about but you still want to be good to the environment and reduce emissions and noise pollution, go ahead and spend your $449 and have a ball.