Mulching lawn mowers have a host of benefits for mowing efficiency and lawn health – but not all of these mowers are worth your money.
We’ve researched, compared, and reviewed the best lawn mowers for mulching and shared them in this guide, based on their design quality, performance features, and overall value for money.
- Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 38cm
Cut height range: 20-70mm
Weight: 12.5 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 42cm x 37cm x 107cm
Power: 1,600 W
- Brand: Bosch
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 40cm
Cut height range: 25-80mm
Weight: 16 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 50 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 76cm x 49cm x 45cm
Power: 1,700 W
- Brand: Greenworks
Price: ££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 41cm
Cut height range: 25-80mm
Weight: 23.36 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 50 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 131.5cm x 48.6cm x 103.3cm
Power: 2X 24V batteries
- Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 43cm
Cut height range: 25-75mm
Weight: 28 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 45 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 53.2cm x 19.3cm x 41.3cm
Engine power: 139cc
- Brand: LawnMaster
Price: £
Power source: Corded electric
Cutting width: 33cm
Cut height range: 12-33mm
Weight: 8.97 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 49.2cm x 38.6cm x 15.8cm
Power: 1,500 W
- Brand: GardenTek
Price: £
Power source: Corded electric
Cutting width: 33cm
Cut height range: 20-60mm
Weight: 9 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 30 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 101cm x 35cm x 115cm
Power: 1,200 W
Table of Contents
Best Mulching Mower UK: 2024
Best Corded Electric & Best Overall: Hyundai HYM3800E 1600W 230V Corded Electric Rotary Lawnmower
Runner-Up Corded Electric: Bosch Lawnmower AdvancedRotak 650 With MultiMulch
Best Battery-Powered: Greenworks G24X2LM41K4X Cordless Lawnmower
Best Petrol-Powered: Hyundai 17″/43cm 139cc Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower
Best Hover: LawnMaster 33cm Hover Lawnmower
Best For Small Budgets: GardenTek 13″/33cm Corded Electric 1200w/230v Roller Mulching Lawn Mower
📊 Comparison Chart of Mulching Lawn Mowers
Scroll right on mobile to see the whole table chart
| Brand | Model | Price | Power Source | Cutting Width | Cut Height Range | Weight | Grass Box Capacity | Dimensions (DxWxH) | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai | HYM3800E | ££ | Electric corded | 38cm | 20-70mm | 12.5kg | 40 litres | 42cm x 37cm x 107cm | 1,600W |
| Bosch | AdvancedRotak 650 With MultiMulch | ££ | Electric corded | 40cm | 25-80mm | 16kg | 50 litres | 76cm x 49cm x 45cm | 1,700W |
| Greenworks | G24X2LM41K4X Cordless | ££ | Battery | 41cm | 25-80mm | 23.36kg | 50 litres | 131.5cm x 48.6cm x 103.3cm | 2X 24V batteries |
| Hyundai | 17"/43cm 139cc Self-Propelled | ££ | Petrol | 43cm | 25-75mm | 28kg | 45 litres | 53.2cm x 19.3cm x 41.3cm | 139cc |
| LawnMaster | 33cm Hover | £ | Corded electric | 33cm | 12-33mm | 8.97kg | N/A | 49.2cm x 38.6cm x 15.8cm | 1,500W |
| GardenTek | 13"/33cmCorded Electric 1200w/230v Roller Mulching | £ | Corded electric | 33cm | 20-60mm | 9kg | 30 litres | 101cm x 35cm x 115cm | 1,200W |
| Brand | Model | Price | Power Source | Cutting Width | Cut Height Range | Weight | Grass Box Capacity | Dimensions (DxWxH) | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai | HYM3800E | ££ | Electric corded | 38cm | 20-70mm | 12.5kg | 40 litres | 42cm x 37cm x 107cm | 1,600W |
| Bosch | AdvancedRotak 650 With MultiMulch | ££ | Electric corded | 40cm | 25-80mm | 16kg | 50 litres | 76cm x 49cm x 45cm | 1,700W |
| Greenworks | G24X2LM41K4X Cordless | ££ | Battery | 41cm | 25-80mm | 23.36kg | 50 litres | 131.5cm x 48.6cm x 103.3cm | 2X 24V batteries |
| Hyundai | 17"/43cm 139cc Self-Propelled | ££ | Petrol | 43cm | 25-75mm | 28kg | 45 litres | 53.2cm x 19.3cm x 41.3cm | 139cc |
| LawnMaster | 33cm Hover | £ | Corded electric | 33cm | 12-33mm | 8.97kg | N/A | 49.2cm x 38.6cm x 15.8cm | 1,500W |
| GardenTek | 13"/33cmCorded Electric 1200w/230v Roller Mulching | £ | Corded electric | 33cm | 20-60mm | 9kg | 30 litres | 101cm x 35cm x 115cm | 1,200W |
⭐ Reviews – Best Mulching Lawn Mowers of 2024
In our opinion, the best corded electric mulching mower – and the best overall mower on this list – is the Hyundai HYM3800E Rotary Mower. This mower is the most capable mulching mower for medium-sized lawns, offering more features at a better price point than any of its competitors.
You don’t only get the convenience of a quick-release mulch plug for this Hyundai model – the mower also comes with a spacious 40-litre grass bag for when you want to collect, and its cutting height can be adjusted all the way down to 20mm, for a neat, manicured lawn. Plus, the mower’s rear roller makes it easy to achieve those oh-so-desired lawn stripes.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 38cm
Cut height range: 20-70mm
Weight: 12.5 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 42cm x 37cm x 107cm
Power: 1,600 W
Best For:
Anyone with a medium-sized lawn who’s looking for the very best-value corded electric mulching mower that has a host of impressive features for an affordable price.
What Customers Think:
The Hyundai HYM3800E Rotary Mower is one of the most popular corded mulching mowers on Amazon, with an average 4.3-star rating out of 5 (at the time of writing) from more than 2,600 reviews. Customers praised the mower for its easy assembly, lightweight design, quick height adjustment, and convenient built-in mulching function. Some customers didn’t realize that you have to remove the mulching plug if you want to collect clippings in the grass box.
Pros:
We love that this Hyundai mower comes out of the box mulch-ready, with a built-in mulching plug, so you can simply assemble the mower and start mulching without having to fiddle about with attachments. And if you don’t want to mulch, simply remove the mulch plug and attach the grass box – it couldn’t be easier.
Using this mower’s mulching feature saves the time and effort of periodically stopping to empty the grass box, and the mulched clippings feed your lawn, acting as a natural fertilizer.
With its 38cm cutting width, lightweight 12.5-kilogram design, and powerful 1,600-watt motor, the HYM3800E is ideal for quickly and effectively cutting medium-sized lawns, and the rear roller means you can create lawn stripes as you mow.
When you’re finished mowing, it’s easy to store this mower in a small space in your shed or outhouse thanks to its compact, foldable design. It can even be stored upright, reducing its footprint and saving floor space.
Cons:
There are quite a few plastic parts, which make us question durability.
The rear roller doesn’t leave defined stripes and may take some going over.
A close runner-up to the Hyundai model in the best corded electric mulching mower category is the Bosch Lawnmower AdvancedRotak 650. The reason why this mower takes second place and not first is that the mower’s MultiMulch feature is an optional add-on and increases the upfront cost by about £30.
This mower is slightly larger and more powerful than the Hyundai HYM3800E, with a 1,700-watt motor, a 50-litre grass box, and a 40cm cutting width, so it’s better for cutting bigger lawns. There are also a couple of unique features, like the ProSilence Technology, which reduces noise by up to 75%, and the ErgoSlide handle function, which makes it easy to adjust the handles to a comfortable height.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Bosch
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 40cm
Cut height range: 25-80mm
Weight: 16 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 50 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 76cm x 49cm x 45cm
Power: 1,700 W
Best For:
People looking for a large, powerful corded electric mower for medium-to-large lawns, with an effective mulching accessory that they can choose to use as and when they please.
What Customers Think:
Customers also love the Bosch Lawnmower AdvancedRotak 650, awarding it 4.3 stars out of 5 from more than 600 ratings. Reviewers called the mower an “excellent machine” and a “powerful mower”, commenting on its easy-adjust ergonomic handle and cut height functions, and high-quality attachable mulching accessory. Some customers said the lead should be longer given the mower’s size.
Pros:
The MultiMulch attachment is one of the most effective mulching add-ons for a mower that we’ve reviewed. It doesn’t just cut grass clippings up small; it also guides the clippings to the roots of the grass, so they can best fertilize the soil and won’t look unsightly sitting on top of your lawn.
If mulching isn’t appropriate, you can collect clippings as normal in the 50-litre grass box.
The 40cm cutting width covers more ground per lap and the 1,700-watt motor is powerful enough to quickly cut a lawn on the larger side of medium, up to 650 m², with fewer laps.
We love the unique features of this mower – it’s great for quiet mowing thanks to the ProSilence Technology, and the highest cutting height is 80mm, so you can gradually cut down an overgrown lawn without stressing the grass.
Cons:
It’s a shame that the mulching attachment doesn’t come included with the mower without increasing its upfront price.
The 10-metre cable could do with being longer given the mower’s cutting width.
Based on our research, the best battery-powered cordless mower for mulching is the Greenworks G24X2LM41K4X Cordless Lawnmower.
This powerful mower comes with two 24-volt batteries and a 41cm cutting width, and a 50-litre grass collection bag, so it’s more than capable of cutting medium-sized gardens up to 440m². You can switch between collecting the grass cuttings in the collection bag or mulching them into fine pieces thanks to the built-in mulching function.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Greenworks
Price: ££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 41cm
Cut height range: 25-80mm
Weight: 23.36 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 50 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 131.5cm x 48.6cm x 103.3cm
Power: 2X 24V batteries
Best For:
Folks with medium-sized gardens who want a powerful, capable battery-powered mulching mower without the hassle of a cord.
What Customers Think:
The Greenworks G24X2LM41K4X has more than 1,200 reviews with an overall star rating of 4.3, with customers praising the mower for its easy maneuverability, solid construction, good battery life, and fast charging – and one customer said that the mulching option “works beautifully”. Some customers had complaints about the assembly process.
Pros:
The Greenworks G24X2LM41K4X is one of the best versatile cordless mowers we’ve reviewed when it comes to grass cutting options. You can quickly switch to mulching if you want to disperse fine mulch over your lawn, which covers the soil, preventing it from drying out and feeding the moisture back into the ground. If you ever don’t want to mulch, switch to collection in the 50-litre grass bag.
We love the unique perks of this cordless mulching mower. There’s no cord to have to navigate, its large 17cm rear wheels make it easy to maneuver over all types of terrain, and the two 24-volt batteries provide enough power to cut a medium-sized lawn on a single charge, without the noise of a petrol mower.
The 6 cutting heights can be adjusted with a single lever, so you can easily adapt to your cutting routine and your lawn’s seasonal growing habits.
Cons:
The assembly instructions could be better.
The battery power may be hindered by long or thick grass. If you’re mowing an overgrown lawn, the battery life – and your cutting window – will be shorter.
Petrol mowers have powerful engines and let you cut large lawns at up to twice the speed, without being restricted by a cord – and the Hyundai 17″/43cm 139cc Self-Propelled Petrol Mower is our top recommended mower in this category.
This petrol mulching mower has a powerful 139cc engine and a 43cm cutting width, making it ideal for big gardens. It has a large 45-litre grass collector, but if you’d rather avoid having to interrupt your mowing to empty the clippings, attach the mulching plug to the rear discharge outlet to mulch as you cut.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 43cm
Cut height range: 25-75mm
Weight: 28 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 45 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 53.2cm x 19.3cm x 41.3cm
Engine power: 139cc
Best For:
Folks with medium-to-large lawns who want the best mulching lawn mower powered by petrol with a powerful engine and high-quality grass-cutting capabilities.
What Customers Think:
More than 750 customers have rated the Hyundai 17″/43cm 139cc Self-Propelled Petrol Mower an impressive 4.5 stars out of 5, commenting that the mower is a “dream machine” and a “great bit of kit”. Customers enjoyed the mower’s ability to cut well, even on long or damp grass, and the convenience of its self-propulsion. Reviewers also said that the mulching function works very efficiently, but some thought the handle was too low.
Pros:
This Hyundai petrol mulching mower has three-in-one cutting options: collect, mulch, and rear discharge. The mulching feature is easy to use – just fit the mulching plug into the unit to block the chute to the grass box and retain the grass in the cut deck, where it’ll be chopped up small by the blade.
This self-propelled mower saves you the physical effort of pushing the handles. You can simply walk behind it and steer it in the right direction, helping you to retain energy while mowing a larger lawn.
We appreciate the convenience of assembly and storage, too – the mower comes with an included 600ml bottle of engine oil so you can get started right away, and the foldable handles reduce the mower’s footprint, making it easy to store in a smaller space.
Cons:
The handle is too low for comfortable mowing if you’re over 6 feet tall.
The mower’s heavy weight and bulky design means it’s not a convenient solution for mowing small gardens.
Hover mowers are ideal for people who want the benefits of mulching when mowing a smaller, unusually-shaped lawn, and we recommend the LawnMaster 33cm Hover Lawnmower as the best mower for this purpose.
This dedicated mulching mower has a powerful 1,500-watt motor and a 33cm cutting width, and floats on a cushion of air, making it easy to maneuver in any direction without the restriction of wheels. It doesn’t collect grass clippings – the reversible blade mulches the grass into tiny pieces and returns them to the lawn’s surface as a nutrient.
Quick Specs:
Brand: LawnMaster
Price: £
Power source: Corded electric
Cutting width: 33cm
Cut height range: 12-33mm
Weight: 8.97 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 49.2cm x 38.6cm x 15.8cm
Power: 1,500 W
Best For:
People with small, unusually-shaped lawns with lots of tight spots or obstacles, who want the best mulching hover mower that has the convenience of easy maneuverability in any direction.
What Customers Think:
More than 100 customers have rated the LawnMaster 33cm Hover Lawnmower 4.1 stars out of 5, praising it for its easy assembly, simple performance with no challenging tasks to get used to, and its affordable upfront cost. Some customers said the assembly instructions weren’t helpful.
Pros:
The LawnMaster 33cm Hover Lawnmower is the best mulching mower for small lawns with lots of trees, flowerbeds, or other obstacles, or unusually-shaped lawns that aren’t convenient to cut with wheeled mowers.
The hover design of this mower means you can move it in all directions, including from side to side, so it’s a good choice for older gardeners or people who don’t want the effort of pushing a mower back and forth or making a 10-point turn to get around corners.
You can adjust the cut height to as low as 12mm – ideal if you prefer the look of a neat, closely-cropped lawn.
We love this mower’s convenient storage features. At just under 9 kilograms, it’s light enough to hang from a hook on the wall, and the handle folds to reduce its footprint.
Cons:
The mulching function isn’t the best we’ve seen. It won’t cut your grass up very small, so it’s only good for cutting grass that’s already quite short. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to rake up the grass clippings after mowing.
As a dedicated mulching mower, this LawnMaster model doesn’t have a grass bag or box, which means you have to use the mulching option at all times.
We’ve found that the best affordable, budget-friendly lawn mower is the GardenTek 13″/33cm Corded Electric Lawn Mower.
This mower proves that you don’t have to compromise on quality if your budget is small – it costs less than £100 but still has a powerful 1,200-watt motor, a decent 33cm cutting width, and extra features that even the more expensive models don’t have, like a rear roller and a mulching attachment.
Quick Specs:
Brand: GardenTek
Price: £
Power source: Corded electric
Cutting width: 33cm
Cut height range: 20-60mm
Weight: 9 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 30 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 101cm x 35cm x 115cm
Power: 1,200 W
Best For:
Anyone with a small budget who wants a high-quality, affordable electric mulching mower that has all the features of a more expensive model.
What Customers Think:
The GardenTek 13″/33cm Corded Electric Lawn Mower isn’t as widely reviewed as the other corded electric mowers in this guide, but it’s had promising feedback so far, with a 4.3-star rating from more than 120 reviews. Customers say this mower is easy to assemble, lightweight, sturdy, and good at mulching and grass collection. Some customers struggled to adjust the cut height.
Pros:
We think you’ll struggle to find a better-value budget-friendly mulching lawn mower than this one. It costs less than £100 and has the convenience of choosing between mulching and collection, plus three cut heights, a rear roller, and a powerful 1,200-watt motor.
The mower doesn’t just disperse grass clippings onto your lawn – the built-in mulching attachment cuts grass into small pieces, so they’re fine enough to leave on your lawn to naturally decompose, fertilizing the soil.
The 32cm cutting deck is plenty wide enough for cutting a smaller lawn, and the spacious 30-litre grass catcher limits your empties if you decide to use it, so you can get your lawn mowing duties done faster.
Cons:
Don’t expect the sturdy design of a more expensive mower. The mower is made from polypropylene, which won’t rust but isn’t as rigid or durable as metal.
Assembly is challenging due to the poor fit of the handle.
Our Lawn
Before we share our buyer’s guide, we want to show you a few photos of our lawn. These should give you an idea of our mowing surface and how it might compare to yours. Our lawn is only slightly bigger than the average UK lawn size and is pretty easy to mow because of the lack of garden furniture, but some of the borders can be quite tricky.
Methodology: How We Selected The Mowers In This Guide
If you’re wondering how we ended up shortlisting the mowers in this guide, you’ll find the answers in this section. We’ve shared how we researched, compared, and reviewed the best mulching lawn mowers below.
Step 1: Researching All The Products Available
Our first job was to research all the available mulching lawn mowers in the UK. We made a list of the mowers we found using the Google Shopping tool and websites like Amazon. We also noted the important features of these mowers, which we could use to compare them at a glance.
Step 2: Reading Customer Reviews
Step 2 of our process involved reading customer reviews wherever we could find them online. While we were able to form our own opinions at later stages of our reviewing process, we know that our own experience doesn’t necessarily reflect the experience of most customers, so we used reviews to learn more about our selected lawn mowers when narrowing our options down.
Step 3: Conversations With Manufacturers
Next, we contacted several manufacturers with questions about some of the lawn mowers we’d shortlisted. We were missing information that we needed to produce our comparison tables, and 9 times out of 10, contacting customer service gave us the answers we needed. We were also able to learn more about the quality of the manufacturer’s customer support.
Step 4: Testing A Selection Of Lawn Mowers
Our final step was to test a selection of the best mulching lawn mowers and rank them with the following factors:
- Mulching reliability: 25%
- Ease of use: 20%
- Quality of cut: 15%
- Price: 15%
- Weight & manoeuvrability: 15%
- Assembly & maintenance: 10%
🥇 Best Mulching Mower Buyer’s Guide
Read on to learn more about mulching mowers and how they work – or skip to the next step for our advice on how to choose the best mulching mower.
🤷♂️ What Is A Mulching Lawn Mower?
A mulching lawn mower is a mower that mulches grass clippings, which means it chops grass up small before dispersing it evenly across your lawn.
There are dedicated mulching mowers that only have a mulching option, and multi-cut function mowers that let you choose between mulching and grass collection.
🧐 Why Choose A Mulching Lawn Mower?
There are a few reasons why you might want a mower with a mulching blade or plug.
Mulching lawn mowers eliminate one of the most disruptive and time-consuming tasks involved in mowing a lawn: emptying the grass box.
Rather than collecting the grass clippings in a box or bag, a mulching mower chops grass up small and disperses the clippings onto your lawn as you mow.
The best mulching lawn mowers use airflow to direct the mulch to the base of the grass blades, so it sits on the surface of the soil without blocking the light to the leaves.
You can leave mulch on your lawn, and as the grass clippings decompose, they’ll act as a natural fertilizer, supplying nutrients to the soil. The mulch clippings are small, so they’re able to get deep into the lawn and decompose quickly, usually within 7-10 days.
😄😡 Pros & Cons Of Mulching Mowers
Mulching mowers have plenty of benefits – but they also have a few setbacks you should be aware of. Below, we’ve shared an overview of the key pros and cons of this mower type.
✅ Mulching Lawn Mower Pros:
Mulching eliminates the need to empty grass cuttings into your garden waste bin or onto your compost heap, so you can mow your lawn faster with no interruptions.
You don’t have to use shop-bought fertilizers to ensure healthy soil and grass because the mulch acts as a natural fertilizer.
Mulching reduces weed seed germination, helping to prevent weeds on your lawn.
You can also use a mulching lawn mower to mulch leaves in the autumn.
❌ Mulching Lawn Mower Cons:
Cutting too much off your lawn could result in an overproduction of mulch, which will clog the growing grass and take longer to break down.
If your lawn has weeds, a mulching lawn mower will mulch the weeds and deposit them back onto your lawn.
🧾 8 Factors To Consider When Buying The Best Mulching Lawn Mower
There are lots of mulching lawn mowers available today, but not all of them are worth the expense.
Many manufacturers say that their mowers are capable of mulching, but some mowers have better mulching functions than others.
Here, we’ve shared 8 important considerations you should make when deciding on the best mulching lawn mower for your garden.
💰 Your Budget
The average cost of a mulching mower is £75-£450.
The most affordable type of mulching mower is the corded electric mower.
Petrol mowers are the highest-cost mulching mowers due to their larger, more complex designs and their expensive engines.
Typically, the bigger the mower and the more features it has, the more expensive the mower’s upfront cost.
We recommend establishing your budget before you start searching for a mulching mower. That will help you to narrow down your options to mowers within an affordable price range.
🔌 Mower Type
There are a few different types of lawn mowers that may have a mulching accessory or function:
Corded electric lawn mowers
Battery-powered cordless mowers
Petrol lawn mowers
The type of mower you choose will depend on your lawn size, your budget, and your personal mowing preferences.
If you have a small-to-medium lawn and a smaller budget, a corded electric or cordless mower will be your best option.
If you have a medium-to-large lawn and want a mulching mower that will cut your grass as quickly as possible, you’ll do best with a petrol mower.
Regardless of the mower type, it should use the same process to mulch your grass clippings.
You can learn more about these mower types in our guide to the different types of lawn mowers.
✂️ Your Grass Cutting Schedule
You’ll need to be prepared to mow regularly with a mulching lawn mower.
You don’t want to wait too long between mows. Cutting longer grass means you’ll need to take more off the grass blades, producing an excess of mulch, which could clump on your lawn and result in poorer-quality growing conditions.
Ideally, you should mow your lawn at least once a week in the peak grass growing season, cutting off no more than one-third of the grass at a time.
If you leave it too long between mowing, it’s not a problem if your mower also has grass collection – just use this feature on your next cut.
♻️ Built-In Mulching Vs Mulching Accessory
Some mowers have a built-in mulching system, while others come with a separate mulching kit or plug.
Check what your chosen mulching lawnmower has before you buy it. If the mower doesn’t come as standard with the mulching attachment, you may need to pay around £20-£40 extra for this feature.
You can achieve the same results with a mower with a built-in mulching device as you can with a mower that has a separate mulching attachment. The only difference is that the built-in mulching mower will likely have an easier setup because the mulching plug will already be included in the mower.
🤼 Dedicated Mulching Mowers Vs Multi-Cut Options
The best mulching lawn mowers have several different cutting options, including mulching and grass collection.
Some mowers have only one cutting option: mulching. We don’t generally recommend a dedicated mulching mower because there may be occasions when it’s better for you to switch to grass collection, such as if you’re mowing out of season or you’re cutting damp or longer grass.
You might appreciate the benefits of mulching for your lawn health, but that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily want grass clippings on your lawn all the time. In this case, having a mower that can switch between mulching and grass collection will be beneficial.
✳️ Mulching Vs Grass Discharge
Mulching lawn mowers are different from lawn mowers with rear or side discharge.
Mulching mowers use a special accessory to block the grass from leaving the chute into the grass box, retaining it in the deck, where the blade chops it into small clippings. These clippings are eventually forced out of the bottom of the mower, where they line the surface of the soil.
On the other hand, rear or side discharge mowers simply cut the grass as they usually would if the clippings were collected in a grass box. The only difference is that the grass is shot out of the back or side of the mower deck rather than being sucked into the collection box.
So, a mower that offers side or rear discharge can’t be used to mulch your lawn. The grass clippings are too thick and dense, and will block the sunlight from reaching your lawn and may potentially lead to thatch. They also take up to 3-4 weeks to decompose – that’s up to 4 times longer than mulch. You’ll still be saved the job of emptying the grass box, but you’ll have to rake the grass clippings off your lawn once you’ve finished mowing.
That’s why mulching mowers are better than discharge mowers if you want the lowest-hassle grass cutting solution.
📡 Additional Mower Features
Aside from mulching, you may want to look for additional features in a mulching lawn mower.
The best mulching mowers also have features including:
Self-propelled drive – Many petrol mowers for large lawns are self-propelled, meaning that they use motors to drive the wheels forward, so you simply hold onto the handles and steer when necessary. Some mowers have variable speed, so you can choose the mower’s self-propulsion speed based on your walking pace.
Rear roller – Some electric, cordless, and petrol mowers have a rear roller, which flattens grass in your mowing direction, so you can achieve lawn stripes as you mow.
Grass combs – To make it easy to cut right up to your lawn edges without the need for a separate strimmer, some higher-end mowers have grass combs built into the mower deck.
Storage features – It’s normal nowadays for mowers to have features that make them easy to store in smaller sheds and outhouses, such as foldable handles. The smaller, more lightweight mowers can be hung from a wall in your shed, further saving space.
🛠 Maintenance Requirements
Mulching lawnmowers require the same maintenance as non-mulching mowers.
This includes:
Cleaning the mower deck after every mow
Sharpening the blades around once or twice per season
Checking the parts, including any screws and bolts, and tightening them if necessary
Petrol mowers have additional requirements, including topping up the oil, changing the fuel, and servicing the mower at the end of every mowing season.
The most important maintenance tasks for a mulching mower are sharpening the blade and cleaning the mowing deck. This will help you to produce the finest mulch and prevent structural damage to the mower blade due to a buildup of dirt.
📝 Our 5 Top Mulching Tips
Now you know what to consider when choosing between the best mulching mowers, you’ll probably want to know how best to mulch a lawn.
Here are our top 5 tips to get the most successful outcome from your lawn mulching efforts:
Cut only one-third off the total grass leaf. You don’t want to stress the grass or produce too much mulch per mow.
Mow your grass regularly to avoid producing an excess of mulch, which could be detrimental to your lawn health.
Keep your mower blades sharp to precisely and finely cut your grass blades.
Only bring your mower out when your lawn is dry. Mulching isn’t effective in wet weather because the mulch will clump together.
Clean your mower deck after every use to prevent damage to the blades from a buildup of dirt and the spreading of lawn diseases during mulching.
🤔 Is A Mulching Lawn Mower Right For You?
If you answer “yes” to at least 5 of the following questions, a mulching lawn mower is the right mower for you.
Do I want to avoid having to empty grass cuttings into my garden waste bin?
Am I prepared to mow my lawn at least once a week in the grass-growing season?
Do I have a flexible budget and am I interested in a petrol, electric, or cordless mower?
Do I want to keep my grass healthy without having to use shop-bought fertilizers and commercial products?
Am I happy to commit to a few basic maintenance tasks, like sharpening the blade and keeping the mower deck clean, for optimal mulching?
Do I understand that there are certain occasions when I may need to switch to grass collection, such as in rainy periods or when cutting very long grass?
Am I fine with leaving grass clippings on my lawn after mowing?
Do I prefer a mower that eliminates the need for grass collection, even if the additional mulching feature increases its upfront cost?
Important note: this review was last updated in May 2024. We apologise if pricing or availability has since changed for any of the products mentioned above.