Best Overall

Toro 21-Inch Recycler Self-Propelled Gas Lawn Mower

Best Bang for the Buck

Troy-Bilt TB110 21-Inch Push Lawn Mower

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Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21-Inch Cross Cut Mower Kit

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While you’re able to bulge those lawn trimming to create aclean - looking curtilage , a smarter choice is to utilize a mulching lawn mower . Lawn lawn mower mulchers can thin out Mary Jane blades into tiny bit that sustain the yard . Not only does mulching rule out the need for you to bulge grass clippings , but it also reduces the amount of fertiliser needed to care for the yard .

Mulching lawn mowers come up as walking - behind and ride - on mowers that are power by either agas engineor electric motor . They have deck specially designed to cut clippings into tiny pieces before returning them to the lawn . Our favorite is theToro 21 - column inch Recyclerbecause of its oil - change - free engine and ability to create hunky-dory grass clipping . Read on to discover about the pattern feature of speech found on these specialised mowers and why the models below are some of the best mulching lawn mower on the marketplace .

The Toro 21" Recycler Self-Propelled Gas Lawn Mower on a white background.

Product Comparison

Our Top Picks

The list below include lawn mower contrive for bring forth the fine green goddess press cutting needed to mulch a grand . The good mulching lawn mower for each family is list , including gasoline and electric mowers for yard great and small .

Toro 21" Recycler Self-Propelled Gas Lawn Mower

Toro ’s aptly make Recycler sets itself apart from other walk - behind lawn mower with a figure that make it idealistic for producing o.k. gage clipping . The Recycler has a vent-hole that allows atmosphere to circulate in the mow deck of cards , stay fresh the clippings airborne so the blade can veer them multiple times before returning them to the lawn . These okay snip relegate down more quickly than larger clipping , allow them to advantageously nourish the lawn .

In addition to its mulching ability , this self - incite lawn mower also gives the user other cut options with a bagging system and attachment for side discharging . A 140cc accelerator locomotive engine provides ample power for its 21 - column inch cut deck of cards and rearward - wheel drive , and it ’s also soft to maintain thanks to an locomotive engine that never expect an rock oil change .

Get the Toro Recycler mulching lawn mower atAce HardwareorLowe ’s

The Troy-Bilt TB110 21-Inch Push Lawn Mower on a white background.

Best Bang For The Buck

This Troy - Bilt is the honest mulching push mower at a budget price for those who do n’t listen supplying the power to move this lawn mower forward . Troy - Bilt ’s cutting organisation uses a rake on the front of the mower that lifts the blade upright , preparing them for an even cut . The clippings then circulate in the lawn mower ’s symmetrical pack of cards , allowing the blade to cut the spare grass into smaller pieces that will break down in the lawn to attend to as nutrients .

In addition to its mulch grass option , Troy - Bilt ’s gas lawn mower also hail with a grip that has a encompassing opening to preclude clog dance . Larger 11 - column inch rearward wheel make the mower easier to push over spotty and raspy terrain . A 140cc gas railway locomotive powers the lawn mower ’s 21 - inch pack of cards .

Get the Troy - Bilt mulching lawn lawn mower atWalmart .

The Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21-Inch Cross Cut Mower Kit on a white background.

Those who love a lot of power and versatility in their mulching lawn mower can bank on this model from Ryobi . This ego - propelled brushless lawn mower bleed for over 70 minutes when both of the 40 - volt 6 - amp - hour ( Ah ) batteries have been fully charged , making it capable of cutting and mulch yard of up to ¾ acre . For summate versatility , this unit permit you to select which battery you want to utilise while the mower is in use so the unit can swap over when one assault and battery becomes drained .

Made with a 21 - inch cutting pack of cards , cross - veer double blades , and seven cutting heights ( 1.5 to 4 inches ) , this model is perfect for residential utilization and cutting through dope and thick forage variety . Plus , the unit has an onboard clippings catcher that throws debris out the side of the mower .

As for user - friendliness , this option comes with a foldable innovation for storing , light-emitting diode headlights , adaptive varying speed , a quiet operating volume , plus the batteries can be interchanged with many other Ryobi product that accommodate the 40 - volt political platform .

A person using the Best Mulching Lawn Mower to mow their lawn.

Photo: homedepot.com

Get the Ryobi mulching lawn lawn mower atThe Home Depot .

Ego Power+ 21-Inch Self-Propelled Mower

Ego Power+ go past the list of shelling - power mulching lawn mower thanks to the business leader and runtime its battery and motor produce . This model hail equipped with a 56 - V 5Ah rechargeable lithium - ion bombardment that get a whopping 45 minutes of runtime on a individual bearing . That ’s telling given that the Ego Power+ is fit out with a 21 - inch mowing pack of cards .

Cycling through the three cutting preferences on this lawn mower is well-off thanks to a large ergonomic handgrip site on the top of the mowing pack of cards . Other user - favorable lineament admit a push - release start and light-emitting diode headlights . The Ego Power+ also folds into a small box shape that stomach erect , create it easy to store than most walk - behind mulching lawn mower .

Get the Ego Power+ mulching lawn lawn mower atAmazonorMowers at Jacks .

A person using the best mulching lawn mower to mow the grass in a spacious yard

Photo: homedepot.com

Honda HRN216VKA 21-Inch Walk-Behind Mower

Perhaps no stain makes a lawn mower well capable of mulching than Honda . Whereas most take the air - behind mowers apply one blade , Honda supplies this 21 - in ego - propelled gas pedal mulching mower with two . And while many other 21 - inch gasoline lawn lawn mower have a 140cc locomotive , Honda power those blades with a tumid 170cc locomotive engine . The resultant role is a machine that ’s better able to rationalise clippings into tiny pieces .

In addition to mulching , this accelerator mower is also capable of bagging and side discharge . There ’s a dual - lever organisation that take in it well-fixed to move between its seven steel - pinnacle options . With great power come a higher price tag end ; Honda ’s self - propelled mulching lawn mower is one of the most expensive model on the grocery .

Get the Honda mulching lawn lawn mower atAcme Tools .

The Toro 21" Recycler Self-Propelled Gas Lawn Mower on a white background.

Photo: homedepot.com

Best For Small Yards

Greenworks 25022 20-Inch 3-in-1 Corded Lawn Mower

For those who do n’t have a lot of land area , the Greenworks cord lawn mower could be just the ticket . It require no petrol , emits no fumes , and has a brawny battery aliveness with its quiet 20 - amp motor . It has a low 20 - in deck that can accommodate prop that are up to ¼ acre in size and raises between 1.5 to 3.75 inches mellow with a individual lever .

This 56 - British pound sterling machine has an admit bagger for rear disposal , side disposal , and mulch for three - in - one action . This pickax also has a push - button start , a cord servant , 10 - column inch wheels , and a perdurable blade deck . Plus , it can close up down into a thick size for storing , and the batteries are compatible with multiple other Greenworks tools . The only downside to this option is that it may require a 16 - bore 50 - human foot or 14 - calibre 100 - pes extension cord for proper surgical procedure .

Get the Greenworks mulching lawn lawn mower atAmazon .

The Troy-Bilt TB110 21-Inch Push Lawn Mower on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com

Toro 30-Inch Personal Pace TimeMaster Mower

Con

You wo n’t find many manner of walking - behind lawn mowers that can cut as wide a belt of grass as Toro ’s aptly named TimeMaster . Its massive 30 - in deck of cards makes it suitable for bombastic yards that would otherwise involve the Service of a ride lawn lawn mower . One might think that such a across-the-board deck would have difficulty cutting clipping down to the bit size demand for mulching . That ’s not the case with the TimeMaster , a mower with mulching steel powered by a monolithic 223cc natural gas - power engine .

In accession to its large-minded deck , the TimeMaster comes equipped with useful additional feature of speech . One can withdraw the sword without turning off the engine , making it easier to withdraw obstacles , and the self - impel wheel mechanically modulate their f number to gibe the hustler ’s pace .

The Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21-Inch Cross Cut Mower Kit on a white background.

Photo: Homedepot.com

Get the Toro TimeMaster mulching lawn lawn mower atTractor Supply Co. ,Ace Hardware , orThe Home Depot .

Jump to Our Top Picks

How We Chose the Best Mulching Lawn Mowers

We research some two dozen lawn mower that mulch to grow our listing that ply the best mulching lawn lawn mower for each of several class . Since mulch when mowing requires more power than standard cutting , we selected mower with sizeable world power . For gas lawn mower , we chose model with at least a 140 - three-dimensional - centimeter ( milliliter ) engine . For stamp battery - powered models , we pick out framework with at least a 40 - volt battery .

Since deck and brand purpose is also important , we select mowers explicitly designed to bring forth the finegrass clippingsneeded to in effect allow nutrients to create a level-headed lawn . These included mowers with technologies design specifically for mulching , includingmultiple blades , special discharge , or integrated rakes . Since most owners do n’t mulch their lawn with every cutting , we also choose mowers that offer versatility with side - discharge and bagging cutting options .

What to Consider When Choosing a Mulching Lawn Mower

opt the appropriate character of mower for the job and the good size pack of cards is central to selecting the best mulching lawn mower . in the lead , learn more about the different lawn lawn mower type and how to prefer the proper power rootage and deck of cards size of it .

Type

Deck Design

The mow deck houses the blade or blades that cut the grass . Decks vary in size from the 20 - inch decks find on many pushlawn mowersto the great 46 - inch decks on riding mowers . The sizing of the yard determine what size deck is appropriate . A 20 - in deck is suitable for small to intermediate - size of it yards of about ½ acre . Larger yards of up to ¾ acre require a mower with at least a 22 - column inch deck of cards . lawn groovy than ¾ acre would profit from a riding mower that has a pack of cards that is 28 inches or wider .

The deck house either undivided or dual blades , depending on the size of the deck of cards . These decks have an opening that discharges the clippings out the side of the mow deck . To trigger the mulch function , the user simply closes the opening night with a screening . With the discharge opening closed , the clippings circulate inside the mowing deck , set aside the blade to cut them multiple times before they fall into the grand .

Power Source

Mulching mow machines come up with three different power reservoir options : gas , electric , and battery - power . Gas lawn mower have engines that range from 125cc to 230cc , reckon on the size of it of the mowing pack of cards . Riding mowers have larger engines that run from 12 to 24 HP . A practiced 20 - inch lawn mower with mulcher should be equipped with a 140cc engine to produce the power demand to sheer clippings into smaller pieces .

electrical mower mulching models come in both twilled and battery - powered models . Since corded lawn mower are tether to a exponent corduroy , they are suitable for small lawns of less than ¼ Akko . stamp battery - power , or cordless mowers , utilise a powerful rechargeable lithium - ion battery to power the mower leaf blade and force back wheels . These mower typically allow for up to 45 minute of arc of runtime before need a recharge , making them suitable for small- to medium - size lawns . Battery and electric car - powered motors are easier to begin but do n’t produce the same amount of power as gas - powered lawn mowers .

Additional Features

Mulching lawn mower come with extra features that make them easier to work . Many walk - behind mowers have controls that allow the operator to adjust the deck of cards height without adjusting each steering wheel one by one . Many mowers also have lever that make it easy to change the clipping preferences from mulching to bagging to side discharge .

Mulching lawn mowers are equip with engineering that make them easier to start . assault and battery - powered mowers have push - start features , and many gasoline - power mowers have pull newcomer that expect less force to get the locomotive engine go .

Some self - propelled mowers will automatically inflect the steering wheel upper to match the operator ’s pace . Battery - powered mowers come fit with light-emitting diode luminosity for night mowing .

The Ego Power+ 21-Inch Self-Propelled Mower on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com

Tips for Using a Mulching Lawn Mower

you’re able to do a few things to get the most out of your lawn mower ’s mulch mise en scene . First and foremost , mow at the proper height . Only cut a third of the pinnacle of the weed leaf blade . This will assure that the clippings are small enough for your lawn mower to mulch them efficaciously . Mower blades need to ignore the cutting multiple times , so keep the lawn mower sword sharp . Also , it ’s promiscuous for a lawn mower blade to cut dry grass , so only mulch when the lawn is dry . Finally , if you ’re mulch your smoke clippings or else of bagging them , you ’re returning nutrients to your railyard . That means you could utilise less fertiliser .

FAQs

If you ’re wondering howmulching can help improve the health of your yardor whether you want to fit out your mower with a special steel , read on for answers to these and other ordinarily asked questions .

Mulching returns nutrients to your lawn in the form of pot clippings , which assist fertilize it .

Most of the prison term , mulching is the best optionfor each haymow as it returns food to your lawn and does n’t create grounds waste product . However , moot bagging when the grass is magniloquent orcovered in leaves .

The Honda HRN216VKA 21-Inch Walk-Behind Mower on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com

Most lawn mower issue forth with blades suitable for mulch or bulge grass . Users typically do not involve a peculiar blade for mulching .

you could employ a mulching mower to make decorative stripes on your lawn . But , as with any lawn mower , you ’ll call for alawn rollerto attain the stripy look you see on a Major League Baseball field .

Most lawn mowers last for about 10 yr , although that depend on how often you apply it and how well you maintain it .

The Greenworks 25022 20-Inch 3-in-1 Corded Lawn Mower and battery on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com

In yards , Teach is a stratum of organic cloth that call for around the understructure of the grass blades that can prevent new grass from produce . When thatch becomes too thick , the lawn must be dethatched by rake it out or using a dethatcher . obstinate to popular notion , mulching a lawn does not contribute to additional thatch .

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a raised layer , or an in - flat coat plot out back — and select the correct plants for your soil and area .

The Toro 30-Inch Personal Pace TimeMaster Mower on a white background.

Photo: tractorsupply.com

Young couple (heads not seen) use trowels to dig into a small raised garden bed on Astroturf, surrounded by gardening accessories.