With the Amazon Prime Day deals in full swing, there are big discounts on a whole host of lawnmowers. That said, not all of them are worth your money. Many are cheap plastic knockoffs that won't live up to years of use.
That's not the case with my favorite mower, the Worx WG779. It looks like a toy, but it's robust and does a great job. Years on, I still think it's one of the best mowers around. I tested it for a different magazine a couple of years ago but when we reviewed it in-house here at H&G, our second opinion found all the benefits I did.
However, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and there are some significant drawbacks to this mower that are worth bearing in mind. On top of that, you'll need to move fast - there isn't long until the end of Prime Day.
What's the deal?
What's so good about this mower?
I was pleasantly surprised by the Worx WG779 when I tested it a couple of years ago. It's small and plastic, so I wasn't expecting much, but it genuinely delivers a great cut. It has 6 cutting heights, so you can adjust your mowing based on the condition, and does a great job at cutting right to the edge of a lawn, saving you some labor neatening on the edges. It can also detect longer grass, stepping up the power level to deal with unruly overgrowth before taking it back down again for more everyday mowing.
It only weighs 29 lbs, nearly three times less than an equivalent gas mower, so it's easy to move around a lawn, and easy to mow uphill. Unlike a corded mower, there's no stress that you'll cut through a cable. Using batteries is much less hassle than power cables and gas.
The other little touches are great too. It comes with a mulching plug as standard, which is great for lawn health, and a carry handle to make it easier to move around the yard.
I especially love how quiet this mower is. It's much quieter than most other cordless mowers I've tested, and it's not on the same planet as a gas mower. There's no engine sound, just the sound of the blades, so it's great if you need to mow early in the morning before the sun gets too high.
It folds down for storage, which is great for saving space. Unlike other push mowers I've tried, it actually becomes a lot smaller when you put it away. There are plenty of mowers out there that claim to have 'collapsible' handles but which stick out at such awkward angles that it doesn't save any space at all. That's not the case with this mower.
It's also part of a battery family, which is great for saving a little money. I'm a fan of most of Worx's other tools, so it's great to swap the battery for this mower out for their equally excellent Worx GT Revolution 20V 12" String Trimmer, available at Amazon, and save a little money in the process.
What are the drawbacks of this mower?
The most useful feature of this mower is also its biggest weakness. This mower is tiny. I can't overemphasize how small it is. If you're a die-hard fan of huge ride-on mowers for tackling your four-acre plot, look away now. The cutting deck is only 14", and Worx rates this mower for just 1/8th of an acre.
I think this is perhaps over-egging it, and they're probably just covering their backs in case someone claims it's been mis-sold. I and other reviewers have used it on slightly larger lawns, around 1/4 to 1/3 acre, but beyond that, it would probably tap out. Some Amazon reviews say it can't handle their 1/3 acre plot, so take my experience with a pinch of salt.
It's perfect for small yards. If you have a huge plot out back but a small front lawn that can't be mowed with a ride-on, this could still be a good option. However, bear in mind that 1/8th acre is around half the size of the average home in the US, so that should tell you how small this mower is. It's perfect for smaller homes, but mowing the lawn will take hours in larger backyards.
The other drawback I found when I tested this a few years ago is the admin of the batteries. They take around 4 hours to charge up once they run flat, so you need to plan out charging them up. Maybe I'm the laziest person in the world, but remembering to keep them topped up is a chore, and it's frustrating when you go to mow and don't have any charge. It's not a problem with a little planning and organizing, but if you're like me and hate spending even an extra second caring about chores you might find this mower a little frustrating.
For more discounts, our coverage of the best Amazon Prime Day deals has unearthed a wide range of grill deals on tested grills.
