Walk behind lawn mowers can be broken down into two major categories.  These two categories are reel mowers and rotary mowers.  (Check out our devoted articles to reel lawn mowers and rotary lawn mowers for more specific information on each of these mowers.)  All walk behind lawn mowers require a human operator to be either pushing or guiding the mower while it is cutting grass.

Walk behind mowers can be self-propelled in some cases, meaning that the user will only have to do the steering and will not have to actually push the mower.

Lawn mowers can do several things with grass after they cut it.  They can mulch the grass and leave it scattered on the lawn as you mow, or they can collect the grass in a “bag” so there is nothing left behind on your yard.  This is an important feature to keep in mind when shopping for a lawn mower because many models feature a removable bag so you have the choice of either leaving the grass behind as mulch or collecting it.  Just remember that if you collect the grass you will have to dispose of it either through local pickup or by bringing it to regional composting facility or recycling area.

Walk-behind lawn mowers can also vary based on how they are fueled.  Walk-behind mowers can be either gas or electric.  If you hate having to worry about mixing gas and oil, using a pull-cord to start your mower, the smell of gasoline, or the loud noise that can come from a gas engine, then you may want to consider an electric lawn mower.  If you don’t mind these things, and don’t want to have to worry about your battery dying or even being attached to a cord, then a traditional gas lawn mower may be just fine for you.