Aren't all those electric mowers a smaller cut than 21", too? I would think that alone would make this cutting a real chore, even if the charge did last. If the concern is environmental, then look for an OHV engine instead of a flathead. If the concern is noise, then ditto.

Beyond that, you need to know your budget and feature requirments. For instance, if you are limited to $300 there are lots of compromises to be made. If you can go to $500-600, then a whole world of really good 21" self-propelled walk-behind mowers is open to you. Do want to bag, mulch, or side-discharge? Do you want self-propulsion? Do you need electric start? Do you have hills or are these areas rather flat? Those are some questions you'll need to answer. Then some suggestions will be easier to make.

Something else to keep in mind is how do you dispose of the batteries in an environmentally friendly way? They don't last forever!
I would suggest you "bite the bullet" and get a GOOD mower that gets the job done quickly. Not some underpowered mower with a poorly designed deck.
I agree with the OHV engine. They are more fuel efficient and better provide their power at a wider range of engine speeds.
Keep the blades sharp and the deck cleaned out.

His concerns are noise and that gasoline is messy. He's hoping that the technology for electric will improve, but I told him that we may be using lawn service for YEARS at this rate.

We can swing something in the $500-600 range. No hills. We're in the Plano area. It's about as flat as can be. Mulching is a priority.

Self-propulsion? Hmm... does this make it easier to push?

Electric start... What are my other options?

As far as upkeep, can we (meaning DH) sharpen the blades himself, or is this something we need to take into a shop?

Oh, I forgot to mention that we do have another lawn mower in the garage. It's his Dad old one. Aversion to lawn care must run in the family since Dad now has lawn service too... ;-)

It's a Craftsman, Briggs and Stratton engine, 7.0 HP, model number 917378771.

At $500-600, you can choose from some nice Snappers, Toros, Hondas, Ariens, Lawnboys, and probably some others I'm not thinking of right now. Gasoline shouldn't be very messy with a decent fuel container. But as for noise, I would reiterate my recommendation to get an OHV engine. It's possible that a Honda or Kawasaki engine would be quieter than the Briggs and Stratton Intek and Dove (OHV) engines, although I'm not totally sure about that.

Self-propelled mowers have transmissions that take power form the engine to move the mower, so you don't have to push the mower at all. IMO, it's a huge benefit if it works well. In this price range, the drive systems do work well. Electric start is a fancy add-on to some engines, whereas most are just started with a pull cord. IMO, this is not terribly useful unless you have physical limitations that make pulling the starter cord difficult. Otherwise, they add weight and complexity that is not needed. As for sharpening blades, if you have a grinder or Dremel tool you can sharpen them yourself easily enough. Otherwise, a dealer can do it while you wait if you take him the blade and should charge a very small amount.

Which is a good segue to a very important point: dealership support. At this price point, you can stay away from the big-box stores and buy from a real mower dealer. This brings with it good after-sales support. But it also gives you the chance to find out much more before the purchase, so you can make the correct purchase the first time. At a dealer, you can put your hands on these mowers and hopefully even start one up and try it. You will learn first-hand what the various self-propel systems feel like, and how hard it is to pull-start the engines, and how loud the various engines are. For someone who is still learning the basics, this kind of service is invaluable. I can't stress this enough.

I don't know about that Craftsman mower you mention. If it's been sitting a long time, it will likely be hard or impossible to start unless you clean out the carburetor. And it certainly won't be the quality of mower you will be able to buy in your price range. So I guess I'm saying that if you try to use it, don't let it form your opinion of what all gas mowers are like. There are true, real differences between budget mowers and good mowers. I'd venture to say that some people with aversions to mowing could be cured just by having good mowers!

Good luck in your search. Feel free to keep posting questions here, and keep us posted.

Ditto what Matt said.
I bought a new Honda back in 1989 for $500. It was a lot of money back then, but it's still working great with just a few new spark plugs, air cleaners, yearly oil changes and a couple blades. When I amortize the cost, it's pretty good!!!
It replaced a Craftsman that was nothing but toil.
You don't need electric start. It's a battery to replace every couple years and not needed. My Honda starts on the 2nd pull still, except the first start in the Spring when it takes 4-6 pulls. If I were to put in a new spark plug, it might be better?

By "better mow" what do you mean?

If you have been using a Robomow for years than anything else will be a compromise.

Maybe you can increase the mowing quality and keep using the Robomow?

Scott
Palomar Robotics

Here is a link that might be useful: Palomar Robotics

Put the Craftsman in the shop and have it serviced/prepared for use, and use the heck out of it. I see no reason why it wouldn't do the job. Then, if you find some things you don't like about it, you'll have a better idea about what you want. There's an awful lot to know about operating and keeping up a gas mower, but that's what we like to talk about. I imagine this mower is in good condition because 7 hp mowers are fairly recent. The mower shop will advise you on whether it's worth putting back into service. Let us know what happens.

Looks as if scottbee resurected an old thread to promote
his business. Clever spamming.

The original post specifically mentioned they were using a 'Robomow'. I don't see where he did any 'spamming'. I shouldn't have replied - didn't notice the date.

Go buy a gasoline powered lawn mower, use it to mow the lawn, then take one day off work, don't drive anywhere, and you will have negated the bad things about using gasoline to mow the grass, and you will be the pride of yer wife, and the neighbors! Just think--they'll all be braggin' about how you are helping the environment by walking to work!
by: Rusty J.