REASONS TO BUY
Minimal storage footprint
Maneuverable
REASONS TO AVOID
Loud
Hard to adjust cutting height
No bagging option
American Lawn Mower 1204-14 Review
A low maintenance manual mower suited to small, tidy lawns
Credit: amazon.com
Price: $150 List
By Nick Miley and Austin Palmer ⋅ Sep 1, 2020
RELATED: Best Cordless Lawn Mower
Our Verdict
Given the right lawn, a manual mower is a good option. If the lawn to be cut is covering even ground and that area is not too large, then this machine is worth a look. However, depending on lawn type, it may not cover the appropriate cutting height as its range is rather limited. If these restrictions do conflict with your lawn type, this machine requires little maintenance, is inexpensive, and has a very small storage footprint.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
American Lawn Mower 1204-14 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  |  | ||
| Price | $150 List $89.99 at Amazon | $649 List | $349 List $404.62 at Amazon | $300 List $299.00 at Amazon | $280 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | An easy to maneuver mower that performs best on small, flat turfs | This do-it-all mower eats up turf like Popeye eats spinach | A low-cost mower suited for smaller lawns | This inexpensive, push mower has a relatively long runtime | This petite mower is best suited for smaller lawns |
| Rating Categories | American Lawn Mower... | Ego LM2102SP | Black+Decker CM2043 | Greenworks 25322 | Sun Joe iON16LM |
| Mowing (35%) | |||||
| Battery (25%) | |||||
| Handling (25%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | American Lawn Mower... | Ego LM2102SP | Black+Decker CM2043 | Greenworks 25322 | Sun Joe iON16LM |
| Self-Propelled | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Estimated Cutting Area | N/A | 14,275 ft² | 6,457 ft² | 9,196 ft² | 7,627 ft² |
| Measured Recharge Time | N/A | 57 min | 300 min | 60 min | 67 min |
| Cutting Deck Width | 14" | 18 1/8" | 15 5/16" | 13 3/4" | 13 7/16" |
| Measured Cutting Gap | N/A | 3/4" | 1 1/2" | 1" | 1 1/2" |
| Measured Noise | 86 dBa | 71 dBa | 74.5 dBa | 72.8 dBa | 76.5 dBa |
| Power (1 - 10) | Manual powered | 7 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Folding/Unfolding Ease (1 - 10) | 10 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
This mower is not for everyone. It has limited cutting heights that favor short grass, making adjustments is difficult and you have to keep up the pace to get it to cut effectively. That said, if you have a small patch of turf to maintain and not much storage space, this machine could be just the ticket. The savings, both in the long and short term, this machine will afford you will be just the motivation needed to host the next garden party in your neighborhood.
Performance Comparison
Manual mowers meet the user in the middle -- the user's effort is the primary limitation.
Credit: Laura Casner
Likes
What we like about the American Lawn Mower 1204-14 is that it's simple, inexpensive and effective. Simply put, it is one of the easiest to operate machines that we've tested. The mower is always ready to go as it needs neither gas nor a battery. There are very few moving parts, so maintenance will be minimal as well. Finally, this model is relatively compact, so it will easily fit in the corner of even the most cluttered garages and sheds.
Cutting height changes require tools to make the adjustments.
Credit: Laura Casner
Dislikes
What we don't like about the American Lawn Mower is that it has very limited cutting heights (1/2" to 1 3/4") that are on the shorter side and not good for many grass varieties. These cutting heights are relatively hard to adjust as the mower requires that bolts be loosened to do so. Additionally, the model does not come with a bag so you'll be left to leave the clippings or rake them up. Finally, it is pretty loud at 86 dBa though taller grass has a dampening effect of the noise.
The narrow cutting height options limit this mowers usefulness.
Credit: Laura Casner
Value
By comparison to other models and their performance in out evaluation, we think that the American Lawn Mower is appropriately priced and thus offers consumers a fair value.
Conclusion
If you have a low-maintenance lawn and you don't want to fuss with batteries or gas to power your mower, this affordable machine is worth a look. It's not for everyone, but if you don't mind working up a bit of a sweet in the yard, you might find the American Lawn Mower to be a good fit for your garage, lawn and pocket book.
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Nick Miley and Austin Palmer
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