For a variety of reasons (mostly having to do with gullible roommates), I haven’t actually mowed a lawn with a lawnmower in probably twenty years or thereabouts. But we got a lawnmower when we moved here; we had the clever idea of going to Sears in September to buy one, when they’d be on clearance. So we got one of the “nice” ones. Not a riding mower or anything, but it has features.
So. You plug it in for a while. Once that’s done, it has an ignition key. There’s a bar which prevents it from running unless the bar’s held down, and another one which causes it to pull itself. The ignition actually works. Net result, it’s much, much, easier to move around and use than the ones we had when I was a kid. Also, bigger wheels – these don’t get caught as easily.
Overally, I’d rate the experience a C-; would do again, but only if I were really, really, bored. Or, say, if the front yard were covered with leaves, and I didn’t feel like raking them, and the lawnmower had a bag attachment.