Don’t Test-Drive this $3,999 Riding Mower Unless You’re Ready to Buy it

For this month’s “Clip Smart” story on pg. 32, associate editor and outdoor equipment aficionado Jason Brill got to test-drive Cub Cadet’s RZT-S Zero at the Northeast Ohio-based company’s headquarters. The all-electric, zero-turning radius riding mower is energy-efficient, runs much quieter than a gas mower, and can cut about an acre of grass on a full charge, which is actually the same amount of land Brill has to cut at home. So he’s eager to replace his red Yard Machines mower with the Zero. But at $3,999, he needs some help. “I’m thinking about starting a Kickstarter campaign,” he jokes, “or taking out a second mortgage.