The swath, often given in centimetres or inches, refers to the width of the strip of grass that the mower cuts in one pass. This characteristic has a direct influence on the efficiency and speed of mowing the lawn. For smaller gardens and lawns, mowers with a smaller footprint are usually better suited as they are easier to handle and can better avoid obstacles such as trees, flower beds or garden decorations. These models are also often lighter and easier to store. On the other hand, for large lawns or commercial applications where large areas need to be mowed efficiently, larger reach mowers are ideal.