 "2000sqft of lawn. Great mower." | 2010-03-13 |
| - Reviewed By Nobody Special from SoCal |
Steel, not plastic. Well made.
High speed blade cuts grass so fine that it takes up less volume in the trash.
Easy to push through 4 inches of fescue.
Runs for 1/2 hour without noticeable power loss (all green lights on battery indicator).
Wheels have real bearings in them. Not plastic bushings. Wheels could be a bit larger, but not horrible.
Tip: Plug the charger into a Christmas light timer and leave the mower plugged into the charger. It will stay charged and you won't over charge (the charger is not a peak charger and cannot be left on power without damaging the battery).
For small lawns I will never buy another gas mower. |
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| "Not Bad..Not Bad At All" | 2010-03-07 |
| - Reviewed By JK from Dallas, TX |
This mower has turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I've tried this three times now and am impressed with how well it actually works. I'd actually rate this 4.5 stars right now. Minor downsides:
>It's a little heavy, but since my old gas mower wasn't self propelled, it doesn't feel that much different.
>Some folks have commented on the poor quality of the rubber (or whatever material that is) where you grip the handle- I'd agree that it's of poor quality and won't last very long. One good scrape along a chain-link fence proved that to me already. It will have to be replaced at some point, but I don't see that as a major problem.
Major upsides include a fairly powerful "engine" (do we still call them that on these things?), very decent battery run time, and being to finally rid myself of my noisy, smelly, maintenance intensive, very loud and generally annoying gasoline mower. Good riddance.
I mow an area appx 5000 square feet, and the battery still had about 1/2 charge left. Keep in mind that thickness of what you're cutting could significantly affect how long the battery will last. The battery life indicator is a real plus. Recharging easy as well, plus you can recharge with the battery in or out of the unit- it comes with a handy-dandy adapter for external battery charging.
All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase. |
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 "Very nice mower! (but not really green...)" | 2010-02-25 |
| - Reviewed By I hope I know what I'm talking about from NoVA |
Let me first say that I really like this mower and I'm glad I purchased it. It starts up without any pullcord, there are no noxious fumes coming out, there's no messing about with gas, oil, or gas/oil mixtures, and--above all--it does a great job on my lawn.
Instead of a pull cord, you simply insert the safety "key", move a lever, and lift the handle bar, and it starts up instantly. No more tug of war with a pull cord! It is not completely quiet, but I think it's quieter than my old gas mower. I can hear myself think or my iPod over it. Also, there's no fumes. My last mower would periodically exhale a blue cloud of who-knows-what. That's gone with this mower.
So far, I've had no problems with the battery. I followed the instructions on how to get the longest life out of it, so hopefully I'll get plenty of years use from the battery. I have 1 acre, and easily did each of my yards (1/2 acre each) on a charge. There's a nice battery meter on the back so you can see how much juice is left. This is my first winter with it, and they recommend keeping it in a warm place and charging every 30 days. I hope I remember, and that this spring everything is good to go.
As for performance, it's just what you would expect from a new mower. Nice blades, clean cuts, can handle the tall weeds and heavy stuff, has height adjustments, and both the mulcher and bag do a really good job. As long as you mow on a regular basis, you should have no problem mulching, as the bits were nice and small (my old mower would leave chunks of grass in it's wake, but with this mower you can barely see the chopped pieces).
Now, on to the "green" aspects. I'm pretty crunchy, and like to keep things as eco-friendly as possible. That being said, you have to remember that for most people in the USA, a plug in mower is being powered by coal burning. This isn't a hybrid car in which you're using your momentum to generate electricity, this is just another plug in appliance, like a dishwasher or TV. It feels nice to not be using gas, and when you mow you're not giving off fumes and emissions, but that's because they were already given off when the coal was burned to power your grid. Some people have nuclear power (a whole other debate), and maybe you have a windmill or solar power. If so, then this is a green mower. You can also argue that this is better than gas because it reduces dependencies on foreign oil, which is a nice plus. But don't think that this mower is helping the environment at all. Coal is dirty, even if they try and sell it as clean coal. But like I said, I knew all that and chose this mower because an electric mower gives a more pleasant mowing experience than a gas mower. I'm very happy that I chose this mower.
So, if you want a green mower, you'll have to buy a reel/push mower. If you have about a half acre or more, then you will also get a nice workout. But make sure that you mow regularly, or you will find yourself fighting jams all day. Or google bicycle lawn mower and get welding!
While not a really "green" alternative, this mower is great, and i much prefer using it to any gas mower I've used. Lets just hope that the battery and mower last. And lets hope that we keep making progress in solar, wind, algae, and other alternative energy sources, so that this mower can truly become an eco-mower!
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| "It ain't easy pushing a green mower, but it's worth it..." | 2009-12-16 |
| - Reviewed By R. Saini from Vancouver, BC, Canada |
I was debating what type of mower to buy (electric vs. gas) and ended up going with electric. I did not want to deal with having to keep a gas container at the house as well as wanting to help out the environment. While looking at electric mowers, I came across this model and bought it on the spot before reading any reviews (which I almost always do before buying something). The thought of a *cordless* electric mower intrigued me enough to give it a whirl, plus it was the last one on the store shelf!
I took the mower home and after a quick 2 minute setup I left it plugged in over night to give it a charge. The first thing you will notice is that this mower is heavy! The comparable (corded) electric model by Earthwise is almost half as heavy, but that's the price you pay for going cordless.
The next day I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised.
Pro's
1) 3-in-1 mower (bag, mulch, side shoot) - I prefer mulching myself to give the grass a healther look
2) Cordless mower with power - If you've ever used a corded mower you know the feeling of nicking your cord or hitting it completely and killing the cord...not fun!
3) Adjustable height so that you can mow to whatever length you prefer
4) Safety lever - you once you put the key/chuck into the ignition, you need to hold the lever to put the mower on, so if you let go it won't stay on
5) Removable battery - for the winter months I've got my mower in the shed, but the battery comes out and I can plug it in the garage every month to give it a charge (see final con below)
6) Battery has indicators telling you how much charge you have left
Con's
1) HEAVY! Although if this is a concern you should probably not be looking at a cordless model as I'm sure they all have extra weight
2) When I'm done mowing in mulch mode, there is a bit of grass build-up near the back where the bag shoot is. This is probably common in a lot of mulch mowers, but still needs to be pointed out
3) Battery Charging - the manual states that you should give the battery a full charge once a month, and never let it die completely. I'm not sure if not doing this will shorten the battery life, but don't want to find out either!
Conclusion
This mower does a terrific job in mowing your lawn. I can get at least 3 uses for my lawn before plugging it back into the charger. It works great, and looks good too. |
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| "this thing powers through tall grass, but is very hard to push" | 2009-11-06 |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
This lawnmower works great for my small yard, I averaged 3 cuts per charge this summer. My yard is only .10 acre, but I would go over it once to cut, and second time to clear the grass clippings. I don't use the bag attachment since it fills up way to quick and I had to keep stopping to change it. I found it easier to cut once, and mulch the second time. I did let the grass get a tad too high, and this still cut through it, I even mowed over some plants I no longer wanted.
One very big con is that it's heavy! It is fine to push down hill, or flat, but when it comes to pushing up hill, it is a challenge and a workout! |
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| "Works great but back tires aren't great" | 2009-10-31 |
| - Reviewed By signature from north carolina |
| Great mower. It is a little on the heavy side but that is b/c of the battery. The back wheels ended up bending but customer service is great. Shipped new wheels out free of charge. Great company. |
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