Cordless Lawnmowers - Anyone here have one?

[petek]

I told mom to get rid of her lawn service and I'll just cut the lawn etc for her. A near $100 per month savings to boot. I was just going to throw my mower in the truck and take it over but she insists she's buying one to keep in the garage so I'm wondering about those cordless ones. Home Depot has the Homelite and the Neuton on sale here this week for $249 each. The Neutons too small with only a 14" cut and the Homelite looks much like a gas mower, metal deck etc. Her lawns not that big so I'm sure it's sized right. The only thing that really concerns me is that the battery may begin to fail after a couple of years requiring replacement and as usual the replacements will probably cost near as much as the whole mower.
I'm hoping for good review because I'd rather the cordless and no muss no fuss. I've got enough gas engines here to contend with. Otherwise I'll probably get the little Cub Cadet for around the same price.

 

[sudsmaster]

If you go cordless, the Black and Decker one gets top honors from Consumer Reports.

Personally, I think a gas mower is more practical and reliable, but will require more maintenance.

I'm just not that enamored of cordless appliances that require substantial amounts of power. The batteries are the weak point.

 

[tolivac]

I used to have the BD cordless mower-cut VERY well-and in some cases BETTER than a gas one-the electric motor and battery combination could delivor more torque than a gas motor-but the run time was only 20min.Worked well in my former Manassas Va lawn-where I bought the machine from Home Depot.they were being demoed there-bought one after trying one at that demo.the machines were just intoduced then.I lived in a townhome and it was perfect-was just as easy to use made mowing the lawn as easy as vacuuming your carpet.When I moved to NC,the mower died a bad death.The plastic deck would not hold up to the tougher more abrasive conditions killed the plastic deck.For my area-would prefer a steel deck.Holds up to the sandy soil,pine straw,twigs and pine cones better than plastic.Would like to consider the cordless Homelite model.Would be a great trim mower to use after a tractor.now if GE would revive the "Electric-Trac"!Would think with newer motor control technology and Nickel Metal hydride battries this would be possible.And the NMH batteries would be great for cordless hand mowers too.Lighter and more efficient-less toxic.Same type of batteries used in my Hybrid car.And make the batteries detachable for recharging out of the mower.Actually the cordless electrics are MORE reliable than gas mowers.Yes the lead acid batteries have to be replaced about every 5 yrs.BD had instructions how to replace them in the mowers manual.Sadly gave up on it when the plastic deck gave out-bet if it was steel would be still going today with a new set of batteries.the batteries sort of look like motorcycle-lawn tractor batteries.

 

[oldhouseman]

Check out

the new large size Neuton. I have one and love it. No gas, no oil. I charge the battery and go. It is also light weight and easy to move. I have the smaller 14" version which fits my needs. I received an ad for the new larger regular size mower. I am slowly get rid of my lawn and replacing it with gardens (vegetable, herb and flower). I will never have a conventional mower again. Check out the new full size Neuton, it may fit the bill.

 

[sudsmaster]

My home has a rather small front lawn (no lawn in back) of about 900 sq ft max. I currently use a Yard Machines gas mower, with stainless steel deck and Honda OHV motor. Made in Canada. The combination works quite well. Starts every time without fail, cuts and mulches just fine. I sold off my corded B&D because I planted a tree and two rose bushes in the lawn, and cord management became impossible.

 

[danemodsandy]

Black & Decker:

Several of their models made in recent years have had a bad habit of catching fire; at least one cordless model is involved. I have a corded model that has caught fire once, and tried to do it again this year. It goes through safety switches to the tune of around $30 per mowing season. The latest incident melted the switch housing on the handle and damaged some wiring; we're looking at another $30-40 in parts to fix that, right after investing $30 in two safety switches to get through this mowing season with.

You might want to consider another brand.

 

[petek]

Well I took the chance and bought the HomeLite 20" cordless today. CR's latest issue gave it a quick pick if that means anything. On sale for $249 it's worth a go and I can return in within 90 days. I called Homelite to see how much the replacement batteries are and they're a bit pricey at $96 but if it lasts for hopefully 4 years then that won't seem too bad. I'll put the mower down the basement for the winter and keep it charged. Later this evening or tomorrow morning I'll go and have the fun of unboxing and assembling it

 

[Cybrvanr]

Great thread...I'm considering an electric cordless mower myself! I have heard the neutons are pretty good. Sounds like the one Home-Depot has is the smaller model.

I have heard some people say that the best thing to do to preserve battery power and increase longevity on your cordless mower is to stagger your cutting. One day, cut the front yard, the next day, cut the back. This way, you are deep cycling the battery less, which is what kills a lead-acid battery. I wish someone would make a battery pack for the cordless mowers that was "hot swappable" like a cordless drill or something. One could have one battery pack on charge, while another is in the mower. That would allow someone to finish a rather large lawn in a single shot.

One of the things I have that I like too is the Black & Decker cordless weed eater. it runs off of 18 volt batteries just like their other power tools do, and it does a great job! I am considering also buying the hedge trimmer too. the cool thing about buying multiple tools that use the same battery is that you get a battery and a charger with the tool. If your tools all use the same battery, you can have several batteries lined up and waiting in the chargers when you have a big job to complete!

 

[petek]

A big difference between the Homelite compared to the B&D and the Neuton is that the Homelite is essentially a metal deck lawnmower same as the gas ones which does make it somewhat heavier since the others are a type of plastic deck and more futuristic looking.
Does anyone but me remember back in the 60's Toro had a 12v lawnmower, same idea same looking as the gas one but had a 12v car battery under the squared off motor cover. One of our neighbors had one and it always intrigued me. Never saw one before or since.
The Neuton does have a lift out battery and you can buy a second to keep on mowing

 

[tolivac]

early Toro cordless mower

A freind of mine had one-car batteries were poor for this because they could not withstand the constant charge-deep discharge cycles.The guy gave up on his-don't know what he did with it-replaced it with a Toro gas motored mower.I also saw a old Toro cordless mower at the dump out here-it was too badly corroded to consider-the deck and motor were badly corroded-looked like it was in a barn.Too bad.Also guess the old battery on it leaked and the acid corroded the machine.
thats interesting about the burning switches on the BD mowers-never had that problem with the one I had.That could be a strike against the BD mowers.Will have to see how the history of the new Homelite cordless mowers hold out.With its metal deck would make a good possibility out here.Also saw a rather nice husky metal deck cordless mower at Sears years ago.Was after I bought the BD one in Manassas.

 

[danemodsandy]

tolivac:

" thats interesting about the burning switches on the BD mowers-never had that problem with the one I had.That could be a strike against the BD mowers."

It's only certain models. There's one cordless that has been the subject of a recall, and my model (the MM600) is the one with the switch problem. What I find problematic is that the switch problem has never been addressed. It's obvious that the switch is flimsy and not up to the job, but it has not been redesigned; whenever you buy new switches, they're the same as the original.

I don't mean what I've said as a blanket indictment of B&D products, but as a consumer, I don't feel that I've been well-taken-care-of regarding the safety problem on this mower.

 

[supersuds]

Homelite at Home Despot

I've been looking for that Homelite since February, Pete! But it's never in stock either online or at my local store. Lucky you for getting one.

In fact, every place I've been to -- local home and garden centers, hardwares, Sears -- say they don't have anything in stock, but can special order. I like to look before buying, though.

 

[washabear]

I had a cordless mower called Bully. It stopped working after just a few mowings. Apparently there is a fuse inside that is not accessible to the user, and there is no repair support. Absolutely ridiculous. Am happy with my BD corded mower.

 

[petek]

Quite a few in stock at our local store, The HD Canada stores are doing a promotion. The $100 off is supposed to be if you trade in an old working or non-working gas mower or trimmer but since I didn't have a trade they gave me the coupon anyways when I said I wouldn't buy it unless I got the $100 off. When I bought the LawnBoy there last year it was a $100 off sort of, a $100 HD gift card which isn't quite the same or as good imo.

 

[sudsmaster]

Um, after all is said and done I've found the Honda powered Yard Machines mower to be less of a hassle, esp in terms of usage, than the corded electric B&D I had, and the various non-motorized reel mowers I tried. Maintenance is relatively minimal: change the oil once a year, add gas when it gets low. I suppose the air filter will need changing in about five years. I do hose off the underside of the deck after every mowing, even though it's probably not necessary to prevent corrosion with a stainless steel deck, but it does keep grass clippings from building up as a sort of grass mat under it all, and probably maintains cutting performance (any rotary mower, regardless of power source, would benefit from this regular cleaning).