 First electric mower...great first impressions |
| Review Date: April 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: D. Goldberg, Toledo, OH USA |
I've just bought my first house and the yard was finally long enough to need a cut this weekend.
We have a pretty small lot, maybe 1/4 acre, and the backyard had almost no grass because of the way it was landscaped. I decided that I didn't need a big self-propelled mower, and originally through maybe I'd get a reel mower before I decided that keeping the blades in shape would be too much of a bother.
I did a little research and found that the MM875 had excellent reviews here on Amazon. This one, the MM1800, had no reviews, but from everything I see it's exactly the same but with a slightly narrower cutting diameter.
I ended up picking it up from Lowes, and then made another trip back after realizing that my extension cord was only 25' and not quite enough for my hard.
The mower is really very light and easy to set up in about 5 minutes. Starting it up is as easy as pulling the lever up against the handle, which I love because growing up, my dad's mower took 50 pulls to get it going.
The mower is very easy to push, and has an adjustable handle for different height preferences. The adjustment for the cutting height is also very well done, where you just have to move a single lever on one of the back wheels and it takes care of the whole mower.
I used the mower on mulching mode and didn't notice any piles of clippings anywhere; they were very very fine and evenly distributed. I have not tried the bag yet.
The only possible negative that I can bring up after this first mow is the cord, which is something that you should have gone into purchasing this mower knowing. I always used to mow the lawn twice around in a circle, then cut a diagonal down the center, and then follow that diagonal back and forth each direction. With the cord, this technique left me having to stop and adjust the cord a lot near the end of my mowing. In the future, I will do the two laps and then simply start at one end (either diagonally or horizontally) and mow progressively away from the outlet.
Pros:
No need for gas, and no battery to wear out
Quiet, compared to most gas mowers
Easy to push, comfortable to hold, very little vibrations in the handle
Easy to adjust the cutting height
Easy to turn on/start
Cons:
Cord can get in the way if you don't plan your cutting pattern
EDIT: I've now had the mower for a few months and used it 10 or more times, and I really have no complaints still. The only possible thing I can add is that I have found that the "plug" for when you're using mulching rather than bagging can get a significant amount of grass build-up on it as compared to some other mowers I've used, but I don't see that as an issue whatsoever.
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No Gas. No Fumes. No Complaints Whatsoever.
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| Review Date: May 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Robert Davis, Charlotte, NC |
I was getting tired of 1) my gas-powered mower giving me issues and 2) having to determine what the problem was (spark plug? clogged filter? bad gas?). So I decided to buy an electric mower. After reading dozens of reviews, and not wanting to have to replace a battery every two years with a cordless mower, I picked up the MM1800 at a local brick-and-mortar store.
I've had this mower for 3 weeks now. Plain and simple, I love it.
Assembly was very easy; it took about 10 minutes to attach the handle. It comes with padded handle grips already attached (but not pictured), so your hands aren't rubbing against bare metal. It has a lever for the simultaneous height adjustment of all four wheels. I like to mulch when I mow, so I don't use the bag to catch the grass clippings. You will need a 100' cord to mow comfortably; I'm fortunate enough to have outlets on 3 sides of my house, so it reaches the outer edges of my 1/4-acre lot with plenty of cord to spare.
Mowing with a cord will take a little practice at first. I now have a pattern where I mow closest to the house first and then mow away from it, keeping the cord between the house and the mower. I don't have any serious issues with power; the mower gets a little slower in thicker, taller grass, but so did my gas mower. The noise level is not as quiet as I thought it would be, but it's not as loud as the gas mower (to me, it sounds like my leaf blower, but muffled quite a bit). I used one reviewer's tip and sprayed Pam underneath the mower. It really works...cleanup is a breeze.
Considering that I don't have to worry about spark plugs, oil, gas, filters and tune-ups, along with the added benefit of not having to breathe noxious fumes, I'm very happy with my purchase. |
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