Tuesday 1 November 2011

Battery Replacement - green, cordless lawn mower


FYI, this item is identical to the Homelite mower sold at many Home Depot locations (I don't work for any of these outfits). The two are identical except for the the colors. I contacted Earthwise to be certain, and they confirmed it, so buy either one.



This product, to my surprise, is as good as the Ryobi Mulchinator I used to own-- and it was the best cordless mower made in the late 1990's by a large margin. Like that one, this one effectively mulches the grass, even if moist, so small that there is no reason to use the bag or side discharge features. The height adjust is easy, the pushing is easy (for an adult), and you don't have to do any real maintenance (just keep it clean underneath). For the average lawn (I have 3000 square feet), this product has enough charge to do the job, is not quite as loud as a gas mower, and is just as powerful as a typical 4-5 hp model. You can charge it for a few bucks per year. It requires no assembly or tuneups, and tipping it in any direction will not cause a problem. Unless you use it commercially or for a very large property, this product is superior to a gasoline model, and way cleaner! Try a cordless electric model, and you will never want anything else! Earthwise 60020 20-Inch 24 Volt Cordless Electric 3-in-1 Lawn Mower with Grass Bag

My Gas mower was having some issues this spring and I decided I did not want to hassle with piecemeal fixing the unit. While shopping I decided to explore a cordless electric mower. As another reviewer noted this mower branded as Earthwise is the same essential mower as the Homelite Cordless Mower (model# UT13122) sold exclusively at Home Depot. The only difference is the color scheme and branding.



I finally decided to go with this particular model and I have not been disappointed. This unit fits my needs perfectly. The power is adequate, the charge is enough and the weight is nice. With this all said it is important to note that a cordless mower is not for everyone. It has limited range until it needs to be charged and the charging process is really about 15 hours for a complete charge. I waited a full 2 months after buying before writing this review to ensure that I was fully capturing my experience thus far.



Here are the pros and cons.



Pros:

1. Extremely light. Very easy to push due to the sub 100 pound weight of the device.

2. 20 inch cutting path is as wide and in most cases wider then competing cordless mower models.

3. Very clean cut of grass.

4. Mulch plug works excellent. I have yet to have to use the bag.

5. Instant on. You can stop and start the engine with s single pull of a lever. (There is a safety key so you can make this inoperable while away). Awesome! Great for maneuvering around obstacles.

6. One lever height control. I use 2" height. My lawn looks great!

7. The battery seems to hold the charge well for at least a week or two between charges.

8. Mulching plug is a quick and easy process. No headache here!

9. Easy fold down of handle for storage. Handy in winter areas for indoor storage to save life of battery.



Cons:

1. Charge lasts about 60 minutes before recharge is needed. It is also notable that the last 20 minutes or so of the charge is not as powerful as the first 40 minutes. There is a noticeable degradation of the power although it is still usable.

2. Noise is lower then a standard mower but not as much as you might think with a pure electric mower.

3. Rattles a bit. I am not sure how to describe this one except it gets more pronounced the faster I push the unit while mowing.

4. There is no powered propulsion but with the unit as light as it is this is not a big deal. Also I ma not willing to give up more power to a propulsion system anyway.

5. It can bog down in very heavy grass versus a heavy duty gas mower. This isn't a big deal as you just back up again but you don't want to clean up foot long grass with this unit.

6. Battery is not user replaceable. I would really like to see the battery either hot swappable or at least user replaceable. The biggest con in my view.

7. The 15 hour time frame for fully charging the battery means there is some planning needed to mow the lawn.



Features:

1. 24 Volt Battery

2. Push (Not powered)

3. 20" cut width

4. Steel Deck

5. 3 in 1 design (Side discharge, Bagger and Mulcher)

6. Height Adjust from 1.5" to 3.75"

7. Front Wheel Diameter 7"

8. Rear Wheel Diameter 8"

9. Charge time (4 hours for 70% charge) 10-15 hours for full charge

10. Single lever height adjustment.

11. Fold down handle for storage.

12. Safety key for start.



This is really a great mower for the price. It is clean and efficient. I no longer smell like a refinery every time I mow the grass. I can mow on Ozone action days and it does get some stares from the neighborhood. This is a very useful piece of equipment if you do not have a lawn that would take more then 60 minutes to mow. Only the somewhat limited battery charge and the fact that the battery is not user changeable keep this at 4 rather then 5 stars for me.

Recently, I got tired of messing with the gasoline and oil, pull cord, etc. of my admittedly trusty, almost ten year-old Sears 6.0 HP Craftsman mower. So I went online and researched several models before settling on the EarthWise 20" 24 volt cordless rechargeable.

I ordered mine via Amazon on Tuesday, and it came today (Thursday), if you can believe that! Set up was instantaneous, no assembly required, and the battery was actually fully charged. I mowed both my front and back lawn with plenty of battery juice to spare. While there is no power to the wheels, the mower weighs sufficiently less (at around 90 lbs.) to be able to maneuver it with ease. In cutting and mulching, it is actually superior to my old Sears. In terms of noise, it is still pretty loud, but sounds more like a huge blow dryer rather than an engine. And - BIG plus - absolutely no noxious fumes! It never heats up like a gas-powered engine either, and one of the great things is that you can turn it off completely, maneuver it around obstacles, and simply turn it back on electronically - without yanking cords!

Needless to say, I am truly happy with this mower and I highly recommend it. I will NEVER go back to gas-powered! - Green - Battery Replacement - Cordless Electric Mower - Cordless Lawn Mower'


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