Customer Reviews

Black & Decker LM175 18-Inch 6-1/2 amp Electric Mower

5 star:		(187)
4 star:		(100)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I've had this mower since the previous Spring, and every time I'm out mowing, I'm thinking about the review that I planned to write here about it. So needless to say, I've thought a lot about this. Here are 6 reasons to get this lawnmower:

1. It's cheap, about half the price that an equivalent gas mower would set you back. It's probably also a little bit cheaper to keep running, too.

2. It's light. A lot of gas mowers are self-propelled because they're so heavy to push around, but at 36 pounds, this mower doesn't need to be self-propelled. You can move it back and forth with relative ease, much like a heavy vacuum cleaner.

3. It's easy to start. No yanking the cord to get it going; just turn it on and start. Of course, you can get self-starting gas mowers these days as well, but they will set you back even more money.

4. It's quiet. Well, okay, it's not THAT quiet. But it's quieter than most.

5. It doesn't smell. The lawn doesn't smell like gas fumes after you're all done.

6. It's better for the environment. Gas lawnmower engines expel 10 times the amount of pollution per gallon of gas than your automobile does.

Sounds great so far, right? Well, before you click that "Add to Shopping Cart" button, let me give you two thoughts that might have you think otherwise:

1. The cord. Yep, there's no battery here, so you're attached to your house's electricity the entire time. In practice, I haven't found this too difficult to deal with; by starting near the outlet and snaking back and forth away from it, it's easy to manage. But, when I have to mow around my trees, it gets to be a bit of a chore. If I had a lot of tricky landscaping, or a particularly large yard, this would be enough to kill the deal.

(You can get electrical mowers with batteries, but they tend to be even more expensive than the gas mowers, and if you're choosing electric for environmental reasons, the lead in that battery is going to steer you even further away from that option.)

2. The optional mulching bag is small. If I'm collecting my grass clippings, I'll often need to empty the bag 8-10 times during a typical run. It gets to be pretty annoying. As a result, I usually just let the clippings return to the lawn, which is better for the lawn anyway, even if it doesn't look as pretty.

And there you have it. Six reasons to buy it, and two not to. You'll have to make your own decision. As for myself, I've been very happy with my purchase thus far, and will probably make my next mower a Black and Decker electric model as well.

This very basic electric is easy to use and plenty powerful enough for my small lawn. Cord is no problem since my lawn is so small, but if you are doing a lot of back-and-forth you may have to watch out for the cord. No problem to start, which is the major reason why I dumped my gas-powered mower. Appears solid enough for the price. Good Mower!!

Yes, you look like you're vacuuming your lawn with this thing. You also make about that much noise, by the way. Enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn, driving to the local gas station and filling up a gas can with fuel for your mower at $2.50+ a gallon? Of course you do, but you'll learn to adjust.

Your neighbors might make fun of you because you and your wife mow the grass together now - one of you pushes and the other one wrangles the extension cord. They'll ridicule you endlessly for being able to have an actual conversation with her over the low drone of this plastic (gasp) mower. Wave at them and know you are simply a being of superior intelligence who has no time for their guffaws.

Are you a total weakling, intimidated by the overwhelming task of lifting a lawnmower up a flight of steps or onto the bed of a truck (I know I am)? Fear not, for this electrical wonder weighs only slightly more than the extensive metal orthodontic gear you wore about your face and mouth until you were 16.

Be smart. Be beautiful. Own an electric lawn mower.

Seriously, I recently purchased my first home with a kind of small front, side, and back lawn and I'm very happy with this mower. It was as easy as vacuuming! No kidding!

I purchased this mower because I really don't want the hassle of gas powered tools, the smell, the noise. The price was reasonable as well. My lawn isn't one nice big rectangle either. I have trees and other landscaping features to mow around. It was easy to maneuver and didn't get caught on anything.

Although the cord is not the most fun to deal with, I was able to push the mower with one hand and guide the cord with the other. It really wasn't bothersome at all.

Another great feature is the SO EASY on and off lever. It doubles as a good safety feature as well. If your hand isn't on the mower lever, it turns off. And to turn it on, there's no pull cord or anything like that. You just easily pull a lever!

The height adjustment is also a one hand lever that moves with ease. And it turns around easily as well.
I highly recommend this mower!

I bought this mower 4 years ago, and have used electrics my whole life. I'm a big electric mower fan. I was happy with this one until it just plain-out and died last year. Could not be fixed. I was disappointed that it had only lasted 3-4 years.
My lawn is about 1/2 acre of short weeds and some grass (nothing manicured or mono-culture here!). I mowed often, and mowed high if the grass was long. Did everything right...and it still didn't last.
I plan on getting the $200 model this year and hope it will have a longer life-time than the this one.

I had always used a gas mower (mostly Lawn Boy, because they seem to last forever). With my city recently rated in the top 20 worst air quality counties nationwide, and my hated off-brand gas mower belching smoke (so much for THAT bargain), I decided to give an electric a try.

Going electric was made easier by the price - about half of the cost of the gas mower I would have otherwise purchased. The power cord proved to be only a slight annoyance for me, possibly because I have used an electric edger for many years.

The motor is more powerful than any gas-powered push mower I have used - even in tall, leaf-filled grass, it didn't choke down like its gas-powered brethren. In fact, the motor seems to gain power under load, and can handle areas I would have done with a hand blade in the past.

The yard locks absolutely manicured now. My only complaint is that the extension cord tends to slip out of the socket too easily, and must be reseated every 20 minutes or so. That minor point aside, however, it's a great product - and now, in fact, it's my new favorite mower.

I bought this little lawnmower to replace my manual rotary
mower while recovering from a broken wrist. You can use this
lawnmower quite successfully with one hand. It is very light
weight and easy to maneuver and cuts great.

My gas mower died and I was without a mower for a couple of summers. I finally had to buy one, but didn't want another gas mower because I don't believe they are safe enough. I was going to buy the B & D Lawn Hog, which is a bit larger and costs more, when I happened to find the 175 here at Amazon. It has lower amps than the Lawn Hog, but is perfect for my needs. I was surprised at the power it delivers but is easily kept under control. And while lightweight, it doesn't bounce around during mowing. Another nice feature is the start lever in the handle. You just pull it toward you and it starts as easily as any other electric appliance. Remove your hand, and the lever falls back and the machine immediatly shuts off. Also, you don't have the smell of gasoline coming back up in your face. I really like this machine.

Comparing the specs, the LM175 seems much less powerful than the other Black and Decker electric mowers, but it had no problems whatsoever with mowing my lawn. It's very light and feels like vacuuming. I replaced the discharge chute with a lexan shield and it mulches. I also removed the rubber apron on the back to make it easier to push and pull, and it's a bit lighter too. The only improvement I'd suggest is to make the handle fold for storage via quick-release latches. The body of the mower is very low and easily rolls under my workbench, but the handle juts out considerably.

UPDATE 6/21/2008: I bought this mower from Amazon back in 2004 and it is still running strong. Black and Decker recently put their replacement parts ordering system online at [...]. You can order just about any replacement part for this mower. You can order the mulching door from the MM275: part number 243611-00, SPRING DOOR, $[...]. This part includes the door and a spring, but uses the metal chute pivot pin supplied with the mower. It fits the LM175 like a glove, and it runs even quieter than before.

I bought this mower as an alternative to a gas powered mower as i do a lot of woodworking in my garage and I didn't want any more combustable materials in my garage than necessary. This mower is a dream come true. It's light, easy to use and does just as well as a gas powered mower. It does tend to bog down in tall, thick grass but only if you push it too fast. I've been using one for three years now and the only thing I've done is replace the blade. And I bought a longer power cord. ;)