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82 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First electric mower...great first impressions, April 12, 2010
This review is from: Black & Decker MM1800 18-Inch 12 amp Corded Electric Lawn Mower (Lawn & Patio)
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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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
well performing machine, June 9, 2010
This review is from: Black & Decker MM1800 18-Inch 12 amp Corded Electric Lawn Mower (Lawn & Patio)
I had the previous B&D model for over 12 years. I still have it for parts. This machine is designed a tad bit differently but it performs well. It now has a padded handle and the top deck is a bit higher. I don't like the larger deck but now grass won't get under the 'hood' that used to be there which made cleanup a bit more on the older model. The height adjuster is better too, with just a squeeze you can go up or down very fast. So far this machine has met all my expectations. I let someone else use a gas mower on my lawn since I'm having back trouble and my hill in the back yard makes walking hard for me. Well, that said, I went right back to my mowing the next time. The gas mower did a horrible job on my lawn and this man had a new mower too. He could run faster than I do but it was a very bad job. He didn't mean to do this, he had a good machine and does make it look nice for a day or two.
After I mowed it the next time, people even stopped and told me how beautiful my yard was. I do love the manicured look. I had to cut off more grass this time due to the setting on the gas mower set higher. This machine withstood it all. We bagged it which I hated and is the reason I will go back to mowing myself. We took off 13 large bags of clippings with the rear bag and it handled it very well (this was the grass left behind from the gas mower). I like the mulch feature much more myself and that is why I will use this machine exclusively from now on. I have not had to bag in over 13 years so this was a huge disappointment on having to pay someone to do a worse job.
My old model worked so well that in the fall season I only ever raked leaves once. These machines will mulch up leaves, small sticks and anything I give it. I have loved that since like I previously said, I like a manicured yard. The mulching is so fine it re-fertilizes the yard. I fertilize once, maybe twice a year and have the greenest yard around. Yes, I am a woman and walk slower than the running this service did to see how fast they could get done. Also, with my back I do the front one day and the back yard the next due to my health. I also live in Texas and in 100 degree heat I wait and only mow in the early morning or very late in the day.
I love how I can store this mower standing on its nose. It takes up such little space in the shed. I never leave it out. You also should not use this mower if it is starting to rain which I did sometimes with a gas mower. Being electric I would never try that. Mowing shouldn't be done in the rain anyway.
I never have to rake up clippings either. My neighbor lets others mow her grass all the time and this last time they left two inches of clippings in her yard. She had to have someone else rake and mow two days later just to get up the mess before it killed her whole yard.
Those expenses make me glad to have gotten this mower for the price that Amazon or home improvement stores charge. I was going to get the Sears brand but it cost more and had a metal deck. I love the plastic, it is easy to clean and won't rust. My last one is still in one piece after a long work history and much abuse.
Another thing no one has mentioned is that this mower can go forward and backward. You can mow up the hill and move over and mow down the hill backwards, no turning around. My husband used to yell at me all the time with the gas mower since it cannot go backwards. I have obstacles in my yard like wires to a ham tower, clothes line polls, trees and other items. I can go around them all with a bit of planning with the cord and have no trouble. A friend came first of the year to do the back yard with the cord and he even said he liked this mower. He showed me to store the cord like crocheting it and it pulls back out without kinks in it. This makes the beginning mowing better now since I have less cord until I pull it out for the further away parts. Yes, you do have to start nearest the plug and work outward but once you get used to the machine, you forget all about that. Just always hold the cord in your left hand and walk on. I mow with one hand this mower is so light. My right hand can hold the safety clip and push and I just had hand surgery too.
Now I hope this machine works as long as the other did and it is well worth the price I paid. My old one came to $17 per year of use. That was with a new blade and a new switch the last year before I killed it. My husband still wants to tinker with it so it may be resurrected yet. I mowed three yards back then, now I can only do my own due to health.
Oh, and I use a 100 foot cord that costs about $16 to purchase and I can use it for everything else in between. Like the electric weed eater, the Christmas lights etc so that purchase negates itself.
I only cut my cord in half once in 12 years. I was the fault not the corded mowing. I got very hot in 110 heat and almost passed out, I turned around and cut the cord. I unplugged it and that was that. With the rubber grip handles there is no danger except your human self. Always be safe, plug into ground fault plugs which should be on an outside outlet anyway.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm Impressed, August 16, 2010
This review is from: Black & Decker MM1800 18-Inch 12 amp Corded Electric Lawn Mower (Lawn & Patio)
I've had cheap gas mowers that wouldn't start and very expensive gas mowers that wouldn't start. No matter how high the quality of the engine there was always something that needed tending to. A couple months ago I went out and bought yet another gas mower. Got it home, put it together, added oil, gassed it up and of course it wouldn't start. So I took it back and the garden center and the people there couldn't get it to start either. Fortunately they refunded my money and took the thing back. That evening I started researching electric mowers on the internet.
A rechargeable battery mower was quickly ruled out because I didn't want to replace a $150 manufacturer specific battery every two or three years. Most of the reviewers of corded mowers were in agreement that cord management was no big deal. My search took me to this compact, lightweight little B&D MM1800. I liked the way it folded up for storage in the pictures.
When it arrived, I rolled it out of the box and popped the handle on it. That's all you have to do. The one touch height setting really works! No more wrestling with each wheel on a heavy gas mower. The lawn was a little longer than usual since I'd been without a mower for month. It didn't matter, the little B&D munched right through it as good as any gasser I've ever owned. I even used it to clear out an overgrown utility easement on the side of my home. It never bogged down or hesitated one bit. The other users are correct when they say that cord management is no problem. I've used it with the bag and without. Both ways work great. Anyway, I've used it several times now since grass grows quickly in the South Florida rainy season and I can't begin to describe how cool it is to just flip this puppy upside down on the lawn to clean it up without worrying about gas and oil spilling all over the place.In fact there are lot's of reasons to celebrate not having to mess with gas mowers anymore.
No need for gasoline
No need to store volatile gasoline
No trips to the gas station or gas smells in the car
No pouring of gasoline into a tiny tank and the associated mess.
No stale gasoline issues
No need for gasoline stabilizer products
No elaborate preparation for off season storage
No gunking up or varnishing of fuel if not stored perfectly
No need for trip to repair shop to undo storage mistakes
No need for oil
No need to check oil level
No need to change oil
No need to tip mower upside down to drain oil
No need to siphon out gas before tipping upside down to drain oil
No fuel or oil leaks and drippage when mower is turned upside down to clean out the underside
No annual tune-up
No gapping or replacing of spark plugs
No cleaning of messy, oily air filters
No smelly exhaust fumes
No smelly garden shed
No noisy engine
No ear plugs or hearing protectors
No need to keep a usage log to time oil changes etc.
I'm very happy with my little orange monster and enjoy lawn mowing a lot more now that it's pretty much hassle free.
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