20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic mower, a little room for improvement, May 19, 2010
This review is from: CEL CY1 POWERmow 16-Inch 24-Volt 7 amp Cordless Electric Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Bag (Lawn & Patio)
Note: Please read the entire review, I appended updates to the bottom.
I bought this mower partially based on the review here, and I'm glad I did. I was originally looking at traditional rotary mowers (cordless electric), all of which were more expensive than this mower. I'm glad I saved some money. I have a smallish yard, living in a small city, with a wraparound yard and 8' wide grass between the sidewalk and streets (it's on the corner). I would guess 1/4 acre size, but I don't really know off-hand...
The very first time I used this, this May, was a morning after it rained and the lawn had not been cut yet that year. The grass was thick, wet and ready for a fight. The mower performed really well. I had to go back over spots or walk extra slow a few times, but generally I walked as fast as I would with a rotary on this sort of grass and it cut just as well. It lasted almost the whole lawn on one battery charge, too, so in normal mowing I'm not worried about battery life whatsoever. It's very light and easy to maneuver, much lighter than I thought it would be.
I've never used a reel mower before. I don't use the bag so it shoots the grass out at my shins and knees, so I made a simple cardboard shield. Not a big deal. Also, it's impossible to get edges (that a rotary would get), around trees and along the curb and sidewalk--anywhere that the height varies--so you may want to get a trimmer if you don't have one. The wheels take up some width, and then the casing does, THEN you get to the blade, so there is probably 2-3" of non-cutting stuff on either side and an inch or two in front before the blade comes into play.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a small to average lawn. I would only not recommend it if you have an acre or more of lawn, or mostly little tricky bits to mow around. Hopefully I'll get some solar panels hooked up soon and be able to charge it from the sun. :)
Update (2011-06-08): I'm taking two stars off; it's OK. Well, almost EXACTLY one year after I got it, it broke. One year and one month. The blades are nearly impossible to turn by hand (not pushing the mower, that doesn't work, I mean manually with the mower flipped). I cleared out the grass inside it and around the spindle but it's still almost impossible to rotate when flipped on its side. I turned it on once, for a split second, and it made a high-pitched screeching/scratching noise, as if it were stripping or something. I hope it isn't permanently broken. IIRC< it did this when I was using it without the mower engaged, showing it to someone. I have no idea what to do, now. I will try to contact CEL and update with what they say.
Update (2011-06-26): Finding the company was a little difficult, their web site is [...], but the US contact responded quickly. My mower was just a month or two past the warranty period and had siezed up completely; I could barely turn the blades with both hands. Before, I could spin them a dozen times with the flick of a finger. I emailed their US support contact (who is actually VP of sales). He sent me a used display model they had and it's working perfectly. I just had to snap my handle on to it and was up and running. I took apart my siezed mower (it's actually pretty simple inside), cleaned everything and lubricated it, and got that fixed (I think). It spins by hand now. I think the bearings just dried out, and needed to be lubricated. Some WD-40 and motor oil seems to have fixed it. I haven't mowed with it yet, though. The bearings may not be sealed well.
Overall I'm satisfied with the mower and support. The company seems sketchy because they don't have much US market penetration, AFAICT, but they were more helpful than most US companies I've dealt with. The mower does lose power quickly in long or wet grass, which is to be expected, but it starts to struggle more quickly than a gas engine would. However, I don't mind, I just mow more slowly or back up, let the grass fall out, and move forward a little--making slow progress. Mowing more often would be a better idea, if possible (we just had 2 weeks of rain straight). Another problem is with the way the casing is designed: there are inches of plastic ahead of the blades, so if you try to cut a weed or something stiff, it just bends down when pushed by this plastic and never meets the blades. The result is that many of the stronger grass or weeds don't get cut without rotating the mower directly over them. It's easier just to yank on them by hand; I might modify the casing to avoid this. I let the clippings fall and decay, feeding the lawn (no grass bag). This created a problem: the spinning blades threw the grass clippings all over me, even staining my knees! Impressive. Anyway, I cut up a cardboard box and zip-tied it on to the handle to act as a deflector, so now they just hit that and fall down. Lastly, the mower can't get corners or edges well at all; you will need a weed timmer/whacker. Overall though these problems are minor, or expected, or can be easily worked around. I like this mower and would recommend it for anyone with a small to average lawn (a lawn that takes 1-2 hours to push mow).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not so hot, June 2, 2010
This review is from: CEL CY1 POWERmow 16-Inch 24-Volt 7 amp Cordless Electric Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Bag (Lawn & Patio)
Plus - lightweight and plenty of battery power for a small yard - eco friendly
Minus - flimsy blade setup - it does't cut evenly and requires mulltiple passes to get all the grass cut. Might be okay for a very small yard like at a townhouse.
Very disappointed. I'm not sure if I'll use it much longer.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
POWERmow and company **THE BEST**: CEL CY1 POWERmow 16" 24 volt cordless, April 14, 2010
This review is from: CEL CY1 POWERmow 16-Inch 24-Volt 7 amp Cordless Electric Reel Lawn Mower with Grass Bag (Lawn & Patio)
Our experience with POWERmow has been nothing short of OUTSTANDING.
Firstly, my husband just loves the options of battery or push; and especially likes the cut of the grass. wonderful.
Even more important was the SERVICE we received during this transaction.
We had a question and was contacted by the VP OF SALES, a polite, friendly, knowledgeable gentleman who assisted us
with care and consideration throughout the purchase. Their attention to detail and customer satisfaction is the best
we have ever received in any on line purchase.
The mower is fantastic; delivery was swift; personal attention was the best.
What more could you possibly want.
Buy with confidence!
The Segers
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No