Customer Reviews

Neuton CE 6.3 19-Inch 36-Volt Cordless Electric Discharge/Mulching/Bagging Lawn Mower With Removable Battery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I actually have owned the Neuton CE 6.2 model for over one season. The Neuton CE 6.3 is this year's model.

This is an excellent battery powered mower. It is very light without the battery, and it is around 70 lbs with the battery installed.

The mower is very quiet and is about as loud as a cooling fan. There are little to no vibrations from the motor, which is a huge positive for people like me who have issues with holding vibrating tools for long periods of time.

The battery does last for about an hour, but you should plan out your cutting route. Do not goof around, and you should be able to mow an entire 1/3rd acre yard in one charge. If you have a larger yard or you have a thick blade southern grass yard, then a second battery is recommended.

The motor is maintenance free. No oil or fuel issues like traditional gas powered mowers. The motor starts right away with a fully charged battery. During the winter season, I stored the mower, kept the battery on the charger, and the mower was ready for the spring cutting season with zero hassle or maintenance.

Since it does not emit exhaust and is quiet, mowing the yard is pleasurable. You can smell the cut grass instead of the exhaust fumes and you do not have to wear ear plugs. I do not have an issue pushing the mower since it is only 70 lbs, so I do not miss the self propelled feature. I have a bumpy, uneven lawn, and I do not have a problem pushing the mower. It is no harder than pushing a shopping cart, so most people should not miss the self propelled feature of other mowers.

I would recommend cleaning the underside of the deck after each mow with a garden hose. There is no issue tipping the mower on its side since it will not leak fluids like a gas mower. I would also recommend sharpening the blade at least once a month. Neuton sells a sharpening tool, but any blade sharpener will work. Neuton recommends keeping the battery on the charger when not in use, unless you are storing the mower over a several month period. The owner's manual has all the details. That is another benefit of the Neuton. Since Neuton is a USA based company, the instructions are in clear English, and the customer service is excellent.

There is also the environmental factor to owning this mower, and that may be important to some people. It was not high on my list, but it is nice to not pollute the air while cutting my lawn. Small gas engines emit more pollution than a car with a V-8 engine, which is something to consider.

However, this mower is probably not cheaper to own than a cheap gas mower. I know you can get a cheap gas mower at your local big box home center for less than $200, but you have to deal with all the negatives of a gas powered mower. It is not fair to compare this mower to a cheap $200 mower. Compare it to a $450 - $500 gas mower, and then one can see the cost savings of the Neuton.

I've been using a factory-reconditioned 6.2 for a few months now and am generally pleased. I have a 1/4-acre lot and usually am able to cut the entire lawn in one shot without running out of power. My neighbor commented on how quiet it is, about the sound of a vacuum cleaner - he was much intrigued by it.

On the up side:
- The quality of the lawn cut is very good, the blade spins very fast. With basket attached, it collects all the cuttings very cleanly.
- It's fairly light and easy to push. It is not, however, self-propelled.
- Not having to deal with gas and oil and the problems of starting a gas engine are big pluses.
- It has good safety features - a key that must be inserted, a power switch, and a sliding button safety for the trigger bar that actually starts the motor.
- There is a power meter, keeping you advised of the amount of electricity left.
And keep in mind the environmental factors - a lawn mower engine can produce as much pollution as 23 cars. Lawn maintenance equipment is now one of the larger pollution sources in major metro areas.

On the down side:
Construction quality has been cut in some areas (probably to cover the cost of the expensive battery):
- The all plastic body scratches fairly easily. I already have deep scratches in the handle from going around bushes.
- The wheels are only secured with interior-tooth washers, not nuts. I've had one wheel pop off already, but it was fairly easily reattached. Still, doesn't bode well for the long term.
- As the two-star reviewer has noted, cost savings are probably exaggerated. A replacement battery at $115 every 4-5 years (or maybe less, I'll find out) has got to be on par with the fuel, oil and maintenance of a gas mower.
- Doesn't mulch particularly well. Depends on length of grass, but it tends to bunch it up in unsightly rows. But then, so have most gas mowers I've used.
- It's probably not as powerful as most gas mowers. It will slow down in dense, tall grass. Still, it will cut it.
- It has a little narrower swath than a lot of gas mowers.
- Word of caution: in wet grass, make sure you keep the underside channel cleared. If it gets jammed with wet, compressed grass, the battery will drain in minutes. You have to flip the mower on its side and manually scrape it clean every 5-10 minutes in very wet grass. Probably a good idea not to cut wet grass anyway.
- You have to remember to charge the battery up the night before.
And if you don't recycle the battery at the end of its life, that will probably wipe out all the good you've done for the environment.

Overall, I'd recommend the Neuton, it's convenient, quiet and gets the job done very nicely if you don't have a huge lawn.
On a side note, I would not recommend the trimmer/edger attachment unless you have long rows of fences. It's not very versatile and not really more convenient than a regular trimmer.

We realize its long, but if you're going to make the investment - please read our entire story/ review - it should be worth knowing.

(skipping to the end) "...if you have a reasonable space with only a few hills, are willing to make this investment and care for your lawn, strongly consider it. We are very happy so far."

LETS BEGIN....
This year we decided to finally have a lawn. Sure they can take a lot of work (and I haven't had one since living with my parents in high school haha)..but we thought how nice it would be for our young daughter to have a place to run around and play.

For perspective, we installed 1200 sq.ft. of sod on a flat surface.

Of course, along with a new lawn - typically comes the need for a lawn mower. Like you reading this now, we did our homework. Reading reviews, googling the heck out the interwebs for the best gas mowers and corded electric mowers and cordless electrics, etc.

After much discussion, we decided to focus on finding a cordless/ rechargeable mower for many reasons. Sure, there are ECO-reasons...but there are also dealing with messy gas cans and checking the oil and filter and smelling like a race track by the time you're done with the chore (must've been all those memories of childhood mowing). Not to mention noise reasons and such.

We came across the Solaris/Epic mower and were very enticed by its appeal until we were able to see its flimsiness in person at the local Home Depot. We checked out the B&D and Craftsman too...they seemed okay. I had remembered seeing an ad in a magazine for the Neuton and it appeared pretty solid, but at the time a little too expensive...and some of the reviews _appeared_ mixed.

But we dug deeper, looking at the specs and results. One main plus of the Neuton for us was that it's mainly constructed of high-grade plastic. We live near the Coast and nearly everything metal starts to rust after a week. :) The plastic also meant it would be lighter - which is good for all of us and coincidentally easier to clean. And though it side discharges and bags like most others, it also mulches...which we figured would save us time not having to deal with bagging or raking grass clippings; while giving a little nutrients back to the lawn at the same time.

We also liked that the deck height would be easy to adjust having just one handle. (Most other mowers you have to painstakingly adjust each wheel individually..practically laying down on the ground to count the number of holes as you moved the bracket on each so that it ended up level...hopefully.)

So we leaned that way. At the time, Neuton was also offering FREE an additional 2 year warranty (bumping it up to 4 years) and free shipping. Not bad.

On 05/19/09, we pulled the trigger and ordered it. It arrived pretty quickly, maybe less than a week. And was for the most part nearly assembled. It was basically attaching the handle with a couple of screws and snap it in. Literally a snap. The battery charges with a standard outlet plug...so we set that for a couple days.

(Btw, we didn't opt for the edge trimmer attachment. Instead we bought a cordless/rechargeable weed wacker, which we feel gives us more flexibility to use in tight spots around the yard. But, should we find the money for it, think it would be a pretty handy accessory)

MOWING:
Now, the first time the lawn was mowed, it was LONG maybe actually 8-10 inches long. (Following sod installation, it was not recommended to disturb the soil for the first 2 months.) Prior to this first mow, We didn't water for two days so that it would be 'dry'er' for easier mowing. But, because the grass was so long, new and fresh, the blades were still very wet once chopped. This caused the fairly shallow deck of the mower to bog down quickly. I found myself clearing fine trimmings from the underside of the deck after every row (about 30 ft of mowing). Though a tedious task, it was pretty easy with the smoothness of the hard plastic deck, light weight of the mower, and not having to worry about spilling fuel(s) all over.

I had already figured the chore would probably need to be done over two days. It did. The first round/ day took over 2 hours to slice it down a bit. Sure, the battery isn't technically suppose to last that long, but most of the time on the first round was spent taking the grass clippings to the yard waste bin...and clearing the deck...many many times. I was able to actually make my final pass with just enough juice...barely. A sigh of relief and real sense of accomplishment.

I put the battery on the charger for the night.

The next day I was all recharged and ready to finish. The second pass still about the same duration (bogging down and clearing the deck), but in the end to my surprise the battery held out with juice to spare. This cut the grass down to an even 4 inches.

By the way, I was using the mower bag. It didn't really fill up much at all before it would bog down again. I think because so much grass would stick to the deck. And because it was so long, it couldn't get thrown up and back far enough into the bag; causing the chute to clog. I didn't want to try the side discharge because it would mean I would have to rake all the long grass. Not wanting to go through that, I also didn't want to risk disturbing the sod from rooting in the soil by yanking on it with the rake.

Three days later, I quite easily adjusted the deck to our goal height of 3 inches and made another pass. This time it took about an hour. Taking my time, and to my surprise, it didn't bog down.

From then on, I've mowed the recommended every 3-5 days using JUST the mulch plug. NO BAGGING NEEDED!! It hasn't bogged down again, ONLY TAKES 25 MINUTES TO MOW _AND_ I have been able to get about THREE MOWS PER CHARGE!

Being able to finish the mowing of 1200 sqft. in 25 minutes and not have to bag is fantastic in itself. It does a fine job and every one that visits our new yard has nothing but compliments.

For us, this was a high ticket item and like I mentioned earlier, required us to do our homework and read other reviews; as you are right now. I have to say that when I initially read many of them, I chuckled - visualizing people trying to use this mower up steep hills with tall hay length blades of grass, both ways, in the snow...and the battery discharging quickly or mower bogging down quickly. Other comments that it's just a _large toy weed wacker_ or doesn't have the hearth and girth of a _real mower_.

YES, I agree somewhat - if you have an enormous lawn with slanted hillsides that you aren't going to care to mow for weeks maybe seasons on end, this may not be the mower for you (though, I commend you for moving forward and going for it.) I think for those with a larger space should consider investing in an extra battery anyway, its so easy to swap out and finish off the job all at once.

So, the long of the short of it is that I suppose if you have a reasonable space with only a few hills, are willing to make this investment and care for your lawn, you should strongly consider it. We did and are very happy so far.

...the End (?)

:)

I've used a Neuton 6.3 for two full seasons on my 1/3 acre (more or less) of lawn. It works nearly as well as my old gas mower, only bogging down somewhat when the grass is wet or has grown well past the normal mowing stage. One charge will do it. whether it is "cheaper" than a gas mower remains to be seen. It does have attributes that a gas mower cannot provide at any price, however. It is very quiet (an asset in my community with its rules against outside noise), it requires no maintainance (one less chore to do), it uses "fuel" from home (no carrying gasoline cans in your car), starting is effortless, and it releases no fumes (an asset with my basement garage) Does it have the brute power of a 5 HP gas mower? No, but it has enough to do a good job, and is cleaner, more convenient, and easier to live with than any gas mower. I like it.

I've had this for about a year - actually the 6.2 model. I've had nothing but problems with this mower - there's nothing more frustrating than getting ready to mow the yard and the mower won't work! There's nothing to it, but I've had more problems than I can even recall. Customer service is helpful when you finally get through, as long as you call during typical business hours, which isn't usually when I have time to mow the yard. From what I've learned (and I've learned way too much about this company), they are fairly new to the manufacturing business and the quality control has been lacking, to say the least. They've had 2 recalls on this machine in the last year, and have had to replace the circuit board on my machine 3 times. I took it into the local service center 1 month after buying it, and they said it had dirt in the switch, and charged me to clean it out - that dust in the switch should be a problem under normal usage is a sign right there... that I had to pay for that is another problem. After the mower sat for the short winter in Phoenix, it wouldn't start at all, again. After talking to the service center, and then receiving a new circuit board from them, I still had to take it to the service center because the switch was bad. The service center took 7 weeks to fix the mower (7 weeks!) I haven't used it in a month due to travelling (luckily the grass grows slowly), and now it won't start again! My mower lives in the garage, in a protected space, is kept clean and well-maintained. It doesn't have any excuses. I'm sorry to say that in the 16 months I've owned this mower, I've used borrowed mowers more than half the time because of problems.

And by the way, if you have one, DON'T let them talk you into purchasing the trimmer/edger attachment. What a complete peice of junk! I plugged it in once, and not only is it awkward to maneuver, it doesn't really work. The marketing is great, the product is horrible! There are now other, better battery-powered mowers on the market!

Two years use of both cordless big machines (Neuton 6.2, Black & Decker CMM1200) by neighbors suggests the following evaluation.

Neuton feels lighter.

Neuton's double-bar trigger is much easier and versatile in use than right-side-only one on B&D--the B&D's single trigger is also the only part that has broken (too easy to twist off)--while the Neuton's is too sensitive to inadvertent shut-off.

The B&D's mulching is superior (fancier blade), rarely leaves Neuton's uncut piles. The B&D spits out less debris. Keep the blades sharp: less bogging down, better mulching!

Neuton cuts closer to trees and fences on front and sides than B&D, due to narrower deck sides, but as both are plastic, I doubt there is any difference in (lack of) safety.

Neuton can switch between two batteries. Recharge and exchange is sooo much easier than B&D, and doesn't require disassembling the mower.

Batteries run for about an hour each and 10 hours to charge (which means the B&D is good only once a day, if you have more than a quarter-acre to mow).

Easy to remove cutter blade with Neuton's included tools, without grabbing the sharp blade, unlike the B&D and its numerous parts. Neuton's tools (stored on the machine) also useful for scraping the gunk from underneath.

The B&D has two safety interlocks before blade starts rotating, Neuton has three to fiddle.

Neuton's control cable is mostly inside the handle, the B&D's exposed on outside where it can catch on things.

When I first received my Neuton last season, I was a little disappointed because the key kept popping out and the mower lacked some power. After talking with Neuton, it was determined that there was some damage to the electrical key receptacle during shipment and they shipped me a replacement part. Since then, the mower works just as good as my Sears self-propelled mower, is quieter, and does not required any gas, oil, or tune-ups prior to the mowing season. I highly recommend this mower and get positive comments on it all of the time. I even have had professional lawn service personnel inquire about my mower and a neighbor has purchased one after seeing my success with it over the past year. Just buy one.....you'll love it too!

Neuton CE 6.3 19-Inch 36-Volt Cordless Electric Discharge/Mulching/Bagging Lawn Mower With Removable Battery

I own 2 of the 6.3 Neuton Mower. I buy those mowers in the spring of 2009 for two obvious reason, don't need to change oil and no fume. If my decision was based on price, i will never bought those mower since they are very expensive.

First of all, its not a gas mower, its electric and the power it weaker when the grass is wet, otherwise, it is more than fine. The secret with those electric mower is to maintain your grass properly.

For the mulching, it work perfectly and the life of the battery is the same, no difference. The mulching work well, here in the north, end of June to end of august when the grass is less charge with water. In other period, use the side discharge. For the bagging, it is not the perfect tool. One not so well kept secret is to keep the blade always sharp, that will make all the difference on the battery life and the final result (try to cut think with a bad knife!!!).

When you receive your mower, no matter the brand, you have to follow the manufacturer instruction (same as any electronic device such as cell phone) for the first charge of the battery you have to wait 36 to 72 hours according to Neuton. After the first charge, each charge is 8 hours. The way to maintain your battery during the off season recharge the battery each 2 months ( put a reminder on your calendar). To maintain your battery in good health, never allow a deep discharge otherwise, the battery will last less longer.

Another secret, electric mower are no different than gas, when the are empty, they are empty, so if the job take more than 45 minutes full trotle, buy a second battery (that what we call a fill up!!!).

You can consider to buy the bundle (available on Neuton web site), witch include the replacement blade (don't forget, you need no tools, they are provided with the mower) a sharpener (absolutely needed for serious people and believe me, they are good) a replacement spool, the charger, additional battery and the weed wacker (to put in the front of the mower). The weed waker, in my case, is useless.

I really enjoy my mowers and enjoy to do the grass with it and it perfect on flat surface, when hill, need a bit of your human energy and I never consider the price per cut, I consider the noise and protection of our environment. The price of a good gas mower is really pricy, 600$ for a real Honda mower.
Finally, I mow almost 2,5 A of land so I can say that the mowers do the jobs. All con opinion, in my point of view, are unjustified.

Read the my same opinion in [...] under Premierone

I've had the Neuton for 2.5 years and have used it exclusively to keep my lawn mowed. It works fine. I've got a medium sized yard. not huge, but not tiny either. I'm usually mowing in 95-103 heat. (I've moved to hotter climes) If this little mower didn't do the job I'd get fed up quick!

However, couple of words to the wise. If you buy, get yourself an extra battery. I keep one sitting at the charger. When I change it out, I plug in the tired one for a good 24 hrs, then un-plug. Just before i go out to mow i plug it back in. I'll usually have to change them after about an hour and then I repeat the process. So far so good.

The edger/trimmer on the other hand is not worth a bean. I used mine once, it broke, they sent me a part. I used it again, it broke, they sent me another part, and once again i tried it, they sent me a new one. It does not work either. I gave up. They were very good about sending new parts, but what good is that when nothing works? FORGET THE TRIMMER!

We've owned the 6.2 for just under 2 years. We bought it with 2 batteries and one is already dead. I contacted Neuton who said "We expect the battery to last 3 to 5 years but it is considered a wearable item and the warranty is only for one year" and also said "Depending on mowing conditions the battery should have a run time of 45-60 minutes but this may diminish over time." My battery runs the mower for about 5-10 minutes now and Neuton gets the pleasure of selling me another battery. We did take the batteries inside over the winter and charged them every month or two.

In my opinion, if the warranty is only 1 year, don't expect it to last a 3-5 years. Neuton obviously doesn't or they'd warranty it for at least 2 years. The cost of a battery greatly exceeds any annual tuneup costs you'd pay for a gas mower. We're in Minnesota so it's not like we mow year round!

Secondly, the deck height is WAY too low and there's no way to adjust it to an acceptable "green" height of at least 3". You get to shave your lawn bald which is not good for the grass. With the battery in, the sag on the deck is significant. Neuton was no help with this so I'll be seeing if there's a way to modify the mower to give me a higher cutting depth.

The mulching isn't great although it does bag well.

The sucker is heavy, especially on any sort of hill or non-smooth lawn so expect to get a good workout.

If you don't like dealing with gas engines, this is an acceptable mower, but expect it to be more expensive than a gas mower.