Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
118 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great mower, just know what you're dealing with., April 22, 2009
This review is from: Earthwise 50120 20-Inch 12 amp Electric Mulching Lawn Mower with Grass Bag (Lawn & Patio)
I just used this Earthwise mower for the first time today, first cut of the year. I live in the Cleveland, OH area and my yard is 100% Kentucky bluegrass. I live in a new home on your typical new-home-sized lot (read; not large). I don't recall the exact dimensions, but I believe it's something like 120' x 90' total, including where the house sits.
I bought the mower and an extension cord on a Saturday using Amazon prime and had it shipped overnight. It was on my porch Monday when I got home from work. Nice! However, I see now that it's price is less than I paid for it just 4 days ago, but whatever. Total price to my door including a 100' 12ga yellow extension cord was right around $250. Great service from Amazon.
Assembly is cake, just unpack the mower and install the handle. I'm 6'6" so I installed the handle in the highest position and it's very comfortable for me. Much better than the old Craftsman gas mower I'm replacing. That's all there is to the assembly.
Now, on to the actual mowing. It's been raining here for the last few days, and the grass today was still a bit wet. Very long though between all the rain and a TruGreen treatment, so I figured it would be a good challenge for this mower.
First, let's talk about the cord. Things like this pull some pretty serious power I would imagine, so I bought a real heavy duty cord. The 12ga is a very thick cord and doesn't really fit well in the cord retainer hook, but it still works. Just fold the cord in half and stuff it into the retainer and don't worry about the hooks. It stays put just fine. Now, as far as mowing with the cord, it's not a big deal as long as you pay attention. Know where it is at all times and you'll be fine. Quite frankly, if you buy a corded mower and then complain about the cord, well, I can't help you. Know what it means to have a corded mower: You need to deal with the cord. I've never used an electric mower before, and I was mildly concerned about dealing with the cord, but a little thought ahead of time is all it takes. The best way to cut is to start near the outlet and work your way out. Make sure the cord is always laying on parts you've already done. Also, using a cord that's NOT GREEN is a good idea too. Mine is yellow, very easy to spot. If you get tangled or run out of slack, just turn the mower off, get it set, and fire it back up again. It's as simple as pulling and releasing a handle. Be careful around shrubs and plants; again, just pay attention to where it is at all times.
Really, the only thing I don't like about dealing with the cord is having to reel it up and unreel it. Mowing with the cord is not a problem. I think I'll buy another shorter cord and keep one in the back yard and one up front so I don't have to spool it up and carry it around to the back. If you're pulling a long length of cord, like towards the back of the yard, just hold the cord between the handle and your hands and it's no problem to pull it along.
As far as power, it is plenty strong for cutting long, somewhat damp grass. It plowed right through every blade, mulching it all with no issues. It bogged down a tiny bit on really long grass, but so did my gas one. Just go slow. I won't comment on the side discharge or bagging because I don't do either. Bagging is pointless and a total hassle. The mulching this mower does is MUCH better than my old Craftsman which left piles of grass all over. Not this one, the grass is buried down in there. It's not self propelled, but it's light and has nice wheels with bearings that roll very easily. No problems whatsoever. The height adjustment is awesome too, all four wheels with one spring loaded handle. Very easy.
Overall, I'm 100% satisfied with this mower. It's powerful, light, VERY quiet compared to gas, clean, no fumes, no maintenance, the list goes on. Just know what it takes to use a corded mower. I'll never go back to gas.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, not great., March 12, 2009
This review is from: Earthwise 50120 20-Inch 12 amp Electric Mulching Lawn Mower with Grass Bag (Lawn & Patio)
ADDED 04/08/10:
I forgot to come back to this with an update. The bagger works fine if I allow the weedwacked grass/weeds to dry first. Unfortunately, during the growing season, that means that the underlying grass/weeds grow up too high for the mower to handle, but works fine after the real fast growth stops.
NOTE: the guard attached to the rear of the mowing deck was chewed up very quickly due to it folding under the mower when backing up = two choices: 1) don't back up while the mower is in operation (one-direction mowing), or B) quickly loose the guard.
Still like and recommend this mower.
Replaced my Sears cordless mulching mower (I'm a green kinda guy) as I needed more power and no mulching. Bought this because it's the newer model (didn't know what differences there were, but NEWER! I mean, COME ON!).
Our yard is what I like to call California Native (most plants of which of course aren't native at all but introduced 200-years ago by the Spanish to feed their livestock), but it's really a big weed patch to most folks. There's two 8-ft X 30-ft side sections and a 60-ft X 40-ft back yard. It was a horse pasture prior to our house being built so the majority of true grass is rye. Late winter & early spring we get mostly Oxalis sour grass (extremely wet and high content of oxalic acid), the bright yellow flowers that coat the coastal hills, and some California poppies. This always is the toughest mowing season as the oxalis clumps together - I can actually ring out cups of liquid from the clumps (which is why I cannot use a clumping mower)!
Anyway, the rye had gotten to about 6-ft high, so I got our my trusty Troy-Built electric weed-wacker (fantastic product, BTW!!) and knocked down all to about 4-inches (I left as many CA poppies as possible ). BTW: the oxalic acid is "atomized" during weed-wacking and it is a terribly uncomfortable thing to inhale - but I digress: It was time to see how this mower would cut and hopefully bag the "yard". It did cut but didn't bag... I had to hand-rake as always Very good aerobic exercise, but not exactly a lot of fun!
PROS:
1: Power! This mower won't quit. It slowed some, but never so much that cutting was hampered. NOTE: I have a 100-ft 12/3 extension cord that I use with my weed-wacker, and I bought a 50-ft 12/3 for this mower per manufacturer (and other reviewers) recommendation. However, I did not notice any difference in power using either cord, and the 100-ft one is easier to keep out of the way during mowing so I'll use it in future.
2. Ergonomically designed! The weight and handle and switch and cord are very easy to work with.
3. Easy to adjust wheel height, and the wheels roll easily. This model also has 8-inch rear wheels, even though that isn't clear in the description.
4. Solid construction.
5. Easy to clean, so far. Just wiped-out the clumps and swept off the cuttings.
CONS:
1. Even on the dry grass, the bag doesn't work. I don't know why, but it just doesn't. I'll come back to this when it's further into the spring/summer and my "grass" is really dry.
2. The side discharge doesn't work either! Seriously, dry or wet, the cuttings just drop out of the bottom!!! Which may also be the bagging problem.
3. Cuttings gather in the space for the bag. There's a flap that covers the bag hole when not using the bag... the hole has depth, it's not just a hole through the 1/8" body, and it fills with cuttings.
4. The cord holder is too small for a 12/3 cable, at least the ones I can buy.
Bottom line? Powerful motor, cuts through anything I can throw at it, but inconvenient for yard clean-up as bag doesn't bag...
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very easy to use, May 2, 2009
This review is from: Earthwise 50120 20-Inch 12 amp Electric Mulching Lawn Mower with Grass Bag (Lawn & Patio)
I love using an electric mower. I never liked having the gasoline in the garage and I definitely didn't like trying to get a gas powered mower started.
This mower is perfect for my small yard. It's lightweight and easy to maneuver. Adjusting the height is a breeze. Another thing I like is that the back flap that drags along the ground doesn't get chewed up by the blade when pulling the mower backwards.
Since it has been so wet this spring, I was concerned that it would get all clogged up underneath. But it did an awesome job of mulching and didn't bog down. I haven't used the bagger or side discharge - probably won't as I prefer to mulch.
One more thing, I loved having it delivered to my door. Sure beats trying to fit one in my Civic!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
