# Corded Electric Lawn Mower?



## Lann (Aug 29, 2019)

Rather than risking a hijack of the other mower thread that is active right now, I decided to start a new thread to ask this question. Does anyone have experience with a corded electric lawn mower? I have a small yard that I have been cutting with a me-powered reel type mower. It doesn't cut very well and my efforts to sharpen it have made it worse. (Sharpening involves applying a grit paste to the blades and turning them backwards with a hand crank so they hone themselves against the bar that they normally cut against.) A "professional" tune up of the mower will cost almost as much as a new one and, reading reviews of these mowers, it sounds like having to mow each area twice to get an adequate cut is about par for the course even after a tune-up. My yard is small, but not small enough to want to do that each time. So I am in the market for a new mower.

Environmental concerns and the lack of ethanol-free gas in the Chicago area have me leaning toward an electric mower. I have read the concerns expressed in the other thread about the short lifetime of the batteries used in mowers. My yard is small enough that I don't have to worry about the length of a single charge, but I don't want to replace an expensive battery or the entire mower after a couple of years.

Corded mowers are cheaper upfront and generally have higher stated power. My question is, how much of a hassle is it dealing with the cord as you mow? I don't have a lot of obstacles in my yard for a cord to tangle on. Is it a major pain to deal with the cord at each turn? Any tips on brands or models, and good places to buy?


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Lann said:


> I have read the concerns expressed in the other thread about the short lifetime of the batteries used in mowers.


Don't discount modern battery power due to a few internet nay-sayers. The people who actually own and use these mowers love them.

I was an early adopter when the Ego mower came out. I was so dang sick of dealing with small engines and all their headaches. My 21" self-powered Ego rotary is still going strong at least 5 years later with the original 7AH battery. I beat the crap out if this thing twice a week, mowing fast and hard. After a week of recent rain, I mowed my entire 10K back yard in about 45 minutes yesterday morning. I took the bermuda from 3" to 2" without bogging once. That's at least 5 years without gas, oil, belts, or service. I just sharpen the blade twice a season. I'd call that a "win" any day and I'd buy another Ego in a heartbeat.

This Spring, I caught the low-mow bug. So I got a Swardman Electra battery powered reel mower. I'm not worried about the battery longevity or reliability. I waited over a year for this mower to arrive because I'm sold on modern lithium batteries (and, oh yeah, I loathe small engine headaches!). My bermuda front yard now looks like a golf fairway cut at 3/4" (or maybe the second cut of rough at Augusta). Next year, I plan to mow my entire back yard with this cordless reel mower since the results are so awesome. My Ego mower will then go into semi-retirement and only be used for steeper slopes the reel mower can't navigate. But I can still pop in that big battery in to my Ego blower, edger, or string trimmer any time I want.

One big caveat...I think the Ego mower is NOT for the snobby, lawn nut crowd. It's great for homeowners who just want to mow at 2" to 3" height without hassles. But the Ego is NOT a high-end Honda or Toro replacement and anyone who makes that apples/oranges comparison is missing the point. So the purists here at TLF would likely be disappointed in the Ego quality of cut and the coarse height adjustments settings. I never noticed these downsides until I got the low-mow bug recently.

In fact, "The Lawn Care Nut" did a Youtube review and I agree with his critiques where the quality of cut is concerned...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSZw6IjUNJs

However, that doesn't mean the battery life or electric motor power is an issue. Increase the height adjustments and make the mower body heavier and it would probably cut like a champ. Now weigh those subtle points against the fact I can fold the Ego up in the corner or my garage, pull it out without any planning or prep, and then knock out a quick mow any time I want. I suddenly don't care that much about perfect cut quality.

I'm sorry that I'm not familiar with other cordless mower brands now available, but I'm sure they're fine too. The choice comes down to which battery you want to "invest" in for your other lawn tools.

I hope this helps!


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

I used to use and still do sometimes a black and decker corded mower. To be honest, I really like it.... When I had a small property it was great... So much so that after it dies 10 yrs later I bought another....


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I'll second the Swardman Electra. It's expensive but it has lots of power. Today I verticut and scarified and then mowed my lawn and still had battery left. I was really impressed how it dug into the ground and didn't bog down at all.

I used to have a corded rotary (Black and Decker) when I lived at a house with a 60 sq ft front yard. It worked and changing the height of cut was easy. The cord was a pain in the rear. It cut well but was such a hassle to move the cord around. Maybe I'm just lazy but pulling out that huge cord and then lugging it around made mowing a chore for me. I hired a lawn company for the rest of the time I lived there. I tried the same mower again in my current house before I redid the lawn (or even cared about grass). It bogged down pretty bad in the thick salad yard I had. It kept popping the breaker but I think that had to do more with the wiring of my house than the mower. I gave it to a friend who just bought their first house. That was two years ago and it's still going strong. To recap, I got it used after it sat in someone's garage (for two or three years) about 10 years ago. I used it for 6 months and gave it away two years ago to someone who uses it weekly. It's the same battery. If it were me, I wouldn't worry and the battery.

Dumb me. You were concerned about the battery on a non-corded. I still stand by that black and Decker. It will live forever.


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## Babameca (Jul 29, 2019)

@hsvtoolfool I was lucky enough to work in the first pilot plant in North America for the LiFePo4 cathod material for batteries (the type that powers the Elektra). Our R&D tests were showing less than 80% degradation in capacity over 2000 cycles... Battery is much bulkier than a Cobalt lithium (cell phones etc) but lighter and with a huge burst energy capacity. It is also lightning years safer than cobalt one.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Lann said:


> Rather than risking a hijack of the other mower thread that is active right now, I decided to start a new thread to ask this question. Does anyone have experience with a corded electric lawn mower? I have a small yard that I have been cutting with a me-powered reel type mower. It doesn't cut very well and my efforts to sharpen it have made it worse. (Sharpening involves applying a grit paste to the blades and turning them backwards with a hand crank so they hone themselves against the bar that they normally cut against.) A "professional" tune up of the mower will cost almost as much as a new one and, reading reviews of these mowers, it sounds like having to mow each area twice to get an adequate cut is about par for the course even after a tune-up. My yard is small, but not small enough to want to do that each time. So I am in the market for a new mower.
> 
> Environmental concerns and the lack of ethanol-free gas in the Chicago area have me leaning toward an electric mower. I have read the concerns expressed in the other thread about the short lifetime of the batteries used in mowers. My yard is small enough that I don't have to worry about the length of a single charge, but I don't want to replace an expensive battery or the entire mower after a couple of years.
> 
> Corded mowers are cheaper upfront and generally have higher stated power. My question is, how much of a hassle is it dealing with the cord as you mow? I don't have a lot of obstacles in my yard for a cord to tangle on. Is it a major pain to deal with the cord at each turn? Any tips on brands or models, and good places to buy?


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## jjj (Jun 20, 2020)

My previous Honda lasted 20 years. I bought a new one, and it's been nothing but problems. After 2 years, it needs a new (unplugged) carb, a transmission, and a battery. That's $250-300, at the Honda repair shop. (self-start, walk-behind). I don't want to spend $425 for a new one!
But I don't trust battery-powered. The Ego is $500, with a $350 battery - that MIGHT last 5 years. And is only warranted for 3? That's way too much! And I'm not afraid of batteries - we have a Tesla. And before that, a Leaf. All great cars!
So for my 5000sf yard, I'm thinking of a corded model. But it's all a slope. We're on a small lake, and the mower has to be self-propelled. (my son had an Ego. On the 3rd replacement battery they sent him, on its 2nd year -he sold it!)
Are there any recommended mowers that are S-P'd? I've never been impressed with electric weed whackers, and the Ryobi 18v cuts well. 
So, any recommendations? Thanks


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

I've got a McClane battery powered reel mower that is 15+ years old and still going strong. It uses a standard deep cycle lead acid battery. The batteries are cheap and last 4-5 year in the AZ heat.

I mowed my 1k/sqft very easily.


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## Cdub5_ (Jun 12, 2019)

@TN Hawkeye That's pretty tempting to try considering its price. I wish it was capable of going down to at least .75". I wonder if there is a "hack" to get it lower. Maybe shave the wheels down a bit if they are plastic.


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## jjj (Jun 20, 2020)

OK, I went to Ace and Home D. Both Ego and Greenworks offer self-propelled battery models.
But... what to get???
I still question the longevity of the battery. If it does last 5 years, do I want to buy a new mower again?


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## Wfrobinette (Feb 3, 2019)

Lann said:


> Rather than risking a hijack of the other mower thread that is active right now, I decided to start a new thread to ask this question. Does anyone have experience with a corded electric lawn mower? I have a small yard that I have been cutting with a me-powered reel type mower. It doesn't cut very well and my efforts to sharpen it have made it worse. (Sharpening involves applying a grit paste to the blades and turning them backwards with a hand crank so they hone themselves against the bar that they normally cut against.) A "professional" tune up of the mower will cost almost as much as a new one and, reading reviews of these mowers, it sounds like having to mow each area twice to get an adequate cut is about par for the course even after a tune-up. My yard is small, but not small enough to want to do that each time. So I am in the market for a new mower.
> 
> Environmental concerns and the lack of ethanol-free gas in the Chicago area have me leaning toward an electric mower. I have read the concerns expressed in the other thread about the short lifetime of the batteries used in mowers. My yard is small enough that I don't have to worry about the length of a single charge, but I don't want to replace an expensive battery or the entire mower after a couple of years.
> 
> Corded mowers are cheaper upfront and generally have higher stated power. My question is, how much of a hassle is it dealing with the cord as you mow? I don't have a lot of obstacles in my yard for a cord to tangle on. Is it a major pain to deal with the cord at each turn? Any tips on brands or models, and good places to buy?


I'd buy a battery powered for a 1.5k lawn. My neighbor does 3to 4 k on a single charge with his Kobalt.


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## sandders02 (Dec 23, 2019)

> Corded mowers are cheaper upfront and generally have higher stated power. My question is, how much of a hassle is it dealing with the cord as you mow? I don't have a lot of obstacles in my yard for a cord to tangle on. Is it a major pain to deal with the cord at each turn? Any tips on brands or models, and good places to buy?


Well, if it's still relevant to you, or for anyone else, I can highly recommend model Greenworks 25022 ( like this one here: https://mygardenzone.com/best-corded-electric-lawn-mower/ ), cause I've tested it by my own for the last few months, and it works perfectly. It requires very little maintenance and also it is compact and lightweight, and that's why I love it.


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## Thejarrod (Aug 5, 2018)

I borrowed my father in law's craftsman battery powered mower to cut about 4,500 ft of newly seeded lawn this fall. I was worried about how the battery would hold up because he didn't leave me with the charger. I'm assuming it was mostly fully charged when he dropped it off. I put some *** into pushing it. I got three full cuts on the 4,500 ft before he took it back. It never died on me.

I could not believe how well the battery held up.

Edit: I just read that OP was concerned with longevity of batteries. My father in law said that he had the mower for 5 years. Still going strong.


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