Earthwise ’supercharged’ Electric Mower
I like my reel mower, but it’s one heck of a lot of work. I don’t much like the smog-belching alternatives. So this week I got an Earthwise electric mower. Ace Hardware has them on sale for $180. These things are powerful and do a fantastic job of mulching. 5-minute setup time out of the box and there’s no gasoline, no oil to change, no spark plug to foul, and no filter to keep clean.
I got the corded version. I’ve used a vacuum cleaner before and, besides, I’d used a corded Black and Decker electric mower some three decades ago. They were awfully weak then. But these new electrics have 12-amps, and that’s enough power to tackle my bermuda grass with ease. I mowed the entire lawn one-handed (they’re light, too). Just whip the cord to one side and mow away from the outlet, and you’re good. They do make a cordless one for $100 more, but I’m against multiplying lithium batteries, if I don’t have to. Same reason I don’t drive a hybrid.
Anyway, I’m happy to report that the thing is quiet enough that I can have a conversation while mowing. My dog doesn’t hide from it – he plays on the lawn while I cut it. And I didn’t breathe any nasty fumes. The ACE version has the bag, but I only care about mulching. Amazon.com stocks various models (click the image), and they ship free.
Onlookers worry about the power and the quality of cut. I personally hate lawns and don’t care that much – mine was here when I bought the house. But the cut and power were just like any other mower I’ve used – except this one actually mulched better. Given that I could have paid $20 less for a gas mower and had to keep gas, oil, and plugs in it (there goes my $20), plus always be cleaning the filter, breathing the fumes, etc – and the build on those is only good (these days) for about 2years max – I think this is an excellent purchase.
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Let my bermuda get almost a foot tall, and I went right through it – no problems. I then spent 5-minutes doing a finishing cut (going over the wheel tracks) which you’d want to do when using any residential mower on tall grass. Still very happy.