The Bottom Line
If you have a small, flat lawn, mow regularly, and can remember to charge a battery between mowings, this is the mower for you. Its mulching capability provides an alternative for fall leaf removal.
Pros
- Leaf removal and grass mowing with 1 gadget.
- Battery eliminates cords, messy gas.
- Quiet, doesn't pollute.
Cons
- No good for lawns bigger than 1/3 of an acre.
- Battery doesn't hold charge very long.
Description
- Runs on a 24-volt battery, equivalent to 5-horsepower on a gas model.
- Gives you the option of bagging grass clippings and leaves or mulching them.
- Single lever height adjuster to adjust all four wheels at once with the touch of a button.
- Automatic start-up: no yanking on a pull cord, as with gas-powered lawn mowers.
- Low noise level, no pollution.
- Low-maintenance: No trips to the service station for tune-ups, no trips to the gas station for gas.
- Heavier than a corded electric lawn mower.
- Don't let the grass get too high before cutting, because it will put too much strain on the battery.
- Likewise, don't strain the battery by trying to cut wet grass.
- Avoid mulch-mowing leaves on new turf: Grass seedlings are too sensitive.
Guide Review - Black & Decker Cordless Mulching Lawn Mowers CMM1000
This cordless mulching mower is ideal for flat lawns up to 1/3 of an acre in size, if you keep your lawn mowed regularly. It works on a battery, meaning you have to worry about neither a cord nor filling it up with gas. Its rechargeable battery will fully recharge in 16 hours. You never have to bring it in for tune-ups. However, it's not effective for larger lawns or for tall grass, since either condition puts too much strain on the battery. And pushing it up hills is difficult. But this mulching lawn mower gives the owner of small, flat lawns an alternative to fall leaf removal. Just mulch leaves and grass clippings back into the lawn as organic matter, which improves soil quality. Easy on the environment, easy on your ears.
