The Bottom Line
You can switch between using this product as a corded or cordless electric mower, but you won't want to. Once you experience the freedom of going cordless, there's no going back. The corded option is still nice in case you couldn't quite finish mowing a large lawn on battery power; instead of waiting for a recharge, you could just plug in and finish on the spot.
The battery for the cordless electric mower offers relatively good power (60 volts) and, in my test, held its charge for longer even than advertised. As ways are discovered for it to keep its charge longer still, this product's rating may increase.
Pros
- Expected virtues of a cordless electric mower: quiet, no cord to pull.
- Handle bolts thread onto a knob, not a nut, for easy assembly.
- Wheel height of this cordless electric mower readily adjustable with an easy-on-the-hands lever .
- This cordless electric mower's battery holds its charge for a relatively long time.
- At 60 volts, the battery power is also relatively strong.
Cons
- I wish the "key" needed to start this cordless electric mower weren't fully removable.
- The hassle of recharging that comes with cordless electric mowers.
- If you'll be hauling it by car back and forth between residences, loading will be a hassle (heavy).
- Hard plastic part of mower bag not hard enough: mine developed a crack.
- Wheel alignment also overly delicate.
Description
- I'll nitpick a bit more here (I really do like the cordless electric mower, but a product can always be improved, right?)....
- Using the on-board charger (you plug the cord into the mower body) means you have to drag the whole unit around....
- But who wants to haul a lawn mower into the house to recharge it (assuming you don't have electricity in the garage)...?
- To solve this problem, I would definitely buy the optional separate battery charger....
- For that matter, having to make sure the battery is charged each time you use a cordless electric mower is a pain....
- I look forward to when battery powered mowers will hold a charge longer, but for now, at least Remington offers progress....
- Would be nice if it came with a short cord just for recharging.
- Cord holder on handle fits only the recommended cord type; if you try using a different extension cord size, it'll fall off.
- The way the chute rests on the bag (in collecting mode) looks like it might wear away at the bag, eventually.
- My cordless electric mower product review covers Model MPS6017A.
Guide Review - Cordless Electric Mower
Remington says (2008) this cordless electric mower "is the first and ONLY mower with a 60 Volt Battery that provides 60 minutes of pure clean cordless runtime. With Remington’s patented PowerSelect Technology it's also the first and ONLY cordless mower with a corded option."
I can confirm:
- The 60 minutes of runtime
- The ability to switch between cordless electric mower and corded mode
While you can switch, you may very well choose not to. Despite the hassle in having to recharge the battery, I would use it strictly as a cordless electric mower (no big fan here of corded electric mowers).
Thus, of the features most highly touted by Remington, the "60 minutes of runtime" is more significant to me; also impressive is the power (60 volts). Not only is Remington's claim true on this point, but the cordless electric mower even exceeded expectations....
After assembling the cordless electric mower, I charged the battery overnight, as instructed (Remington says, "The charge time is 10 to 24 hours depending on the condition of the battery"). Next day, I tested the product (cordless mode), taking my time on my small lawn. 1 1/2 hours later (I took frequent breaks), there was no noticeable diminution of cutting power. In fact, I found that, after the cordless electric mower has been fully charged, it would even do some cutting 2 days afterwards, without needing recharging.
There's a dial on top of the cordless electric mower with settings. One setting is for charging the battery. The other 3 are power settings:
- 60 volt (battery powered)
- 120 volt (corded)
- 120 volt Boost (supposed to offer additional power)
For safety, a starting "key" must be inserted into a control box on the handle; the key is not attached to the mower, meaning you could lose it -- not a good feature.
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