Battery Powered Mower??

Every year, you get out the old gas mower, add some fuel, and pull the cord until your arm is ready to fall off to try to get it started. While it is not totally dead, this year the mower decided that it is not going to start easily. Like at all! Every time! I guess I cannot be surprised. It is after all (over) 20 years old. It was only a matter of time.

So, a friend posted to Facebook that he’d gotten a new battery powered mower. Interesting thought. So, I started to look for myself. I ended up getting a DeWalt Cordless Push Mower:
2X20V MAX* 21-1/2 in. Brushless Cordless Push Mower – DCMWP233U2 | DEWALT

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Why DeWalt? I already have many DeWalt tools, so I already have a bunch of batteries. That’s a good thing. Per the manual, if you cut at the highest setting (6), you should get 75 minutes of battery life. I have mowed 3 times now, set on a little lower than 6, on 3 actually. I managed to get 50 minutes of mow time from the batteries. That got me about half way through my lawn. I also have a DeWalt string trimmer and chain saw. While not exactly the same battery, they did make a usable second pair. The 2 other batteries gave me more than enough runtime to finish my lawn without having to wait for some to charge.

Grass length and cutting heigh definitely impact the battery life. Longer grass, or lower cut height and the mower has to work a little harder, so the batteries drain faster. (Update 06.14.2021) I originally cut my lawn with the mower set on the #3 height. With that setting, I was getting about 50 minutes and half the lawn cut. Uping the length setting to #5, I was able to get the entire lawn cut in a single battery change.

So down to it. What did I like?

• Much quieter than the gas mower. No need to use my hearing protection. I just used my Jabra Bluetooth earpieces connected to Spotify on my phone. Could not hear the mower!
• Lighter! No big gas engine, so yeah, this mower is much lighter. That makes it easier to maneuver.
• 2 push positions. For me, the lower position works. But should a taller person use it, the upper setting would work.
• Handle storage and upright storage. The mower is designed to fold away the handle and lift the mower to store vertical. This actually had the added benefit of exposing the underside and getting me to clean the grass.
• Wheel height is easily adjusted. Much easier than the old mower.
• Hand hold on the front of the mower. Easy grip to raise, lower and move the mower into storage.

So were there things I did not like? Of course!

• The external battery gauge is not working. Probably something I have to get looked at. But I cannot see the battery levels. The batteries that come with the mower need to be removed to see the gauge. Annoying, but not a huge deal.
• The mulching is not quite as good as the old gas mower. However, it still mulches and that is what we normally do.
• Battery life. Bummer that I cannot do the entire lawn in one shot. Smaller lawn, you might make it. I was lucky in having other tools with the same battery. I’d recommend a 2nd pair if you don’t have them.
• Wheel adjustments. I’m not totally sure if this is a like to dislike. The front and back adjust in a pair. One lever to move both at the same time. On the positive, it is quicker to raise to lower the mower. However, there have been times when I want one side (left or right, not front and back) lower to be able to edge at the driveway and sidewalk.

So what is the final verdict? Yes, I’d recommend this mower. Just the quieter is enough to justify. You can mow at times you may have been hesitant too in the past when you were worried about disturbing the neighbors. None of the dislikes are enough to dissuade me from wanting this mower.

FYI, there is also a self-propelled version. It is $100 more. And the propulsion lowers the battery run time.