Earthwise 60120 20” 24-Volt Cordless Electric Bag,Mulch,Side Discharge Lawn Mower
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This Earthwise 60120 mower has turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I’ve try this three times now and am impressed with how well it actually works. I’d actually rate this 4.5 stars right now.
Pro’s
1) 3-in-1 mower (bag, mulch, side shoot) – I prefer mulching myself to give the grass a healther look
2) Cordless mower with power – If you’ve ever used a corded mower you know the feeling of nicking your cord or hitting it completely and killing the cord…not fun!
3) Adjustable height so that you can mow to whatever length you prefer
4) Safety lever – you once you put the key/chuck into the ignition, you need to hold the lever to put the mower on, so if you let go it won’t stay on
5) Removable battery – for the winter months I’ve got my mower in the shed, but the battery comes out and I can plug it in the garage every month to give it a charge (see final con below)
6) Battery has indicators telling you how much charge you have left
Con’s
1) HEAVY! Although if this is a concern you should probably not be looking at a cordless model as I’m sure they all have extra weight
2) When I’m done mowing in mulch mode, there is a bit of grass build-up near the back where the bag shoot is. This is probably common in a lot of mulch mowers, but still needs to be pointed out
3) Battery Charging – the manual states that you should give the battery a full charge once a month, and never let it die completely. I’m not sure if not doing this will shorten the battery life, but don’t want to find out either!
Instead of a pull cord, you simply insert the safety “key”, move a lever, and lift the handle bar, and it starts up instantly. No more tug of war with a pull cord! It is not completely quiet, but I think it’s quieter than my old gas mower. I can hear myself think or my iPod over it. Also, there’s no fumes. My last mower would periodically exhale a blue cloud of who-knows-what. That’s gone with this mower.
So far, I’ve had no problems with the battery. I followed the instructions on how to get the longest life out of it, so hopefully I’ll get plenty of years use from the battery. I have 1 acre, and easily did each of my yards (1/2 acre each) on a charge. There’s a nice battery meter on the back so you can see how much juice is left. This is my first winter with it, and they recommend keeping it in a warm place and charging every 30 days. I hope I remember, and that this spring everything is good to go.
As for performance, it’s just what you would expect from a new mower. Nice blades, clean cuts, can handle the tall weeds and heavy stuff, has height adjustments, and both the mulcher and bag do a really good job. As long as you mow on a regular basis, you should have no problem mulching, as the bits were nice and small (my old mower would leave chunks of grass in it’s wake, but with this mower you can barely see the chopped pieces).
Now, on to the “green” aspects. I’m pretty crunchy, and like to keep things as eco-friendly as possible. That being said, you have to remember that for most people in the USA, a plug in mower is being powered by coal burning. This isn’t a hybrid car in which you’re using your momentum to generate electricity, this is just another plug in appliance, like a dishwasher or TV. It feels nice to not be using gas, and when you mow you’re not giving off fumes and emissions, but that’s because they were already given off when the coal was burned to power your grid. Some people have nuclear power (a whole other debate), and maybe you have a windmill or solar power. If so, then this is a green mower. You can also argue that this is better than gas because it reduces dependencies on foreign oil, which is a nice plus. But don’t think that this mower is helping the environment at all. Coal is dirty, even if they try and sell it as clean coal. But like I said, I knew all that and chose this mower because an electric mower gives a more pleasant mowing experience than a gas mower. I’m very happy that I chose this mower.
So, if you want a green mower, you’ll have to buy a reel/push mower. If you have about a half acre or more, then you will also get a nice workout. But make sure that you mow regularly, or you will find yourself fighting jams all day. Or google bicycle lawn mower and get welding!
I love the fact that the battery is so easy to remove and swap out. It will be more convenient for the winter and easy to replace if the battery ever wears down(even relatively cheap with Amazon’s free shipping). We would absolutely buy this mower again and have highly recommend it to friends.