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Product Reviews
ALL-ROUND WINNER--WITH MINOR CAVEATS, April 10, 2003
Reviewer: Douglas R. Cook
I've owned this product for going on 8 years now. It's
been by far the best mower I've ever owned. It's a breeze
to start and use, and not worry about keeping oil and gas
around. (The environmental advantages are nothing to
sneeze at--small cycle engines account for a massively
disproportionate level of air pollution.) Having
previously owned a gas mower that was at times hard to
start a a real pain to adjust heights at all 4 wheels, I
couldn't believe how easy this one is. One-finger start,
one-hand hgt. adjust. AT ALL 4 WHEELS TOGETER (not one
wheel at a time).
A couple of minor cautions: if you frequently mow your
grass wet or damp, or let it go for weeks, this one might
not be for you. It WILL handle those conditions as well as
the equiv.-powered gas mower, but will have to be
recharged more frequently. Suffice to say: Mowing grass
wet and going weeks between mows IS BAD FOR YOUR GRASS, so
it's not a good idea regardless of the mower type.
As for the 24-hr recharge one reviewer complained about
(it's actually just 16 hrs), it WILL regain 60% of full
charge in 4 hrs., so for all but the most impatient, the
recharge cycle shouldn't be a problem.
I've found this mower to be quite capable of holding up
well to normal use--in fact, holding up better than most
gas/push mowers. Too bad, most people won't consider these
at all!
(I notice the Canadian govt. is offering rebates for
people purchasing this mower or a "people-powered" reel
mower--great idea! I bet George Bush will pick up on this
any day now!)
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Beats Gas, March 11, 2003
Reviewer: "peter_z"
I've had this mower for one season. I got it after my old
gas-powered mower gave up the ghost (even then, we called
it the Frankenstein, because it was cobled together from
many spare parts and cannibalized mowers to keep it
running). I thought that I would look into doing my part
to lower pollution, but I didnt want to lug around an
extension cord. I've found this tool to be just the
solution.
I've found that it works just as well as any of the
less-expensive consumer grade gas mowers. Yes, it will bog
down in very thick or wet grass, but so did my 4 HP B&S
driven mower. The solution is the same: take a smaller
pass or lighter cut. AS far as extra weight, I haven't
noticed any appreciable difference. The battery certainly
adds to the weight, but because it runs so much cooler,
much of the body is polymer, which is very light. I have
no problems moving it around. It's wonderfully simple to
use, with easy switches and levers.
I have a 6000 sq ft lot. I've found I can get 3-4 mows out
of a single charge, which seems like plenty of endurance
for me. I just remember to plug it in, once an evening
every few times. There's even a handy gauge that shows the
status of the battery charge to help remind you.
One of the best things I like is the noise level, or lack
thereof. Like many of you, I'm sure, I juggle my chores
around work and home life. A great frustration was trying
to find time to mow. I try to get house work accomplished
when my kid is napping, but the bloody gas mower was so
loud, I didn't want to wake him up. This B&D cordless runs
at a mere whisper, so no worries at working it any time of
day/night (no more feeling guilty at waking up my neighbor
who works swing shift). You can truly carry on a
conversation with someone even while running this tool.
All in all, I'm totally satisfied with this machine and
would recommend it to anyone looking for a
home-maintenance mower.
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CMM1000 cordless mower delivers--for a price, March 22,
2006
Reviewer: Edward ORourke "orourkeej"
I have owned the CMM1000 mower for four years. Use it to
mow about a quarter of an acre. It mows well and is very
convenient to use. It comes with a bag which works
reasonably well but I use the mulching option and avoid
collecting the clippings. I like not having to fuss with
gas, oil, winterization, starting problems etc associated
with gasoline powered mowers. It is much quieter as well.
That said, the CMM1000 does require recharging after about
1/3 acre. The reason I am writing the review right now is
that after 4 full seasons of use it was time to replace
the battery. That was a bit more of a challenge than it
should be. The mower uses two Panasonic LC-X1220AP
batteries. It does not state that anywhere in the owners
manual. Black and Decker parts dept will ship you a new
set for about $120. You can get the batteries via discount
internet sites for about $100/pair plus shipping so B+D
does not exactly gouge you on the batteries. There are no
instructions for replacing the batteries. There are no
instructions for how to remove the top cover to get
access. Silly. It is not that difficult but you'd think
they would provide the instructions. You do need to remove
about six or eight screws to get at the battery. Some of
the electronics are in the top cover so you need to
unscrew those as well to get the cover out of the way to
get proper access. Disconnect the built in battery meter
by puling two clips and you can finally get the top cover
out of the way. After that it is pretty easy. It would be
silly to send the mower to a repair facility to replace
the batteries but it does take about half an hour start to
finish. Doing that once every four years is still easier
than the maintenance for a gas mower each year. The cost
averages out to $30/year of mowing which is clearly more
than the fuel cost for a gas mower but not so bad if you
include the other costs of maintaining a gas mower
especially if you don't do it yourself.
All in all I have been very happy with the mower. It is
very easy to use and I love not having to deal with either
the noise or starting issues with a gas mower. Just make
sure you keep the battery charged and the mower will do
its job well.
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Batteries in this mower ARE replaceable!!!, March 15, 2006
Reviewer: Shop Dude
I read other people whining that the batteries in this
mower can't be replaced. That's flat out wrong. I called
B&D and order up a replacment set a year ago and the mower
still runs as good as new. They are just a pair of 12V
batteries that took me all of 15 minutes to replace. I've
had the mower for 6 years now and am very happy with it. I
love not having a can full of gas around and worrying
about oil changes like I did with my previous gas powered
mowers. Plus it mulches so fine you can't even find the
blades of grass. Very sturdy blade that I also sharpened
last year. Plus its so easy to use that the wife mows the
lawn now. How could it get any better than that???
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A Prius for the Yard Set, March 14, 2006
Reviewer: Steve Vierra "nakolo"
My wife and her father recently refurbished our front yard
with sod (Marathon II), so I felt guilty in hiring a
gardener to continue to do our yardwork. I contemplated
buying a medium-sized gas powered lawnmower, but like many
reviewers, didn't want to put up with the hassle of the
fumes, storing the gas, etc. My dad had a corded electric
lawnmower when I was a teenager, but that was a pain,
having to watch out for the cord (or intentionally running
over it when I didn't want to mow the lawn -- hee-hee).
So, when I saw this, I gave it some serious consideration.
After reading most (but not all reviews), the biggest
setback were the batteries (or high replacement cost).
Then I read a review on Epinions [http://www.epinions.com/content_195613658756]
that alleviated a lot of my fears. I purchased mine
through another web retailer, and it came without the
owner's manual. The merchant told me to contact B&D and,
though they came through, it took almost three weeks to
get it. In the meantime, I found the link here at
Amazon.com for an electronic (pdf) copy. Eureka!
In the ensuing six weeks, I've followed the manufacturer's
recommendations and have been delighted with the
performance. I keep the mower plugged in 24/7 and have
never found a drop-off in performance or even dipping into
the yellow area after an hour of continued use. The
one-hand adjustment works like a dream and, while not
perfect, the rear-bagger actually does a passable job on
leaves (though, admittedly, we don't have a lot right now
in California). I've been careful to try and mow in the
early afternoon after most of the dew has worked itself
out, and empty the bag pretty often (whenever I see
stragglers left in the cut area).
I'm a believer! It's quiet, EXTREMELY easy to use, and
while you won't recover the cost of gas anytime soon,
you're contributing to the "greening" of the environment.
And not feel TOO guilty about the "gas hog" that you
DRIVE!
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Excellent mower, March 13, 2006
Reviewer: J. Nelson
It is quiet, easy to use, relatively light weight, and
does a nice job cutting and mulching. My nine-year old is
able to use it without any help. I have relatively small
lawns (<1000 square feet) and I use less than half of a
charge each time I mow.
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