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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