DeWALT cordless push mower. DeWALT 20V Lawn Mower Review

DeWALT 20V Lawn Mower Review

The 20V DeWALT Lawn Mower Tool Review is sponsored by The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product (tools). All ideas and opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

No gas, No Pull-Strings, No Carburetors, No Problem! We have almost fully converted to all battery operated yard equipment (tiller is our last one standing). I can’t believe how amazing the battery operated yard tools perform with the new battery and motor technology these days, it’s hard to tell the difference between gas powered and battery powered tools. DeWALT has a battery operated lawn mower that runs off of 20 volt batteries! Say What.

DeWALT 20V Lawn Mower (21 1/2″ self propelled)

Today, I am reviewing the DeWALT model# DCMWSP244U2 20-Volt 20-Volt max lithium-Ion 21 1/2″ self propelled walk behind Lawn Mower. I’ve been excited to see how a lawn mower running off of 20 volt batteries would perform. 20 volt, seriously, that is the same voltage as much of the DeWALT platform. You can use the 20 V battery to power your drill, saw and lawn mower.

Let’s check out some of the features of this DeWALT model:

What comes in the package –

• DeWALT 21 1/2″ Lawn Mower
• 2 – 10 Ah 20 volt Max batteries
• 2 – 20 volt battery charger
• Clippings Bag
• Mulch Plug
• Safety Key

Features

• It is powered by 2 – 20V DeWALT Batteries, so technically it’s a 40V mower that runs off of 20V batteries and the 10Ah batteries provide 400 watt-hours.
• This lawn mower has a 21 1/2″ deck.
• It has Auto Sensing technology which increases or decreases the torque depending on what you are cutting.
• The lawn mower’s 3-in-1 capability allows for mulching, bagging or side clipping discharge.
• 6 cutting heights that range from 1 1/2″ to 4 1/2″, depending on your preferred lawn height.
• The Self Propelled feature is adjustable depending on how far back you engage the handles, allowing you to choose your walking pace.
• There are 2 height options for the handle, great for us shorter folks!
• Compact upright storage option.

How It Works

One of my absolute favorite features about this DeWALT Lawn Mower, is its compact storage design.

Place the mower on it’s wheels, then rotate the two side knobs to rotate the handle.

Put the handle in the high or low position, and rotate the knobs to engage the pins securing the handle location.

Open the lid and insert 2 charged 20V batteries.

Then if bagging the clips, pull up the back flap and place the clipping bag into the slots.

Insert the safety key into the console.

Finally the safety sequence to start the lawn mower.

I let the yard grow for 2 weeks, to really put this mower through the paces. The DeWALT lawn mower did an excellent job cutting the longer than usual grass. It would only occasionally bog down on large chunks crab grass (the worst grass). It really is a champ. I have a little over 1/3 acre, and it mowed about 2/3 of the yard on a single charge. On a normal grass length, I’d be able to almost mow the whole yard on one charge. If you have other DeWALT tools, you can always pop those 20V batteries in to finish up any work. That is one fantastic feature about this 20V20V lawn mower. For the best run time, I would suggest cutting frequently (usually weekly at my house) and waiting for the grass to be dry before mowing.

Conclusion

Overall this DeWALT lawn mower is an excellent battery powered lawn mower. The 20V20V battery platform offers so much versatility being able to be used on 200 DeWALT products. The included 10Ah 20V batteries offer a long run time. The ergonomics of the DeWALT lawn mower are great. I really like the self propelled speed control, but I love the compact storage design. The DeWALT lawn mower is and excellent addition to your DeWALT tool collection (or a great place to start ).

“I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the Tool Review Program. As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.”

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DeWALT Cordless 21.5″ Deck Push Mower Review

I’ve been trying to mow my yard with the new 21.5″ deck DeWALT 2x20V brushless push mower ( DCMWP233 ) since April, but Mother Nature hasn’t been cooperating. Up until a month ago, I had only been able to use it 4 or 5 times because of the drought. It has only been the last few weeks that I’ve really been able to test it under relatively normal circumstances.

I reviewed the previous version of DeWALT’s cordless mower back in 2018, and I’ll refer to some of the differences later in this post, but first let’s start with the relevant specs of this mower.

DeWALT Cordless Mower Features Specs

One interesting feature is the auto sensing technology DeWALT uses for the blade speed. The mower senses when the grass is thicker and increases the blade RPM. As far as I can tell, there are only two speeds: low and high. This is presumably done to eke out more battery life. The mower stays in low speed when you are positioning it for the next row, or are in an area with sparser grass and high speed only when needed in thicker grass.

This push mower is regularly sold for 399, but I’ve see it marked down several times this summer. It comes with (2) 10.0Ah 20V Max batteries (DCB210), (2) 20V Max 1.25 amp chargers (DCB107), a collection bag, side discharge chute, safety key, and instruction manual.

Cable Management Issues

Right off the bat, I had issues with the handle pinching the cable as it’s being folded open from its storage position.

I later discovered a second way that I could pinch the cable in the handle when folding it down for storage. On DeWALT’s previous 2x20V Max mower, they had a similar cable pinching problem, so you’d think they would have found a better way to run the cable.

Safety Features

This mower has a new safety feature in addition to the safety key and strict starting sequence — a switch that doesn’t let you start the mower when the handle is folded closed. Above you can see the actuation lever that the handle presses into the switch body when it folds down.

I’m not sure if there’s a new safety regulation that covers this type of switch, but it seems redundant. It is pretty unlikely that you are going to accidentally press down the button on the handle and push down the bail accidentally when the handle is folded. And if you are worried about it, just remove the safety key.

Blade and Deck Size

DeWALT is calling this a 21.5″ mower. The mower deck measures slightly over 22″ on the outside and slightly under 21.5″ inside because there is a folded lip. The actual blade itself measures 20.75″.

I’m still not pleased about companies using deck size to sell their electric mowers while they use cutting width to measure their gas mowers, but DeWALT seems like they are meeting us halfway with this mower. They easily could have called this a 22″ deck, but yet they choose 21.5″ and put in a blade very close to 21″.

Stuart’s Note: We inquired about this, and apparently it has become the industry’s de-facto standard for cordless mowers to be advertised by their deck size. So, when comparing cordless mowers, you have to look up the blade size in order to make apples-to-apples comparisons between different models’ cutting widths.

As you can see in the above photo, the blade is made by MTD — which is no surprise because that’s who makes this mower for DeWALT (which is now owned by Stanley Black and Decker).

The blade has a very curious design. Only 1-1/2″ at the tips of the blade actually cut at the set height. The rest of the cutting edge leaves the grass 1/2″ longer.

What’s more is that the blade has a proprietary connection to the mower shaft. It does prevent you from installing the mower blade upside down (which I have in fact done on another mower), but at the same time I can’t find any local sources for compatible MTD or aftermarket replacement blades. I can only find a replacement blade on the MTD part website. This could be an issue if you damage you blade and can’t mow you lawn for a few days minimum.

Update: Home Depot also carries the replacement blade (online only so far), with part number DWO1DT233. The same replacement blade fits this mower (DCMWP233) and the new self-propelled mower as well (DCMWSP244).

Noise

As I mentioned before, the mower runs at two different speeds. I measured the noise at each speed level and found sound pressure levels to be 73.5 dBA for low speed and 77.3 dBA for high speed. It has been pointed out to me that dBC might be more appropriate for a lawn mower than creates noise on the low end of the audio spectrum, but this is the sound level meter I have and used for other reviews.

Further supporting that this is probably the wrong scale, even though the SPL meter says it is quieter than the Ego LM2101, I cannot comfortably listen to music using over-the-ear headphones using the DeWALT mower, while I can with the “louder” Ego.

Still, this is quieter than any gas mower. People have walked by and commented that they are amazed at how quiet this mower it, just about every time I used it.

Charging and Battery Runtime

DeWALT supplies two 1.25A chargers with this mower to charge the two included 10Ah batteries. If you do the math, 10Ah / 1.25A = 8h charge time if the batteries are fully drained. So if for some reason you can’t fully mow your “up to 1/2 acre” property on one charge, you’ll have to wait 8 hours to finish mowing.

There is no external battery gauge on this mower to tell you the charge state of the batteries, there is only a warning light that is supposed to come on when the batteries are low. I only saw the battery warning light come on after I stopped the mower, which I did because I noticed the mower speed audibly slowing.

The lack of a battery gauge is kind of annoying, but on the previous DeWALT mower I found the mower battery gauge and the gauge on the batteries did not match anyway.

The battery compartment is large enough to fit the 9Ah FlexVolt batteries I have, which means the 12Ah ones should also fit. I’m not sure if the larger 15Ah FlexVolt batteries will fit though.

I found that my yard (a little less than 1/4 acre) isn’t large enough to fully exhaust the batteries. In a span of a few weeks I ran the battery down after 82 minutes. I mowed my entire yard in 44 minutes one time, and spot mowed 38 minutes over a period of 3 weeks because my grass wasn’t growing consistently in the drought. Now that we have been getting consistent rain, I have found that I can mow my entire yard twice using the included batteries. This actually meshes with DeWALT’s claim that the mower is “perfect for properties up to 1/2 acre.”

I have also tried mowing with 9Ah FlexVolt batteries and I really can’t tell any difference between the two sets of batteries.

Side Discharge, Bagging

The mower comes with a detachable side discharge chute. To attach it, you lift up on the spring-loaded plastic cover on the right side of the mower and hook the tabs of the chute under the hinge bar. When you let the spring-loaded cover back down it holds the chute in place.

Once I discovered that the mower performed better using the side chute than mulching, I started using the side chute more. Unfortunately because of the drought this summer, I don’t have any really thick wet grass to test how well the mower throws or if it spreads the grass evenly.

To install the bag, you lift the spring-loaded rear lid of the mower. There’s no plug to remove, because the plug is built right into the lid. With the door open, the bag drops into place on a nice curved “track.” Then the rear lid swings down and seals over the bag to keep it in place.

Once again the cable likes to get in the way. I had to move it many times to get the bag to drop into place.

Even when the mower is running in low speed, it throws the clippings into the bag pretty well. It’s impossible to see, but there is only a small area in the back that where the grass isn’t filled as high. It’s not perfect, but more acceptable than some other mowers I’ve owned that filled the front of the bag first and prematurely blocked the clippings from entering the rear of the bag.

I like the new bag design. It has a single-piece plastic bottom. The previous DeWALT mower had a fabric-over-plastic bottom. With the old design, dust would accumulate between the layers, and so the empty bag gets heavier and heavier over time with no easy way to remove the dust.

Cut Quality

First off, it is really hard to photograph grass, but I think I was able to capture it well enough to get my point across.

This is the worst mulching cut quality, at the lowest blade height, I’ve seen from any mower. Above is a section of my lawn after cutting at height 2. It may look like I didn’t overlap the rows enough, but I assure you I overlapped the cuts by several inches at least. After discovering this, I pulled out my Ego mower, set it to the same height, and mulched — while it wasn’t perfect it was way better.

Most of my yard is thin bladed fescue, and I’ve always had issue with my grass flopping over. Even with a prosumer Toro, once I raised the deck to the upper 50% of cut height, it would leave some grass uncut. I noticed this somewhat with the previous DeWALT mower and my Ego when I started raising the deck, just like the gas mower. But this DeWALT mower, in default mulching mode on height 2, is leaving significantly more of my lawn uncut.

After further testing I discovered that cutting with the side discharge chute or with the bag attached, the mower cut the grass significantly better. So it is just the mulching performance on thin grass that is terrible.

Mulching Mode

We’re going to need to step back here and discuss mulching. I’ve been mulching my lawn ever since I bought a mower with no side discharge chute. Several mowers now don’t even have the option of not mulching if you are not bagging. This mower is set up out of the box to operate in mulching mode, with no instructions on why you’d want to use each mode. Most people don’t think about how they are going to set up their mower, they pick a setting and use it like that every week.

Mulching recirculates the grass under the mower so it gets cut up into tiny little pieces, hopefully small enough so they don’t clump. In a mulching mower, the blade is designed so that air flows up around the outer perimeter of the deck to pull grass to the top of the deck. Then the grass falls back down in the middle to get cut again. When you use side discharge or bagging, the grass gets pulled up and then directed towards the outlet, getting cut only once.

I believe the reason I’m seeing better performance is that when you have an outlet, there is stronger/more directed air flow that helps pick up the grass, vs the more turbulent airflow when mulching that doesn’t lift the grass as well.

I think there are two issues: the cutting speed and the blade design. The mower is hardly ever kicking into the high speed cutting mode, which would generate a little more lift and more cuts at the same walking speed. Second, looking at the blade design, very little of the blade is actually cutting at the finished height. It is getting cut at an intermediate height first and then this shorter grass may be getting knocked over easier, missing the final cutting height.

When I mulch cut a section of my grass that is mostly thicker grass and weeds, but still a little sparse and I get a pretty consistent cut. Meaning, users with thicker lawns will probably see better results.

I understand that the blade design and dual cutting speeds are done to extend the battery life, but I think they over-emphasized the battery economy in this case. The problem is that this mower has been so optimized for battery life, the mulching just doesn’t have a strong enough lift for thinner grasses. But then again, if the grass is so thin that mulching doesn’t work well, you probably don’t need to be mulching in the first place.

Why is this an issue? People are going to get upset when the mower doesn’t perform equally well on all parts of their lawn or under changing conditions. Most users are going to set the cutting height and the mowing mode one time (except maybe for bagging). Once they get the mower set to where it performs to their liking, they’ll never think about it again. Who is going to waste precious cognitive power trying to figure out what the proper settings are for each time they mow the same lawn, when they could be daydreaming about new tools instead?

Additional Thoughts

I did not actually measure the temperature of the batteries because I never had an issue with them overheating. At their worst, the 10Ah batteries were barely warm to the touch.

I did stall the mower a few times, not that it was really the mower’s fault. I don’t always clean up the sticks in my yard and a few times one would get jammed and stop the blade. When this happens, I just let go of the mower, restart it, and keep on mowing.

I do not understand why DeWALT got rid of the single lever height adjustment in favor of the two lever height adjustment: one for the front and one for the rear. While this is still better than having adjustment levers for each wheel, the single lever is very nice for people who mow their backyard on a lower setting than the rest of their yard, such as for dog poop to be more visible.

I wish DeWALT would have made the running speed adjustable — after all, most gas mowers have a throttle speed. Hypothetically, such a lever could offer several speed settings between the mower’s out-of-box low and high running speeds. The mower could still sense the cutting resistance and automatically boost the running speed, but you would still be able to speed it all the way up to mow problem areas or slow it down when you wanted to maximize battery life.

Summary

Before I summarize my observations and thoughts about DeWALT’s new cordless push mower so far, I’d like to restate the major limitation with this review. My area of the country was under drought conditions for most of the summer, and so I don’t feel I was able to fully test the mower under normal summer conditions with healthy well-hydrated grass.

It’s a given that a battery-power mower is not going to have the same cutting ability or lift as a gas lawnmower, especially one that has been optimized for battery life. That said, I’m still pretty disappointed with the mulching cut quality in my yard. The cut quality while using the bag or the side discharge chute was good, I found it to be closer to the Ego LM2101 or previous DeWALT mower while mulching. Bagging performance was also adequate with grass clippings and a few early leaves.

This mower is priced to compete. At 399, not only do you get over an hour of runtime, but you get 2x 10Ah batteries. If you were to buy similar batteries separately, it would cost you somewhere between 300 and 350. Even a pair of 9Ah Flexvolt batteries will cost you over 300. So basically you are getting high-capacity DeWALT batteries and having a lawn mower thrown in for a few extra dollars.

Should you buy this mower? Again it’s a hell of a bargain if you take the batteries into account and you don’t try to mulch a sparse, thin grass yard. I did not have a good experience using the mower on thin grass in mulching mode, but as long as you bag or use the side discharge shoot, or have a thicker variety of grass that doesn’t need much lift to be cut, it may be worth looking into.

Thank you DeWALT for providing the test sample used in this review.

About Benjamen

Benjamen Johnson grew up watching his dad work as a contractor and woodworker. He became an electrical engineer and took an interest in woodworking. Check out Ben’s projects at Electronsmith’s 3D Prints or Instagram.

63 Комментарии и мнения владельцев

Going from the gen I to the gen II, I did prefer some aspects of the gen I that I was disappointed did not carry over: – Carry handles – Battery gauge (though as you said it was not the most accurate) – Single handle height adjustment – Batteries vertically “dropping” into battery compartment rather than horizontally “sliding” in – Higher blade speed (I think I never actually measured) – Small front wheel, larger rear wheels It does definitely offer better battery life than the gen I. I have the self propelled model and my lawn is thick, well maintained, and around 12,500 sq ft – and I double cut my 1,000 sq ft front yard for pronounced stripes. Mulching at setting 4 (2 3/4″), I still have two bars left on the 10Ah batteries when the grass is dry and under 3.5″. It primarily runs at low speed. During my testing I used a pair of 6Ah batteries and was just able to finish my yard. With the gen I, the same conditions would eat up 9Ah batteries and leave me about 1,000 sq ft short. Now if I drop the deck down, it is a different story. Mulching on setting 3 (2 1/4″), it is in high speed pretty much 100% of the time, it also starts to leave behind clumps at that point (again my grass is thick), so I throw on the side discharge or bag for setting 3 or under. I’ve never had issues with the cables getting caught when folding, but I too do wish there was an override for the auto high/low speed. I would likely run it in high almost exclusively because the higher blade speed creates more suction, pulling the grass up more so you do not get the missed grass blades as you alluded to. I also am not crazy about the blade. I would prefer to have more options. Overall, I knew what to expect when I got this mower, and it met my expectations and the 10Ah batteries made it too good of a deal to pass up.

To be fair they only removed the rear carrying handle. I don’t think I ever had a reason to use both handles. I do use the front handle quite a bit because I store it vertically and I grab the handle to move it around. The more forward front handle actually makes this easier than the top mounted handle. I also had quite a few issues removing batteries from the “drop in” bay of the first one. They tended to stick. I haven’t had that issue with the gen II. I’m assuming the identical wheels on Gen II are to cut costs even more.

I should have specified, you are correct in that the push model has a front handle, the self-propelled model does not.

My mistake. I blanked that you were talking about the self-propelled version and assumed it had a handle like the push version. That is rather annoying that there is no front handle.

I switched from a Toro gas to Ryobi 40v a couple seasons ago. While I love how quiet it is, light weight, decent power, can store it folded easily, etc the lift isn’t the best. Haven’t checked to see if there’s a high lift blade available but it also has the auto shift to higher power. Would be nice this fall to leave it in higher power mode I’d gladly sacrifice runtime to not leave all the leaves behind. Probably the only thing I liked about the Toro better.

Hi Jason, when the many safety cutoff switches start to fail on your Ryobi (and in my experience with two generations of the 20′ mower, they will – i’m a slow learner) hopefully there will still be some warranty left. My advice is to not tinker with it too much ( I’m a master tinkerer). Just take the thing back to where you got it and try to pick up a new one, or get your money back. This course of action will be best for your sanity. I have spoken.

Living that now with the one I bought for my sister in law. They did send a replacement mower, but it showed up with a broken back wheel. My mower has a problem with the rear wheel anchor plate screws coming out from the plastic body

I have the self propelled version, no cable pinching but it looks laid out differently. Mulchs fine on St Augustine. As for the handle safety lock out, pretty unlikely wont be much of a defense in a product liability lawsuit.

I do not yet find the electric mowers to be compelling for my purposes, but as you state it is almost worth buying for the batteries.

Perhaps not in my lifetime – but battery electrics are going to have to get better and more powerful across the spectrum as the world tries to move to zero-net carbon emissions. I don’t yet see my landscaper replacing one of his engine-driven zero turns with a battery-powered one quite yet – but its coming. For a homeowner it might be practical now. I saw a Ryobi that was advertised as being able to handle over 3 acres per charge so that might suit my needs if I were in the market.

It’s just a matter of time. Cordless tools were more or less a joke compared to their corded counterparts 30 years ago. Now many are not just on par, they’re flat-out superior. Corded power tools are already taking on and surpassing weaker gas engines like those in trimmers, it’s only a matter of time before they do the same for mower class engines. But we’re not at that point yet.

My ryobi cordless trimmer made be a believer in cordless yard tools. I bought it more then a decade ago just clip a fresh battery in and put some more line in every once in a while. No maintenance no hard starting damn thing just works. I still use a gas mower mostly because I can’t decide which cordless one I want yet (plus people keep giving me free ones). I have a cordless blower I love for quick clean ups of the patio or driveway and some light leaf blowing, but I just bought a new gas blower for leaves in the fall. A bigger electric one would work but with the amount of batteries to do a yard in a day it’s just more economical to use a gas one.

In my experience the current cordless OPE performs well around the 1-2 horsepower power range. Stuff like string trimmers, hedge trimmers, small blowers, small chainsaws, etc, work great. But the none of the models I’ve seen are able to compete with the ~5HP power level of a standard gas push mower. I think it could theoretically be done with larger battery platforms like Milwaukee MX, a dual-Flexvolt system, etc, but there’ s just not enough power in a pair of 18V class batteries to run a ~5hp machine for a reasonable runtime. I think it’s only a matter of time before that will change though, batteries keep getting bigger and better.

I agree it is a matter of time, just not yet there for my purpose. If DeWALT put out a 2x60v version I would be awfully tempted. Even then, I could only justify the cost as I have already invested heavily in flexvolt tools/batteries.

I think the batteries are here, just not at a consumer level price. I have no experience with them but am guessing that a Milwaukee MX Fuel lawnmower, if it existed, would meet the requirements that people expect from average gas mowers. The problem is the price; 1 battery costs more than most mower/battery kits currently available.

I bought this same mower earlier this year. I have a third of an acre with about half being zoysia grass. If I mow once every 7-10 days I can get through my yard on one charge. I’m really happy with this mower overall and have had no problems except when I haven’t had time to mow consistently.

I’m curious how well this would perform in the fall while mulching leaves. That’s a huge factor for a lot of people when choosing a mower. You can buy a nice gas mower with a Honda motor for 400……which is also cordless.

Most cordless mowers are pretty poor at doing leaves, its just too stressful on a system which is clearly optimized for battery life. I have a kobalt 40v and the best approach is to set it up for side discharge and mow a leaf covered area in decreasing circles so there’s a tidy pile, then come along with a different tool to mulch and bag the leaves. Purely mulching can barely cut any given leaf in half, and bagging just doesn’t have the suction to get leaves off of all but the shortest cuts of grass. Leaf duty is the biggest letdown about this mower, and so I’m going back to gas once one more of my batteries gives up the ghost.

I’m convinced this wouldn’t suit my needs. If this could totally replace and meet the performance of a gas mower, I think I’d jump on it. The cost isn’t that bad being you get two batteries with it. Granted I only use about 25 worth of gas a year, I could use the batteries on my other DeWALT tools. I used to have the DeWALT 20v trimmer but it bit the dust after 5 years. I would have thought the brushless motor would have lasted longer. Sold it on Craigslist for 20 as spare parts. I replaced it with the Kobalt trimmer/blower/battery combo when it was on sale and have been extremely happy with them. The trimmer isn’t as robust as the DeWALT, but it has more power in my opinion. Thanks for the reply.

The older DeWALT 40V does well with leaves, especially bagging, but also mulching. However, the battery life isn’t great. As a supplement to my large John Deere, it’s fantastic – one battery can get all of the corners and small areas where the tractor can’t get to, and the power and cut quality is pretty much identical. And the rest of the 40V system – blowers, chainsaw, and trimmer, make it completely worth it. I have one engine to maintain, the tractor engine, and the rest can just sit there and be ready to go on a moment’s notice. So the chainsaw and backpack blower only being used annually isn’t a big deal.

I have used both the Gen I DeWALT and my Ego and they both do a decent job of mulching leaves, as long as you do it regularly and don’t only do it once at the end of the season when the leaves are wet and 3 inches deep. I’m interested to see how this gen II will perform both mulching leaves and bagging.

I’ll stick to gas mowers for a while. Li-Ion/Brushless makes sense for leaf blowers, trimmers, clippers, etc, but I don’t think battery tech is good enough for mowers yet.

It really depends on your application. My Ego works just fine — just as well as my old Toro prosumer model — for what I use it for. I think battery powered mowers are getting close, but I agree they aren’t a one-for-one replacement.

For my 1/3 acre lawn this sounds about what I want. I have been going back and forth on this the Makita or the Ego. I came real close to a clearance Kobalt but I haven’t talked to many people with experience on the Kobalt 40V system. I have other DeWALT 20V tools which would be the biggest draw for me to this mower. It is basically like buying just the batteries and getting a mower. But the DeWALT gets very inconsistent reviews. The Makita seems to be almost universally loved by everyone that tries it but in this price range it’s an 18″ instead of a 21″ also smaller batteries but a better charger and an extra set make up for it. Plus a new system when I already have Ryobi and DeWALT. The Ego seems to hit all the technical points and just behind the Makita in the reviews. Acme had some great sales on them over the summer but again wondered about a new battery system.

I have a 40V kobalt mower, for my 1/4 acre lot with centipede grass its perfect. This fall I’m going to try using it to mulch leaves in my natural area and I’m sure it’ll be good enough. I have a Kobalt 24V string trimmer, blower and hedge trimmer, too. Good experiences with all of those, too. I’m more than satisfied with the performance for the price I paid.

Reminds me of the first time I saw an electric screwdriver on TV when I was a kid. I thought it was the greatest thing ever and ran to tell my dad about it; his reply was entirely deadpan: “all my screwdrivers are already cordless”.

We used Hios electric screwdrivers in our fabrication shop – but alas – none of them were cordless. Kidding aside, “cordless” has of course come to mean “on-board-battery powered”. Back on topic, one would think that a lawnmower might be something that Milwaukee could add to its MX battery platform for commercial use. Perhaps they judge that their is not enough demand for such – as it would push the cost up beyond the typical homeowner’s price point and might not appeal to many landscape contractors.

A contractor grade riding mower starts at around 7500. I’m thinking at that price point they could probably make an MX platform work. But I think the charge time is still a concern for contractors. It takes very little time to pour gas into a gas tank while it takes a while to charge batteries. So they’d either have to have some kind of special high-speed portable charger that runs off the landscaper’s truck, or they’d have to start the day’s work with enough batteries to make it through the whole day. An arborist I know loves small cordless chainsaws for climbing and pruning work, they have obvious advantages over the gas models and he can toss a small number of batteries in his truck and he’s set for the whole workday with that saw. But he finds the larger cordless models, even pro brands like STIHL, unusable for larger work because it’s impossible to keep up with charging batteries fast enough to use them and it’s impractical to bring enough pre-charged for a full day’s work with a crew of guys, meanwhile when a gas saw runs out of fuel it’s back up and cutting a minute later and one can of gas runs every saw on the truck all day. And that’s talking about replacing a typical pro chainsaw of perhaps 5 HP equivalent. A commercial riding mower, being much more powerful, has a an even worse problem. Some really rough math: A commercial riding mower might start around 25 HP, that’s about 18.5 kW. Meanwhile a typical north american wall can supply a max of 1800 watts or 1.8kW. So if we assume the battery, charger, and motor are all 100% efficient then it takes 10 times as long to charge that battery compared to the runtime it gives. This is a big problem. Want the battery to last an hour at full power? It takes ten hours to charge. Want a batteries that can run for 6 hours, enough for a full workday of mowing like a pro landscaper might want? Two and a half days. In order for this to be practical there must be some kind of high-power charging system involved similar to those used for electric cars because no matter how good the battery tech may be there’s still the wall socket bottleneck for getting that power into a battery.

You nailed MM Electric cars started with 110 volts residential and 220-240 charging stations. That wasn’t enough so 400-600 volt stations were added. 800 volt is coming. and higher battery density will be here in hopefully a few years. the big ticket item manufacturers are paying for the research on faster charging and higher battery density. It will keep moving down to lower priced items like tools – one of these days an electric mower will be a good choice. Not yet for me.

While the battery powered zero turns currently available are sort of wimpy compared to their engine powered brethren – the technology will advance. That’s particularly true as climate change mitigation initiatives move forward. But just to add to Комментарии и мнения владельцев already made and for some perspective about the challenge: 1.8 gallons of gasoline (typical zero turn usage per hour) is about the equivalent of 59.4kWh of energy. Even if the engine/transmission system is only 10% efficient – that is about 6kWh of useful work. Ryobi – for one example makes a zero turn with 100Ah of batteries operating at 48V = 4.8kWh equivalent. That’s – probably OK to get through my lawns – then come in for a recharge/topoff – but it wouldn’t do for a contractor mowing all day

Is this any different than cordless screwdrivers and other such tools? Didn’t saws all used to be handheld before being electric and then cordless battery-powered? I figure there are 3 types of powered mowers – gas engine, electric (AC), and cordless battery-powered. Search engines do their own thing these days, but I figured readers searching ToolGuyd’s archives would likely use “DeWALT cordless mower” as the main query, and so I tried to make the post easier to find.

Nope, no difference at all. And I think that was the point. It was really just his way of saying that he didn’t use tools often enough to warrant buying powered versions. He didn’t have a power saw or drill either, though he did eventually get a cordless drill much later in life. He was not a contractor, and while he was very much into DIY it was all electronics related, HAM Radio, electric guitars, amps and whatnot. Thinking back it made perfect sense, he simply didn’t have a use for a cordless screwdriver.

There are the 20v slide on power adapters for DeWALT batteries. They have a 3 light fuel gauge to indicate power left in battery. You would need to remove the battery from the mower to check power status. There might be a % power adapter, but i haven’t seen one yet.

I am now on my 5th DeWALT mower. Three 1st gen, two 2nd. The first ones couldn’t handle heat buildup and so if you had a larger yard and went through multiple batteries the thing would melt in different ways. The 2nd gen had problems with blade balance and the service center couldn’t get me a new blade for a couple of months so they refunded me and I bought another one. The self-propelled version is nice and has enabled my 9 year old to be able to mow. Can’t handle heavy grass, but is fine for weekly maintenance. We’ll see how long it lasts…

Worst mulching cut you’ve ever seen? Have you used Husqvarna? I’m sure they can give this thing a run for it’s money.

I wonder how many seasons the batteries will last before end of life? Or put another way how many charges can a 10ah 20 V battery take before its dead. Around here mowing season is April to October. Usualy cut once a week but in spring sometimes twice a week. Figure 40ish mowings. On the lower end I would expect the batteries to recharge 400 times so you’re looking at 10 years. Mower deck will probably rust out before then. Wonder if the electric motor will hold up that long. Probably would be replaced with beter tech before then any way. I don’t have a dog in this fight. My yard is too big for electric and I am way to meticulous in my lawn care for anything but a perfect cut. Still at some point it will probably get there. An autonomous electric mower that I can set the travel pattern on would be tempting. Mow every three days with alternating stripes! I think I would miss mowing too much. Yeah Im weird like that lol

I don’t own a lawn, but I’ll just throw this out there. It’s possible to have a yard that doesn’t need mowing in the first place. There are many ways to do it, like say with low growing ground covers, pebble or stone cover, tall grasses or bushes, etc., all depending on your location and how you want to use the space. Also, some cities in the West are paying people to get rid of their lawns and replace them with something that doesn’t need so much water. So you can reduce maintenance needs and make some money too. Of course, getting there might take some work and money. Also, consider the fact that not only is mowing your lawn a pretty big chore, it’s one of the few places where electric tools haven’t quite caught up with their gas-powered ones (you can see that from the Комментарии и мнения владельцев here.) And those tiny gas engines just spew pollution, much more than your car, for instance. So. I know people love their lawns. I just wanted to mention some alternatives.

I’ve thought long and hard about this and the problem is that you are switching one larger task for a whole bunch of smaller tasks. That works for some people and doesn’t for others. Rock needs to be maintained. It migrates everywhere (notice the dings in my mower blade?) and detritus builds up in if you aren’t diligent about blowing all the leaves and other plant matter that accumulates. If you don’t, in 5 to 10 years you have weeds growing. Then it’s harder to fix than just starting over. You have to be careful where you place tall grasses, you shouldn’t have them close to the house because they dry out in the summer and pose a fire danger. Not really a more work issue, but it limits where you can put them. Gardens need constant attention. Ground cover can migrate where you don’t want it and need to be monitored. We are still trying to convert more area from grass to things like hosta beds and gardens. Some days I just want to convert everything to astroturf.

I used to own a getaway house on a large property in a rural community that had one been primarily small farms. There was some “lawn” – but neither I nor my neighbors much worried about what was growing. Nature seems to always takeover unless you are crazy-diligent. The local contractor who maintained the “lawns” (more fields than lawn) came in one in a while with a Gravely tractor with gang mowers and a sickle bar. My current main residence has actual lawn that requires what some would say is an unconscionable amount of maintenance ( fertilizer, lime, seeding, weed control insect control chemicals, mowing, thatching etc.) that I pay to have done. Considering that its all for show. I’m not sure for how many generations more the practice will be sustainable. Since we moved in we cut the backyard lawn area in half – adding about 1/2 acre to the garden. Both garden an lawn areas require TLC – but my wife and I somehow feel better about the environmental consequences of having less lawn and more garden. If we had figured out an attractive way to cut the acre of front lawn in half we would have done that too. My take on all of this is that we (particularly suburban dwellers) are slaves to convention with a minds-eye view of what our properties should look like. That sort of landscaping – aided and abetted by post WWII real estate developers – may also translate into resale property value and “curb appeal”. Energy use, Global Warming and Water Conservation may ultimately change our thinking.

Great thoughts, fred. “I’m not sure for how many generations more the practice will be sustainable.” Technically, it’s never been sustainable, because sustainability means there’s no net damage to our resources or environment. Even if lawns do a tiny amount of damage, it’s not sustainable, because given enough time, they will wreck things. And I believe they do more than a tiny amount of damage. The big issue for us in the west is water consumption, but there’s also pesticides, fertilizers, etc. as you say. IIRC, mowing and even collecting leaves disrupts insect populations, which are harmless to both lawns and people, but are necessary to support bird and small mammal populations.

I’m told that the idea of having a manicured lawn first gained popularity in the 17th century on the estates of the wealthy. The idea caught on – not surprisingly – as folks with lesser means wanted to emulate their richer cousins. A whole industry (perhaps multiple industries would be correct) grew up around it and now e have companies producing grass seeds, sod, fertilizer, soil amendments, pesticides, and all manner of maintenance implements from aerators to lawnmowers to rakes and sprinklers. Many owe their livelihoods to our lawns and their maintenance. With the growth of the suburbs after WWII I suspect that the acreage devoted to lawns grew exponentially as did the businesses to support them. Moving away from having a lawn to something better will require a paradigm shift of major proportions. And – akin to what Benjamin says there is no perfect solution that is immediately apparent. Somewhere deep in our brains we probably recognize your points about the harm that fertilizer and pesticide runoff is doing, that our precious water supply has much better uses than on lawns, and that using energy (fossil fuels or even renewable) to maintain a lawn is illogical. But then we get flooded with those “house beautiful” images of a lawn party or toddlers crawling along on an expanse of green – and all logic is put aside. Green concrete is not the answer (concrete BTW is very energy intensive to produce) nor is Astroturf – so I’m afraid that for a while we will be stuck with trying to make lawnmowers better.

Absolutely right. I didn’t mean to imply that alternatives to lawn would eliminate your yard maintenance chores. It would just reduce them. Anyway, for me, the real point is not reducing the amount of work you do, but reducing the air and water pollution, water consumption and ecosystem disruption that grass lawns create.

My point was that I’m not convinced that the alternatives would reduce them that much after you include the work required to implement them. I’m actually really surprised that I did not get a comment like: “Why didn’t you just water your grass — then it would have grown and you could have tested it more.” I was really disappointed at how many people in my area had perfectly green lawns during the worst drought we’ve had in a long time, because they were watering them (and the street) every other day. Switching to battery powered OPE, letting my grass go dormant, letting my clippings stay on the lawn rather than collecting them, and growing grass that is actually appropriate for my climate, are some of the ways I’ve tried to address my own concerns about pollution and water consumption.

Right, I know that was your point. My point, or actually my main concern, is different. I’m glad you are taking care to reduce the environmental impacts of your lawn though!

The DeWALT cordless mower is assembled by MTD. On inspection in Home Depot, the DeWALT deck and a Troy-Bilt built by MTD deck were identical in construction and placement of mounting points. MTD, I believe, has been purchased by SBD. The use of a deck not specifically designed for an electric mower may be less than ideal if a mower can’t match the power output characteristics of a gas engine.

I bought this mower, used it for about 3 months and returned it. First time I used it, it worked great. It’s only about a 1/4 acre lot, including the house. By month 3 it would only run for 10 minutes and I would have to recharge batteries. By this point I had stopped using the self propelled capabilities and was just pushing it to conserve battery. Still about 8-10 minutes in, batteries dead. Went back to a gas mower, very disappointing as I assumed electric would have been fully capable at this point. But in fairness perhaps electric is, and the DeWALT batteries just can’t handle it. Or maybe I just got a lemon.

Sounds like you killed the batteries, or possibly as you said you got some lemons. Every time you run a lithium battery completely dead, it will lose some of its charge capacity. Do it often enough and that 10Ah battery becomes a 5Ah battery. I still don’t know why manufacturers don’t stress this more in the manuals. Maybe they want people to keep buying batteries, but cases like yours also lead to negative reviews. they do offer this advice though: https://www.DeWALT.com/DeWALT-dna/featured-articles/best-practices-for-battery-life Ideally you want to have spares and never let them go below 30% before charging (on DeWALT batteries 1 bar is Check out some studies that have been done of depth of discharge and cycle life of lithium ion batteries.

We got used to NiCad’s where constantly topping them off resulted in “memory” problems resulting in batteries that were seemingly never able to give their all. As you say – translating the NiCad use strategy to LiIon batteries creates a new set of problems.

That made sense 10 years ago when lithium ion was new. It’s just odd that people understand the logic when it comes to their cell phone. They charge them every night regardless of the percent because everyone knows if you run them completely dead regularly, they never last as long afterwards. Somehow that common knowledge is lost when people use other battery powered devices, like tools and OPE. I don’t know how many dozens of batteries I have across multiple platforms and voltages, and I can honestly say I have never had a premature failure on any of them. Maybe I’m lucky, maybe I’m a wizard, who can say.

I own near 40 tools and maybe 40 batteries. All DeWALT and Milwaukee including HO and 60v. I own both mowers. All have been amazing in terms of durability… except the Milwaukee HO 12 amph battery. Some of the high draw HO tool get to hot and trip out to often. It killed a 12 amph.

My first thoughts went to making a go-kart or something from the engine like I did when dirt poor to make money.

There are a couple changes. The rear wheel model has larger rear wheels, single lever height adjustment, and is available kitted with 2x12Ah FlexVolt batteries, in addition to the 2x10Ah 20v battery kit.

They should not have made a front wheel drive mower. MTD research center has enough knowledgable people and past experience to know better than to make one. The front drive mower preformance may turn off a lot of buyers from buying DeWALT products. Thank you for letting us know about these upcoming new products, Big Richard.

The one nice thing about front wheel drive is that you can keep your hand on the wheel engage “throttle” the entire time, and just push down on the handle a bit to raise the front wheels to come to a stop, do a turn, or whatever. But overall, I think rear-wheel drive is the preferred option. It does look like it is going to cost 100 more than the front-wheel model, at least with early pricing.

Trust me, rear wheel drive is a lot better with a rear bagger. My wife’s mom had an MTD made gas front wheel drive. When the bag starts getting full, too much weight is in the back and it will not pull. I had to pickup the back wheels off of the ground to make the front wheels pull. Big Richard, do you work for SBD? You seem to now when all of the new stuff comes out.

I have heard that complaint about front wheel drive mowers. I personally rarely ever bag so I have not encountered it, but I can see the issue. And no, I do not work for SBD. I just do a lot of tool repair, testing, and review, so I like to be ahead of the curve and share my knowledge. I keep an eye on tool shows across the country and look for leaks through retailers.

I can share the complaint, though it’s been many years since I have ever used a bagger. Once I discovered mulching blades I never looked back: less work for me, better for the environment and my yard looks better. But even with no bag rear wheel drive has better traction as the handlebars tend to put more weight on the rear wheels than the front. The commercial walk-behinds have this designed very well. As much weight as possible over the rear axle with large, low-ground-pressure drive wheels, and swiveling caster wheels up front which bear relatively little weight. I did think that front wheel drive mowers did have one beneficial feature, however: by pushing down on the handlebars one can easily feather how much pull the front wheels provide, or even disengage it entirely, by pushing them off the ground. I found that technique gave a lot more control than dis-and-re-engaging the propulsion. This was especially true when there was no differential in the propulsion and you needed to make a tight turn. But it’s really moot today, an all-electric mower likely has great speed control rather than the brutal ON-OFF overcenter clutches the old gas front drives had.

Makita Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Vs. DeWALT 20V Max Mower: Which One Wins?

A self-propelled, battery-operated lawnmower can keep your lawn pristine with minimal effort and without harming the environment. Finding the best tool, however, can be challenging. Makita and DeWALT are two popular brands. The former is the go-to choice for landscapers and business owners. The latter addresses homeowners. This guide to the Makita self-propelled lawn mower vs. DeWALT 20V Max mower should help you pick the right equipment.

Makita Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Vs. DeWALT 20V Max Mower: Side-by-Side Comparison

Makita and DeWALT are two popular power tool manufacturers. Both make tools for home and commercial applications, but Makita has a reputation for its high-quality equipment geared toward business owners and heavy-duty use. DeWALT manufactures a range of commercial tools, but equipment from the brand is not as performing or long-lasting as Makita. When it comes to the self-propelled lawnmowers from these brands, they are both worthy options, though. Here’s a brief comparison between the two.

• Folding handles for easy storage
• Zero emission and lower noise
• Up to 40 minutes runtime per charge
• Quick height adjustments

Makita Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Vs. DeWALT 20V Max Mower: What’s the Difference

A glance at the table above shows minimal differences between the DeWALT 20V Max mower and the Makita self-propelled lawn mower. However, these machines perform differently. While they are both a good choice for same-size lawns, Makita is a heavier-duty option ideal for frequent use. Yet, DeWALT might suit your needs, too, and save you some bucks.

Deck and Cutting

One vital thing to check when buying a lawnmower is its ability to cut grass smoothly. In this sense, both Makita and DeWALT deliver.

Makita self-propelled lawn mower features a true 21-inch blade with 3,000 rotations per minute. While this system might not match the performance of the multi-blade system seen in mowers like the EGO 56V mower, it can slice through tough and wet grass effortlessly.

DeWALT features a similar blade system but a longer cutting swath of 21.5 inches. The extra half-inch might not change your world, but it does help you complete the chore faster. On the downside, it makes the mower harder to maneuver around multiple obstacles or fit in narrow spaces, so this is something to consider based on your lawn’s layout.

The true difference between these two mowers is their cutting height range and the number of cutting height settings. The Makita self-propelled lawn mower features 10 cutting height settings between 1.25 and 4 inches. DeWALT has a slightly lower range, from 1.5 to 4-inch cutting heights, and only six settings.

While those numbers might not mean much for most residential needs, they can be important if your turf is a demanding grass type. height adjustments may also be important if you want to start a landscaping business and want a lawnmower to cut all grass types perfectly. In this aspect, Makita wins.

Power and Runtime

On paper, the main difference between the Makita self-propelled lawn mower and the DeWALT 20V Max mower is the power. The latter comes with two 20V batteries for a total of 40 volts of power during operation. Makita also features two batteries for a total power of 36 volts.

However, both mowers aren’t that different in reality. That’s because Makita uses the nominal voltage of batteries in their descriptions. As written in the manual, you’ll get 36 volts of power – no more, no less. DeWALT, on the other hand, uses the maximum voltage. While you get 40 volts of maximum power from the brand, the truth is that each battery has a nominal power of only 18 volts, bringing the total to 36.

Another important difference is the capacity of the batteries each brand uses. Makita’s batteries have a capacity of 5Ah, while DeWALT’s feature 10Ah of capacity. The result? torque for DeWALT, enabling the mower to perform perfect cuts even on wet or tough grass types. Despite the lower battery capacity, Makita also delivers impressive cutting performance.

For DeWALT, however, higher capacity means sacrificing runtime. The brand promises around 60 minutes of runtime, but in reality, you can get less than 25 minutes in worst-case scenarios. In best-case scenarios, you can expect around 30 to 40 minutes.

Makita promises around 40 minutes of runtime. In easy conditions, it actually delivers more – about 43. Things change when mowing wet or tough grass, but the runtime is still better compared to DeWALT. Both mowers come with see-thru battery housings that allow you to monitor the charge, and Makita even comes in a bundle with two additional batteries (a total of four) for over an hour of uninterrupted work.

Waste Management

Makita and DeWALT 20V Max mower feature three grass clippings management options: discharge, bagging, and mulching. Neither mower has separate blades for these functions, but clippings management is effective regardless of the preferred method. The only real difference is how each piece of equipment discharges the clippings.

DeWALT features side discharge, common in residential lawnmowers but not necessarily the best. While side chutes throw grass clippings away from the path, they often make it challenging to mow around obstacles, including flowerbeds, driveways, and fences.

Makita features rear discharge, which basically throws the clippings behind the mower. You might end up with your feet covered in grass clippings, but you won’t have to worry about them ruining flower beds or ending up dirtying a fence or driveway.

Maneuverability

Makita and DeWALT’s lawnmowers are not that different in terms of maneuverability. Both feature plastic wheels that roll effortlessly on all terrains. The half-an-inch extra cutting swath of DeWALT doesn’t significantly impact maneuverability, although Makita fits in narrower spaces.

What makes the Makita slightly more controllable and easier to maneuver is the infinite speed control. This self-propelled mower can reach speeds between 1.5 and 3MPH, but you can set any speed in this range without limitations.

DeWALT doesn’t disclose the self-propelled speeds of its lawnmower, and the only options you have are slow or fast. No in-between might be frustrating for people who can’t choose top speed due to their physical limitations but who don’t want to go too slow either.

Build Quality

Design-wise, both Makita and DeWALT mowers are pretty minimalist, but the former feels more robust. The Makita lawnmower is made of alloy steel, a relatively lightweight but durable material. Powder-coating resists elements, and the unit can withstand rugged use.

DeWALT has a steel deck but a rather flimsy battery enclosure. This mower can withstand elements and frequent use, but it is more suitable for residential rather than commercial applications. Meanwhile, the Makita withstands both.

Another difference is how command cables run from the handle to the various controls on the deck. These cables are exposed on the DeWALT. Not only do they look messy, but they are easier to damage accidentally. Makita runs all its cables neatly along the handle. You don’t have to worry about damaging them, and the visual appeal is increased.

Price

A winning point for the DeWALT 20V Max mower is the price. The bare mower is about 200 cheaper than a bare Makita. go up for both options if you choose a mower and battery kit, Makita’s going as high as 988 for the mower and two batteries. The brand launches discounted bundles now and then, though, and you might be able to find better deals, such as a similarly-priced mower kit with four rather than two batteries.

DeWALT typically sells its batteries separately, a 20V Max 10Ah battery setting you back around 170 (the mower needs two batteries). The good news is this lawnmower is compatible with almost all Max batteries in the brand’s ecosystem, including different voltage options.

Likewise, Makita’s self-propelled lawnmower is compatible with interchangeable batteries from the brand but only with the nominal voltage and capacity specified in the mower’s manual. This lawnmower uses two 18V 5.0Ah batteries.

The best cordless lawn mowers in 2023

Looking for the best cordless mower? Browse our experts’ pick, from budget to premium models.

A lawn mower may be one of the first purchases we make when getting a garden of our own, but that doesn’t mean finding a good quality one is easy. There are so many models and brands on the market to choose from, including corded electric and petrol, but as their range increases and fall, cordless, battery-powered models are an increasingly popular option.

Light and compact compared with traditional petrol models, cordless mowers are simple to use, easy to manoeuvre around the garden, and have none of the maintenance and servicing needs or costs of petrol lawnmowers. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which charges up quickly and won’t lose power in storage, they’re also quiet and emission free.

To compare these cordless mowers against other types of mower, we’ve reviewed the best lawn mowers, robotic lawn mowers, electric lawn mowers and push mowers, too. And if your lawn needs a bit of attention, our experts have tested a range of the best manual and powered aerators and scarifiers.Keep edges looking neat with our pick of the best strimmers, the best garden shears and the best lawn edging, and if you’re thinking about somewhere to store your new mower, our comprehensive guide to choosing the best garden shed will be helpful.

For your next DIY project, have a look at the best cordless drills.

The best cordless mowers to buy at a glance

Cordless mowers. Buyer’s Guide video

Many thanks to Rosie Yeomans and Sparsholt College for their help in making this video.

Getting the best cordless lawn mower for you means ensuring it has the correct cutting width, range of cutting heights, and weight plus a battery run time that matches the size of your lawn. We’ve tested a range of cordless push mowers, putting them through their paces across a range of grass and terrains, to help you find the right one for your garden.

Each mower has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to set up and storage, handling, mowing and value for money. Every mower in our round up below has scored a minimum of four out of five stars, so you can buy with confidence.

In every review we award outstanding products our coveted Best Buy award. To see these and the others we recommend, browse our pick of the best cordless lawn mowers, below.

By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Best Buy cordless mowers

Husqvarna Aspire LC34-P4A

Our rating: 4.9 out of 5

• Quiet
• Cuts even long grass with ease
• Battery level visible while mowing
• Small and compact for easy storage
• Part of the POWER FOR ALL cordless range

Part of the new Husqvarna Aspire cordless range, which includes a hedge trimmer, pruner and leaf blower, this 34cm mower is powered by an 18V POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE battery and charger. These are interchangeable with tools in other leading brands such as Flymo, Gardena and Bosch so if you also invest in tools in these ranges, you’ll only need to buy the bare tool and won’t have different batteries and chargers taking up space in the shed.Great for small gardens the mower comes ready to go, there’s no assembly or handles to attach, and it folds down to a compact size when you’re finished, with a telescopic handle that folds completely flat over the body of the mower. It can then be stood up against a wall or hung up, and even comes with a handy hook. The 30l grass bag also flattens down to take up very little room and can be hung on the mower. The Aspire is light, with a carry handle so that lifting it up steps or into other areas is easy and it has an adjustable handle to suit different height users. It’s comfortable and easy to manoeuvre around the garden and has just four cutting heights to choose from, ranging from 25-65mm and changed easily with a single lever on the body of the mower. It cuts grass quietly and smoothly and has an automatic boost that increases blade speed when you’re mowing in tougher, longer areas that works well. You can hear it kick in when you push the mower into longer grass and unlike other cordless mowers that can cut out, just carries on cutting the grass. While you mow the battery charge level is always clearly visible so you know how much battery you have left and when it needs charging. It comes with a two year warranty and we awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy in 2023 for ease of use.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 95 mins; run time. 500sqm. Cutting: width. 34cm; height. 25-65mm. Grass box. 30 litre.

Buy the Husqvarna Aspire C34-P4A cordless mower from Husqvarna and Sam Turner

Greenworks GDG24LM33

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

• Easy to assemble and use
• Comfortable padded handle
• Choice of mulching or collecting clippings
• Interchangeable battery with Greenworks 24V family

Ideal for smaller gardens this sturdy, great value cordless mower is easy to put together, well thought out and simple to use. Thanks to a padded handle it’s comfortable to push, although it did feel a little short for our taller tester, and it’s light and easy to manoeuvre around trees and beds and borders. There are five cutting heights to choose from, adjusted with the simple lift of a lever and it offers the choice of collecting clippings in the 30 litre fabric grass bag or inserting the mulching plug and leaving them on the lawn to break down and feed the grass. It mows well but doesn’t like very long grass, with the battery cutting out occasionally but its long lasting brushless motor offers a a decent run time of 46 minutes and it charges in two hours. Plus, as part of the Greenworks 24V family, both the battery and charger are interchangeable with all the other tools in the range, saving you money if you invest in more in the future. We awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best budget cordless mower in 2023.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 120 mins; run time. 46mins. Cutting: width. 33cm; height. 25-70mm. Grass box. 30 litre.

Yard Force LMG37A 40v 37cm

Our rating: 4.8 out of 5

• Rear roller
• Double folding handle for easy storage
• Quickest charge time
• Part of the Yardforce GR40 cordless range

This sturdy mower has a 37cm cutting width and useful features including a rear roller for those much desired stripes. Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy in 2022 for small to medium lawns, clippings are collected in the large 40 litre fabric grass bag. It offers a wide choice of seven cutting heights, from 25-75mm, and is easy to fold away at the end of the day. The 40V battery is quick to charge, taking just 50 minutes and when full it has the capacity to cut a 400m2 lawn.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 50 mins; run time. 400sqm. Cutting: width. 37cm; height. 25-75mm. Grass box. 40 litre.

Buy the Yard Force LMG37A 40V 37cm cordless mower from Yard Force, Amazon and Wickes