We have a single family detached home, with standard city-size lot. If your yard is like ours, read on ... If not, you might keep reading anyway, this is a really good mower if you can get to all parts of your yard with a 100 foot extension cord.

The Black & Decker MM875 mower body is sturdy, light weight, and has plenty of cutting power for all but the thickest turf. And does its work without engine maintenance or gas to buy.

Ergonomically, the 875, is a dream and matches deluxe gas mowers feature for feature.

* The clever mowing height adjustment puts a smile on my face whenever I change it. Squeeze a release lever, and all four wheels go up or down together. And there's a spring assist to counter gravity, so it takes very little strength. With this feature, the sod in our back yard can be mowed long, and the weeds in the front yard can get a crew cut, to minimize seed.
* The rear bag design easily gets close to trees, bushes, flower beds, etc. without having to maneuver a side bag. The mower mulches beautifully too.
* The handle height feels right for me, (I'm a 6 foot male) but is not adjustable, so smaller users may want to check to see if this height is comfortable for them before they buy. For storage in tight quarters, the handle folds down by loosening two knobs. The handle flips back into position for mowing in a snap. Tighten the two knobs and you're on your way.
* Also, since the mower is light, it's easy to push. There's no need for it to be self propelled.

On the downside, although it's rugged in a lot of ways, it's not indestructible. I have this story to relate ...

I have a friend who bought one of these mowers, largely because of my enthusiasm for it, and liked it very well. Then he got a little careless with it, and ran the blade into a concrete step. That broke it. When he took it to the authorized repair site, they said: "Let me guess, you hit something really big with it." So clearly he's not the first to have this problem.

From looking underneath my mower, I can see that when the blade takes a hit, the mower has an inexpensive plastic part designed to take the brunt of the impact and thus save the much more expensive motor from damage. Therefore, I'm hopeful they'll be able to fix my friend's mower with a new cheap plastic part, and he won't hate me. When I find out the resolution to his problem, I'll be sure to update this review.

So you're asking, "is it rugged enough for me?" Well, you will have to "be nice to it." Not stiflingly nice to it, but (how's this for an analogy?) nice like a bike racer is nice to a road-racing bike, in contrast to how they treat their mountain bikes. If you're hard on equipment and are likely to treat it roughly, don't get this mower you'll break it. But for most of us with a regular, mostly rock-free yard, yeah, I think it's sturdy enough.

On the more mundane front, for those people with a lot of obstacles to mow around, the cord can be a real hastle. But for those who have uninterrupted grass, with most of their shrubs and beds at the edges of the lot, or up close to the house, don't worry about the cord, you'll be fine. You learn to start mowing close to the house, and work your way out to the edge of the yard, to keep the cord clear. And this becomes second nature very quickly. Also on the up-side with regard to cords, when you're done mowing, and you reach for your electric weed-whacker, the cord is already out, and ready for you.

One final thought on this mower: gas mowers pollute the air at a staggering rate. Being electric, this mower uses your electric utility's emissions equipment to keep the air clean(er). And although I couldn't call this mower quiet, its sound doesn't disrupt the whole neighborhood like a gas mower does.

Happy shopping ...

Recommended: Yes