Black & Decker electric mower mulching - Can you deal with a cord?
Written: Apr 30 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive. Easy to put together. Works well. Earth friendly.
Cons: Can you deal with the power cord?
The Bottom Line: If you have a big yard, you may not want to depend on a push electric. But, this is still a great second mower.
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| CyndiA's Full Review: Black and Decker Mm575 18" Mulching Lawn Hog Elect... |
My gasoline pull cord mower was about to give me a hernia or a temper tantrum. Every time I wanted to mow, I would pull and pull and pull and then cuss and cuss and cuss. Then, I would have to call my dad or ask one of the neighbor guys to jerk it on. The next thing was to pray I could finish the whole yard and not have to stop for any reason and have to ask for a second helping.
These pull cord things are made for longer arms and heavier bodies, and YES I do know I could shorten the pull cord (which does not turn the “whatever” enough to start the darn thing). This is not my style to be so needy, and it hurts my feelings not to mention my innards to have a gasoline mower with a pull cord start. I can take care of my own (lawn) IF I can get the darn mower to crank up. Rather than continue to deal with this problem, I decided to get an electric lawnmower.
The decision at Lowe’s was very simple. They only had one electric mower--Black & Decker 18" Electric Lawn Hog Mulching Mower MM575. They didn’t even have a display up, so I had to ask if they had an electric. The guy said they did and pointed at the box, so I bought it on faith and on the knowledge that Lowe’s will take it back if I drive home, try it, hate it, and bring it back. Lowe’s is one of those places where you take the item and receipt in and say, “I’m bringing this back,” and they really don’t ask any questions.
Though this mower boxed up is not really heavy, the box is long and bulky. I got it on the cart at Lowe’s, but I could not get the heft to get it up in the Xterra (which is a high load SUV). If you look like you are trying in the Lowe’s parking lot, then one of the good-old-boys will shove your box in your truck. Again, I hate to be needy like that, but if I can’t get it in the truck, then I can’t. And, thanks to the guy who loaded for me.
Getting a box out is not that hard. KER-PLUNK. I can tell you that this box is not as sturdy as it needs to be. It was falling apart by the time I pushed it around in the Lowe’s parking lot and then unloaded at home. It’s a thin cardboard with small staples holding it together, but it did protect the machine. They need to upgrade a notch on the cardboard and the staples. But, it’s not the cover of the book that matters.
I had read that this one is super simple to put together, and it really is. The directions are rather Dr. Seuss in that you can turn them this way and that and never really know where you are or where you are going or even which language you turned to. You can just look and see that you need to put on the handle. The directions show you that you do not need any tools to do this which is nice. The handle clicks in the mower, and they stay on with some wing nuts. The only confusing part are some plastic plugs that go in some holes and have some arrows that need to be turned the right way—which is the way you don’t put them on after several tries. Also, it is not clear why you need these plastic hole covers.
The hard part for me was putting the handles in the 2 holes in the body and pushing in until the thing clicked. It would be nice to have two people and one to hold the mower body and the other to push in. The way I ended up doing this was to put the mower body against the garage to hold it still while I pushed in (AND THEN UP) with the handle.
Once the handles are in, you have to check that the cord is not crimped in and that those plastic hole covers have the arrows going the right way. Before the final shove, just lay it out and look at those pieces. It took me a few times to get the plastic covers right. There is a right and left side and an up and down. I think I am a tad dyslexic or at least when it comes to putting together mowers.
Once the handles are on, you plug in a cord to the mower, and you are ready to go. They say not to use more than 100 foot of cord. I can tell you that 200 foot has caused no problems. My yard is pretty big, and I have two 100 foot cords that I use with my electric yard tools, and my hair did not fall out and my teeth did not turn green when I used this mower with both cords connected together. That is probably some sort of government regulation and for safety, but I always use 200 feet on my mower.
To turn this one on, there is a big orange button thing to push in. When you let up, it turns off. With a gas mower, I would be upset that it turns off so easy. Since it starts right back up, this is fine. It’s also nice when the boys want to mow. I know that they can not get in front of this mower with it on. The turn off is instant, and their little boy legs are not long enough to get in front of the blades with the mower off. If they let up for any reason, then this machine is dead. But, they can press and it’s right back up to speed.
As far as cutting, it has different levels like any other mower. And, it cuts good. If you have a lot of weeds or let the grass grow up, then it wants to bog down. You need to set the blade higher and mow once and then again. I would say it is a little less tough on overgrown grass than the gas mower. You’ll hear the extra chug if you try to use this as a bushhog. If it’s straining, then raise the cut level and go over the area more than one time.
On the sound, it’s quieter than the gas mower plus the added bonus that it does not smell or pour smoke out in the neighborhood. This is good for the neighborhood and for the air in general. I would like to say that this is the reason I bought this one, but it really was the problems with pulling a gas mower cord. Still, it’s nice to be so earth friendly without going with the manual blade mower (which I tried and was about as effective as washing the car with a toothbrush).
You may be wondering about the mulch function. You can buy a side piece that catches the grass (pretty expensive as an add-on), but this one does chop the grass fine. Typically, I just leave the grass cuttings on the lawn to mulch it. If I can see some clumps of grass, then I throw that on the garden where I am using the lasagna (or no-till) method.
This may sound like the perfect mower, and I guess it is in many ways. Still, it is hard to be connected to a cord. Every time you turn around you are blocked in by the cord. If you have trees, you have a lot to think about as far as how to mow the yard and not get tangled up. I have a big lot plus a lot of trees, flowers, and shrubs. It’s hard for me to keep track of the cord and to go in the kinds of squares or circles I need, and the boys really have a hard time with patterns that don’t include a lot of backtracking and going in and out to unplug the cord and put it on the other side of stuff.
The way I do my lawn now is to use the riding mower most of the time for the big areas. Then, I use this one for hard-to-get spots and also for touch ups. It’s also one that the boys (ages 11 and 14) use to help out. This was the same way I used the gas push mower, but this electric is much better for that. I’m not so sure I’d want to have this for my only mower, but if I couldn’t have a riding, then I would get this hand down over the push gas.
I am really sold on electric yard tools . . .
Black and Decker has a weedeater that I really love. It’s really small and easy to handle, but it does the job.
http://www.epinions.com/content_100085370500
I love my Remington chainsaw. It’s not a big one for huge trees, but it’s wonderful for the day-to-day jobs in my yard.
http://www.epinions.com/content_108781407876
Recommended:
Yes
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CyndiA
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Member: Cyndi
Location: catch me if you can
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