Black & Decker MM1800 18-Inch 12 amp Corded Electric Lawn Mower

Comment: As usual I did more research and analysis than a sane person should and read every review I could find (OCD)

First, who should not buy a corded (electric) mower. Those who think:
1. Managing a cord (read that running over it) will be a problem. They probably should also stay away from hedge trimmers.
2. Have rocks and stumps on their lawns that they cannot avoid.
3. Who cut their lawn when it is knee high and and think green weeds are grass.
4. Want to mow a wet lawn - and therefore don't care about their lawn anyways.
5. Who do not understand it is the (sharp) blade that cuts the grass and the power either AMP's or HP factually are of little importance.
6. Who actually think they will be saving significant amounts of money on gas, oil etc.
7. Think may think that an electric mower is too hard to push or move around the yard.
8. They need more than 45 minutes to mow the lawn.

If you fall into the above a gas powered lawn mower is likely a better choice and a self propelled may make sense, as wood a trip to the library and a brush up on math. BTW the new gas powered lawn mowers start very easily but are heavier than an electric but bluntly gas cost is trivial. Maintaing a gas mower does take some time and care every couple of years, but if you are considering an electric your lawn is likely on the smallish size and your mower does not see heavy duty. A person who is somewhat advanced in years should consider an electric mower but in all sincerity only for a small flat lawn.

I have a lawn tractor and a self propelled lawn mower, the latter after 10 years is near the end its useful life (only changed the spark plug twice and the air filter once BTW)

I use my lawn tractor for the back of the house, but take real pride in my front lawn looks and use my self propelled for that (OCD and using the walk behind mower twice a week is routine

I considered a cordless electric but since I plan on having the mower for several years I know that the battery will have to be replaced likely after 3 years. The average cost of a replacement battery is between $120 and $140, which does not make sense. Also for those who believe you will be saving on gas the cost of batteries would keep you in gas for over 10 years, (not kidding) e.g. 40 gallons of gas and for a lawn mower that is a lot. Also for the tree huggers who are helping to keep the planet green, those batteries have to go somewhere. The battery also adds about 35 lbs to push around and just to be complete, if it is cold where you live in the winter and the battery is not removable that will be a problem. Cold storage and batteries not being used is not good.

Given all the above I decided on a corded B&D I was lucky that a friend of mine had this mower that I could use for 2 weeks to kick the tires so to speak. The quality of the cut was excellent and since I mow high and often, the mower worked well bagging and mulching. I wish the cutting height was higher than 3 1/2 " but only the Torro electric offers that, which would cost almost double the price of the Black & Decker.

The B&D is well constructed, light weight and easy to use. The cord is a non issue and I am fully aware of the additional time it takes to unwind the chord, manage it while mowing and then reel it back in when I am done. The entire cord management process does add time and is a bit of pain and if time is a factor, then an corded mower is not for you, and I suspect neither is a corded weed trimer or leaf blower. If you even think that having a cord will be a problem, my advise is to get a gas mower. Just to be totally complete you will require at least a 50 ft extension cord that can deal with 12 amp's and a reel to help store the cord. A good cord will cost around $20 and having 2 makes sense.

The principle advantage of the corded mower is its light weight, not only easy to push (but again if you have hills or large slopes -get a self propelled). but to clean and sharpen or replace the blade!! You cannot get a good cut unless your blade is sharp and if you think about the razor you shave with, or the kitchen knives you cut with, the blade does the work. Keeping the mower clean is important for any mower to allow the blade to spin and keep the grass away from any engine. It bears repeating the blade on your mower is what does the work.

After 2 weeks of using the B&D corded electric I ordered my own, the 12 Amp model because it came with the bagger and the net difference became trivial. If I had a smallish front yard the 6.5 amp B&D would have been my choice.

I hope this has been helpful and that I have not offended anyone.

Comment: I've had cheap gas mowers that wouldn't start and very expensive gas mowers that wouldn't start. No matter how high the quality of the engine there was always something that needed tending to. A couple months ago I went out and bought yet another gas mower. Got it home, put it together, added oil, gassed it up and of course it wouldn't start. So I took it back and the garden center and the people there couldn't get it to start either. Fortunately they refunded my money and took the thing back. That evening I started researching electric mowers on the internet.

A rechargeable battery mower was quickly ruled out because I didn't want to replace a $150 manufacturer specific battery every two or three years. Most of the reviewers of corded mowers were in agreement that cord management was no big deal. My search took me to this compact, lightweight little B&D MM1800. I liked the way it folded up for storage in the pictures.

When it arrived, I rolled it out of the box and popped the handle on it. That's all you have to do. The one touch height setting really works! No more wrestling with each wheel on a heavy gas mower. The lawn was a little longer than usual since I'd been without a mower for month. It didn't matter, the little B&D munched right through it as good as any gasser I've ever owned. I even used it to clear out an overgrown utility easement on the side of my home. It never bogged down or hesitated one bit. The other users are correct when they say that cord management is no problem. I've used it with the bag and without. Both ways work great. Anyway, I've used it several times now since grass grows quickly in the South Florida rainy season and I can't begin to describe how cool it is to just flip this puppy upside down on the lawn to clean it up without worrying about gas and oil spilling all over the place.In fact there are lot's of reasons to celebrate not having to mess with gas mowers anymore.

No need for gasoline

No need to store volatile gasoline

No trips to the gas station or gas smells in the car

No pouring of gasoline into a tiny tank and the associated mess.

No stale gasoline issues

No need for gasoline stabilizer products

No elaborate preparation for off season storage

No gunking up or varnishing of fuel if not stored perfectly

No need for trip to repair shop to undo storage mistakes

No need for oil

No need to check oil level

No need to change oil

No need to tip mower upside down to drain oil

No need to siphon out gas before tipping upside down to drain oil

No fuel or oil leaks and drippage when mower is turned upside down to clean out the underside

No annual tune-up

No gapping or replacing of spark plugs

No cleaning of messy, oily air filters

No smelly exhaust fumes

No smelly garden shed

No noisy engine

No ear plugs or hearing protectors

No need to keep a usage log to time oil changes etc.

I'm very happy with my little orange monster and enjoy lawn mowing a lot more now that it's pretty much hassle free.

Comment: I am very happy with this mower, it is light weight and easy to handle, takes up little storage space and has one touch height adjustment. Assembly was very easy, price was right and delivery was quick.

Comment: Shipping is FAST! with free shipping, Fedex delivered it on Saturday evening!

It's easy to set up, just follow up the instruction, I spent about 10 minutes to put everything together. Someone said the cord is an issue, I don't have any, just follow the instruction! Some tips: make sure the cord is long enough, I use 50' (sometimes add another 25'); move it slowly (since it's not as powerful as the gas mower); empty the bag often (you can feel by the sound); for some area not even, I just do another round, the finish is pretty good looking...

Comment: Bought this at home depot for $200, and used it about 8 times over 8 weeks. Reasonably easy to maneuver, cuts the grass decently, and cord management is not an issue as long as you remember the golden rule, which is to start from the area closest to the electrical outlet.