Once operating the mower gets a 5. We purchased the mower to be used in our backyard around a pool. There are lots of plants and objects to be maneuvered around. The lightweight mower and the 17” cut makes the mower perfect for this area. The pick up bag keeps it very neat right around the pool deck—no need for blowing after the cut. The 60 volt power cuts the thick grass with no effort and leaves the grass looking well manicured—no swirl patterns left and no random shoots sticking up. I have no doubt this mower could take on larger projects. My wife is petite and she can handle the mower with no difficulty. The 17” size and the folding handle makes it almost unnoticeable against the wall in the garage.
The 4 rating was given because a small bar underneath the mower deck was bent and pressing against the height adjustment cog making the height adjustment gear on top of the mower impossible to move. I do not believe this happened in shipping because of the location of the bar. It was most likely bent when the mower was assembled at the plant. A simple check of the height adjustment procedure once assembled would have identified this problem before the mower was packed. I would think this would be standard operating procedure. It took me awhile to locate the problem but once I identified the bent bar, I was able to straighten it slightly—just enough to clear the height adjustment cog. Now the height adjustment button depresses with ease and the height adjustment gear moves with relative ease.
The mower has only been used for one cutting so I can say nothing about the length of time the battery last other than it lasted throughout the 30-40 minutes it took to cut the backyard. And as for durability, we will have to see.
Overall this is a great lawn mover. It's a little quieter than a gas mower and it obviously doesn't have the fumes. My only complaint is about the battery life. This is supposed to have a runtime of 60 minutes on a full charge, but we are only getting about 30 minutes.
Just tried it for the firs time, on a larger lawn, in thick, long, slightly wet grass. On it's first battery charge, mowed for over an hour without a break, and chewed through all the grass. The mulched discharge is a little clumpier than my old gas, and I slightly miss the self-propulsion on my old gas. But the pros against my old gas mower: nimble, light (easy to push), so much quieter, no gas/oil, push button start, and stand up storage. Also pleasantly surprised with its cutting power and battery longevity (on the first charge). Yet to see of course how long the electric motor and battery last as I could keep a gas mower running indefinitely. Crossing my fingers it lasts for a while because I love it.