Black & Decker CMM1200 19-Inch 24-Volt Cordless Electric Mulching Lawn Mower
|
List Price: Our Price: $339.95 You Save: $426.84 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $175.00 (click here) Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Black & Decker CMM1200 19-Inch 24-Volt Cordless Electric Mulching Lawn Mower
Customer Review: A Technician's Analysis and Opinion
Summary: 3 Stars
A Technician's Analysis and Opinion - CMM1200
Summer is over and our mower purring. Cuts grass fine and mulches leaves great.
Now . . . Except for the price difference, I feel my choice would be the CMM1000-5 (the 1-4 models had recalls). If you can find the parts diagrams on the web you will see that the 1000 and 1200 are similar except for the arrangement of the wiring for control and battery charging.
The 1000 has a remaining power gauge and an adequate size "safety key". The 1200 has an external box with the battery charging circuitry. Concerning the run time issue: the cause is not the battery, which produces 17 Amps for one hour, but the motor, which uses 15 Amps at idle, according to my ammeter. These figures suggest that you have one hour mowing time, but with a veritable powerhouse, so move out. Our older Toro cordless has a similar battery but a 6 Amp motor, and it runs about 3 hours.
After unpacking, I proceeded to disassemble and examine. Good design on the mowing body. I don't see a problem with the height adjuster - give the body a whump to make sure the links are engaged. Minor: 8 screws (Torx, by the way) hold the top shells on; 1 was missing, 1 was oversize. After summer, I wanted to get all debris out, so I take off the two shells.
Clamshell Problems: the switch circuitry, which was in the mower body of the 1000's, is at the top of the handle on the 1200 in a "clamshell" assembly. I feel this is lacking in design, durability, and manufacture, and will be grief for both owners and B&D who will have to fix it.
First is the "safety key", which is vital for disconnecting the power to the motor when you need to clean underneath and to store the mower. The key is more appropriate for a small suitcase. It is a small plastic tab with a "T" shape made of plated copper and bends with little effort. If it is twisted more than 15°, it may not connect the circuit and the mower won't run. B&D has even inserted a separate small instruction sheet on the key's use, and I will elaborate further:
The key inserts with the tab at a 9 o'clock position. Push in straight and firmly with a (4 pound) force, turn 90° to upright 12 o'clock and then release. To remove, again push in with a firm (4 pound) force, turn back to the 9 o'clock position and then remove. Do not turn the key without pushing in, or it will twist the "T" and also injure its plastic retaining slot inside.
Also, I add that the "T" makes contact between two thin plated copper strips, which I don't feel are robust for long-term use and amount of current. Finally, when I folded the handle for storage, it neatly clipped the hanging cord, dropping the key into the grass! B&D graciously sent a replacement (under warranty).
The red main "switch-lever" starts and stops the mower. After some weeks it seemed not to work. Got out the screwdriver. The internal switching box has three double pairs of contacts; one had pitted. Scraped clean and applied lubricant to all - which should have been done at manufacture.
I think it would help if the "clamshell assembly" were a separate (modular) unit, which could be easily replaced. As it is, the wiring harness is variously connected in the mower housing and would take some confidence and labor to replace.
I have tried to relate the above to B&D, but only got on a standard "survey" list.
Customer Review: A good low-maintenance mower
Summary: 4 Stars
I didn't want to hassle with buying gas, tuning up an engine, worrying about spark plugs, etc., so this seemed like a good option. After using it for a whole year, I'm happy with the purchase. As other reviewers have noted, the safety switch handle in the original design is quite flimsy... and though I worry it'll snap off one day, so far it hasn't given me any difficulty.
It's not super powerful, but works well in my small yard. I never go more than a week and half between mows, and once it died in tall grass. I just started it back up and slowly pushed it through the tall areas and it was fine. It'll die in normal length wet grass, so I have to make sure it's totally dry.
I keep the mower plugged in all the time (including through winter), and haven't run into any battery issues yet. If you buy this mower, you need to make sure the battery holds a full charge through winter if it gets below freezing. If you just store it in an outside shed (not plugged in), you can destroy the battery.
It's built cheaply (mostly plastic), so you have to be careful with it. That said, all in all, it's a good mower and I'd buy it again.
Customer Review: A great mower if you have the right expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
This mower is somewhat heavy--although a big push mower would be heavier. It is very quiet (like a big box fan) and your ears don't hurt after using it. The handle could be more pleasant but you get used to it. The mower vibrates much less than our old gas mower.
We have 3000-4000 square feet of grass on a 7500 square foot lot, and I haven't run out of power yet. I have planned my mowing on dry days, in the afternoon. I have used it mulching (does great--absolutely no grass clumps on the lawn) and bagged (also good). It's a much less powerful mower (probably equivalent to 1-2HP instead of 3.5-7HP on a typical gas mower) and that means it's not as aggressive. For all I know that's better for the lawn. As someone else mentioned, you have to overlap rows a little more than you might think. But if you do it gives a good smooth cut.
But here's the deal: No gasoline. No smelly exhaust and smelling like gas. Starts right up and stops quick too. It's easy to clean out under the deck. Charges quick. The one thing I want to do is figure out how to solar charge it so I can keep it in the shed instead of the garage.
Overall, it's a fine choice for the smaller yard, and does its job.
Customer Review: A limon?
Summary: 1 Stars
This mower would be a good idea if it worked.
We mowed our little lawn twice and the power seemed to disappear as if it had not be recharged during the second moving. We charged it for days and no improvement. A call to the B and D service center offered suggestions including testing the voltage of the charger. None worked. They suggested bring it in to the service center. That is an hour and twenty minutes from our house. After it worked on the first mowing, we recycled the big box it came in. Getting it packed and shipping would cost about $100. What this means is that while gas mowers can be serviced in rural areas, going green with your mowing is risky unless you live near a B and D service center.
Customer Review: A very smart buy
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say, this is the best buy I've made. If you have a small to medium sized yard, why would you want to buy anything else? It's very quiet compared to a gas mower and starts up as easy as turning a small key and grabbing a lever. So easy and lightweight, just about anyone could use it with little effort. I no longer dread mowing the lawn, and my wife no longer has an excuse not to once in a while! The first thing I used it for was with a dethatching blade to pull up all the dead stuff from the lawn so I can seed it. Changing the blade was easy since I didn't have to worry about spilling oil and gasoline when I turned it on it's side. My yard is not level and has all sorts of dips and mounds, so the mower did bog down considerably when it dug into dirt. However, it recovers nicely with a simple tilt up. The single lever height adjustment is beyond awesome. Cordless means absolutely no restictions. Most of all though, I like knowing that I got a very capable mower for the same price as a similar gas powered one and I do not have to buy any more oil or gasoline. On top of that, I'm being ecologically reponsible and can mow the lawn at 6:00am without waking up the neighbors. Get one now!!!!