Black & Decker MM875 Lawn Hog 19-Inch 12 amp Electric Mulching Mower with Rear Bag
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Black & Decker MM875 Lawn Hog 19-Inch 12 amp Electric Mulching Mower with Rear Bag
Customer Review: A great machine
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought one of these two years ago, at a considerably higher price by the way, and I love it. Here's why:
* After 40 years of fighting with pull-start gasoline mowers, trying to get them to fire up, this one starts instantly -- ALWAYS! That alone may be worth the $400-plus price I paid.
* I no longer have to go to the gas station to get fuel, and have that hazardous waste hanging around. No more oil to dispose of, too. (Not that I bothered to change it much; what a bother!)
* When I finish mowing the lawn, I don't smell like an exhaust pipe.
* There is virtually no maintenance -- no worrying about water in the gas tank, gas line clogs, changing oil, cleaning filters, getting the spark gap right, cleaning out gas/oil for winter, etc. Plug it in, charge it up, and mow!
* It's a green machine, more environmentally friendly than the gas-and-oil spewing contraptions I've used for years.
* It makes a lot less noise than a gasoline-engine mower (though I would not fire it up at 7 on a Sunday morning).
* It does a surprisingly good job of mulching leaves in the fall.
I wish the cut were more than 19 inches, but that's not a big deal for me. I have about a third of an acre to mow, and it handles that nicely on one charge.
Thanks to the batteries, the unit is heavier than a comparable four-stroke gas mower, but even at age 65, I like the exercise and don't mind the bit of extra effort. Hell, it's good for you!
I do not use the grass-leaf catcher that comes with the mower. I believe in leaving the grass cuttings and chopped leaves in the lawn as nutrient-sources for the grass. I keep the mower elevation setting relatively high off the ground -- it's better for the grass.
I am glad to see the prices of these coming down. At under $200, this is a real bargain.
Customer Review: A great tool
Summary: 4 Stars
I have found this mower to be almost perfect for my small yard. I love the easy change between mulching and bagging as well as the easy height adjustment. The rugged plastic body never gets dented, and of course the electric motor makes maintenance easy. I only have two minor complaints:- The padding on the handle started to tear almost immediately. A little electrical tape has kept the tear from spreading.
- The handle does not easily fold or flip down or up without loosening some fasteners. An easy way to do this would have improved ease of storage.
Other than that, this is a great mower and I would buy it again.
Customer Review: A little short on power
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second mower of this model I have owned. In new heavy grass you will have to mow a half row at a time and then overmow again to get an even cut and the grass small enough. Be sure and avoid the natural tendancy of rolling it over a steep bank to get the weeds as a rock strike deflected the blade into the bottom plastic of the mower and it was destroyed--chopped up. I didn't want to pay the price for a battery power mower so got this one again and am being more careful.Customer Review: A much different mowing experience
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my first electric mower, and overall I am pleased with it. I got tired of working up a sweat trying to start my old gas mower, tired of filling it up, tired of the pollution, etc. So when it finally quit working, I made the switch.
When the Lawn Hog arrived, one of the handle adjustment knobs at the bottom had broken during shipping, but I didn't worry about it too much. I fired her up and was very pleased. It was far quieter than my gas mower, quieter even than my weed eater. I love being able to plug it in and get to work. It does a good job on the lawn. I wouldn't recommend this mower for big yards due to the cord issue, but it works great for small ones.
It's still a bit awkward to deal with the cord, even after a few months of use. IMPORTANT: DO NOT mow over your cord! Usually it can pass harmlessly underneath the blade. But this morning it got caught in the blade, and I destroyed a $40 heavy-duty power cord, tripped the circuit breaker, risked electrocuting myself, and possibly damaged the mower. Learn from my mistake!
Pros:
1) Quiet
2) Very low maintenance (just clean it periodically)
3) Environmentally friendly
4) Cuts grass pretty well
5) Easy to start
6) Lighter weight than a gas mower
Cons:
1) Cord management (don't mow your cord!)
2) Somewhat flimsy feel (start handle feels like it could break off easily, knob broke during shipping)
3) Not quite as powerful as a gas mower
4) No self-propel feature
Customer Review: A perfect solution for older gardeners and it beats moving to a condo.
Summary: 5 Stars
After nearly getting a hernia whenever I tried starting my gas mower, and ending a mowing session with total exhaustion, I remembered that I had always used an electric mower when I lived in Canada, and looked around for one here. I chose this model as it was one of the larger sizes, and I have a 15,000 square foot yard. For a while I had hired someone to cut the grass, but as I live in Florida the grass needs cutting twice a month, and this gets expensive. I even considered selling my house and moving to a condo, but decided to try one last thing.
I am very pleasantly surprised by the ease of use. After the initial try out I got the hang of keeping the cord out of the way. The mower is quite light and easily manouevrable - I can get it into odd spots that the gas mower would not go. Best of all, all you have to do to stop it is release the handle. Starting it again you pull out the handle. No yanking and no waiting until the engine cools down. If I need to hold shrubs out of the way or move something - no problem. No messing around with gas and oil, spark plugs, filters, and all that goes with gas mowers.
The other great feature is that it is so quiet that I can use it very early in the morning while it is still cool. A big plus in Florida. I would recommend this for single women and older gardeners who find a gas mower to heavy and strenous.