Well, it has been a while since I started this blog but I haven't reviewed any products. Don't get me wrong, I have had products that did suck during this period. I simply haven't had time to write about them. I'm still busy, but Canadian Tire has ticked me off lately. It all started with a Simoniz 3-in-1 Cleaning Centre (pressure washer), but I'll talk about that in another article.
Anyway, back to the Yardworks 3-in-1 Cordless Lawnmower. I figured that a lawnmower without cords is a great idea. No mess with gas powered mower, no cord of electric models to run over. After searching online for some reviews, I didn't find any. I called my Dad who warned me about new 'fandangled' things. I looked up the history of cordless mowers and found that the technology has been around for 10 to 20 years. I figured that was long enough to work out the kinks.
I investigated all the various models of cordless mowers. Black and Decker and Yardworks came out on top. The Yardworks was a little bit cheaper and I did see some bad reviews of B&D's model. Canadian Tire sells the Yardworks 24V / 14" 2-in-1 Cordless Lawn Mower, the Yardworks 24V / 16" 2-in-1 Cordless Lawn Mower, and the Yardworks 24V / 20" 3-in-1 Cordless Lawn Mower. My wife and I decided on the top end model because we figured we would be using the mower for years so get the 'best'.
Canadian Tire lists the features as:
- 24V cordless lawn mower 17.2 Ah battery (included) capacity;
- 20-hour charge time and 45-60 minute run time / 10,000 sq. ft.
- 20" (51 cm) cutting width 3-in-1 functions;
- mulching, side discharge and rear-bagging
- Cuts thick and long grass (keep this in mind)
- Single lever, 6-position height adjustment
- Includes rear bag for convenient debris collection
- For a replacement battery, please contact the manufacturer at 1-877-888-3872
- 7" front wheels and 8" rear wheels
The mower comes with:
a grass catcher bag,
a side discharge chute,
and a mulching plug. It also comes with a charger connected directly to the mower.
So I decided to take the plunge. On April 28th, 2007, I purchased the mower and dutifully read the manual. The manual stated that there was a 10-hour charge time (which is different than the advertised 20-hour charge time). I thought they might have improved the charger since the advertisement. I didn't think a 10 or 20 hour charge time was that bad. I could just charge it the night before I mowed if it was low. As long as it has enough power to cut a thick and long lawn it should be fine.
The first time I used the mower, it worked flawlessly. I was able to cut both the front and the back of a 4,267 sq. ft. / 396 sq. m. lot (about 2000 sq. ft. of lawn after you subtract the house, patio, etc). The lawn was just recovering from winter so it was fairly short at 2-3 inches. The battery had plenty of charge left. The number of LEDs was still at the maximum four green.
The second time I used the mower three weeks later the LEDs were still at the maximum of four green. So I set out to mow the lawn which was about 3-4 inches long. Again, the mower performed flawlessly. I thought to myself that I had made a good purchasing decision.
The third time I mowed the lawn, I was in for a shock. My lawn was quite long. I was going to cut it earlier, but it rained for a stretch of three days straight so I couldn't cut it. So the lawn was about 5 inches on average. In the really tall areas that grow faster than the rest, it was about 1 foot. This is quite a mess for any mower to handle. But Canadian Tire did advertise "Cuts thick and long grass" cough bull-sh*t cough.
I checked the charge and it said it had 80% charge left. Since Canadian Tire advertised that it can cut 10,000 sq. ft. on a single charge, I figured 80% should cut my paltry lawn size. While I was nearing the end of cutting the front, the mower started to sputter and it was down to 2 LEDs (60%). I pushed the mower to the back and started to mow. I got about 2 feet into the back lawn and the blade stopped dead. I backed the mower up and the blade started to spin again. I pushed the mower ahead, and the blade stopped. After half a row of that, I gave up. I checked the charge LED and it was on RED. I figured the mower battery was dead so I had to charge it. I rolled it back to the garage and hooked it up to the charger.
The next day I checked the charge, 4 LEDs. Great it is now at 100% after 12 hours of charging. I rolled the mower out and around to the back. I pushed the mower down the half completed row and got to the long grass. The blade stopped. Argh! The bloodly thing is fully charged and can't cut the grass! What the heck is wrong with this thing?!? The grass desperately needed to be cut so for the rest of the back, I would push the mower ahead, then back, then ahead, then back. You can imagine how frustrating that is! I get half done the back and then this technique quit working. The mower was on RED again after only about 500 sq ft cut. Pathetic. What makes it worse is that I didn't purchase the lower end model that has swappable batteries. This mower has a battery that is difficult to be removed (and cannot be purchased at Canadian Tire). So when it is dead, you have to take the friggen mower to the garage and charge it. At least if it had easily exchangeable batteries, I could have two of them and swap it halfway through.
The lawn had to be cut though so I got my Yardworks 24V Grass Trimmer (which I will likely write about in the future... if anything bad happens) and proceded to cut the lawn with that. I trimmed down most of the long stuff and let the mower 'rest' for a while. I got most of the long stuff cut with the grass trimmer and went back to the mower. It seemed to have more power after a brief rest. I was able to finally finish the little bit of lawn I had left, but the mower blade still stopped repeatedly during cutting of that part.
If I were to buy again, I would have gotten the cheaper, lower end model and an extra battery or a corded electric. I can avoid a cord for the grief this cordless mower has caused me.
So now the mower is back on the charger and I am writing this blog about it. Feels a little better to vent and let others know the problems with this mower. Upon re-reading the manual, I see under "Mulching Tips" that if the mowing has been delayed, cut the lawn to reduce the height to 3.25 inches and then recut the lawn. I'll try this next time, but I'm not holding my breath!
I'll be sure to give an update. If you've had a similar experience, let me know in the comments section.
