Makita tools lawn mower. New Makita Cordless Lawn Mower

New Makita Cordless Lawn Mower

Makita has come out with a new 18V X2 cordless lawn mower, XML03, which features a heavy duty steel deck with 18″ cutting capacity.

The new Makita cordless mower is described as a welcome solution for efficient grass cuttings, and as with other battery-powered outdoor power tools, there are zero emissions, lower noise, and reduced maintenance compared to gas-engine models.

Features include 18″ cutting capacity, folding handles, weather-resistant construction, and a “quiet mode” that sets the speed to a lower setting.

• Heavy duty steel deck
• Brushless motor
• 3300 RPM no-load speed
• Quiet mode sets speed control to 2500 RPM
• Single lever cutting height adjustment
• 10 height settings, from 13/16″ to 2-5/16″
• Folding handles
• 16 gallon capacity grass bag
• Plug for mulching operation
• Wet Guard weather resistance, IPx4 rating
• Weighs 60.46 lbs with batteries, 57.76 lbs without

Makita says that the XML03 cordless mower is recommended for yards of up to 1/3 acre.

The mower is available as a bare tool, XML03Z, or as part of a kit, XML03PT1. The kit comes with a dual port charger and (4) 5.0Ah batteries. Both come with the mulching plug.

Compared to Makita’s previous model, XML02, the XML03 looks to have a wider cutting capacity, 18″ vs. 17″, but fewer height settings, 10 vs. 13. The new XML03 is also heavier, at 60.46 lbs vs. 40.8 lbs for the XML02, which would be attributed to the newer model’s steel deck.

Price: 449 for the bare tool, 599 for the kit

Buy Now(XML03Z Bare Tool via Tool Nut) Buy Now(XML03PT1 Kit via Tool Nut)

Compare(XML02Z Bare Tool via Amazon) Compare(XML02PTX1 Kit Angle Grinder via Amazon)

Note: Bundling the older model in kit format with an angle grinder is an unusual promo, but I suppose it makes sense.

First Thoughts

On paper, the new Makita cordless lawn mower (XML03) has similar specs and features to the previous model (XML02), but if you take a closer look, it’s a completely different tool. It has a steel deck vs. plastic, a different height adjustment mechanism, a different motor housing, a bigger grass collection bag, the introduction of a lower RPM “Quiet Mode,” and IPX4 weather-resistant construction.

I can’t be certain, but it also looks like the front wheels are larger on the new model. The XML03 parts diagram says the new mower has 8″ rear wheels, and 7″ front wheels. According to an online product listing pace, the XML02 is said to have 6-5/16″ rear wheels, and 5.5″ front wheels.

Aside from maybe the general design of the handles, the new Makita cordless mower looks to have been completely redesigned. The downsides are that it weighs more and costs more, and I would guess that with a slightly larger cutting capacity, it could potentially have shorter running time. Perhaps that is why the kit comes with (4) 5.0Ah batteries.

As a reminder, with this being a Makita 18V X2 cordless power tool, it requires (2) batteries at a time to operate.

See Also: DeWALT 2x20V Max Cordless Mower Review

Compared to this new Makita cordless mower, the DeWALT 2x20V Max cordless mower has a slightly wider cutting width. The DeWALT has fewer cutting deck height positions. It cannot cut grass as short as the Makita, but can cut it longer. The DeWALT is priced at 399 for the 2-battery kit.

See Also: EGO 21″ Cordless Push Mower Review

Note to Makita: Thumbs up on advertising the mower according to its cutting width (18″), rather than by its “deck size.”

32 Комментарии и мнения владельцев

I have a lot of Makita cordless tools. Just wish it were self propelled. Make it use 4 batteries and another electric motor. My 1/4 acre lot has slopes and no way I’m pushing a mower. My Honda will last a long time.

Surprisingly, these battery powered mowers glide over the grass because their so light. I bought the DeWALT 40v Max mower last year (Couldn’t wait on Makita) and I love everything about it except the charge time (140 minute Charge time. It has very similar specs to this Makita, but the best thing about it is Makita’s quick charge time, while using their dual charger.

Your dreams have been answered…mower now available with 4 batteries…steel deck.18inch or 21 inch wide cut.self propelled…

angle grinder to help sharpen the blades? seems reasonable on paper – in line with the others on the market. If you’re in the Makita realm – it would be something to consider. My only thing is I seem to like having my OPE on a different battery than my power tools – and I think I would keep doing this. But I see the appeal of using the same batteries everywhere.

Smart of them to package with 4 x 5.0Ah batteries and a dual charger. That’ll basically allow for continuous use on a regular size 1/2 acre lot. Seems a bit overpriced still but an okay deal if you’re heavily invested in Makita 18V and you need a bunch of new 5.0 batteries anyway. 4 x 5.0s would usually cost around 400 alone, so that’s pretty solid. The bare tool is just plain overpriced. I can get a 21″ Ego mower with a battery and charger for less than that. 180 watt-hours of onboard capacity is really not bad, especially for an 18V-based tool. The question I have is whether the mower has any kind of built in load sensing. All of the main competitors in this space seem to have it — Ego, Greenworks, Kobalt. And to me, this is where DeWALT’s mowers fall down. They go full blast all the time, and runtime suffers greatly as a result. They overpower everything else in the class by a mile, which is great when you’re mowing an overgrown small area, but is really unneccessary for the run of the mill weekly inch and a half mow of the yard. It’s like using a sledgehammer to build a birdhouse.

I’ll throw out the opposite opinion. I find the load sensing on my Echo mower pretty annoying. For one thing, the constant up/down/up/down noise is aggravating and I just don’t find it as pleasant when mowing as a constant drone at the same frequency. From a functional perspective it isn’t great either, because it takes it a second to sense the load and apply the extra power, which means that it has already “folded over” the grass by hitting it too slowly. Whenever I hit a thick spot in the lawn I have to pause and wait for the blade to catch up, even then it is a crapshoot if it will be able to lift the folded over grass and cut it. I really wish it had a basic Rabbit/Turtle lever like a gas mower where I could set the power level manually. I am sure it would drain batteries faster but it would make it more pleasant and functional.

I want my mower to go full blast, that is why Ego, kobolt and greenworks cutting is subpar because it doesn’t cut well with slower speed, I know you sacrifice runtime but DeWALT should have packaged their mower with 9amp or 12amp batteries or at least the 6amp 20v battery

I have herd most of dewalts brushless motor have some sort of sensor. Including the mower. And I do see a difference In battery life from long grass to short grass.

I have the previous model, and this one doesn’t seem much of an improvement. I prefer the plastic deck which means lighter weight to push up the hills. Weaknesses of the previous model are the wheel mounts are flat steel, and bend fairly easily. I intend to weld some bracing on them. Also, the handle doesn’t fold quickly for stowing in the garage. It’s light enough that you could put it on a shelf, but the handle keeps me from doing that. I guess the IPX4 rating is for hosing it off, because who mows in the rain?

The improvement on the new one is that it’s Brushless. wider deck made with steel to keep the mower from jumping around giving you a cleaner cut.

Not to dogpile but the reason DeWALT mower doesn’t do load./speed variance is that the pro model 40V doesn’t. When they demo’d them pro landscapers wanted it to run wide out for the reasons posted above. IE it needed to work exactly like their Husqvarna, snapper, Exmark push mower. Also changing the speed – eats current too – so the runtime difference isn’t that much vs running full out. I do agree though it would be nice on any of them to have a simple fast/low setting. The Echo cordless trimmer does this and it’s great.

Maybe this is just in my area, but I haven’t seen any pro landscapers running a 21″ push mower at all, much less a cordless one. Even if they did, it seems highly impractical to be changing out 6 Amp-hour 40 Volt batteries every 15-20 minutes when they have an hour and a half charge time. I can’t tell if your post is sarcastic or not. The ellipsis makes me think yes. I apologize for my online ineptitude.

Some towns are implementing noise ordinances that might require electric. It’s very limited right now (obviously).

I’m glad I didn’t wait for Makita to bring out this mower. I almost did, but bought my Ego mower instead. In 2014. I love my Makita 18v tools but I have no faith that their X2 36v platform is as good as Ego’s 56v platform for powering larger OPE.

I just saw the “quiet mode” on a second read-through. Perhaps that will function as a manual implementation of the energy save mode I’m looking for. That would seem reasonable to me. I have found that the load-sensing on my Kobalt works very well, and typically there’s not much up or down throughout the course of the mow. When the grass is wet or overgrown, it constantly runs at the highest speed and drains the 2 Ah battery in about 20 minutes. When the grass is dry and normal height it constantly runs at the lower speed. The lower speed has been sufficient to cut the dry grass in my experience, and the mower will last about 40-45 minutes.

I’m now tempted to sell my DeWALT 40v Max mower to buy this. Which I actually really like the mower, except for the insane 140 minute charge time with the 6 Amp battery. I’ve got two choices this year, buy a second battery to be able to mow the backyard the same day or sell the DeWALT, and then buy the Makita. Humm…

Buy another battery or something else you might need that is bundled with a battery charger. I’d go that route unless you already have Makita 18v and want to expand that line and add more bats.

As far as I know, the 40V Max DeWALT batteries are only compatible with the 40V DeWALT outdoor line, so you’re a bit limited on other equipment you could buy to somewhat economically increase your battery and charger inventory. It’s not like you could expand it with a new drill kit or something. Basically, all you’ve got to pick from is a string trimmer, hedge trimmer, or blower. It also looks like DeWALT just released some 60V FlexVolt OPE stuff, so I think they may be preparing to phase out the 40V collection. No official news on this but just reading the situation. I’ve also noticed that DeWALT OPE has essentially vanished from all local Lowe’s and HDs within 10 miles of me. The 40V stuff seems to still be at places like Grainger and CPO, but it’s not discounted at all. On the one hand, I’d be hesitant to invest big money into expanding a DeWALT 40V Max OPE collection where it looks like it may be hitting the end of the road. On the other hand, if you can find some stuff on clearance, it could be a good opportunity to just stock up on the cheap and carry yourself for the next 4-5 years on it. I did this with Kobalt 80V last fall and got my blower, mower, and trimmer on clearance for about half of what they’d cost new. A little different because it looks like the Kobalt 80V platform will still be going for a while and they’re cross-compatible with Greenworks if you’re handy with a Dremel, but you’re already in DeWALT. Keep in mind that the Makita is only 18″, which doesn’t sound much smaller than 21″, but will increase your mowing time and number of passes by 15%. Not a big deal if you have a small yard and it only takes 20 minutes to mow, but a bigger problem if you’re out there for an hour. I’m with the guys above in that unless you already have a bunch of Makita 18V tools and need more batteries, I don’t think it’s a great value for the mower. I’d look at Ego, Greenworks, Kobalt, and even the new Craftsman cordless stuff before diving in on a 600 18″ push mower kit. You can get a 21″ push mower from each of these brands plus a blower or trimmer with 2-3 fast charge batteries and chargers for the same price as just the Makita with the 4 batteries and dual charger. If I were you and I could get 200 or more for the used 40V mower, I think I’d move to a different brand.

You will need 2 new batteries for any machine that is 2x 18 or 20 v… equals 36 or 40 v. If your deck is low enough It’s because if you have one 9 and one 5… the 9 will not take on additional dutys for power or heat for the smaller mating battery. So you cant keep running just on the bigger battery. lts also less of an issue if the blade is on a hi setting. This is why bigger cells and bigger bats and higher brushless voltage is better… more and more bigger tools that are more efficient. I think DeWALT knew 2 5 were to keep price down… because they dont sell bare tool for us guys who already have 9s. And any body with no DeWALT tools who by a mower will now maybe buy some tools to fit the 2 5s from mower.

For me: Any battery powered mower = HARD PASS. I have a reasonably normal sized yard, no battery powered mower will cut it for me, no pun intended. I will not buy any OPE you walk behind that’s not gas, period. Hundreds of dollars for a battery powered mower, hundreds more for additional batteries, no thanks. You have very long charge times and require very high Ah batteries for a mower and it’s still not self propelled, there are a few but that cuts into run time. If I exhaust all my batteries before finishing I’m stuck for hours. Then after 4 or 5 years you’re replacing those really expensive batteries for hundreds more. I love hand held battery powered OPE as gas and corded replacement, as long as it’s 40V and 4Ah minimum, but for mowers and snow blowers, I’ll stick to gas, thanks.

I used to think this as well, but I think your assessment is based on a lot of generalizations that are no longer applicable across the board. If you have over an acre of land, I would say I could see the appeal of a larger commercial grade tractor or self-propelled 36″ mower. But that really has more to do with mower width than propulsion method. In any case, at 3/4 of an acre or less, I think electric is hard to beat. I’ll give you my scenario to try to explain how it works for me. I have what I consider to be a reasonably normal sized yard. I think it’s about a third of an acre but I haven’t measured it. It takes about 40 minutes to mow at a reasonable pace with a 21″ push mower if that’s any indication. My Kobalt 80V mower with a 2Ah battery finishes it under normal conditions (grass under 4.5 inches tall and not wet) in less than a single charge. If my lawn was larger, it would still not be an issue, as the charge time for the battery is less than the runtime for the mower, so I can continuously cycle 2 batteries from the mower to the charger without interruption. I could see this perhaps being an issue if I were a lawn professional, but I’m not, and for me, I can usually get by with just one battery change throughout my entire Saturday morning to take care of mowing, weedwhacking, and blowing off the driveway and sidewalks. My Kobalt batteries charge in a half hour (EGO and Greenworks 80V charge times are also similar) and all that really matters is that they charge in less time than they mow for. I’ll concede that some battery platforms (Ryobi, DeWALT, and Greenworks 40V come to mind immediately) do not charge this fast and would present problems for larger yards. If the battery goes, I’ll probably get something else in the 80V range that I need (snowblower, hedge trimmer, etc.) that comes with a new battery at a discount, or I’ll suck it up and just buy a new battery for 120. I have done away with spark plugs, seasonal oil changes, carb cleaners, 2-stroke mixing, and buying 5 gallons of gas each year. I could not be happier about that. The cordless mower itself would be about 350 retail without the battery and charger, so it’s basically at price parity with a mid-range gas push mower. I wouldn’t bother with the 200 or less gas stuff anymore because I’ve seen too many die within 3 years. So really, the difference is between the price of batteries and electricity versus the price of gas, oil, spark plugs, and the value of your time. The battery is warrantied for 3 years, so let’s assume it will actually last 4 years. I think it will last longer but I’ll be conservative. If it lasts less than 3 years, it’s replaced for free under warranty, so 4 years seems a fair estimate. So each year, gas will cost you 15 bucks, stabil will cost you 5, Oil will cost you 10, carb cleaner will cost you 5 (a can is 10 and I can usually get a can to last 2 years), and a new spark plug will cost you 5. I do air filters every 2 years or so, and a new filter costs 10, so add 5 a year for those. For the sake of fairness, I won’t get into the value of time and frustration, because everyone weighs that differently. So, end of the day, it costs about 50 bucks a year in running costs for a gas mower. Maybe you think my maintenance routine is overzealous, but I have found that skipping any part of it is basically a guarantee of problems. A new battery costs 120. It’s effectively a lot less if you get one packaged with another piece of equipment, but again, we’ll be conservative. Because someone would otherwise mention that electricity isn’t free, my electric costs are in fact negligible. Let’s be conservative and say it takes 2 full 2.0 Ah 80V Max (72 Volt Nominal) batteries each week to mow. That rounds up to 300 watt-hours a week. My mowing season spans about April 15-October 1, or 24 weeks. That’s 7200 watt-hours total each year, or 7.2 kWh. I’ll even account for charging inefficiencies and conservatively round that up to 10 kWh. At the national average of 13 cents per kWh, it would cost me at most 1.30 to charge the batteries for all of my lawn equipment each year. So over 4 years, a gas mower costs 350 for the mower (50 per season x 4), which comes out to 550. Over 4 years, the electric mower costs 400 for the initial mower with battery and charger package 5.20 for electricity 120 for a replacement battery in the 4th year. Total cost of 525.20. Having a second battery to cycle in does not change the math because you reduce the number of charges each battery goes through, and double the expected life of the packs. Sure, you could get a 200 gas Bolens small displacement Briggs Stratton mower, which would theoretically bring the 4 year cost down to 400. However the price delta is still not that large, and I’d be willing to bet that the cheapo gas mower will need repairs or replacement at or before the end of 4 years, which brings your total cost up to 600. In my view, lawn mowers are like good dress shoes. Pay more now to save more later. Long story short, new cordless electric mowers are not nearly as expensive as people perceive them to be, the batteries of some models charge way faster than you think they do, and the running costs basically make them equivalent in price to a gas mower, even if you assume that the battery will need replacement just after the warranty ends, the worst case scenario. People balk because of the one-time cost of batteries, but at the end of the day, you’re spending just as much on gas and maintenance at the end of the day, you might actually save money, and you’ll certainly save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration. Just my take.

While I’ve not been interested in lawnmowers for many years (paying others to do lawn maintenance for me) – I was interested in your calculation. This sort of calculation works best when there is not a huge disparity between the first costs of the options and the annual OM costs. So your lawnmower calculation is on-target. The other more rigorous calculation would be the attempt to calculate the NPV (Net Present Value) of the 2 options. We’d often do this when looking at buying new machinery or construction equipment – especially when there was a big disparity in first costs (capital investment) versus OM costs and potential revenue streams from different options. Considering these plus variables like our opportunity cost of capital, and discount rate – we’d often put tolerance bands on our results – giving us a range of expected costs and revenue streams associated with the investment. Way too much for a lawnmower! But if you were looking at some options for capital improvement in a shop – it could be worth the effort. Naturally we were usually looking for options that provided payback in a few years – not stretching out into the decade range – with its concomitant uncertainties.

Hey fred, thanks for the feedback. I’m not in professional construction or anything, I just like to build and fix stuff in my time off. I also like to think about marketing and design decisions that companies make. I have no idea why this interests me tbh. I understood about half of what you said about Net Present Value calculations on a very surface level. I’m guessing what you’re talking about is kind of cost versus productivity impact while accounting for depreciation. I like to think I have an idea of how to think about these things but don’t really know what to call them. My very surface level attempt to understand this would be to think of myself as a lawn professional (just to stick with the same example) trying to decide whether it’s smarter to buy a 5000 48″ ride on or a 1000 30″ walk behind. Sure, the ride-on is way more expensive up front, but maybe it lets you cut an extra 3 lawns a day, so you make an extra 150 bucks or so each day, and it pays itself off in a few months. In contrast, if you’re a kid mowing 3 lawns a weekend as a side gig, and you’re not turning customers away because of capacity issues, the 4000 extra might save you 20 minutes on each lawn, but doesn’t really open up any profit streams. My frankly way too long post about the cordless electric mower cost of ownership is part of a little bit of a mission I’ve found myself on recently. About a year ago, I bought a Chevy Volt, and I freaking love the car. I buy gas for the 10 gallon tank every couple of months, I have not yet needed an oil change (I’ll probably get one this summer before it’s technically due), and I don’t anticipate having to change my brake pads during my ownership of the car. I plug into a standard outlet overnight, and it’s just great. What I’ve found is a lot of people have preconceptions about what they need out of cars specifically and products more generally, and they have deeply ingrained beliefs about why a certain kind of product won’t work for them based on problems that used to exist but generally no longer apply. For electric cars and OPE, the criticisms are generally the same: 1) It’s too expensive; 2) It takes too long to charge; 3) What happens when the batteries die; 4) The batteries are too expensive to replace; 5) Because the vehicle/mower is tied into a grid that is partially powered by coal, it is just as bad for the environment as a gas car/mower; 6) Doesn’t your electric bill go up? My response, similar to the mower has always been: 1) After you consider fuel and maintenance savings, it’s actually cheaper. 2) If you have a normal work commute of less than 50 miles a day, you can very easily refuel overnight even without a charging station. If you have a pure BEV with a 250 mile range, you can make a 400 mile trip (which most of us do way less often than we think) with one 30-45 minute stop for lunch at a Rapid charger. And for mowers, you can literally swap batteries on and off the charger until the cows come home. 3) The batteries are way more reliable than the lead acid batteries you’ve known for most of your life and are even significantly improved over EV batteries from 9 years ago. 4) It’s rare that you will ever need to replace an entire battery, but you may need to replace a module of one, just like you may occasionally need to replace a strut or sway bar or motor mount. And even in the odd event that they do fail, they are covered by very long warranties, and even outside of warranty, the batteries are again, after considering the savings you get by using them, no more expensive than having to replace or overhaul a gas engine. 5) This is just not true. Yes – electric cars are not perpetual motion machines that defy the laws of physics and the “zero emissions” catchphrase is arguably misleading, even less efficient EVs in regions where coal is the main grid fuel produce less carbon dioxide than even the most efficient gas hybrid vehicles. The Union of Concerned Scientists has studied this and found that plug in hybrids create about half of the CO2 emissions that gas vehicles do while pure EVs create about a third. https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/electric-vehicles/ev-emissions-tool. By way of example, a Chevy Bolt EV produces the equivalent amount of CO2 as a car that gets 95 miles per gallon in my area. I haven’t analyzed power production in my area (southeastern PA) versus the nation, but I know there are several coal plants around me. I’d think it’s probably close to the national average, maybe a little dirtier. 6) Yes. My electric bill has increased by approximately 23 per month. But I have reduced the money I spend on gas by about 90 per month, so I’ll live with the electric increase. I’ll never tell someone what kind of car or product to buy, as people have different needs that they have to cater to. People who need huge cargo hauling ability, room for 7 people and other considerations like these really don’t have a viable affordable EV option at the moment (though the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid is very close to it). However, when I hear people complain about issues that I know are no longer true, I want to jump in and let them know how these things actually work. I certainly went off on a tangent here and I apologize for getting into a long discussion about cars on a tool blog, but I just wanted to share my background on these issues.

Thanks for the feedback. In its simplest form a NPV calculation take into account the “time value of money”. The idea is that as time moves on a dollar’s buying power decreases. This can be significant in period of high inflation – or even catastrophic if a country (like Venezuela) undergoes what’s called hyperinflation. So as an example if I buy a machine that costs me 100,000 and my net profit per year (gross profit minus annual OM expense) is expected to be a steady 10,000 per year – you might think that the machine would have break-even point some 10 years hence. But that is not true – since 10,000 a year from today is worth less to me than having 10,000 today – and 10,000 paid to me in year 10 is worth very much less – diminished by inflation. Add in the uncertainties about how OM costs might increase over time, and how your profits might change – then you might have a range of possible paybacks for the machine. Its a bit like deciding on how you would like your payback if you happen to win a lottery. Would you like 1 million up front or 50,000 per year for 20 years. Its also why you should do your own calculations about paybacks on things like home improvements. We were sometimes asked by a prospective client about what we thought would be the payback in energy savings for something like new Windows (when they already had decent Windows). Some had been given, what we thought were exaggerated claims from others. We’d suggest that they talk to their local utility – or take our advice that you may make some improvements because they improve the quality of your life (or feeling about your house) rather than based on the expectation of a big payback.

Alright, let’s do the real math, the math that’s pertinent to me. I have about 1/3 of an acre with dense grass in the back that would really reduce battery life. I use about 15 a year in gas, 2/QT for oil, which usually does about 2 years worth of oil changes. 5 filter that lasts about 2 years and a 3 spark plug that lasts several years. So I’m somewhere around 20 a year in operating costs, not 50. If I was replacing my mower, which I’m not, and gas mowers last at least 10 years for me, it would cost me about 300, there are several self propelled options at that price point with BS or Honda engines. So we’re at 400 5 year cost, 500 10 year cost. With battery, 550 is the lowest price you can get for a 40V self propelled mower and 2 4Ah batteries, and that’s the Ryobi Spring Black Friday special at HD, and the Ryobi 40V chargers have horrible reviews (fhigh ailure rate). So I’d likely have to go to another brand meaning 600. Now batteries, I would have to have 2 incase one round out mid-mow, since I can’t just add gas, I’d need the second ready to go. Now all batteries can only be expected to last 4-5 years before they degrade in performance or die, they could very well go longer, but you can’t bank on it. Time and the summer heat will take their toll, even with low cycles. Now here’s the other concern, what if in 5,6,7 years time those batteries are no longer made and are hard to come by? What if the mower dies and they no longer make the mower for that platform? Even if the batteries are available you’re talking 300 for the batteries. So I’m looking at start up cost of about 600 and ~5/ year electric cost. 5 year cost 625 ten year cost 950 assuming I’ll have to buy replacement batteries somewhere in there. That’s to save 15 annually. Pass. We’re talking close to double over all. Even in the best case scenario you might get those to slightly overlap in the mid 500s, and that’s for a mower that I’m not sure will make it through my yard on a single charge. I’ll still pass on battery powered walk behind stuff.

Acmetools.com is listing this Makita lawnmower for 524, with a dual charger, and four batteries. For some, seeing is believing, but let me tell you, battery powered walk-behind lawnmowers are superior to gas. The time savings goes beyond just replacing the filter and oil, but with a plethora of priceless variables, such as: Instant start up – No more priming, choking, or tearing a tendon while attempting to start your mower for the first time in four months Instant shut-off – See a tree branch? Go ahead and move it without having to waste energy restarting the mower Hate Noisy Mowers? – You can now practically mow the lawn at anytime without waking up the neighbors or newborn babies. Your neighbors will love you! No Loss of Performance – Adjusting your air/fuel mixture is a thing of the past, without an air filter or carburetor to clog up Frustration Free – Mowing should be relaxing, not frustrating. Now that you don’t have to pull out your DIY repair book to figure out why won’t your lawnmower start Batteries Made to last Eons! – Nowadays, Makita uses one of the best Lithium-Ion cells that money can buy. With proper care, these batteries can handle 5,000 charge cycles before their energy capacity begins to fade. Invaluable Convenience – Do you enjoy making that special trip to the gas station to refill your gas container? I didn’t think so! Space Saving – Done mowing? Go ahead, easily lower the handles, and store it vertically Self-Propelled a Thing of the Past? Hard to fathom, but these 60 pound mowers glide over the grass, unlike their 100 pound plus counterparts. Still uncertain. Yes, I know that you’re stuck in your ways, apprehensive that battery technology has FINALLY reached that pinnacle past the hype, where battery powered equipment can supersede in every which way, the long titan of industries 4-stroke engine.

I have the NZ version of this mower – the only difference I can tell from the US model is we only get 2x 5ah batteries, not 4, because Makita NZ dont think their customers have internet access and will realise we are getting shafted compared to other parts of the world…. anyway I digress…. I was fairly nervous that a battery mower wouldn’t cut it… but have been more than pleasantly surprised by the power, run time and general fit and finish of the mower. Yes it smartly speeds up and down automatically, annoying on one level but seemingly effective and very quick to change up when needed. I mowed a very long, wet lawn of approximately 400m Sq in size, using only the mulch function – approximately 40 mins of continuous mowing and the (freshly charged) batteries where down 2 two bars on the battery and 1 bar on the mowers display. ie plenty of life left in them afterwards. It cuts beautifully, which I think is down to the shear speed of the blade rotation. Loving it so far. Would totally recommend.

It seems pretty clear at least in my area of the world that DeWALT cordless mowers (and probably trimmers, blowers, and other OPE) are being phased out and replaced by Craftsman. There was not a single DeWALT mower in my Lowe’s this past week and there was a sea of red Craftsman OPE, both gas and electric. They also discounted the DeWALT mowers they did have down to 150 (from 400 retail) at the end of fall 2018. DeWALT cordless mowers are not available either in store or for delivery on the Lowe’s website at all. They are available for delivery on the Home Depot website, but they are not in stock at any stores within a 10 mile radius of me. Overall, I think it’s a Smart move from a branding perspective for SBD. The Craftsman name has been in the homeowner lawn game for many many years and is a known commodity there. DeWALT has not. DeWALT is or should be known for professional/commercial grade products, and their lawn equipment was “prosumer” at best.

The 8 Best Battery-Powered Lawn Mowers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Sage McHugh has written for Dotdash Meredith since 2019. With over a decade of experience in consumer-oriented content, Sage has a passion for products and how they enhance our everyday lives.

Andrew Hughes is a certified arborist, member of the International Society of Arborists specializing in tree heal care, and reviews tree content on The Spruce’s Gardening Review Board. He founded and runs Urban Loggers, LLC, a company offering residential tree services in the Midwest and Connecticut.

Jenica Currie is an expert content manager, producer, writer, and editor with over a decade of experience cultivating online communities.

Cordless and environmentally friendly, a battery-powered lawn mower is generally easier to maintain and operate than a gas-powered model, and it is especially suited for small to medium-sized lawns. “The best battery-powered lawn mower for your yard is one that suits your specific needs,” says Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). He suggests asking yourself the following before selecting a mower: “What is the size of the property and job? What features are needed for the job? What is your ability to handle the machine?”

We researched and tested a variety of lawn mowers in our own yards including corded, cordless, gas, electric, push, riding, and self-propelled options. For this list of the best battery-powered lawn mowers, we evaluated products based on their setup, design, performance, usability, safety, and value and included the best options we’ve tested. Throughout our testing process, we carefully observed the mowers’ ability to navigate around obstacles, inclines, and tall grass with ease. Additionally, we conducted a thorough evaluation of the lawn’s appearance to ensure a consistently trimmed finish. As we compiled this list, we also considered the mowers’ runtime, cutting options, charging time, and cutting width.

Best Overall

Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21-Inch Dual-Blade Self-Propelled Mower

• Powerful performance
• Long run time and fast charging
• Lightweight, foldable, and compact
• Easy to set up and start
• Quiet operation

The RYOBI 40V HP Brushless 21 Inch Cordless Self-Propelled Mower is the best battery-powered lawn mower we tested because it is just as powerful as some gas models, lasts for up to 70 minutes on a single charge, and is very easy to operate and maintain. We were surprised by how quiet this mower was (almost like weight noise) and lightweight (almost delicate), and easy to start (push-button compared to pulling a cord) compared to gas mowers we’ve used in the past. However, once we got it started and found the right height for an uneven lawn, thanks to the self-propelled technology, it was very powerful and easy to maneuver around, even over hills. By moving a slider from high to low, we could easily adjust the mower’s speed that we needed, depending on the terrain. Finding the right speed takes a bit of getting used to at first, especially on straight, flat rows where the mower was going almost too fast. But overall, we appreciated the power and found it really made mowing much easier, especially on hilly terrain.

This mower has an impressive 70-minute run time, and comes with two 40V batteries. Only one battery is needed at a time, and you can charge the other one with the included Rapid charger and switch them out when needed. We mowed for 45 minutes to an hour each time and had no issues with the mower running out of batteries. However, we will point out a few small issues we came across with the bag. This mower allows you to mulch, bag, or side discharge. The first time we used the mower for the season, the grass was pretty high and the bag filled up very quickly (after mowing about 25-30 feet with taller grass). However, the next few times we used it when the grass wasn’t as overgrown, we did not have that issue. Removing the bag to empty is simple, but when it was full, we did find that it spilled easily. Also, we did notice occasionally that grass would come out of the bag when it was full (just a few blades at a time). While in the mulching mode, we also noted that it did not seem to break up older leaves very well, but we did appreciate overall how well it cut the grass, and we appreciated the seven adjustable cutting heights (1.5 to 4 inches).

We also loved how compact and easy this mower is to store. We had no issues pulling the lever to fold the mower for vertical, space-saving storage. The safety features are also a big plus. The mower has a key, so even though it’s easy to start with just a press of a button, the key does need to be inserted in the mower behind a flap, so you can remove the key when you don’t want someone else using it. You also need to grip the lever when you start or use the mower, or it will not work. The LED headlights also provide extra light should you need it. Overall, if you are looking to switch from a gas to a battery-powered mower or want an easy-to-use mower for your lawn (ideally up to 3/4 of an acre), we found this to be a great choice.

How It Performed Long-Term

After three months of use, we’ve found the self-propelled feature to be especially helpful when mowing on hills and uneven terrain. We were able to use it up to four times on a single charge, which is quite remarkable. Although it may struggle with heavier weeds, it does an excellent job of cutting grass and collecting clippings

Price at time of publish: 799

Cutting Width: 21 inches | Weight: 75 pounds | Run Time: 70 minutes | Charge Time: 1 hour | Cutting Options: Bag, mulch, side-discharge

Best Self-Propelled

EGO Power Select Cut 56-Volt 21-Inch Self-Propelled Cordless Lawn Mower

• Self-propelled feature is easy to use
• Lightweight and easy to maneuver
• Foldable and compact for vertical storage
• 60-minute runtime

A self-propelled lawn mower can make mowing your lawn an easier task because the mower does most of the work for you—you simply guide it over your terrain while you walk at a comfortable pace that you set on your mower. After testing the EGO POWER Self-Propelled Mower, we selected it as our best self-propelled pick because it was easy to turn the feature on and off when you needed it, and it made mowing the lawn feel less of a pain (especially on our backs!) compared to using a heavy gas mower. If you are new to self-propelled mowers, this will take a little getting used to (including this mower), but we think it will be well worth the initial time spent. In fact, when we first started using this mower, we thought the mower might run away (even on the lowest setting) because we were only used to a gas push mower. Once we figured out how to run the mower without the self-propelled feature, it allowed us to get used to the mower itself and all of its features. We found that the lowest setting was all we needed for parts of our lawn, even small hills, and when we felt like that feature wasn’t necessary (navigating around obstacles), it was easy to switch it off at the top of the handle.

Aside from the self-propelled option, this mower offers many great features, making it a great choice for your lawn. We found it easy to adjust both the handle’s height (two options) and angle (three options) with just one hand. Adjusting the cutting height was also a simple and easy task with six settings available, ranging from 1.5 to 4 inches. This mower comes with one EGO 56V ARC Lithium battery that has a 60-minute runtime and takes about the same amount of time to charge. It took us 50 minutes to mow our lawn, and we did not run out of batteries. We also like that you can choose from the bag, mulching, and side-discharge option for your grass clippings and use the LED headlights when mowing early in the morning or later at dusk. The handle can easily be folded, and the mower can be stored vertically in your garage or shed. And like most battery-powered mowers, you’ll get the advantage of a quick, push-button start with no cord and no fumes.

The only downside we reported was the learning curve with using a self-propelled mower. But once we figured out how to navigate the feature and the power it provides, we found it to make mowing the lawn an easier task. If you have a small, flat lawn with a lot of obstacles, this might not be the best option for you. Also, note that we found this lawn worked great on dry and damp grass, but we did experience one time where the mower would not start (the light blinked orange to indicate an issue), but when we moved it to a less wet area, it worked fine. While this mower has many of the same features as our best overall, it has slightly less of a runtime, is heavier, and only comes with one battery. However, it is a bit more budget-friendly, so if you don’t need as much power or as long of a runtime, this could be the better option, especially if you have other EGO tools with compatible batteries.

How It Performed Long-Term

We’ve been using our lawn mower for about three months now and we’re very pleased with its performance. One of the standout features is the battery life. we can mow the lawn three times before needing to recharge. What’s more, it handles thick and tall grass like a champ. we even let the lawn go for 10 days once, and it had no trouble at all. It’s also very effective at dealing with damp grass and leaves.

Price at time of publish: 549

Cutting Width: 21 inches | Weight: 93.61 pounds | Run Time: 60 minutes | Charge Time: 1 hour | Cutting Options: Bag, mulch, side-discharge

The best cordless lawn mowers in 2023

Looking for the best cordless mower? Browse our experts’ pick, from budget to premium models.

A lawn mower may be one of the first purchases we make when getting a garden of our own, but that doesn’t mean finding a good quality one is easy. There are so many models and brands on the market to choose from, including corded electric and petrol, but as their range increases and fall, cordless, battery-powered models are an increasingly popular option.

Light and compact compared with traditional petrol models, cordless mowers are simple to use, easy to manoeuvre around the garden, and have none of the maintenance and servicing needs or costs of petrol lawnmowers. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which charges up quickly and won’t lose power in storage, they’re also quiet and emission free.

To compare these cordless mowers against other types of mower, we’ve reviewed the best lawn mowers, robotic lawn mowers, electric lawn mowers and push mowers, too. And if your lawn needs a bit of attention, our experts have tested a range of the best manual and powered aerators and scarifiers.Keep edges looking neat with our pick of the best strimmers, the best garden shears and the best lawn edging, and if you’re thinking about somewhere to store your new mower, our comprehensive guide to choosing the best garden shed will be helpful.

For your next DIY project, have a look at the best cordless drills.

The best cordless mowers to buy at a glance

Cordless mowers. Buyer’s Guide video

Many thanks to Rosie Yeomans and Sparsholt College for their help in making this video.

Getting the best cordless lawn mower for you means ensuring it has the correct cutting width, range of cutting heights, and weight plus a battery run time that matches the size of your lawn. We’ve tested a range of cordless push mowers, putting them through their paces across a range of grass and terrains, to help you find the right one for your garden.

Each mower has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to set up and storage, handling, mowing and value for money. Every mower in our round up below has scored a minimum of four out of five stars, so you can buy with confidence.

In every review we award outstanding products our coveted Best Buy award. To see these and the others we recommend, browse our pick of the best cordless lawn mowers, below.

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Best Buy cordless mowers

Husqvarna Aspire LC34-P4A

Our rating: 4.9 out of 5

• Quiet
• Cuts even long grass with ease
• Battery level visible while mowing
• Small and compact for easy storage
• Part of the POWER FOR ALL cordless range

Part of the new Husqvarna Aspire cordless range, which includes a hedge trimmer, pruner and leaf blower, this 34cm mower is powered by an 18V POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE battery and charger. These are interchangeable with tools in other leading brands such as Flymo, Gardena and Bosch so if you also invest in tools in these ranges, you’ll only need to buy the bare tool and won’t have different batteries and chargers taking up space in the shed.Great for small gardens the mower comes ready to go, there’s no assembly or handles to attach, and it folds down to a compact size when you’re finished, with a telescopic handle that folds completely flat over the body of the mower. It can then be stood up against a wall or hung up, and even comes with a handy hook. The 30l grass bag also flattens down to take up very little room and can be hung on the mower. The Aspire is light, with a carry handle so that lifting it up steps or into other areas is easy and it has an adjustable handle to suit different height users. It’s comfortable and easy to manoeuvre around the garden and has just four cutting heights to choose from, ranging from 25-65mm and changed easily with a single lever on the body of the mower. It cuts grass quietly and smoothly and has an automatic boost that increases blade speed when you’re mowing in tougher, longer areas that works well. You can hear it kick in when you push the mower into longer grass and unlike other cordless mowers that can cut out, just carries on cutting the grass. While you mow the battery charge level is always clearly visible so you know how much battery you have left and when it needs charging. It comes with a two year warranty and we awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy in 2023 for ease of use.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 95 mins; run time. 500sqm. Cutting: width. 34cm; height. 25-65mm. Grass box. 30 litre.

Buy the Husqvarna Aspire C34-P4A cordless mower from Husqvarna and Sam Turner

Greenworks GDG24LM33

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

• Easy to assemble and use
• Comfortable padded handle
• Choice of mulching or collecting clippings
• Interchangeable battery with Greenworks 24V family

Ideal for smaller gardens this sturdy, great value cordless mower is easy to put together, well thought out and simple to use. Thanks to a padded handle it’s comfortable to push, although it did feel a little short for our taller tester, and it’s light and easy to manoeuvre around trees and beds and borders. There are five cutting heights to choose from, adjusted with the simple lift of a lever and it offers the choice of collecting clippings in the 30 litre fabric grass bag or inserting the mulching plug and leaving them on the lawn to break down and feed the grass. It mows well but doesn’t like very long grass, with the battery cutting out occasionally but its long lasting brushless motor offers a a decent run time of 46 minutes and it charges in two hours. Plus, as part of the Greenworks 24V family, both the battery and charger are interchangeable with all the other tools in the range, saving you money if you invest in more in the future. We awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best budget cordless mower in 2023.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 120 mins; run time. 46mins. Cutting: width. 33cm; height. 25-70mm. Grass box. 30 litre.

Yard Force LMG37A 40v 37cm

Our rating: 4.8 out of 5

• Rear roller
• Double folding handle for easy storage
• Quickest charge time
• Part of the Yardforce GR40 cordless range

This sturdy mower has a 37cm cutting width and useful features including a rear roller for those much desired stripes. Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy in 2022 for small to medium lawns, clippings are collected in the large 40 litre fabric grass bag. It offers a wide choice of seven cutting heights, from 25-75mm, and is easy to fold away at the end of the day. The 40V battery is quick to charge, taking just 50 minutes and when full it has the capacity to cut a 400m2 lawn.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 50 mins; run time. 400sqm. Cutting: width. 37cm; height. 25-75mm. Grass box. 40 litre.

Buy the Yard Force LMG37A 40V 37cm cordless mower from Yard Force, Amazon and Wickes

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Home » Latest Tool Reviews » Lawn Garden » Makita 18V X2 Cordless Lawn Mower

Makita 18V X2 Cordless Lawn Mower XML03 Review

Makita has come out with a new 18V X2 cordless lawn mower designed for lawns under 1/3 acre. The Makita 18V X2 cordless lawn mower, XML03 features a heavy duty steel deck with 18″ cutting capacity, zero emissions, lower noise, and reduced maintenance compared to gas-engine lawn mowers.

Features

• Heavy duty steel deck
• Brushless motor
• Quiet mode sets speed control to 2500 RPM
• Single lever cutting height adjustment
• 10 height settings, from 13/16″ to 2-5/16″
• Folding handles
• 16 gallon capacity grass bag
• Plug for mulching operation
• Wet Guard weather resistance, IPx4 rating

Specifications

• Cutting Capacity (width) : 18″
• Cutting Capacity (height range) : 13/16″ – 3″
• No Load Speed : 3,300 RPM
• Battery : 2X 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion
• Dimensions (LxWxH) : 66-1/8″ x 21″ x 37-3/4″
• Weighs 60.46 lbs with batteries, 57.76 lbs without

First Impression

The Makita 18V X2 cordless lawn mower, XML03 features a 1” wider cutting swath and a HD steel deck making it almost 20 lbs. [60.46 vs. 40.8] heavier than its earlier generation [XML02]

This mower is powered by a soft-start, Brushless motor with electronic speed control to maintain constant speed. The motor operates at either 2,500 – 3,300 RPMs. [2 settings] This mower handled my yard with ease.

Quiet Operation

My first impression of this mower was how heavy and durable it feels. I’ve been using this mower for approximately a month now and am impressed with its power and cutting quality.

There are only three features on this mower:

• Battery gauge – located at the top handle
• Quiet Mode: also located at the top handle, this mode saves battery energy, and lowers the rpms from 3,300 down to 2,500 rpms reducing noise slightly. I’ll be honest – I couldn’t tell by listening.
• Deck Height Adjustment: this lever provides 10 different height positions.

There are three adjustments for handle height. The deck height adjustment is by far the simplest and easiest adjustment I’ve seen on a lawnmower. This single lever cutting height adjustment for quick adjustment of 10 cutting heights (13/16″ to 2-15/16″)

The mower has a plug needed for mulching operation and a 16 gallon capacity grass collector bag. I used both and they both work well. The mower does not actually mulch the grass into smaller clippings, the clippings appear to be full size and just are circulated back to the ground.

Quality of Cut

The Makita 18V X2 cordless lawn mower, XML03 produces a nice clean cut. The centerlines if the front wheels provide a useful line of sight to the mowers cutting swath

Runtime

I live on a ¼ acre have approximately 4,000 square feet of grass, using two 5.0 Ah batteries I was able to mow my lawn on one battery charge and still have three bars on the battery. I actually get two mowing’s on one battery charge.

Makita says this mower will cut up to 7,300 square feet using two 5.0Ah batteries.

Durability

The Lawn Mower is rated for IPX4 which gives the tool dust and water resistance. It features what Makita calls “Extreme Protection Technology (XPT).” XPT is a protective seal inside the tool, and is engineered for improved operation in harsh conditions by channeling water and dust from key internal components.

Makita Star Protection- What is it?

People often ask if the what exactly is the electronic protection and what does it do?

Makita proprietary Star Protection resides in the tool’s controller, which consists of electronic controls communicating with both the tool and battery during use to optimize performance. Star Protection protects against overload, over-discharge and overheating.

It’s important to note that Makita programs specific controllers for each model (in other words, the controller inside an 18V LXT Driver-Drill is different than the controller inside an 18V X2 (36V) LXT Chain Saw). In addition, the Makita controller and battery communicate in both directions, which is unique in the category (other brands have electronic controls, but all have one-way communication between the tool and battery). The two-way communication inside a Makita cordless tool enables real-time communication that results in better performance and power management (example: the controller can “tell” the battery how much energy is needed for the application at hand).

The combination of electronic controllers and brushless motors results in more performance features. For example, the 18V LXT Brushless Impact Driver (XDT16) uses electronic controls to give users precision features including four speed settings, Assist Mode for driving long fasteners into wood, two Tek Modes for self-tap screws, and an auto-stop feature to prevent losing a bolt nut when reversing.

Improvement

The lawn mower handles fold in the center for storage but I’d like to see a easier / faster way to fold the handles down at the mower deck. As of now you need to unscrew 4 knobs. A cam-type lever at these locations would be faster.

One thing we noticed was that the switch lever at the top of the handle bars has tight tension which could produce some hand grip fatigue over time. It’s also quite possible the cable will stretch over time and become easier.

Price

The mower is available as a bare tool, XML03Z, or as part of a kit, XML03PT1. The kit comes with a dual port charger and (4) 5.0Ah batteries. Both come with the mulching plug and a 3-year limited warranty.