Fits the bill perfectly

Like many I was sick of the noise, smell, pollution, and hassle of a gas mower, so I began researching alternatives. My first "green" mower purchase was a completely manual Scott's reel mower. Worked just fine but it had trouble with longer grass and weeds. (The reel mower is still a good option for smaller lawns, but you need to mow more often as it gets very hard to push through long grass, and unlike a powered mower it won't "chop down" longer weeds and dandelions - it tends to bend them over and roll right over them so they pop right back up.) ==> Read more Home Power Tools

So I turned to a battery-powered option and was left trying to decide between the Toro E-Cyler, and this Black and Decker model. Both had good reviews and both seemed like a good fit for my smaller lawn. I went with the B&D for the following reasons:

- Removable battery. This was a big plus for me, as I do not have a garage and wanted to be able to store the mower in a shed while charging the battery in my basement. The Toro does not have a removable battery.

- Height adjustment. Probably a minor factor, but the B&D height adjustment mechanism is pretty ingenious and easy to use. The entire carriage is spring-loaded, so simply by squeezing one handle you can raise and lower the entire mower with ease. The Toro requires multiple adjustments to raise/lower the cutting height.

Possible advantages to the Toro are a metal body (as opposed to the plastic on the B&D), and of course the Toro name, as they make very good gas-powered mowers.

The mower arrived yesterday and was practically ready to go out of the box. Flip up the handle, cut open the cardboard, roll out the mower, and you're ready to go. The battery must have been pre-charged at the factory because I only had to charge for about 30 minutes before the green light came on signaling a full charge.

I did not use the (rather small) grass catcher bag as I generally mulch. Mowed my entire lawn easily on a single charge with power to spare. Performance was very good - clean even cut and good mulching. All in all, very much like a gas mower (slightly less power but plenty for cutting standard grass), but with much less noise - and no gas fumes! When I was done I simply lifted out the battery and parked the mower in the shed. I am a big fan of this mower!