Cordless Electric Mowers: Mowing Down Pollution

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The battery charge light is on the control panel of the mower. It blinks when charging and glows steadily when charging is complete.

If the grass is pretty long, I sometimes end up with clumps of grass deposited on the lawn when in mulching mode or a plugged chute in side-discharge mode. (I’m really asking more here than the mower is supposed to be able to do well, but that’s how it sometimes is in the real world.)

(As of press time, DESA, Remington’s parent company, had recently filed for bankruptcy. Availability of Remington mowers is uncertain at this time. — Mother)

Neuton CE 5.2

The mower I tested was actually the 2007 version of the 5.2, called the 5.1, but it’s identical to the 2008 model. It weighs the least of any tested mower — 48 pounds — and is well-balanced and easy to maneuver. This mower and the larger Neuton 6.2 have an accessory string-trimmer attachment. It works well where the ground is level and there is no sudden drop-off.

The 5.2 has the shortest blade, and therefore cuts the narrowest swath (14 inches), so it would seem that mowing should take longer with this unit than with the other three. But cutting width is, in the real world, not the only factor determining how long it takes to mow a lawn — especially a lawn with ups and downs and curving borders and lots of things to mow around. That’s where a lightweight, well-balanced, maneuverable machine has the advantage: I haven’t checked with a stopwatch, but I’m not spending significantly more time with this unit than I do with the bigger machines.

The Neuton’s battery is easy to put in and take out, and can be charged either in or out of the mower. You can switch to a spare battery if the end of the charge comes before the end of the lawn.

Mulch and side discharge both work well in grass that’s cut when it ought to be. It works well in the bagging mode, too. Cutting height adjusts to a maximum of 3 inches. That’s the good news.

Grass clippings tend to build up on the deck underside of this mower. But they’re easy to clean off, and usually don’t affect mower performance. In mulching mode, when trying to cut tall grass, both Neutons would develop a large clump of cut grass above the blade that would eventually cause the blade to stop.

Neuton CE 6.2

When I first started my test, this was my favorite mower. It’s a good compromise between cutting width and weight, plus it’s fairly easy to maneuver. The battery is easy to put in and take out. This mower has a nice feature all the others lack — a gauge that tells you how much juice you have left in the battery. Also handy: The tools you need to remove the blade for sharpening or replacement are supplied with the mower and stow on the machine. One of the wrenches doubles as a scraper to remove built-up grass clippings from the deck underside. This mower works well in bagging mode and is my choice for chopping and gathering autumn leaves.

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