Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

PROS: No cord, gas or smoke, easy to adjust cutting height, only minor assembly required, seems well-built and designed, quiet, 36 volts. CONS: Heavy at 75 lbs., flimsy charger plug and wire, more difficult to turn because of length, made mainly out of plastic - although this may not be so bad in the long run if you live in a humid area. I would recommend the self-propelled version mainly because of the mower's heavy weight. The rear drive wheels are great for going up an incline, but take a bit of getting used to. You can't just push down on the handle bar and raise the front wheels slightly off the ground to make a quick turn. After you learn to quickly connect and disconnect the drive wheels as you mow and turn, it becomes much easier. You just have to learn to work with it, rather than force it to go your way. I like how the drive wheels slip gradually into gear, (nice!) but the slowest forward speed is not slow enough for cutting through tall grass unless you mow the lawn twice at different cutting heights - which the manual recommends. With a mower like this, (or any electric mower I suppose) you cannot directly compare it with gas-powered mowers with 3-4 times the horse power. But this is a great alternative and most probably the trend all mowers will eventually follow. The manual states that it takes 12 hours to charge, but for me it charged in half that time. The charging times will probably increase as the years go by until the battery needs to be replaced. They also recommend that it remain plugged-in all the time - I assume to prolong battery life. Because of its weight, turning the mower on to its side to clear an obstruction may take some doing. Again, that's to be expected. Please don't assume this to be a negative review. This is a different kind of mower which can't be directly compared with a gasoline-powered machine. So far, I am quite pleased with this purchase.