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16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

I no longer have grass in my backyard as we put an extensive inground pool with patio and eating area. The only grass I have left is a 30 feet x 20 feet front lawn. I was considering two options, one being a manual Reel Mower like the Fiskars 18" Max Reel Mower and a battery powered 16" or 17" mower.

I'm really liking what I see in some of these battery powered devices and could use the battery for other things like trimmers. My concern with all of the battery operated lawn mowers is the max cut height is usually around 2 3/4 inches.

I guess my question is two fold. First, how tall should I be leaving the grass in the heat of July/August. I live just outside Toronto and it can get extremely hot and dry for days on end. I would like to leave the grass a little longer during these two months but not sure how long I should be leaving it. Secondly, are there any battery operated mowers that have a higher maximum height cut setting but still a small framed mower i.e.: 16" or 17". I'm not looking for a larger mower because quite frankly, I have a very small lawn and would like to save some space in the garage.

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

Jagstyles said:

I no longer have grass in my backyard as we put an extensive inground pool with patio and eating area. The only grass I have left is a 30 feet x 20 feet front lawn. I was considering two options, one being a manual Reel Mower like the Fiskars 18" Max Reel Mower and a battery powered 16" or 17" mower.

I'm really liking what I see in some of these battery powered devices and could use the battery for other things like trimmers. My concern with all of the battery operated lawn mowers is the max cut height is usually around 2 3/4 inches.

I guess my question is two fold. First, how tall should I be leaving the grass in the heat of July/August. I live just outside Toronto and it can get extremely hot and dry for days on end. I would like to leave the grass a little longer during these two months but not sure how long I should be leaving it. Secondly, are there any battery operated mowers that have a higher maximum height cut setting but still a small framed mower i.e.: 16" or 17". I'm not looking for a larger mower because quite frankly, I have a very small lawn and would like to save some space in the garage.

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Actually, I'd suggest the WORX WG782 14" cordless lawn mower, which weighs only about 32 lbs including the battery and can either mulch or bag the clippings. Although the battery is lead acid rather than lithium-ion, it weighs very little and recharges relatively fast due to it's small size. It has a maximum cutting height of 3-1/2", which should be more than sufficient for your needs. I use one strictly for trimming, but it would be perfect for your tiny lawn. Currently they are on sale on Amazon USA for $199:

Amazon.com : WORX WG782 14-Inch 24-Volt Cordless Lawn Mower with IntelliCut : Walk Behind Lawn Mowers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

What about the WG775 model? Curious on the main differences other than the lithium battery.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

Jagstyles said:

What about the WG775 model? Curious on the main differences other than the lithium battery.

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The only difference between the WG782 and WG775 is that the WG782 offers two power settings, quiet and power, whereas the lower priced WG775 only offers the single power setting. The battery run time is longer on the quiet setting, although with your tiny lawn it won't matter. Also, the handle bar folds completely flat on the WG782 but only patially on the WG775. Both models use the same removable rechargeable lead acid battery.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

Thanks for the great feedback. Are you personally familiar with these lawn mowers? I've been researching so many options for the past few weeks that I'm now totally unsure but seems like you're a regular contributor here, so thought I'd ask about any personal experiences you have with this machine.

Also, what's the battery life expected out of these batteries? I'm not referring to per charge but life expectancy before a new battery will be required. Also, does one need to drain the battery fully before recharging like the older batteries?

I was also hoping that I could get other Worx equipment such as garden trimmers but couldn't find any in my area that use the same battery. Thanks again for all your suggestions/feedback, really appreciate it.

MowerMike said:

The only difference between the WG782 and WG775 is that the WG782 offers two power settings, quiet and power, whereas the lower priced WG775 only offers the single power setting. The battery run time is longer on the quiet setting, although with your tiny lawn it won't matter. Also, the handle bar folds completely flat on the WG782 but only patially on the WG775. Both models use the same removable rechargeable lead acid battery.

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Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

I've owned the WG782 for a little over two years and it does a very good job both mulching and bagging. So far the battery holds a charge very well, and shows no sign of wearing out. The battery warranty is only one year, but most folks seem to do much better than that. You don't need to discharge the battery fully before recharging and lead acid batteries don't develop a memory effect the way Ni-Cad batteries do. In fact, it's bad to run the batteries down fully, and you should recharge them before they are fully discharged.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

MowerMike said:

I've owned the WG782 for a little over two years and it does a very good job both mulching and bagging. So far the battery holds a charge very well, and shows no sign of wearing out. The battery warranty is only one year, but most folks seem to do much better than that. You don't need to discharge the battery fully before recharging and lead acid batteries don't develop a memory effect the way Ni-Cad batteries do. In fact, it's bad to run the batteries down fully, and you should recharge them before they are fully discharged.

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Awesome info. I've decided to purchase this model. Seems like the perfect fit. Any other worx products you would recommend? Also, do you charge the batteries from time to time during the winter months?

Thanks again for all your help.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

Jagstyles said:

Awesome info. I've decided to purchase this model. Seems like the perfect fit. Any other worx products you would recommend? Also, do you charge the batteries from time to time during the winter months ?

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The only other WORX products I own are the corded electric Jawsaw and 18" chainsaw, both of which work very well. I do recharge the battery about once a month during the winter, and keep it in the heated house, since the garage is unheated and gets very cold. The battery is completely sealed, so it's safe to leave it in the house.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

MowerMike said:

The only other WORX products I own are the corded electric Jawsaw and 18" chainsaw, both of which work very well. I do recharge the battery about once a month during the winter, and keep it in the heated house, since the garage is unheated and gets very cold. The battery is completely sealed, so it's safe to leave it in the house.

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So I went to my local store today to buy the 14" Worx and I just couldn't do it. I found it to be so much smaller than I expected. I realize I do not have a large yard but I'm now seriously reconsidering and thinking the 17" version might be a better fit. Only thing I don't like about the 17" is that it's a longer charge time.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

Jagstyles said:

So I went to my local store today to buy the 14" Worx and I just couldn't do it. I found it to be so much smaller than I expected. I realize I do not have a large yard but I'm now seriously reconsidering and thinking the 17" version might be a better fit. Only thing I don't like about the 17" is that it's a longer charge time.

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Actually, the recharge time for the 17" WORX is twice as long as the 14" WORX, because the battery capacity is twice as much, but the same charger is used for both models. Also, the larger mower is nearly 20 lbs heavier and its battery is about 10 lbs heavier. Finally, the larger mower will require a lot more space in your garage for storage, since it is much longer and its handle bar does not fold fully flat. Still, the 17" does have some nice features lacking in the 14" model, such as a single lever wheel height adjustment, handle bar height adjustment and larger wheels. In the end of the day, you should get what makes you happy, regardless of other people's recommendations.

Re: 16" or 17" Battery Powered Seems Perfect But Worry About Height of Cut Grass

MowerMike said:

Actually, the recharge time for the 17" WORX is twice as long as the 14" WORK, because the battery capacity is twice as much, but the same charger is used for both models. Also, the larger mower is nearly 20 lbs heavier and its battery is about 10 lbs heavier. Finally, the larger mower will require a lot more space in your garage for storage, since it is much longer and its handle bar does not fold fully flat. Still, the 17" does have some nice features lacking in the 14" model, such as a single lever wheel height adjustment, handle bar height adjustment and larger wheels. In the end of the day, you should get what makes you happy, regardless of other people's recommendations.

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Didn't realize it was that much heavier. Seems like there's no perfect solution. The other comparable sized cordless mowers are lighter since they don't use the lead batteries but don't have the same maximum height cut settings as on this machine.

Hopefully it's not heavier than my current 10 year old 21" gas mower.