New Stihl RMA 370 Lithium Ion Battery Powered Lawn Mower

[MowerMike]

I just saw this YouTube video of a new battery powered lawn mower sold under the Stihl brand name in Canada with limited quantities available in the USA. Official product launch will be in the Spring of 2013. It uses the either the Stihl AP 80 Li-Ion 36V-2.2Ah or Stihl AP 160 Li-Ion 36V-4.5Ah battery that work with the other Stihl electric tools such as the chain saw and blower. The cutting width is 370mm, which is approximately 14.6 inches, maximum cutting height is approximately 3 inches and run time with the AP 160 battery (AP 80 is standard) is ~40 minutes. The grass catcher capacity is 10.5 gal (1.1 bushels). One interesting feature seen in the video is what appears to be a split blade design, presumably to provide superior mulching action.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Yeah I heard about that....it seems like a good mower! I wonder if Stihl mowers are as good as their handheld equipment?? MowerMike.....are you thinking about getting one when it comes out?

 

[MowerMike]

Yeah I heard about that....it seems like a good mower! I wonder if Stihl mowers are as good as their handheld equipment?? MowerMike.....are you thinking about getting one when it comes out?

I think these mowers have been available under the Viking brand name in Europe for some time now, and may be manufactured by the same company that makes the Bosch Rotak battery powered mowers. I would assume that their quality is better than brands like Ryobi and Greenworks. I don't expect to buy one as I already have several small battery powered mowers and I expect this one to be quite expensive, possibly over $500 with the optional 4.5Ah battery. The most I've even paid for a battery powered mower is $330, and that was for the 16" Greenworks with the Li-Ion battery.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

WOW....I would think that is pretty expensive for a battery-powered mower......a lot of gas-powered mowers are the same price or LESS! (Except for some--like my Honda.)

 

[MowerMike]

WOW....I would think that is pretty expensive for a battery-powered mower......a lot of gas-powered mowers are the same price or LESS! (Except for some--like my Honda.)

Not really. Battery powered mowers have always been more expensive than their gas powered counterparts, and this one has an Li-Ion battery instead of lead acid, which makes it even more expensive. Other brands like Ryobi and Recharge Mower have comparable pricing for their Li-Ion mowers. I got my Greenworks Li-Ion mower for a substantial discount from its normal retail price, but it still cost more than my Husqvarna 7021P gas powered mower with a Honda engine.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Not really. Battery powered mowers have always been more expensive than their gas powered counterparts, and this one has an Li-Ion battery instead of lead acid, which makes it even more expensive. Other brands like Ryobi and Recharge Mower have comparable pricing for their Li-Ion mowers. I got my Greenworks Li-Ion mower for a substantial discount from its normal retail price, but it still cost more than my Husqvarna 7021P gas powered mower with a Honda engine.

I guess if you want the benefit of not needing gas or ear protection, you will pay in $$$$$.

 

[MowerMike]

I guess if you want the benefit of not needing gas or ear protection, you will pay in $$$$$.

It's more than that. The benefit is very light weight for portability, small size for easy storage and mowing in tight areas and ease of use. Gas mowers don't always start up easily and require maintenance, but as long as the battery is charged these mowers always start and the only maintenance they require is periodic blade sharpening.

 

[Razarsharp]

There are other small mower options out there, but electric.
The minimower; minimower.com.
Not yet convinced that the battery technology is completely reliable for mowers, but ok for now. Do hope the price goes down though.

 

[MowerMike]

There are other small mower options out there, but electric.
The minimower; minimower.com.
Not yet convinced that the battery technology is completely reliable for mowers, but ok for now. Do hope the price goes down though.

Well, aside from the fact that you are a shill for your product, corded electric mowers are limited to small lawns w/o a lot of obstacles. Battery technology with Li-Ion batteries is reliable, lightweight, quick charging and durable, which is the type of battery that is used in the Stihl RMA 370. The only valid drawback is cost, which is about double that of a corded electric mower. I have several corded electric lawn tools as well as battery powered ones, and it takes me about twice as long to get the job done with the corded ones.

 

[MowerMike]

Well, this mower is now officially available per the US Stihl website, but I'm afraid that the pricing is astronomical:

Stihl RMA 370 mower w/o battery or charger - $399.99
Stihl AP 160 Li-Ion 162 Wh battery - $199.99
Stihl AL 300 battery charger - $89.95

So, if you don't already own other Stihl KombiSystem tools with this battery and charger, The total cost of the mower will be about $690 !

To make matters worse, Stihl's estimated run time with this battery, which is the largest available, is only 25 minutes. So if you can't mow your lawn in that time then you either need to take a break and wait for the battery to recharge, or spend another $200 for an additional battery. Since this is a tiny mower with only a 14.5" cutting path, only very small yards are going to be mowable in less than 25 minutes. Meanwhile, the same size Recharge Mower model PMLI-14 Li-Ion mower retails for far less at $459, complete with battery and charger, and has a longer projected run time.

Sigh.