[4/13/2016 GreenWorks glm801601 update]
GreenWorks glm801601 was light enough to lug it down alone to the basement for Winter, and back up for Spring. Absolutely no preparation needed (no gas burn off, stabilizer, spark plugs, filters, etc.), aside from blowing off old grass clippings and covering for dust (cover interchanged with snow blower).
The 2 Ah battery just barely lasts my 1/4 acre mowing, so I'd recommend purchasing a second 2 Ah or 4 Ah battery to swap between. I now use the 4 Ah (bought a week after the mower) in the GreenWorks glm801601 lawn mower, leaf blower, & snow blower (bought this past winter and also works great), and the lighter 2 Ah battery for the string trimmer & hedge trimmer. I now have the entire GreenWorks 80V line, except the chain saw. My corded Toro leaf blower stays in my basement, and I sold off my gas 2-stage snow blower in December.
5/18/2015 original GreenWorks glm801601 review
I've been holding off on purchasing this until the 4Ah battery bundle became available, but the monkeys swinging across my lawn jungle forced my hand. I decided to just use the 2Ah battery that I already had for my GreenWorks 80V leaf blower.
The shipping weight is 72 pounds (mower-only package), but the box was light enough to carry by myself. Packaging is minimal, yet sturdy, with cardboard spacers. The box contained the GreenWorks glm801601, handle bar extension, manual booklet, and quick-start sheet.
The only assembly required were 1) attaching the handle bar extension using 2 bolt/knob combos and 2) snapping on the right-side mulch discharge chute. Alternatively, you can leave off the side chute, pull off the rear mulching block, and attach the clippings collection fabric bag. The entire handle assembly is adjustable to 3 heights using the pair of built-in 90-degree twist knobs. There’s also a lever to adjust to 7 different cutting heights.
To prepare to mow, simply lift the battery cover flap on raised protrusion on the center-top of the GreenWorks lawn mower, push in the battery until it clicks into place (release button is used when removing the battery), then lower the flap.
No messy, smelly gas or oil needed. No nauseating exhaust! The electric motor is far quieter than a gas engine; my toddlers fell asleep fine during my lawn mowing. There’s none of the headaches of maintaining a gasoline engine: buy/store/pour jugs of gasoline, buy and keep engine oil topped off, buy fuel stabilizers, deal with spills, clean/replace spark plugs, burn off excess gasoline for off-season storage, etc.
To turn on, you push and hold the green button on the upper-right of the handle, then grasp the green lever arm together with the handle bar, then let go of the button. When you release lever, the GreenWorks lawn mower turns off completely; there is no idle. To restart, you’ll need to repeat the hold-button and grasp-lever routine. There is no cord-yanking involved.
The GreenWorks glm801601 is very easy to push (note it’s not self-powered), so I speed-walked most of the time. It’s easy to turn 180-degrees for parallel mowing. The blades cut very near to the outer edge of the wheels (see attached picture), so there’s minimal need for overlap. There’s a rubber rear skirt to protect you from any rock or debris projectiles, which is a godsend for my yard, full of landscape stones and sweet gum tree spike-balls.
The 2.0Ah battery from my leaf blower had plenty of power to mow the ¼ acre of greatly-overgrown grass and weeds (yesterday 5/17 was my first mow of the season), then power the blower to clean the GreenWorks glm801601 lawn mower. It’ll probably still have enough power for the string trimmer (on backorder), but I plan on buying either the 4.0Ah battery once it’s available or another 2.0Ah.
For storage, the handle bars easily fold over at the base for fast, compact storage. I actually have my mower resting vertically in the garage for maximum space savings (see my first picture). I feel it’s also light enough for most people to carry it to the basement for winter storage.
I’m very happy with the 80V GreenWorks glm801601 lawn mower and leaf blower so far. This Fall, I plan on selling my 24” gas snow thrower to replace with a GreenWorks 80V model as well.
Rating: 5/5
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