Technology Review: Greenworks Elite lawnmower

Hello all, this is the Angry Systems Administrator with another technology review. In this case, it isn’t computer equipment, it’s something the Angry Groundskeeper asked for, a new lawnmower.

He specifically asked that I research and get the Angry Account to authorize the purchase of a new electric mower, not a standard gas powered unit. When I asked him why, he showed me the two currently nonfunctional units currently rusting away in the Anger Central Primary Dwelling’s tool room. Both of them will not start and probably need to have a the equivalent of a tune up. The problem with that is the mowers were the lowest of low ends and sending them in for repairs would probably cost more then buying a new one.

So I started looking around. The Angry Groundskeeper had mentioned that he had borrowed a mower from a friend that was battery powered. Considering the size of the weed patch that the Angry Webmaster calls his lawn, it makes sense. It rarely takes the Angry Groundskeeper more then 30 minutes to hack down the weeds. (The Angry Groundskeeper would love to reseed the grounds, but the Black thumbed moron Webmaster won’t allow it)

So I went online and started looking around. The Angry Groundkeeper mentioned that the mower he borrowed was a self propelled model made by Greenworks. After some research I found one that seems to have fit the bill, the Greenworks Elite 21” cordless self-propelled mower.

I had planned on buying this last March, but then the supply chain collapsed due to what the Webmaster refers to as “The Great Panicdemic of 2020.” It was out of stock until about a month ago when I was finally able to order it for the Angry Groundskeeper. The unit arrived in a box and the two of us opened it up and put it together, (Yes, some assembly was required). Basically we had to attach the handle to the mower.

The battery and the charger were brought into the main office and plugged in. It took a few hours to fully charge the battery. Meanwhile the Angry Groundskeeper went through the instructions. The mower comes with a plug that prevents the clippings from being expelled already installed. This was the mulcher. There is also a small grass catcher, (Very small. You can look forward to emptying it very frequently), and a normal side deflector.

The next day, the Angry Groundskeeper took the new mower for a spin. The grass and weeds were rather tall, but this machine took them right down. The mower is also self propelled, and that will eat into the battery power, but you don’t need to engage the drive if you don’t want to. The mower is just as easy to push around as any standard gas mower that isn’t self propelled. However, when you need to have the mower pull itself along, such as going up hill, it will take off like a dragster. (It does have a throttle)

The battery, when not using the self propulsion system, is good for about an hour. It is also blue tooth enabled and there is an app you can put on your phone to get the charge level. (Better then the 3 lit bars on the battery) All in all the Angry Groundskeeper was quite happy with the new mower and not having to buy gas or oil for a normal mower is definitely a plus. When the mower runs out of juice, just pull the battery out and recharge.

There is a down side of course, and that’s cost. The mower itself was about $250ish, but the battery was really expensive. The total cost was just under $500 through Amazon. Still, we both think it was worth it, especially since the thing is so damn quiet. I, for one, hate being awakened to the sound of gas mowers being used a block away.

Another nice thing about the Greenworks mower is ease of use. No more pull starts, especially when you are pulling on the cord and instead of varoom, you get sputter, sputter, Ow! Damnit! My back! You simply push pull a lever and push a button and the blade starts turning. Pull another lever and the wheels start moving.

The Angry Groundskeeper highly recommends the Greenworks Elite 21” cordless self-propelled mower.Unless you are cutting acres of grass, it should fit your needs perfectly. Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but we’ve decided it’s well worth it.

Thank you