Black+Decker CM2060C 60V Powerswap 20″ Cordless Electric Mower Review
On its own, the cordless Black & Decker CM2060C electric mower embodies everything any owner could easily fall in love with after owning an electric lawn and garden tool. Though not without a few faults endemic to nearly any fuel-free machine, it trims with admirable precision without expelling a single noxious pollutant and operating in nearly total silence. Pair this ultralight dynamo with an arsenal of Black & Decker tools built to accommodate the same proprietary battery packs, and you suddenly reap the benefits of a cohesive, environmentally gentle landscaping team with an almost limitless collective running time.
Key Features
- Designed to handle up to a quarter-acre lawn with a single fully charged battery
- Single-point height adjustment with six settings
- Comes with two 60V batteries and transitions from one power source to the other with a push of a button
- Autosense technology conserves power by switching to lower speed in thinner grass
- Starts quickly and easily with a simple key, button and lever sequence
- Virtually silent
- Weighs under 50 pounds
- Convenient folding handle
- Three disposal options: bag, mulch or discharge clippings at your discretion
Performance
Tipping the scales at a mere 47 pounds, the Black & Decker CM2060C could have easily supported a decent-sized brushless motor and paired its impressively cutting with substantially more power without the added weight limiting its smooth maneuverability. In fact, the increased heft probably would have achieved quite the opposite effect by helping the feathery CM2060C roll far more effortlessly over rutted ground. Such as the Black & Decker CM2060C is, I nevertheless offer few complaints.
Owner suggestions that the Black & Decker CM2060C would have operated more potently with something more substantial than a 2.5 Ah 60V lithium-ion battery powering it are not entirely without merit. As I’ll explain below, I hesitate to call this mower anything resembling “underpowered” regardless. Upgrading to 36V and 4 Ah or even 7 Ah batteries might have added power and improved on the 30 to 45 minutes of runtime provided by its two individual power sources, but Black & Decker squeezes every ounce of outstanding performance possible out of its hardware. Powerswap allows the user to press a single button and transition instantly from a fading battery to a fresh one without missing a beat whenever the onboard charge meter shows that the current unit’s charge is dying. While you mow, Powersense technology conserves usable energy by dialing back blade speed and power when it detects thinner, shorter grass that doesn’t really call for added “oomph.”
Through it all, the Black & Decker CM2060C operates in ninja-like quietude and emits not a single molecule of air pollution. For all its energy-minded thrift, there’s a reason Black & Decker packages this mower with a pair of batteries: despite each providing less than an hour of work at best, both require up to four hours apiece to rejuvenate on a charger built for only battery at a time. Taking all of that into consideration, the CM2060C is still more than qualified to knock out a lawn as spacious as one-fourth to one-third of an acre and leave one battery with 50 percent of its power to spare.
Ease Of Use
There is nothing inherently complicated about mowing with the Black & Decker CM2060C. At worst, the natural dimensions of the handle make operation mildly cumbersome for many users shorter than 5 feet 7 inches tall and the rear flap has an annoying habit of sliding beneath the 20-inch deck, but its minimal weight keeps it easy for users of any stature to push with minimal effort. You won’t hear me complain about its starter calling upon a key, button and lever together. Not only is the sequence still idiot-proof in its simplicity, but it also happens to dependably, instantly and safely fire up the motor only when someone deliberately wants it turned on. When the job is done, the handle folds down neatly so that the Black & Decker CM2060C takes up as little space in any storage area as any mower you are bound to find.
Cut Quality & Options
By no stretch would I ever recommend taming a damp lawn with an electric mower. In this instance, it does bear noting that users who do bring the Black & Decker CM2060C to bear against wet grass come away amazed at its slick, surgical slicing. The single-point deck adjustment changes heights marvelously quickly among six settings ranging from 1.3 to four inches and the three disposal options all dispense with clippings in worry-free fashion whether one should choose to discharge, bag or mulch. Naturally, you can expect cutting power to taper off as either battery nears the end of its charge, but that comes with the territory of owning any battery-powered mower. Think of it as an incentive to carefully consider the size of your lawn between investing your money in anything less than a gas-based model.
Maintenance
At its best, the Black & Decker CM2060C is one of the least “needy” machines I have ever laid hands upon, even by the lofty standards of comparing both Black & Decker products and electric mowers in general. Naturally, your days of buying fuel, oil and spark plugs end the moment you unbox and prep this tiny-but-mighty workhorse for its first outing. Instead, the most involved steps any owner could take to ensure its lengthiest possible lifespan involve simply steering it as far from water as possible. Remember, electric devices are virtually all deathly allergic to condensation. Fortunately, I have never experienced anything short of superb customer service from Black & Decker. Their representatives have even been known to patrol product listings on websites such as Amazon to directly extend their assistance to owners reporting problems. Buying any of their tools is always an investment in a company dedicated to standing firmly behind the quality of anything bearing its name. The Black & Decker CM2060C is no exception.
Safety Features
There is no “accidentally” turning on the Black & Decker CM2060C. First, you have to insert its safety key. Next, push the button. Finally, there’s a lever to flip. Even if some errant toddler could manage to accomplish the latter two steps, both are meaningless without the key.
Cost Effectiveness
I would usually wince at a $360 asking price for a cordless electric mower with a 20-inch deck. Then again, the “average” mower of the Black & Decker CM2060C’s kind doesn’t offer nearly the rich list of features or energy-efficient extension of working time this one boasts. Sure, the four-hour charging time is annoying, but keep two things in mind: first off, if two 60V lithium-ion batteries connected to a situational power conservation system won’t allow you to finish your lawn, then consider the notion that your spread is simply too large for any electric mower to efficiently manage; second, if you absolutely insist on sticking with the CM2060C anyway, simply look into buying one more spare battery. Otherwise, this one is worth every single penny.
