PowerSmart PS76417 17″ 40v Battery Push Lawn Mower Review
The PowerSmart PS76417 is a cordless electric lawn mower that was designed to last. When you also factor in its friendly price point, it’s a great value lawn mower that offers a strong return on your investment.
It starts with a 4 Ah lithium-ion battery pack that can power the 40-volt electric lawn mower for up to 90-minutes on a maximum charge. One of the great things about lithium-ion batteries is that they offer the same level of performance at 99% of charge that they do at 1% of charge, without fading or problems with “Memory Loss.”
The PowerSmart PS76417 was also designed to be versatile. The 17-inch cutting deck can be raised or lowered quickly through five different height settings. If your grass is growing hot and fast you can simply set the cutting deck down as low as 1.18-inches. If you need to preserve some of the ambient soil moisture in the turf, you can just as easily adjust the deck up as high as 3-inches to help shade the underlying soil.
Though this isn’t the end of the versatility offered by the PowerSmart PS76417. It is also a true 3-in-1 cordless electric lawn mower. When you first assemble it, this lawn mower is set up for side discharge. If you are worried about thatch buildup, or your lawn could just use a boost of some organic nitrogen, you can set it up as a mulching mower in a matter of moments. If you prefer, it can just as easily be set up to work as a bagging mower. The collected grass clippings can then be added to a compost pile or the garden.
For what it’s worth, the PowerSmart PS76417 is very easy to assemble and should take less than half an hour to put together with standard household tools and a little mechanical sympathy. The PowerSmart PS76417 is also backed by a robust 2-year warranty, which is an impressive statement of build quality for a cordless electric lawn mower in this price range. You also get the batteries and the charger included in the initial purchase.
Key Features
- 40 Volt electric motor
- 4 Ah lithium-ion batteries
- 17-inch steel cutting deck
- 3-in-1 versatility
- Side discharge, mulch or bag
- 1.4-bushel collection bag
- 5 Adjustable Heights
- Cuts from 1.18 to 3-inches
- Battery & charger included
- 2 year warranty
- Only weighs 42-pounds
- Folds for easy storage
Performance
The PowerSmart PS76417 has a powerful 40-volt electric lawn mower that’s paired with an equally impressive 4 Ah lithium-ion battery pack. The batteries recharge in just 90-minutes, which is something that a lot of the shoulder-to-shoulder competitors can’t boast. It essentially gives you enough range to easily cut up to half an acre of grass or perhaps a little more, on a single charge.
If there is a minor complaint here, it’s that the PowerSmart PS76417 does not have any sort of self-propulsion system. Though it only weighs 42 pounds, which makes it easy to push.
Ease Of Use
The PowerSmart PS76417 is a relatively easy-to-use cordless electric push mower. The height of the cutting deck can be adjusted quickly and the mulching or bagging features are easy to install. It only weighs 42-pounds which makes it very easy to push over most level suburban lawns.
Special Features
The 3-in-1 versatility of the PowerSmart PS76417 and the cutting deck height adjustment make it easy to customize this cordless electric lawn mower to your lawn’s prevailing conditions. You can set it high or low for the growth rate and soil moisture level of your lawn. For superior thatch management, you can choose to use it as a mulching or bagging lawn mower.
Cut Quality & Options
The PowerSmart PS76417 comes setup for side discharge. If you’ve recently been struggling with thatch buildup you can set this cordless electric lawn mower up as a mulching mower in a matter of moments. This is a great way to give your lawn a quick boost of all-natural organic nitrogen. You can also just as easily be set up the PowerSmart PS76417 as a bagging mower. The collected grass clippings can then be added to a compost pile or the garden.
Maintenance
There isn’t a whole lot of maintenance involved in the PowerSmart PS76417. This cordless electric lawn mower was designed to recharge quickly. Most of the time the 4 Ah lithium-ion battery pack can be fully recharged in under 90-minutes. This is great for times when you might want to break your lawn up into two separate mowing sessions.
Of course, the blades will need to be sharpened or replaced over time. Though this is part and parcel with all cordless electric lawn mowers. For what it’s worth the blade chosen for the PowerSmart PS76417 tends to have a longer than average lifespan. Just make sure to clear the lawn of sticks and rocks to prevent dings or scalping.
You also have to like the two-year warranty that the PowerSmart PS76417 is backed by. It makes a confident statement from the manufacturer, that they stand behind their engineering and material build quality.
Safety Features
The PowerSmart PS76417 comes with all the standard safety features you expect to find on a cordless electric lawn mower. The hand controls are comfortable to reduce problems with hand fatigue and they allow you to arrest the cutting blades in an instant.
Cost-Effectiveness
The PowerSmart PS76417 is very cost-effective compared to a gasoline lawn mower of the same size. The 4 Ah lithium-ion battery pack has a reputation for lasting a long time, which decreases the overall cost of ownership in future replacement batteries.
You will also appreciate the way the 3-in-1 versatility of the PowerSmart PS76417 lets you effectively manage thatch conditions in your turf. This can reduce the need for seasonal aeration, as well as give your lawn a little mid-season boost of nitrogen, without having to resort to messy, costly commercial-grade fertilizer. If you want to bag the harvested grass clippings, you can then add them to the green matter of your compost pile, or act as a weed block for side dressing garden plants.
