Sun Joe MJ-HVR12E Electric Hover Mower Review
Working a traditional push mower across a bumpy, uneven lawn can be a chore. Every bump in the turf takes a little extra force, and you start to “Feel It” in your wrist, elbows and shoulders. A gas mower makes this even worse with excess weight, noise and fumes.
The Sun Joe MJ-HVR12E Electric Hover Mower represents the next step in the evolution of the manual push mower. The 10 Amp motor runs off a power cord, which makes it more realistic for small lawns. As you move it along a cushion of air keeps it from any direct contact with the turf. There literally are no wheels!
This makes it ideal for small lawns with uneven turf or light hills. Though it’s just at home on a smooth even surface. It only weights in at 10-pounds and is easily maneuverable.
The cutting deck measures in with an 11-inch diameter. The three blades spin at a vigorous 7,000 RPMs to cleanly cut blades of grass. With light weight electric mowers like this, dings in a blade can affect performance. Sun Joe doesn’t leave you bemoaning replacement blade purchases as they include 30 replacements in the initial purchase!
Key Features
- 10 Amp Electric Motor
- 11-Inch Cutting Deck
- 7,000 RPMs With 3 Small Cutting Blades
- 30-Blades Included In The Initial Purchase
- Hovers Over The Turf
- Only Weighs 10-pounds
- No Wheels
- Powered By An Extension Cord
Performance
The 10 Amp electric motor that spins the three cutting blades at an impressive 7,000 RPMs. Though it does run off a power cord, which means you may need to do a little dancing if your yard has trees of landscaping features that can get in the way.
Just keep in mind that it’s meant for a smaller lawn. This isn’t exactly the size of mower that you want to clear a half acre of long grass.
Ease of Use
The Sun Joe MJ-HVR12E Electric Hover Mower only weighs in at 10-pounds, which you feel even less once the hover feature has been engaged. The corded power feature can be a little bit of a hassle if you have a lot of trees and landscaping features that could snaggle it. Still, if you take a little time thinking about your mowing pattern, you should be able to come up with a system to keep the cord moving without clotheslining a flower bed.
There is a fair amount of adjustability in the handle which lets you set it up for the height and posture of the user.
Cut Quality & Options
The 7,000 RPM electric blade motor does a great job of cutting through grass without exhausting your arms. The hover feature also spares you the jarring effect of cutting over uneven turf, while also leaving you with a smoothly trimmed top layer. With push mowers that have wheels you can sometimes see the aberrations in the turf represented in a bumpy or wavy look in the grass.
Electric walk-behind mowers like this tend to have very lightweight, arguably delicate blades, which become easily imbalanced when they are nicked or dinged. So, take a few extra minutes to check for any sticks or stones in the lawn before you start mowing.
Even if you do happen to hit something, or the blades just naturally lose their sharpness, Sun Joe includes 30 replacement blades in the initial purchase.
One of the things to note with the Sun Joe MJ-HVR12E Electric Hover Mower is that the supreme nimbleness allows you to cut grass around trees and landscaping features with ease. You could argue that this mower can save you money by simply eliminating the need to buy a string trimmer.
The 11-inch cutting deck is perhaps a little on the small side. Still, it’s not that big of a problem for a small yard, and it helps keep the overall weight of the hover mower down.
Maintenance
There isn’t a lot of maintenance to the Sun Joe MJ-HVR12E Electric Hover Mower. There aren’t any batteries to speak of, so you don’t have to worry about recharging it. Just be careful not to hit the power cord in your mowing pattern.
The blades will need to be replaced periodically, especially if you have a bad habit of mowing over sticks hiding in the turf. There really isn’t a feasible way to sharpen a compromised blade. Thankfully, there are 30 replacement blades that come with it.
You also need to be careful not to bang the edge of the hover platform, as chipping it could potentially influence the hover feature’s performance.
Safety Features
The handle has a safety switch that activates the blades and disengages them rapidly when released. If you need to use it for a long period of time having to grip on to the safety switch can gradually cause a little hand fatigue. Still, this mower is meant for small lawns, so chances are low you’re going to run into this problem if you are mowing a quarter acre or less.
Special Features
The hover feature is, of course, on the cutting edge of innovation in walk-behind lawnmowers.
Cost Effectiveness
Cost effectiveness is arguably one of the most appealing things about the Sun Joe MJ-HVR12E Electric Hover Mower. For starters electricity is cheaper than the equivalent cost of gasoline. It also means you don’t have to spend money on oil changes and replacement filters. The nimbleness of this hover mower also lets you work your way around trees and landscaping features to trim everything nicely. This can spare you the cost of buying a string trimmer.
