Tacklife KALM12A 10 Amp 14″ Electric Lawn Mower Review
The TACKLIFE KALM12A Electric Lawn Mower was designed to appeal to people who need to manicure a small lawn or keep a boulevard neatly trimmed. To that end, it has a 14-inch cutting deck to make it nimble, as well as a 10-Amp electric motor that is powered by an extension cord.
Like many other popular mowers in the Tacklife line, the KALM12A has six adjustable height settings for the cutting deck. This means you can dial it down to as low as .98 inches when the grass is growing vigorously, or as high as 2.95-inches when the weather has been dry and you need to preserve soil moisture in your turf. It adjusts easily via a single lever on the side of the cutting deck frame.
Underneath the cutting deck, you will find a 14-inch heavy-duty metal cutting blade. The 10-Amp electric motor propels it at 3,300 RPMs, which really helps it take the grass down at a casual walking pace.
The deck is designed to send the clippings to the rear-mounted hard-sided, 10.5-gallon bagger. Since it is so rigid, you don’t have to worry about it bogging down when you mow or it suffering an accidental rip. There’s even a little indicator that tells you when the collection bin is getting full.
It also folds down easily to 30. 2 x 15.7 x 13.8-inches, and only weighs 24-pounds. The height of the handles is also adjustable with three different settings customizable to the height of the user.
It’s also worth noting that Tacklife backs this lawnmower with a nice 2-year warranty.
Key Features
- 10-Amp electric motor
- Corded lawnmower
- 6 height adjustments
- Cuts from .98 to 2.95 inches
- 16-inch cutting deck
- Heavy-duty metal blade
- Easy storage
- Backed by a 2-year warranty
Performance
The 10-Amp electric motor is powered by an extension cord, which means you are going to be limited to 50-feet from the nearest outlet. Which isn’t really a big deal for a small suburban yard or a grassy boulevard. When plugged in the TACKLIFE KALM12A propels the heavy-duty metal blade up to 3,300 RPMs, which is just right for cutting at a casual walking pace without leaving stray uncut blades of grass behind.
Ease of Use
There’s no fuel, oil, or battery to have to worry about, you simply plug it in and you’re ready to go. If there’s a potential obstacle it’s making sure that your extension cord doesn’t get tangled as you walk or that you accidentally run over it. To hedge your bets against this happening it helps to start cutting near the house or outlet and move far. That way the cord is more likely to be behind you rather than in front.
Cut Quality & Options
If you walk too fast the 10-Amp electric motor and heavy-duty cutting blade might leave some stray uncut blades of grass behind. Once you dial in your pace just right, then it does a great job of clearing the grass.
Maintenance
There isn’t a lot of maintenance with a corded electric lawnmower like this. You just need to take an extra minute or two to make sure all the grass clippings have been thoroughly cleaned out of the back corners of the collection bin.
It’s also worth noting that the heavy-duty metal blade is robust enough to withstand accidentally running over a stray stick without being damaged. It’s also thick enough that a mechanically adept person could sharpen it themselves with a fine-toothed mill file. This isn’t true of most electric lawnmower blades that are prone to fracturing when they run over something hard and you have to buy replacement blades when they dull.
Safety Features
The TACKLIFE KALM12A has the same hand control safety features you find on most walk-behind push mowers. You have to also tip your hat to the indicator on the rigid bagger that lets you know when it’s full to prevent clogging problems.
Special Features
As mundane as they might sound on paper, the adjustable handlebars really do lend something special to the TACKLIFE KALM12A. They can be adjusted to three distinct height settings, which is handy if you have people in your house with a major difference in height. It’s also nice if your kid is old enough to learn how to cut the lawn.
Then when you want to store it away, the TACKLIFE KALM12A handlebars fold down to 30. 2 x 15.7 x 13.8-inches for compact storage. Since it only weighs 24-pounds, you could theoretically hang it on a wall with some heavy-duty fasteners.
Cost-Effectiveness
The corded electric engine helps maximize the value of the TACKLIFE KALM12A. You don’t ever have to worry about a carburetor clogging up, a spark plug dying or a battery suffering from memory loss charging problems. So, long as you can mow your lawn within 50-feet of the nearest outdoor outlet, you can always use the TACKLIFE KALM12A.
The heavy-duty metal blade is also an area where you can get some added value. Unlike most electric lawnmower blades the heavy-duty metal blade of the TACKLIFE KALM12A can be sharpened by hand. It’s also robust enough to withstand accidentally running over a stray stick without being damaged. This saves you money every year as you won’t have to buy replacement mower blades.
The two-year warranty that comes included in the purchase price also makes a statement on build quality and materials.
