Tacklife KDLM4040A 16″ 40V Cordless Electric Lawn Mower Review
Tacklife really puts their best foot forward with this KDLM4040A 16-inch cordless electric lawnmower. It has a 40-volt electric motor and comes with a 4.0 Ah lithium-ion battery as well as a charger, included in the initial purchase.
It’s set up as a bagging mower with a 10.5-gallon grass collection box that is firm and rigid. This spares you the hassle of the bagger dragging with added weight when full. There are 6 distinct height settings from as low as .98 inches to as high as 2.95-inches. Which lets you set your grass to the height you want for the current weather conditions and state of your turf. You can adjust the height of the entire cutting deck in seconds thanks to a single lever.
The actual cutting blade is made from thick manganese. This might not sound all that impressive on paper, but what it really means is that it will hold it’s edge for longer, it’s less likely to break when you accidentally run over a stick or a rock. It also means that you can sharpen it yourself with a mill file or an angle grinder. Most other cordless electric lawnmowers in this price range give you thin blades that require you to simply buy replacements year after year.
The handle is another place where you might not expect to be impressed. Yet Tacklife really put some thought into engineering it properly. To that point, it comes with three control height settings for the handlebars. This means you can set it down low for a short person or a teenager, or raise it up high for a tall man. When you’re done mowing the grass the handlebars can be folded up for compact storage.
Key Features
- Model# KDLM4040A
- 16-inch cutting deck
- 40-volt electric mower
- 4.0 Ah lithium-ion battery
- Charger included in the purchase
- 6 height settings from .98 to 2.95-inches
- 10.5-gallon rigid bagger
- Height-adjustable handlebars
- Folds up for compact storage
Performance
The 40-volt electric motor that power this Tacklife cordless electric lawnmower is truly powerful. You can trust that it will tackle even thick moisture-laden grass with vigor. The 4.0 Ah lithium-ion battery also holds enough charge to run for around half an hour. Though thicker grass might draw more power to shorten the average runtime a little bit.
You can also tell that Tacklife put extra effort into making this electric lawnmower run quieter than many of it’s closest competitors.
Ease of Use
This cordless electric lawn mower is very easy to use. If you happen to be very tall, or very short and you’ve been frustrated by one-size-fits-all lawnmower handles, then you’re really going to appreciate the three adjustable height settings on the handlebars.
It also only weighs a little over 30-pounds, which means this lawnmower is very nimble. The grass collector is rigid, so it won’t drag on the turn behind the mower like a lot of other soft-sided baggers do. Just keep in mind that you don’t always feel the weight, so it might take a few mowing sessions to get a good feel for when the grass collection bin is full.
Cut Quality & Options
The 6 adjustable height settings let you adjust the length of the grass for the current conditions. For example, let’s say that the recent weather has been very dry and the forecast says it looks to stay that way. Then you could adjust the cutting deck height up to 2.95 inches to shade the underlying turf for better moisture retention.
On the other end of the spectrum, let’s say that recent weather has been a mixture of sun and rain, which encourages grass to grow quickly. In a situation like this, you might want to dial the deck height down to .98 of an inch to stay ahead of your lawn.
The 16-inch cutting deck and the 30-pound weight also mean this lawnmower is very nimble. You can dance around trees and flower beds when you need to, but it still has the width you want to chew through long open stretches of lawn.
Maintenance
There isn’t a lot of maintenance with this cordless electric lawnmower. You need to charge up the battery after every use, then try to take it off the charger when it’s at the maximum. You also should take a moment at the end of a mowing session to make sure the back corners of the collection bin is completely cleaned out.
The thick manganese cutting blade will also need to be sharpened from time to time. This might be a good or a bad thing depending on your skill level. The thick blade certainly helps prevent damage when you accidentally mow over something hard.
Some people prefer to just purchase replacement blades, which you certainly can do. If you are handy with a mill file or an angle grinder, this blade is robust enough for you to sharpen it yourself.
Safety Features
This Tacklife KDLM4040A cordless electric lawnmower has the standard hand controls you expect in a walk-behind mower.
Special Features
The three height position handlebars is really nice for families where there’s a significant difference in height. Then when you’re done the handlebars fold down easily for compact storage.
The thick manganese cutting blade resists damage, and also gives you the ability to sharpen it yourself rather than sink more money in replacement blades every spring.
Cost-Effectiveness
Of course, this cordless electric lawn mower is going to cost less in the long run than a gas-powered push mower. If you take care of it, you’re sure to see a robust return on your investment. If you are a little bit handy or you just plain know your way around a fine-toothed mill file, you could save yourself extra money by sharpening the manganese blade every spring, instead of buying new blades year after year.
