WORX WG719 13 Amp Corded Electric Lawn Mower Review
The Worx WG719 corded electric lawnmower is the latest in a long line of corded models to prove that sacrificing an expansive range of movement doesn’t have to also mean substandard performance. In fact, from its immaculately crafted blade to its double-tough deck and unique front-wheel design, it lives up to Worx’s constant commitment to thinking outside the box to build the most widely user-friendly, innovative and affordable mowers on the market today. Unfortunately, it seems that every perk it brings to the table comes with a thorny caveat attached.
Key Features
- Caster front wheels
- Steel 19-inch cutting deck built with exceptional mulching in mind
- One-touch collapsible handle with comfortable foam grips
- Stand-up storage
- Versatile range of seven adjustable cutting heights from 1.5 to four inches
- Weighs only 56 pounds
- Three disposal options for clippings: side-discharge, mulch or bag
- Three-year warranty
- Dual-edge NutriCut blade
Performance
You don’t have to look far to find the Worx WG719’s single most distinctive feature: those caster front wheels are simultaneously its greatest asset and worst enemy.
I’ll grant that they lend the Worx WG719 noticeably deft maneuverability when circumnavigating obstacles on a fairly flat lawn. That’s the whole point of introducing a part that makes mowing your lawn feel like pushing a 56-pound shopping cart around a grocery store. No ordinary lawnmower’s fixed wheels allow for executing the angles and sideways movement the caster axles make possible, even on slightly bumpy or contoured ground. Then again, the same range of motion that allows the WG719 to pirouette and pivot so gracefully can just as quickly become an aggravating liability due to their tendency to swing uncontrollably when tilted uphill, unless the built-in locking mechanism is engaged. While I appreciate Worx’s consideration for this shortcoming, it can be a bit of a nuisance to stop and engage or disengage a single feature just to continue mowing in a straight line.
The Worx WG719’s body doesn’t necessarily do its inconsistent handling any favors, despite the durability of its fabrication. The steel 19-inch deck is certainly broad enough to shave down mowing time with a generous cutting path, but it also makes up the lion’s share of the mower’s weight and an excessive heft that leaves one asking, “Should just under 60 pounds feel this stiff and resistant?” It’s a shame, because the accompanying 13-Amp motor would have likely felt like an utter powerhouse if it had only been bolted onto a lighter frame.
Ease Of Use
There isn’t much sense retreading the aforementioned issues with the Worx WG719’s handling and cumbersome weight. I will say that, aside from those issues, this is a mower with a great deal of potential. The push-button starter never fails to fire the motor up on the first try. The one-touch collapsible handle dramatically shrinks the mower’s storage footprint by converting for stand-up storage in a wink and adjusts positioning to comfortably suit users of every stature. On top of that, with no air pollution and virtually silent operation, mowing during pre-dawn hours or after dusk is no longer out of the question for fear of engendering neighborly disdain.
Most importantly, there’s an advantage of corded electric mowers that never quite gets its due respect. Granted, using a Worx WG719 means always minding the lay of a power cable in order to keep it out of the blade’s path and avoid electrocution. At the same time, tethering a mower to an outlet trades a cordless model’s freedom of movement for a constantly dense stream of juice that won’t taper off as does that of a battery approaching the end of its charge. A corded mower may not be a practical choice for maintaining a lawn larger than a quarter-acre, but there are plenty of perks to accompany choosing one to groom extremely small areas of sod.
Cut Quality & Options
Permit me a bold statement: the Worx WG719 sets an example for just how smoothly even a seemingly underpowered electric mower can trim with the right hardware beneath its deck. In fact, I would dare say, more motorized mowers should be looking toward this mower’s dual-edge NutriCut blade as proof that the right cutting surfaces on a single piece of steel can often perform as precisely as a multi-blade apparatus. In my hands-on test, the WG719 cleanly manicured heavy grass and stubborn weeds that mowers with more potent engines have needed extra passes to properly tidy up. Think of it as comparing a speedy featherweight boxer to a bruising heavyweight. The latter doesn’t require ample finesse, because he can carry the day with brute power; the former, on the other hand, deftly works like a scalpel with multiple strikes and pinpoint accuracy to get the same job done.
That isn’t the only area in which Worx has once more set one of their mowers up as a measuring stick. A single control transitions all four wheels at once up and down an incredible seven height settings ranging between 1.5 and four inches, a perfect “sweet spot” for nearly any lawn. The WG719 also offers three disposal options for dealing with clippings – effective side-discharge, admirably thorough mulching and bagging – but the 1.3-bushel receptacle could do with a redesign. Nobody likes being occasionally pelted with shards of grass shooting through an overlooked gap between the bag and the mower.
Maintenance
Provided you keep the Worx WG719 out of wet conditions and make a note to have the blade sharpened at least once a year, the days of lavishing your lawnmower with ample TLC between jobs are as good as over. Choosing a lean, green electrically-powered mowing machine means an end to spending a hundred dollars or more annually on gas, oil and spark plugs. For anything unexpected, there’s a three-year limited warranty handling parts and replacement.
Safety Features
To kill the engine immediately, just let go of the depressed bailout lever. Failing that, remove the cord from its socket. Either action will shut down the cutting mechanism in under three seconds. However, the bailout lever poses a few minor issues of its own. Since it doesn’t pull fully back to the handle, you may have to uncomfortably extend your hand to maintain its position. Shorter users may also be left with no choice but to release the handle in order to reposition the cord while mowing, simply because of its less-than-ideal range of movement.
Cost Effectiveness
Yeesh. Your mileage with the Worx WG719 is destined to vary. The caster front wheels twirl ridiculously smoothly around obstacles that force a winding path hither and yon across a yard, but present enough pathing issues and frustrations mowing in corners and other tight spaces and along inclines to make me wonder if they are remotely worth the trouble. That’s a shame, because this mower actually cuts remarkably, thanks to its outstandingly sharp surfaces of its blade. My suggestion? If possible, find someone who owns one and borrow it for a test drive before committing around $200 to buying for yourself.
