Tried & Tested: Kärcher Battery Powered Cordless Lawn Mower

Standout Features:

Cordless and easy to manoeuvre
18V battery with LCD display showing remaining run time/charge time
Quick to assemble
Four different heights of cut from 30-70mm
Exchangeable battery with all other 18V Kärcher products

Spring and warmer weather means it’s time to get the garden back into tip-top shape. I’m not green fingered in the slightest but cutting the grass is a job I just can’t hide from. Lugging the lawn mower from the shed, untangling the cord for what seems like hours, and finally connecting it to a grubby extension cord is definitely not my idea of fun.

So when Kärcher provided me with one of their battery-powered lawn mowers for my Tried & Tested series, I was more than eager to try it!

Functionality:

The Kärcher LMO 18-36 Set may not be the catchiest title but it has an impressive array of features nonetheless. It is powered by an 18 volt battery which has an LCD display that can show the remaining run time and charge time. Simply click the battery into place in the front of the machine. What’s more, the exchangeable battery can be used in all other 18V Kärcher battery powered machines.

The machine also comes with an 18V battery power fast charger which fully charges the battery in around 3 hours for a 12 minute run-time. I should also mention that the mower can’t be operated without the safety key to ensure children can’t accidentally turn it on.

The mower comes with a 45L grass catcher container with a fill level indicator, and as it is a 2-in-1 mowing system, the cut grass can either be collected in the bag or be spread over the lawn as natural fertiliser using the included mulching kit (more on this later!)

The mower has four different heights of cut from 30-70mm which can be adjusted easily from the gear stick on the side of the machine. I absolutely love the design and ease of changing the length, something which I’ve never dreamed of changing before as my previous mowers required manually adjusting the blade underneath.

Switches on both sides make it easy to operate, a feature which is especially handy if you’re left handed, and the guide handles are foldable so you can save space in the shed.

Assembly:

Putting the machine together was surprisingly easy. The mower comes largely assembled, you just need to connect the handles to it and put the battery in once it’s fully charged.

The battery slides into the machine and you need to push firmly to make it click into place. The grass bag is also easily connect to the back of the machine or the mulching plug can be used instead by sliding it into the opening at the back.

It also has a space-saving design, which means when you've finished you can easily fold it up and it won’t take up loads on space in your shed.

Performance:

Immediately, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to get going. There’s no annoying cords and extension plugs to deal with, simply connect the battery and mow. The mower is also surprisingly quiet and is very smooth to operate due to the four large wheels.

I was very impressed with the cut on the lowest setting as well and found it to be a great length for the lawn. The mower also does a good job of cutting in the corners and edge of the lawn but a strimmer is still needed to get it perfectly cut on the sides of fences I feel.

I have a medium sized garden and the battery still had 60% left once I had cut the whole lawn. The grass bag is massive and I didn’t need to empty it which is never the case with my other mower.

I mowed one side with the grass container attached and the other side with the mulching plug attached and I have to say that the mulching plug is seriously impressive. The cut grass is hardly noticeable on the lawn as the plug does a great job of spreading out and flattening out the cuttings. It’s a great way to save time and create natural fertiliser for the lawn.

Cost:

The Kärcher LMO 18-36 Set can be bought for around the £300 mark, which can seem a bit high for a lawn mower. However when you take into consideration the vast number of features, and in particular the convenience of it being cordless, it is a justified price.

Overall:

I’m seriously impressed with the Kärcher LMO 18-36 Set. The cut is excellent and the space-saving design is great for people with little storage space. It is a good size but perhaps a tad on the heavy side at just over 13kg.

The battery run-time is really good and it’s perfect for small-medium lawns but perhaps a spare battery would be ideal for those with much larger gardens as I don’t think 12 minutes would be enough.

I loved the ease of changing the cutting length via the gear-stick and for me, the four lengths are more than enough for keeping the lawn looking smart. The grass bag holds plenty of grass and the fill indicator is very useful. The mulching plug is very effective and does a great job at flattening the clippings on the lawn.

A cordless battery powered lawn mower is a must-have and the Kärcher LMO 18-36 Set is a great choice if you’ve had enough of untangling cords and want more time relaxing in the garden.