Buy Cheap Epic EP21H 21-Inch 24-Volt Cordless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower From Here Now!
Item number 10759-45, Grading is cover/record: EX using Goldmine standards. 196?,wlp,garage Please see seller profile for abbreviation descriptions.
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Technical Details
- Most advanced electric motor technology equals more power and longer run times- 7 position height adjustment from 1.5-inch to 3.5-inch
- Removable Batteries Featuring On-Board And Off-Board Charging
- Push Button Start With LED Battery Level Indicator
- 2 Year Limited Warranty
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By Jay M. Shaffer (Golden, CO United States)
I finally got fed up with my gas mower and it's associated hassles. No more trips to the gas station, no more spilled gas while filling, no more ozone and gas emissions, and no more fouling the air with curses while trying to start the beast.
I settled on the Utopia brand cordless electric mower because it is self-propelled and rear wheel drive . I have a large (1/2 acre) hilly lawn and the grass had grown to 6 inches, a tough job for any mower. I did also purchase an extra set of batteries, which is another reason I like the Utopia. Having easily replaceable and recyclable batteries should be a requirement for cordless mowers.
The bottom line is that this mower tackled a large yard with tall grass and I got 40 minutes on the first set of batteries. Now the grass is a more manageable height I can can get 45-50 minutes from the first set of batteries.
The only minor complaints I have is the self propelled clutch is crude compared to the Toro self paced system I was used to, and that the handle padding is tearing.
I am currently charging the batteries from the grid, making the mower a coal/electric hybrid, but soon I'll be setting up a solar charging station. Then this mower will be truly emission free.
I heartily endorse and recommend this mower. In fact I think there should be a national law outlawing gas mowers under 6.5HP and replace them "cash for clunkers" style with these mowers.
By JimVT (VT)
I wanted an Electric self-propelled mower to get some exercise after surgery limited my mobility for a while.
This looked like the best deal at $500 and free shipping.
There are a few minor bugs: Manual clarity, wrong information on handles, extra parts with no explanation, etc
But the claim to cut 7 to 10K sq ft on one charge is BS.
I have .39 acres or 16,000 +- sq ft with space used for a two story home, shed, gardens, bushes and trees which nets out to 8 to 10K SF or 5k each for the front and back yards.
The back was still moist when I cut it so I'll give them an OK on that but the front was dry as a bone and the mower quit at about 75% complete.
So now I guess I can plan to take 2+ days to cut the lawn waiting for recharging rather than 4 hours with the gas mower (which I kept, thank goodness)
The service rep was very nice on several questions but had to refer to someone else and keep me on hold for others.
Bottom line: an extra set of the batteries is $100 PLUS $25 shipping!
No bargain here.
By Flybob (oh, usa)
UPDATE 30 June 2010:
-If mulching is your thing, try somewhere else; this thing would not be able to mulch its way out of a wet paper bag. It is advertised as a 3-in-1 (ie bag, discharge, mulch) but it is more like a 2.1 in 1 (bag, discharge out the side, discharge out the bottom in clumps). The only way this thing can claim to mulch is if you never let the grass grow more than 1/2 inch between mowings (every 2 days in a rainy summer?). Any taller and you get large piles of clumped grass coming out of the mower. Also the mulching plug is very flimsy and holds a pile of grass that will rot over time, you should probably remove it and empty it after each mowing.
-I have used the mower 5 times now. Battery life is still adequate, but the linear LED indications I experienced in my first mow were evidently a fluke; the average is more like: 5 LEDs for 18-25 minutes, 4L for 4-8m, 3L for 0-2m and I have never used up the last segment. It is still consuming between 380 and 410 Wh per mowing ($0.05 in these parts). Btw, for the technically curious, 400Wh in 35 minutes means it is actually producing just under 1HP; but 1 electric HP (when measured by actual "work" performed) is probably the functional equivalent of a gas engine rated at 3.5HP (measured by reading the label on top). This last mowing, the grass was higher than normal, thats where the 410 came from. The whining it makes when the "key" is inserted is really annoying, they should give you at least a full minute without it so that you could empty the bag.
-Flimsy wheel/axles. As I mentioned below, the hardware looks shaky and it is turning out to be so. My left front wheel has a distinct starboard list. Oddly, it still seems to track straight. The drive does not seem to leap into action when you pull the handle like it used to, maybe the belt is starting to stretch.
-I finally used the bag. I had to - it was making such a mess of (not) mulching the above average tall grass this week. Seems like one of the reviewers mentioned there is an optional mulching blade (which seems disingenious to be an "option" on a mulching mower), but that it consumed more power (makes sense since it is doing more - TAANSTAFL). They should ship all paid customers one of those for free with a written apology and include it with the unit in future sales. The bag looks tiny, but holds more grass than I expected. Pretty easy to attach, remove and empty.
Those things said, it is still a kick to just push the button and go and have it run so quietly (and cheaply - although it will never break even with the cost premium over a gas mower), so Ill probably keep it and be careful to mow often. Now I need to come up with electricity in my shed to recharge it with.
--------------------------
I read all the reviews on this site before ordering the item; my experience coincides pretty well with the average of what I read. I would have been upset at the (lack of) build quality and packaging if the reviews had not prepared me ahead of time.
Synopsis:
CONS:
-bad packaging
-improperly assembled and nonfunctional as received
-weak documentation
-belt drive transmission
-costs more than equivalent gas mower (approx 25% premium)
PROS:
-quieter than gas mower
-cheap to run
-simple to use
-adequate charge duration for (my) entire lawn
Shipping/Unpacking:
If I had not read the reviews I would have assumed I had been sent someone else's returned unit. The box looked like it had rolled downhill all the way here, there were only 2 pieces of packaging inside the box and they were not actually protecting anything, and the batteries were just flopping around loose without even having the terminals covered; one of them was upside down when I opened the box, good thing they are sealed batteries. If UPS knew how poorly these things were packaged they would probably refuse to accept them.
Upon unpacking I was also faced with the near absence of assembly instructions. There is a thick book of exploded view diagrams but only a single sheet of actual instructions with 4 vague steps - very similar to the instructions on the package for putting together the balsa wood rubber band powered airplanes I flew as a kid. Fortunately the device is basically assembled, all you need to do is put the batteries in, unfold the handle and put in a couple of bolts.
At least that's the theory. Fortunately I was prepared for the reality that it would not function out of the box. The electronic control box on the handle (ie the "on" button) had been slapped together with the pieces out of order so they did not fit (ie "tab A" was stuck on top of "slot B" instead of inside it), and were so far out of whack that 2 of the 4 screws holding it on had fallen out or were never installed, and 1 of the 2 remaining ones had stripped the plastic housing threads.
Once I repaired that and was ready to operate, the mower would not start. The cable running from the "dead man" bar (that lever the US government requires push mowers to have that causes the blade to stop when you let go - you know, that thing that you get so used to holding in place at all cost such that if you ever DID actually fall under a mower you would probably still instinctively be holding it in place to your last breath as the mower ate you into little pieces) into the control box was slack and only just came taught when the bar was pulled all the way tight. In this condition the only way to get it to run was to grab the cable by hand and pull it even farther out the box and hold it that way - not practical for use.
Looking into the control box to troubleshoot, I discovered it is a convoluted mechanism with several springs and little plastic doohickies, which use magnets to switch a relay on and off in conjunction with pulling the "dead man bar" and pressing the button. Working under the assumption that all the necessary parts were actually in the unit (not necessarily a given), I was able to move the cable attachment from the middle doohickey to the far doohickey and when I put it back together the unit actually ran.
Operation:
Now that it was ready to run, I recharged the batteries. It comes with an external AC adapter which can be plugged right into the mower or plugged into a saddle that fits on the batteries (requires 2 at a time) externally.
The Epic mower seems fairly basic. Just generic parts: four individually adjustable plastic wheels, a simple metal deck, the motor pod, the handle and the accessories - a grass discharge chute, and a small grass catcher bag. It comes configured for mulching and thats the only way I have used it so far.
The Epic mower weighs pretty similar to my gas push mower - a 1991 Honda HR215HX 4.5HP OHV 3-in-1 with Blade Brake Clutch, Hydrostatic Transmission and aluminum deck (which if adjusted for inflation probably would have cost 4x what this did, so I do not expect the same level of quality with the Epic. At least I keep telling myself I dont expect that) and it has about the same form factor, cutting heights and swath.
The manual makes a big fuss telling you NOT to sharpen the blade; and then saying if you do, to make very sure the blade is balanced when you are done. I am guessing that this is because the motor weighs very, very little compared to a gas engine and the stress of an off-balance blade could damage it; whereas a gas mower already has a heavy flywheel and a piston bouncing around all over the place so the blade balance is insignificant.
The self-propel is powered by an internal belt off the mower motor, and it has no blade clutch, so it can not propel itself without the cutting blade running. The forward speed is about the same as my Honda is at maximum (which itself is just a little slower than I would wish for) but it is not adjustable for speed other than to let the belt slip by releasing the handle partway. It took a while to get the hang of pulling DOWN on the blade handle yet UP on the drive handle (on the Honda, the handles move the same direction and overlap each other. That might have taken some getting used to, but after nearly 2 decades using the same unit I dont remember)
The Epic makes about 33% less noise while mowing than the Honda does (of course, the Honda is already the quietest gas mower I have ever used). It is quiet enough that I felt comfortable mowing at 0800, which I would not do with the gas mower for concern of annoying my neighbors. I am not sure if the blade turns quite as fast as the Honda and when I look at the grass after it is cut I feel it may not look quite as crisply cut as it did with the Honda. It could be that the blade is going slower and not slicing off each grass blade as cleanly, but I cant prove it; it may be my imagination, or it may be the season of year.
It took me about 35 minutes to mow my lawn (1/3 acre lot; approx 8,000 sqft of grass after house, driveway, shed, trees etc are accounted for). I have some substantial slopes (which is why I need self-propel in the first place) otherwise I would probably have gone for some roomba-like autonomous mowing device. I had nearly a full charge when I started. There are 5 LEDs on the control box (3 green, 1 orange, 1 red) which extinguish in that order as the batteries run down. They dropped off at approx 8 minute intervals. The orange one went out at the ~32 minute mark, red was still on when I finished. The motor ran at a constant speed throughout with no noticeable variation due to battery discharge state. I am guessing that I had 5-12 minutes of run time left. Upon completion I could find no component that was more than lukewarm.
After mowing, I recharged the battery. The charger drew ~60W for 4 hours then tapered off after that and "finished" in <8 hours. They want you to leave it plugged in all the time, but I dont have electricity in my shed. I may check into the solar panel for the "cool factor" but it wont be worth it financially, taking >60 years to break even, which is much longer than the functional life of a panel so it would never pay for itself.
The total power consumed in recharging after a single mowing (according to a P3 Kill-a-Watt that seems fairly well calibrated) was 400Wh, or about $0.05 worth in Dayton, OH; probably 1/4 of what I paid for gas mowing; not counting oil, spark plug and air filters. If this unit lasts 10 years Ill be pretty happy. Suprised too, as the wheel attachments feel a little flimsy. Of course my beloved Honda broke a wheel attachment too, but that was when someone (not me!) drove into a concrete wall with it - not its fault.
Side note: there is a warranty registration card included that says if you do not fill it out and return it within 10 days, your two-year warranty will drop to zero. I thought that was unlawful under US law, I want to check into it. Of course they already have my address anyway since they shipped it to me, so no biggie, I assume they have already sold my personal info.
If anything untoward happens with the unit I will post an update.
By Y. R. Wu (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
I've used three different cordless mowers and based on that experience I have to say I'm skeptical that 24 volts will work well with a 21" blade. I Have the 20" Toro with 36 volts which works very well and a 19"/24V B&D, which I found to be adequate 80% of the time - with only 24V it struggled with tall grass. The Greenworks 24v/18" self propelled mower may be a better bet.
I've put a quick guide of the most popular models on Amazon. All info reported by manufacturer. Amazon won't let me put prices in my review, sorry!
MOWER............Path/Volt/Watt-hr......WT............COMMENTS
Neuton CE5.3............14"/24V/240......48#....Plastic deck, Removable batt.
B&D CM1836..............18"/36V/NA.......64#....Plastic deck
Greenworks 25092......18"/24V/480......95#....Self Propel, Removable Batt
Worx ECO WG780.......19"/24V/408......80#....Removable Battery
Haussmann CLM46NU...19"/24V/NA........94#....Haussmann who?? Metal deck
B&D CMM1200.............19"/24V/432......76#....Update to our old CM1000
B&D CM1936...............19"/36V/360.......72#....Plastic deck, Removable Batt
Neuton CE6................19"/36V/360.......88#....Plastic deck, Removable Batt
Earthwise 60120..........20"/24V/480......92#....Metal deck, Removable Batt
Toro 20360.................20"/36V/432......77#....Metal deck
Solaris/Epic EP21H........21"/24V/NA......106#....Rmvble batt, self propel, steel
>>Why SHOULD I get a cordless electric mower? They are super quiet, clean, and convenient. No fumes or exhaust- because gas mowers don't have catalytic converters, they can pollute as much in a year as 43 cars!!!!. They aren't necessarily cheaper than a gas mower since they cost more up front but there is basically NO maintenance. (We spent $80 over 10 years for a set of replacement batteries.) Corded electric mowers are a cheaper but having a cord is a pain.
>>Why SHOULDN'T I get a cordless mower? They weigh a LOT more than gas mowers so if you have a hilly lot or have difficulty with physical exertion, forget it. They don't have as much power as gas and re-fueling means charging for a few hours so if your lot is over ½ acre you may want to reconsider.
>>Why do they all come with mulching PLUS bagging? Electric powered mowers have come a long ways but mulching still takes a LOT more power than discharging, so bagging is pretty much a standard feature.
>>What is a watt-hour? It's basically how big your gas tank is - the more watt-hours, the longer you can mow before you have to recharge.
>>Is the cutting path a big deal? Yes - for two reasons. 1) The first thing manufacturers do when power is marginal is reduce the blade size, so I tend to see the smaller mowers as more likely to be underpowered. Second, when you consider that you have to overlap each pass by ~3", a 20" blade now effectively cuts 13% more on each pass. If you have a larger yard, you definitely do NOT want anything under 18" Also, my measurements show most mowers overstate their blade size by 1/2" (Our 20" measures 19-5/8, our 19 measures 18-1/2)
>>Why might I want a removable battery? If you have a large yard, this means you can have a second battery charging while you are using the first. A second battery typically costs $100-$150 but it can make the difference between going electric or not. Finally, if you keep the mower in a shed that doesn't have power, a removable battery will let you bring it in for charging.
>>How long will my batteries last? That depends on your climate and usage. We had a small lot for many years and were religious about recharging right after use. We also live in a cooler climate (Michigan) so it's cooler and the mowing season is shorter. Our batteries lasted ~7 years. Most people should get 3-4 years easily but if you're careless and live in Arizona, you might be able to kill the batteries in a year or two.
>>Why should I care about higher voltage? Higher voltage = more power, PLUS you can recharge the mower faster. With the same chemistry and current, a 36V mower will charge 50% faster than a 24V mower.
>>Metal deck or plastic? Metal rusts but with minimal care it's not an issue. Plastic ends up giving you a more stuff to trim since you can't cut as close to fences, etc.
If you've found this review helpful or have questions/comments, please let me know!
By Greg Moreau (Vermont)
First, I love this mower. It powers through some very tough Vermont grass and steep grades. I have about two acres, and it does an excellent job. The problem is the battery aspect. They last about 45 minutes, give or take, depending on how much the wheels are engaged. I'm fine with that, I need more juice, so I bought a spare "two battery pack." The problem is the lead time required for charging. It's 12 hours. And unless you have a few chargers, and a few battery packs, you'll have to wait for the charge. This leads me to my biggest complaint: The "rapid chargers," which take a few hours to charge the battery packs, are never available. I asked for the company last year and the company told me that they were sold out for the season. Okay, fair enough. So, I contacted the company again--today, in mid-spring--and was told that the rapid chargers were sold out "for the season." Apparently all the lawn care/landscaping companies have snatched them up (again). The thing is, there's a clear demand for these chargers unlike, say, the "solar" charging stations, which take literally *days* to charge up your batteries. If, in May, their manufactured quantity has been sold out basically for the year, shouldn't that tell you that they need to stock up and manufacture more? I have no idea why this is the case, but it's annoying, and speaks of bad logistical management. I would have given the mower 5 stars had it not been for this pretty egregious failing on the company's "part"...
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