Sun Joe 28-Volt Cordless Push Lawn Mower | 14-Inch Cut | MJ401C

bcpokbcpok: I'm writing this review specifically for the people who buy this mower and then have trouble charging it. I've seen this reported numerous times in the reviews here, and, as someone who has taken this mower completely apart screw-by-screw and wire-by-wire, I can tell you the problem and how to fix it. Figuring out the repair, doing the work, and reassembling it took about two hours. Knowing what I know now, it would probably take about 30 minutes.

The charging port is held together inside by friction+pressure alone. It is NOT affixed to the housing of the mower in any way. No solder, no glue, no screws/bolts. So, after a few charges, the port loosens and falls far enough inside the housing that the port doesn't make proper contact. After that, maybe 1 out of 100 times you plug it in, you might make good enough contact to charge it. Completely absurd oversight by the company, when all the constituent parts to make this work are IN THE MOWER, just assembled wrong - with one part (the post holder that screws onto the the circuit board) being a millimeter or two too small to fit the charging port in it. So, the genius who assembled this just put the port BEHIND the metal holder...

United States on Aug 29, 2023

Zane Paul: I had two mowers before this, one electric and one gas.

The electric mower was an AC model (meaning it had to be plugged into the house) from a no name brand manufacturered in 2002 that I bought used in 2020 for $20. The gas mower was a Honda Harmony II HRT-216 built somewhere around the year 2000 that I bought in 2022 for $70.

The electric mower works great mechanically, no issues. Only problem is that since it was a no name brand that went out of business a long time ago, you can't get proper replacement blades. I've sharpened them a few times and removed the knicks, but there's only so much metal I can remove.

The gas mower needed new blades when I bought it, which were available from a 3rd party for $45. Bringing the total cost of the Honda gas mower to $115. The gas mower was definitely better than the plug in electric. More power, better cut quality, and no cord to drag around.

After about 3 months, the self propel on the gas mower stopped working - which made me realize how much of a weight difference there was between the two. The plug in electric is around 18lbs (estimated), the Honda harmony II hrt216 mower is 80lbs (according to the...

United States on Jul 13, 2023

Someone: I thought this was pretty neat the first coupe of times I used it. But after a year, it's pretty much dead.

Avoid it. More landfill waste.

Canada on May 22, 2023

Karin: Cuts fairly well, but is not very durable. Charge sometimes long enough to do my (small) yard but if the grass is too long it gets stuck and you have to go over and over it. Machine is small so it takes longer to get through. You’re better off spending a bit more and getting a ryobi one

Canada on Nov 23, 2022

RK: Functionally, this is great. It's light, easy to manoeuvre, and has low maintenance. My only qualms relate to the battery:

1. The charger will not automatically stop charging when the battery is full (though it will indicate that it's charged). So it's likely that I'll over-charge and damage it, someday.
2. The battery isn't removable, so charging it necessitates parking the whole mower near an outlet. It would be better if it worked like my cordless drill.
3. The battery is not replaceable. When the battery degrades, you'll have to throw the whole mower out.

Point 1 means that it will be hard to avoid misusing the battery. And therefore the battery might not last long. Point 3 means that when that happens, I'll have to replace the whole mower.

Some of the battery related negative reviews here and on the US site might be because of lemons, or maybe the above scenario.

But so far, I'm very pleased with this product. I have so far charged the battery once, before first use, as per instruction manual. I have mowed my 10x10 metre lawn maybe five times (I don't use the grass collection bag, FWIW), and it has been very pleasant. I now still have more...

Canada on Sep 06, 2019

Jo-ann OConnor: Bought this last summer. Only drawback at time was it only came with option to bag grass clippings. Since then, bought a side shoot attachment made by Sun Joe for this lawnmower. Very happy to have both options. Only drawback is that the battery is built in. (This is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.) Can't remove it out so have to charge it outdoors (worried I'll forget it's charging and leave it out all night). Also means I store it in the house during winter , worried about battery getting damaged (it's can go to -40 here in the winter). Battery charge lasts long enough to cut my front and back lawn and I'd say my back lawn is larger than most. Would recommend this product but might consider a wider cutting path on next one to reduce the number of times I go around the lawn.

Canada on Jun 11, 2019

Amazon Customer: Worked for 23min on first mow. Worked for 7 min on second mow, after recharge. Stalled after 10 seconds on third attempt. In the process of replacing... I think the battery is faulty. The charger also, had a green light when the battery was completely discharged, until I moved the mower to a cooler location, a few minutes later. The mower, when it works is great!!! I hope to get the replacement soon and get a product that is more reliable. I'll comment after I get the replacement. I'm optimistic that the replacement will work as advertised.

September 13th, 2018, replacement arrived.
Worked for 23 minutes with battery to spare (under 30%). Did the back and front yard, minus a small strip. charged in under 4 hours, (5 hour is the charge limit for the XR models). Tried again to mow. Mowed in the morning for 10 minutes and the machine was strong and had over 60% charge left. I'm charging now for the next cut. I'm very satisfied on the quality and enjoy a pleasurable mowing experience.

The only con, is having to carry the lawnmower around to an outlet to charge. The battery is part of the lawn mower. I guess this was to save money and the charger is a bit flimsy, but,...

Canada on Aug 15, 2018