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Buy Black & Decker MM875 Lawn Hog
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This is an excellent buy. I’ve owned mine for 3 years and it provides excellent service. As a disabled vet, I can walk with my cane and use this mower very easily. Without a cane you would find it even easier.
The greatest features are its maneuverability, never having to buy gas or change oil or “pull to start,” its wide cutting swath, easy on-off, and excellent height adjustment.
I bought mine to mow at night when neighbors are asleep. If I were to cut 1/4 star off the rating, it would be because it is still somewhat noisy for night use. However, after study, I doubt it can be much quieter. It still seems multi-decibels quieter than a gas mower. (However, ear plugs are recommended for all power tools.)
This mower even “edges,” if the sidewalk is a bit higher or lower than the grass. The easy height adjustment allows for one handed adjustment to lower/raise the deck and blade. If you let the yard “go” for a couple of weeks and the weeds are high, just elevate the deck and run over them, then lower it to come back over them and the job is well done.
The blade removes easily for sharpening, which is especially important if you nick a one, etc. The B & D blades tend to hold a properly sharpened edge for a reasonable amount of time. A sharp blade normally cuts even thick and tall (up to 2 1/2 – 3 inches) very well. A dull or heavily nicked blade will cut poorly on any machine, and particularly on electric machines, whose power is normally limited by operating on household current. Usually this means refreshing the edge every 2-3 mowings, depending on height and thickness of grass. Some thick grasses (bermuda’s, etc.) will dull almost any blade on one cut of a large yard.
The handle adjusts rather easily and is sturdy. The deck is a plastic or resin but has been very durable, as were the black decks of older models.
To avoid “wet grass build-up” when they must mow before grass can dry out from dew or rain, some folk spray a non-stick frying pan spray on the underside.
The mulching feature works well. When you have excessive clippings or leaves, just go forward over them, then pull the mower back over the residue. In all but the heaviest residue, these two steps leave the lawn virtually spotless, especially when the lawn is dry. Still want to rake? Rake them lil critters into a pile and go forth and back over it. With just a few passes this machine normally handles piles up to a foot deep with no trouble.
New Mexico is a very dry climate, and my yard has some barren spots. Using the bag is easy, however our excessive dust causes the bag to emit a great deal of dust. I find it more practical to mulch heavy clippings or leaves.
I found using a cord somewhat awkward at first. After trying several methods, I settled on holding the cord with the right hand which holds the “on” lever (which also keeps the cord from coming unplugged). I control the trailing cord with the left hand which also operates my cane. This works very well. Since I can no longer pull a gas mower’s starter, and cannot get down to work on a machine, the learning curve was a small price to pay for leaving the messiness, frustration, etc. of a gas mower behind.
At 12 amps, the machine could stand just a bit more power in very deep or very wet grass. However, in normal to wet grass this power is generally adequate. If possibly, I would downgrade the rating another 1/4 star for this point.
Over-all I am delighted to give the machine a 4 1/2 stars. Its strong features deserve more than a four, so I rated it a 5 on the 5 star Amazon rating system.
