Is This Budget Amazon Lawn Mower Worth Buying? The Reviews Are Mixed

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Even the most compact of lawns needs regular mowing. If you've got a small urban yard and you've been thinking about what type of lawn mower is best for the task, you might well have concluded that a cordless model should be more than adequate. There's no noise or messing about with oil and gasoline, and no cable to get in the way.

There are dozens of these tools that will fit the bill, and among the most affordable is the Litheli 13-Inch Cordless Lawn Mower, available from Amazon for just $101.99. It has a 20V motor, 5-stage height adjustment, an 8-gallon grass box, and the handle folds down for space-saving storage. So at first glance it appears to be an option worth considering. Litheli also makes a bunch of other low-cost garden and power tools, many of which share the same battery. Potentially, that's not only convenient but also cheaper than buying batteries and chargers from multiple brands.

So the big question is whether this budget lawn mower from Litheli is worth buying. There are over 2,000 reviews, which gives the impression that it's popular, although the average is 3.8 stars. That means a significant proportion of owners are giving negative feedback. Reviews are definitely mixed, so we need to look at the specifications and what people are saying to get the full picture.

Although some of their tools have modern brushless motors, this one does not. Brush motors are cheaper but less efficient, probably explaining the run time of just 15 minutes. Litheli claims it will cut 1,300 square feet of lawn per charge (the brushless model cuts 1,600 square feet). A USB cable is included for recharging. A mains charger is available but costs extra.

On the plus side, plenty of people think this is the ideal lawn mower for a small yard. Several commented on it being good value for money. Some assembly is required, but buyers thought it easy. The big negative appears to be the battery. There are numerous complaints about it not charging fully, taking many hours to charge, or having a very short run time. A few faults are almost inevitable with any product, but over 20% of owners had some form of complaint. That's not what you would expect to see from the best battery-powered lawn mowers.

According to reviews, many people are perfectly happy with their budget Amazon lawn mower. However, getting a good one does seem a bit hit and miss. While models from leading names like Greenworks, Ego Power+, and Ryobi certainly demand a bigger investment, you can often make savings if you wait for the best time of year to buy, and that might be a better decision in the long run.