I have the same mower,and leave it in ECO mode all the time,as the mower can sense when it is in thicker grass,and increase it's speed. Once you are in the thinner grass,it slows right down. Got my machine in July 2017,and still going strong. I use it for fall leaf cleanup as well,with the bag attached.
@@djcubical Basically,as good as new. Got an extra battery for fall cleanup,which seems to take more power. The pouch under the top lid is handy for storing a spare charged battery.
Are you mulching with it or using the grass catcher? I wonder if for mulching it might be better to leave the ECO mode off, because the faster the blade spins, the smaller it would cut the grass clippings, making for a better mulch. Just thinking aloud here. LOL
@@fmueller1 I put the plug in her for grass cutting. ECO chops it up fine enough that I can't see clumps. In the fall,I take the plug out,and put the catcher on. Funny thing is there is not much difference in suction in either ECO mode or full speed,and full speed runs the battery down faster. I invested in a second battery,which gives me a lot more time. I love the pouch for the spare battery.
I was hell bent on purchasing an Ego lawn mower but have read increasing reviews on battery failures and woeful customer service. It's made me very wary. The stihl looks good and I'm pretty sure the stihl dealerships everywhere would offer better customer service. Thanks for the review.
I agree that sales follow up is crucial with equipment. So far I've had no problems with any battery equipment (Stihl, DeWalt, Makita). The lack of a 4-stroke or 2-stroke engine means that the maintenance and points of failure are greatly reduced. I think those would be the main arguments for getting battery equipment.
Thanks for this, we're considering transitioning to a battery powered mower and it's so helpful to see and gear it in action along with your perspective. Definitely the future.
Thanks. Yes, I would never go back to fuel. I had to put the mower in the back of the car the other day. No fuel, no oil, no mess. And I can just pick it up by myself. Try doing that with a 4-stroke.
Mate you need to get a kickback from Stihl.....I am going to buy one of these based on your video, cutting rough stuff the same as we have here (Talbot). Great practical video 👍
Thanks, but Stihl Australia are useless from my interactions with them. Just pick a good dealer that will look after you. I used the mower today. Still (no pun intended) problems. Just put in the battery and go. Just don't hit any rocks...
Silence of the lawns iv just started a buisness using only stihl cordless tools in inner west sydney and urban video is great thanks I'll keep u up to date
Love it! Fantastic video review. You've really sold me, I was debating for a long time, hearing about how lots of the cordless mowers just completely stop and bog down extremely easily with slightly damp or longer grass and to just stick with petrol, but you've shown with this model (even using a not very sharp blade) can absolutely handle very thick and tall rough stuff. I'm convinced, off to buy a Stihl tomorrow!
Follow up, bought the RMA 460 i have a smaller 200-250 square metre yard, did with the bigger ak30 battery and faster charger. Fanstastic, very easy to maneuver and store, and no problem in thick denser stuff
Nope. I saw a 70 year old guy dragging one of this model around on a vacant corner block. 4 inch high green grass. He had to stop every lap to flip the mower over and clear grass out from under the deck. Also every lap he began having to pull the battery and refit it because it had stopped on some protection fault. After 5 laps only it stopped permanently and he pushed the thing back home- even with his bad leg. He didn't even have a self propelled one. Ill stick to my Honda Regards Jake
First time on your channel. Just noticed where you're from. Made me smile as I grew up on a farm in Elphinstone. School in Castlemaine. Melbourne based now but always love getting back to central vic. All the best on your quest.
Thank you for the review. I agree with others that you should be paid a commission from Stihl as they have nothing like this for customers to see - Well, I haven't found any.
Excellent review! What I feel is odd, is that there's all the design that goes into creating a "spare" battery position, but no toggle that simply enables one to switch over to the second battery when the first one dies. BTW I own the RMA410 C, which I "broke" yesterday - needs a new belt which I ordered this morning.
I find with any mower it is always worth hosing out underneath the counter deck after each use (or most times) to stop the build up of lumps of grass. This also helps to allow the blade to properly displace the grass clippings.
I've had gas lawn mowers before, then 5 years ago had an electric lawnmower, then recently a neighbor moved out and left me her gas mower. I think one of the biggest factors is that if you have a lot of lawn or a particularly hilly lawn, today's gas mowers often have a set of power driven wheels. These power driven wheels can really make it much easier to get a large lawn mowed. As to rock damaged blades, i don't see much difference in blades damaged on electric lawn mowers or blades damaged on a gas mower. Get a bench mounted grinding wheel and one can sharpen blades quickly. I currently have a Stihl weed wacker and the thing i like about Stihl, is that they have local repair facilities which make fixing equipment so much easier. So i vote for Stihl as its so much easier to get parts/repairs. I assume the higher cost is the lithium batteries which are never cheap. I'll probably get this lawn mower. So I'd recommend a gas mower if you have a lot of lawn or a hilly lawn, otherwise an electric lawn mower is better IMO.
My last mower was a Toro Personal Pace,which had to run flat out for the self propelled feature. The damn thing made enough noise to wake the dead,and I had to wear hearing protection. My machine gives a total run time of ~ 2 hours on a pair of batteries,enough for about a couple of acres.
Just bought one. The noise difference over gas makes me happy I gave it a chance. I'm pleased with the cut quality as well. One thing; I notice a buzzing sound occasionally when mowing, particularly when pulling it backwards, and I have the model you have, not the self-propelled model. Have you ever noticed such a noise? Thanks for your video.
Thanks. Yes, it was initially confusing as to what mulching meant, as the mulching kit includes the big plug for the grass catching hole as well as the side discharge insert. I have recently been mulching properly with the side discharge closed as well. At the time, the only big battery available was the AP 300.
Thanks for showing that chewed up blade. The thinner blades on all battery mowers just get beat up. Obviously they need to be thinner since less energy than gas (a normal blade would result in very low run time) but that crappy blade means a lousy cut.
Yeah. There are many rocks here that the blade had no chance. On real lawn it would be fine. I was really just abusing it, but it stood up pretty well.
@@AustralianPaddock Just curious: When you sharpen the blade,do you use a torque wrench to put it back on? The owner's manual says to use one,but I don't have one.
Thanks for the great review, in your opinion how does the available power/torque ‘feel’ in the thicker grass cutting when compared to petrol mowers of the same physical size? I use older Honda mowers, but with several lawn care tools up for replacement simultaneously, I’m thinking of converting over to electric. Just not sure about comparisons of horsepower when gardening gets difficult. Especially in Australian backyards!
I would say it feels less powerful. But in the end it cuts the grass well. If you cut the grass often (before it becomes a jungle) then you can just run the mower on ECO mode. It automatically increases and decreases power depending on demand. This tool is on the cusp of battery power, while the trimmers, etc are a no-brainer.
@@AustralianPaddock If you don't wait till the grass is knee high,the machine seems to cut as well as a gas mower. I wait till it looks ragged,and give it a cut.
ECO mode isn't responsive enough for lawns with grass that is mixed height or thickness. The change over to full power isn't instantaneous, this causes the mower to clog and it leaves unevenly cut grass.
Hi David, This was really an example of how the mower can cut long grass if it has to. It is actually set up as a mulching mower for lawn and this it does extremely well. I would just recommend 2 batteries if the grass is a bit long as more power is needed. Otherwise ECO mode works fine. As there are very few things to go wrong, the mower still keeps on cutting. It's easy to use. Has no petrol or oil. Just get the biggest battery and the best charger.
You HAVE to have a sharp blade! It seems you went right out with the mower with what you call, a blade, right after the spot segment highlighting the underside/blade. If you need to constantly battle with rock, you and your machine are going to lose. That blade is so pummeled, that by the time you get an edge back on it, it's most likely going to be out of balance. And I'm sure that balance has an effect on the motor and bearings, and obviously the overall performance. I appreciate your attempt, and this was informative.
The blade is easily balanced use a screwdriver put it thru the center hole hold the screw driver steady horizontal and which ever end of the blade goes down it is to heavy grind a little more off that end of the blade put it back on the screwdriver an you should see and upper-ward movement of that end of the blade; when the blade looks parallel with the ground it should be in balance it will take a bit of time to learn the process and if you grind off to much take a little off the other side.
Watched this again as I'm going to buy this model this Xmas and at the risk of appearing too critical suggest (1) you shouldn't clean the blade-area with your hands - use a stick or screwdriver; and (2) perhaps you were pushing the mower too fast and not giving it enough time to bite on the grass? For your possible interest I'm still using a 10 yo Victa Enviromower and its a legend albeit it takes too long to charge the batteries.
I'm running a Honda utility I bought in 2010 and is powers through thick wet grass. But these battery units are toys. Can't beat a powerful 4-stroke with higher octane fuels in the tank and correct synthetic oils. If I had a manicured yard this battery mower could maintain, maybe. But I think they are pretty hopeless, every at catching. Owner bias of course will say otherwise.
Thanks for the comment. I've owned a Honda as well. All units have pros and cons. Don't underestimate the power of battery units. They will completely replace petrol units in the near future.
I get about 30 minutes or so and try to use Eco mode if the grass is not too long. I have two 300mAh batteries and there is a space in the mower to carry the second battery. So in practice I get 1 hour mowing which is way longer than I need to mow the whole lawn.
mmmm. It must be tough to cut that kind of grass - coarse/long so I'm impressed but I think you need a tractor pulling one of those grass cutting attachments.
Question: how is the battery holding up after over a year and a half? Is it just as good as it was on day one? Also, you said during the video that the battery lasts about a half hour, is that an eco mode?
The batteries (two of them) show no sign of problems after three years and 6 pieces of equipment. The half hour run time would be the worst you would get under heavy conditions. In Eco mode it runs a lot longer, especially with a normal lawn.
That is not set up for mulching with the chute on the side like that, that is side eject. If you remove the side chute and close the flap it is set up for mulching. Good review otherwise.
I agree that the mulch plug should be in. However you should leave the side flap closed as well for true mulching. The set up in the video shows you side discharging not mulching.
@@AustralianPaddock to mulch with that mower, the mulch insert is in the rear and the side flap is closed. If you want to side discharge, the mulch insert is left in the back and the side chute is attached. It's in the manual, if you read it properly.
I've owned this mower since early 2021. Let me assure you that it's not a good mower. Unreliable and overpriced. I can't mow my lawn without multiple battery charges, extra batteries are over $3OO CAD, it clogs constantly, and it does a horrible job of cutting.
