Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #403 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Black & Decker
• Model: CMM1200
• Dimensions: 95.13 pounds

Features

• Powerful 24-volt, 1,200-watt permanent magnet electric motor; mows 1/3-acre on a single charge
• Cutting height adjusts with the touch of a button; starts by simply pulling a lever
• Mower stores upright for compact storage
• 2-year limited warranty; limited lifetime warranty on cutting deck
• Included with mower: bag and mulching plate

Amazon.com Product Description
Clean and convenient, the Cordless Electric Mulching Lawn Mower from Black & Decker runs on a dependable 24-volt battery and can mow a 1/3-acre home lot on a single charge. It allows you to eliminate tricky pull starts and tangled extension cords from your lawn care regimen and, as a zero-emissions tool, it's not just easier to use than traditional gas mowers, it's an environmentally friendly choice.

A removable safety key prevents accidental startups.

The height of all four wheels adjusts with the pull of one lever.

The folding handle makes for easy storage.

Depending on conditions, this mower can handle up to 12,000 sq.ft. on a single charge. View larger.

Versatile configurations let you choose where grass clippings end up.

Easy to Use and Easy on the Environment
This cordless electric mower is designed to simplify lawn care. Just insert the key, pull the lever, and go. No pull cords or time-consuming maintenance and tune-ups required. No gas and oil to buy, mix, store, or spill. No need to worry about the length of an extension cord. No dirty fumes polluting your yard.

Versatile and Dependable Cordless Cutting Power
With this electric mower, a 1200-watt output permanent magnet electric motor delivers quick, effective performance. A single battery charge provides plenty of run time to mow a typical home site of 1/3 acre, which translates to a grass area of 10,000 to 12,000 square feet.

The mower's deck offers a cutting width of 19 inches. This durable polymer deck is easy to clean, won't ever rust, and is backed by a lifetime warranty. The mower also offers you the choice of using the mulching plate to lay cuttings back on your lawn as free, chemical-free fertilizer, or of using a rear bag with a large 1.5-bu capacity to collect clippings.

You can select a mowing height from 1.5 to 3.5 inches to account for a variety conditions. One-touch height adjustment lets you adjust all four wheels with the pull of a single lever. And when it's time to put the mower away, the handle folds to create a more compact footprint, allowing for storage in tight spaces.

Energy Star Approval and Support for Battery Recycling
The Black & Decker 24-volt battery-powered mower is the first in its class to offer a charger that qualifies for the Energy Star approval mark. This charger meets the strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. A battery will charge to 70-percent in just three or four hours, or to 100-percent overnight. In addition to benefiting the environment, this efficiency helps you save money on utilities.

Black & Decker also supports the activities of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBCB), a not-for-profit company established for the purpose of collecting and recycling rechargeable batteries within the U.S. and Canada so that they don't end up in landfills. Companies involved in this recycling effort pay for the cost of collection and recycling so that the environmental benefits come at no cost to you, the consumer.

This electric mower weighs just 76 pounds, and it is backed by a full two-year warranty.

What's in the Box
Mower, rear bag, mulching plate, and safety key.

From the Manufacturer
The CMM1200 Cordless Mower provides the freedom of a gas mower with the convenience of an electric mower. It is simple to start and requires no gas, oil or tune-ups. It is ideal for lawn areas typical of up to a 1/3 acre home site.

Customer Reviews

CMM1200 Black&Decker Cordless Lawnmower
I just purchased this mower and mowed my lawn today. First, the positives:

1. This thing is as-advertised. There's no assembly required other than arranging the mulching bag and removing the mulcher - if that's what you want to do.

2. It was incredibly easy to start this thing - insert key and lift lever.

3. No mess, no gas, no oil, no air filter. The only maintenance described in the service manual is blade sharpening (once to twice per year) and battery replacement. (Possible two years?).

4. Charging the unit is as easy as charging a cell phone and it charged up overnight. It had enough juice to mow my 1/3rd acre lot with heavy spring weeds that were also a little wet without running out of battery juice.

5. It was very easy to clean. Just disconnect the key and then you can turn it over to clean the blade and guard without worrying about oil or gas spilling.

6. It's easy to disconnect handle and mulch bag for storage.

Negatives:

1. Although it's not incredibly heavy, it's not as light as my 5HP gas Craftsman mower. Since there's no self-propelling feature, it can get heavy if you had to go up hills - my lawn is relatively flat so no problem there.

2. The unit is basically plastic. It has a cheap feel to it - although I'm sure it would be too heavy if it was metal.

3. There's really nothing protecting the battery underneath the top cover and it's barely held there with a nylon strap.

4. The paper instruction manual is worthless. It has very little information in it and it's hard to read because one section is written and you have to go to another part of the manual for the pictures.

5. The unit came with Styrofoam inserts that surrounded the battery. I had a very strong feeling that these inserts were for shipping only and must be removed before operating the unit. However, there is nothing in the manual that states this either way and I had to figure it out for myself.

6. There are no instructions for how to replace the battery - you are instructed to take it to a service dealer. Perhaps they could have put more effort into the documentation.

7. The mulching bag doesn't seem to hold much grass. I had to empty it three times before I was done mowing.

All and all, I love this mower. I hated having to jack with gas and oil and filters and maintenance of gas mowers. Plus, this thing is relatively quiet compared to my gas mower. I recommend it.

Long Term Owner - positive review
Like most of you, whenever I go to buy an appliance or tool on the internet I read the customer reviews to try to get a feel for the product's long term performance before I invest in it. Unfortunately, many of the reviews have been submitted by short term owners who are still jazzed over their purchase and haven't used it long enough to offer a comprehensive assessment of the product. That's why I decided to review this mower now after I've used it for a few seasons.

I've had my cordless mower since May of 2004. It is actually the CMM1000, the model previous to the CMM1200. I understand, based on the number of negative reviews, that the quality of design and manufacturing of this product could be considered suspect. Temper that with the reality that most satisfied customers remain mum while most dissatisfied customers howl to the heavens. I've owned several other Black and Decker products with mixed results. My drill? Awesome. My weed wacker? The first one was junk. The second one - a cordless model - worked out. My power washer? I've gone through two of them and I wouldn't wish one upon my worst enemy.

But even after a few years of service, I still love my mower.

At the end of the first season, something broke in the electronic guts under the cover that the switch was attached to. At first it wouldn't shut off until I removed the key, then after a while it wouldn't start. Since getting that fixed, I've had no problems.

It seems to operate just as long now as it did new. If there has been any falloff in performance, it hasn't been significant enough for me to complain about. Power is very good for the task of mowing and mulching but you have to keep in mind that it won't have the shear output oomph of a gas mower. If you keep the tasks tailored to the capabilities of battery power, you should be more than happy with the CMM1200. The mower is quieter than a gas powered model, but not as quiet as you might think. My neighbors love it, but standing right next to it you still have to raise your voice to be heard. It is also heavier than you expect and pushing it around gives a good workout. That can be considered a positive. But, though I'm over forty, I'm a reletively large and fit guy. Flinging it around the yard isn't a problem for me.

I have a medium sized lawn including ten trees and one steep side-hill section about ten feet wide and 150 feet long. The whole job is a little big for the mower to handle in one session, especially during those growth spurts in June. Usually, I do the front yard one day and the sides and smaller back yard the next. It mulches the grass really well so I don't have to bag or rake.

In the fall, I pulverize the leaves in place and this has contributed to my lawn improving each spring. Trust me, it is just as much work as raking but with the added benefit of fertilizing the lawn.

During the fall of 2007, the trees in our region held on to their leaves until the last minute. In early December, it all came down at once. The mower was a bit overwhelmed and it couldn't keep up as quickly as I would have liked. So I bought the MM875, which is the corded version of the same mower, to use as a supplement for next year. It uses the same blades as the CMM1200 and operates similarly.

So when the grass is too thick or the leaves too numerous for the battery mower to handle entirely, I'll switch to the MM875 to finish up. This is not to say the CMM1200 isn't good enough. The mower is more than capable, downright impressive, as long as you don't expect perfection when you push beyond the envelope.

Am I happy I bought this product? If the switch hadn't malfunctioned that first year I'd be giving this mower five stars. I'd buy it again, even if the thing died tomorrow!

A Technician's Analysis and Opinion
A Technician's Analysis and Opinion - CMM1200

Summer is over and our mower purring. Cuts grass fine and mulches leaves great.

Now . . . Except for the price difference, I feel my choice would be the CMM1000-5 (the 1-4 models had recalls). If you can find the parts diagrams on the web you will see that the 1000 and 1200 are similar except for the arrangement of the wiring for control and battery charging.
The 1000 has a remaining power gauge and an adequate size "safety key". The 1200 has an external box with the battery charging circuitry. Concerning the run time issue: the cause is not the battery, which produces 17 Amps for one hour, but the motor, which uses 15 Amps at idle, according to my ammeter. These figures suggest that you have one hour mowing time, but with a veritable powerhouse, so move out. Our older Toro cordless has a similar battery but a 6 Amp motor, and it runs about 3 hours.

After unpacking, I proceeded to disassemble and examine. Good design on the mowing body. I don't see a problem with the height adjuster - give the body a whump to make sure the links are engaged. Minor: 8 screws (Torx, by the way) hold the top shells on; 1 was missing, 1 was oversize. After summer, I wanted to get all debris out, so I take off the two shells.

Clamshell Problems: the switch circuitry, which was in the mower body of the 1000's, is at the top of the handle on the 1200 in a "clamshell" assembly. I feel this is lacking in design, durability, and manufacture, and will be grief for both owners and B&D who will have to fix it.
First is the "safety key", which is vital for disconnecting the power to the motor when you need to clean underneath and to store the mower. The key is more appropriate for a small suitcase. It is a small plastic tab with a "T" shape made of plated copper and bends with little effort. If it is twisted more than 15°, it may not connect the circuit and the mower won't run. B&D has even inserted a separate small instruction sheet on the key's use, and I will elaborate further:
The key inserts with the tab at a 9 o'clock position. Push in straight and firmly with a (4 pound) force, turn 90° to upright 12 o'clock and then release. To remove, again push in with a firm (4 pound) force, turn back to the 9 o'clock position and then remove. Do not turn the key without pushing in, or it will twist the "T" and also injure its plastic retaining slot inside.
Also, I add that the "T" makes contact between two thin plated copper strips, which I don't feel are robust for long-term use and amount of current. Finally, when I folded the handle for storage, it neatly clipped the hanging cord, dropping the key into the grass! B&D graciously sent a replacement (under warranty).

The red main "switch-lever" starts and stops the mower. After some weeks it seemed not to work. Got out the screwdriver. The internal switching box has three double pairs of contacts; one had pitted. Scraped clean and applied lubricant to all - which should have been done at manufacture.

I think it would help if the "clamshell assembly" were a separate (modular) unit, which could be easily replaced. As it is, the wiring harness is variously connected in the mower housing and would take some confidence and labor to replace.

I have tried to relate the above to B&D, but only got on a standard "survey" list.