Black and Decker MM575 Electric Lawn Mower

by Ann Mason
(Huntington Beach, California)

My husband and I bought this lawn mower because the yard man working on our yard retired and we needed something reliable, easy to use and average-or-better quality to take care of our small amount of grass.

This mower, the Black & Decker MM575 3.5HP, 12 Amp Electric Lawn Mower, fits the bill quite nicely. Our yard man gave us a tip on a good used one in our neighborhood and we bought it second hand from a neighbor, who included a copy of the manual for us, too.

It doesn't have a huge amount of power, but it does a very good job of cutting the grass. You can raise and lower the blades as necessary, and it has a grass catcher available (which we do not use, we mulch the grass or rake it).

It's not meant for heavy duty use, but it suits our needs. One of the reasons we bought it was because my husband is originally from the UK and electric mowers are more common there than in the USA, and we didn't want to fuss with having to put gasoline or oil in it, with gas prices soaring these days.

We realized that by choosing an electric mower for ease of use, we might get less horsepower, and that was fine. We don't have a large yard and didn't need anything super powerful.

The engine has a very good, strong sound and it starts up easily every single time without fail. The mower is extremely easy to use; you plug it in and pull up the handle and off you go! We have an outside outlet, so we can make the most of our 100ft extension cord. Be sure to use a 14 gauge extension cord, because this mower can, and sometimes does, burn through a 12 gauge extension cord.

Also, make sure to use the cord protector to keep it up and away from the mower, which will lessen the chances that you'll run over the cord while mowing!

Black and Decker is an excellent brand, and parts and accessories for this mower are still available through an internet search. The handle breaks down so the mower is transportable in the trunk of an average sedan, if required.

The MM575 electric mower is quite light, and durable, compared to other mowers (both gas & electric). We find this mower adequate for our needs and would recommend it to others.