Updated Review May 15, 2016 (2 years since I bought it) It has been two years to the date that I bought this law mower, I could not be any happier, besides the fact that in those 2 years, I do not know what is to deal with carrying fuel cans in my car, fixing clogged carburetors, changing spark plugs, oil, and air filters. The only thing that I have done to this machine, is the occasional cleaning of the machine and keeping the blade sharp. I gave it a five starts when I bought it and used the first day, I keep giving it the five stars. Fist review 2014 Nice machine, light weight, easy to handle, a lot of power but it is not a self propel mower. Excellent if you want to keep yourself fit. Recommended if your lot is 25 ft in the front and 25-50 ft in the back. If you have 100 Ft lot get ready to drag a lot of cable. The motor is a brush motor which means that is a high speed with a lot of torque. Noise level is much lower than a gas engine mower, no fumes, no gas, no oil changes and no tune-ups. No need to store fuel in your garage or shed. This mower is high adjustable and can be operated as a side discharge, allowing to cut a lawn that is too high. Before you decide to buy a wired electrical lawn mower, you have to understand the issues related to the wire gauge of your extension cord. Most of the failures associated with electrical lawn mowers, are due because the owner does not use the appropriate extension cord for the job. First you must understand wire gauge AWG, the lower the number the thicker is the wire, so a 12 AWG cable is actually thicker than a 18 AWG cable, and a 12 AWG cable can deliver à higher current carrying capacity than a 18 AWG cable. Below are the voltage drops for different AWG cables based on a length of 100 FT, but remember to take in consideration that the power outlets in your home are fed with 14 AWG cables, so in the sample below if you use a 18 AWG cable 100 FT, and the power outlet in your back yard is about 50 Ft away from the circuit breaker panel in your home, your total voltage drop will be 17 +3.5 Volts= 20.5 Volts that means that your lawn mower motor will be getting 99.5 volts, well below the rated 110-120 Volts it requires to do the job. Furthermore, when the voltage drops it will increase the load / amps on the motor, which will overheat and stop or fail. Cutting a lawn that has grown too high or is wet will increase the chances of failure if you are using the wrong AWG extension cord, the extra effort required to do the job will increase the amps on the motor and will overheat. Using an old power outlet that is not weather protected in the outside of your home, could also give you problems. There is the possibility that the wires, and the power outlet may be corroded not been able to provide the extension cord with a good contact. Do not connect / turn on other electrical appliances / high power demand devices in the same circuit you are using to power the lawn mower, it may trigger off the breaker in the electrical panel ( I said circuit, not power outlet, you may have several power outlets in the same circuit). If the electrical panel circuit breaker is triggered off, that is a sign that you are doing something wrong. Unfortunately some times that protection may be too late, and the motor may have already burned out, the circuit breaker in the electrical panel is there to protect your home and you, but not the lawn mower. Motors have thermal protections some reset after cooling off, some get damage and do not reset. Do not abuse the thermal protection of the motor, is not intended as an on and off switch, constant abuse will end in permanent failure. If your lawn mower stops by the thermal protection, disconnect it and place it in the shade, let it cool off. If the thermal protection worked, it should be able to start again, it may take up to an hour to cool off in hot weather, grab a beer and check the extension cord and outlet. Disconnect the extension cord and quickly check the temperature of the extension cord, if the cable is too hot, you are doing something wrong. If the lawn is too high, place the wheels of the mower in the highest setting; use the side discharge feature of your mower if available. Read the owner's manual to check if you can remove the grass catch bag and operate the mower. Doing this will reduce the effort that the motor does to cut a tall grass. Make sure the blades are sharpened and not bended, walk slow and give time to the mower to do the job. Learn to listen to the mower motor noise, so you know what kind of effort is doing. ALWAYS READ THE MANUAL. The manufacturer recommends 16 AWG extension cords; I highly suggest that you use a 14 AWG if you are going to run over 100 FT extension cords. Avoid 12 AWG extension cords in 100 FT lengths; it is expensive, heavy and difficult to handle it for storage The extension cord should have the AWG stamped on the outside insulation jacket. Extension Cord Gauge AWG 12, 120 Volt, 13 Amps, 100 Ft, voltage drop 4.25 Volts, Electric motors receives 115.75 Volts Extension Cord Gauge AWG 14, 120 Volt, 13 Amps, 100 Ft, voltage drop 6.75 Volts, Electric motors receives 113.25 Volts Extension Cord Gauge AWG 16, 120 Volt, 13 Amps, 100 Ft, voltage drop 11.25 Volts, Electric motors receives 109 Volts Extension Cord Gauge AWG 18, 120 Volt, 13 Amps, 100 Ft, voltage drop 17 Volts, Electric motors receives 102 Volts Additional circuit inside home electrical outlet to breaker box Home electrical circuit AWG 14, 120 Volt, 13 Amps, 50 Ft, voltage drop 3.5 Volts, deduct 3.5 from the above applicable values. These values are for you to get an idea of the issues with long extension cords 100 ft +, you may only need a 50 ft extension cord, and the circuit for the power outlet in your home may be only 25 ft, so a 16 AWG extension cord as recommended by the manufacturer will be enough. Watch You Tube video named: (sorry link can not be posted, it does not show in this review). " Greenworks 21" Corded Electric Lawn Mower Review and Tips "
