Black+Decker BEMW472BH Corded Electric Lawn Mower Review

The mower's strengths line up with the job it was built for: cutting and collecting grass on a small, cluttered lawn without much effort from the person pushing it.

Light and easy to handle

At about 38 lb, the BEMW472BH is easy to lift and push, and the rugged wheel treads keep it tracking in thick grass. The comfort-grip bike handlebar gives you an upright grip. Assembly is straightforward, and buyers on Amazon most often praise how easy the mower is to put together and how light it feels.

Steering around obstacles

The bike-style handlebar lets you steer around trees, planters and bed edges more naturally than a straight bar, because your hands sit wide and forward rather than close together in front of you.

Cutting performance on a maintained lawn

A 10-amp motor driving a 15-inch winged blade has a high power-to-width ratio. It holds speed in taller grass rather than bogging down, and the winged blade is built for up to 30% better clipping collection. On a lawn you keep up with, it cuts cleanly and throws the clippings into the box.

Bagging

The mower is bag-only, with a mesh collection box on a steel frame and a clear rear flap so you can see when it is full. The foot-lever compaction feature presses clippings down so you empty the box less often, which matters on a lawn that fills a bag quickly.

Easy starts

A push-button start with a bail gets the blade turning, and either the left or the right handle switch runs the mower, so you only hold one.

Cut-height adjustment

Six positions from 1 to 3 inches are selected with a single central lever and read off a height gauge on the side of the deck, so you can drop the deck for a short fall cut and raise it for summer.

Edge trimming

A comb guide on the deck edge lets you run the mower right up along walls and fences, cutting the strip a wider deck would leave for a trimmer.

Storage-friendly handle

The handlebar folds, cable holders let you wrap the cord figure-eight style, and carry handles make the mower easy to lift onto a shelf or into a corner.

Quiet relative to gas

Electric operation means no fuel, no oil, no pull cord and no exhaust, so starting and running are simpler and quieter than with a gas mower.

Warranty

The mower carries a two-year limited warranty and is UL listed.

The limits are as clear as the strengths, and they decide whether this mower suits your yard at all.

Bag-only

There is no mulching and no side discharge. If you mulch leaves or want to drop clippings back on the lawn, this mower cannot do it.

Not self-propelled

It is a manual push mower, and all four wheels free-roll. That is fine on flat ground and more effort on any incline.

Cord required, cord not included

The mower runs on 120V household power through an outdoor-rated extension cord, and the cord is a separate purchase. The maximum recommended cord length is 50 feet.

Small cutting width

At 15 inches it takes more passes than a wider deck. The mower is intended for smaller lawns, and the narrow cut is the reason.

Long footprint

The bike handlebar assembly makes the mower long, which means wide turns at the end of each row and a bulky shape even when folded for storage.

Not weatherproof

It is an electric walk-behind mower for dry grass.

Durability is the recurring concern

Amazon's summary of its customer reviews reports mixed feedback on quality and functionality and mostly negative feedback on durability, with some buyers reporting the mower stopping after a few minutes of use. Treat that as the pattern buyers describe rather than a measured failure rate, and keep the two-year limited warranty in mind as your recourse if something goes wrong.

The mower suits a yard and a person more than it suits a budget. Match both before you buy.

Right for

• Small, flat, mostly open lawns with trees, beds and planters to steer around.
• First-time mower buyers and renters who want a simple machine.
• Anyone replacing a gas mower who wants no fuel, oil or pull-start routine.
• Users who find a standard handlebar hard on the back or neck and want an upright grip.
• Fall leaf cleanup, where bagging is the goal.

Skip it if

• Your lawn is large: the 15-inch deck and 50-foot cord limit mean many passes and a reach limit from the outlet.
• Your yard is sloped: a light push mower with a cord on a hill is awkward, and the cord is a trip hazard.
• You mulch or side-discharge.
• You want self-propulsion.
• You need the mower to live outdoors.

Corded or cordless

A corded mower gives constant power with no battery to charge or replace, at the cost of a cord and a reach limit. A battery mower gives freedom from the cord at the cost of run time, charging and battery care. The BEMW472BH sits firmly on the corded side: it trades freedom of movement for steady power and a light, simple machine.