Everything To Consider Before Buying Milwaukee's M18 Fuel 21 Electric Lawn Mower

For people who are already living their dreams with their dream house in the suburbs, it doesn't take long for the rose-colored glasses to come off, and you realize the work it takes to maintain it. While there are endless lawn tools you might think you need, the lawn mower is one of the most crucial, especially if you want a perfectly manicured lawn. For that, you may want to consider Milwaukee's M18 Fuel 21 Electric Lawn Mower. Part of Milwaukee's M18 tool system, one of its advantages is that its batteries work with a slew of the power tool brand's portfolio of over 250 compatible tools. 

Depending on whether or not you already own M18 batteries, you can purchase the lawn mower on its own or as a kit. Out of the box, the unit-only option also includes a grass bag, mulch plug, and rear-side discharge chute. Typically, you can snag it for $799 from online retailers like Ace Hardware, Acme Tool, and Northern Tool. On the other hand, Milwaukee includes the M18 Dual Bay Simultaneous Rapid Charger and two M18 RedLithium High Output HD 12.0 Battery Packs with the kit. If you decide to get the kit from Grainger, you can expect to shell out $1,540.23. It is a little cheaper at Ace Hardware, where it's listed for sale at $1,199. 

While there are a ton of highly-rated lawn mowers out there, the M18 Fuel 21 Electric Lawn Mower lets you enjoy the many benefits of being a cordless unit, such as not dealing with carburetor issues, pull starts, the awful smell, or some of the usual storage concerns. This doesn't mean there's no lawn mower maintenance required, since electric-powered ones will have their own things to manage. In particular, you'll need to be careful about your charging habits and storage for its long-term health.

Apart from being self-propelled, which can go up to 4 miles per hour, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 21 Electric Lawn Mower has a cutting width of 21 inches with its steel deck and a maximum torque of 10 ft-lbs. In addition, Milwaukee claims it can reach full throttle in under a second. Using its single-point height adjustment mechanism, it gives you 7 iterations with half-inch differences, so you can better customize how tall you want your grass. In addition, some other neat features that affect its practicality include folding handles, front and side lights, and upright storage, which is great for people with limited space in their garage. And of course, Milwaukee says that it does it in a relatively quieter way than its gas-guzzling counterparts. But it's important to note that its noise rating of 94 dB, which is about as loud as a passing subway, can still be dangerous for long periods.

According to Milwaukee, its M18 Electric Lawn Mower can run up to an hour with two of its M18 RedLithium High Output HD 12.0 Batteries. As for how big the lawns it can handle, the power tool company shares that the pair of batteries can vary under certain conditions, like grass height, grass quality, and pace. The actual run time will depend on your specific lawn. On Amazon, a single M18 High Output HD12.0 Battery Pack, which has been rated 4.7 stars by 700+ customers, would already set you back $279. Considering the charger retails for $109.99 on Amazon, you get about $668 worth of value if you had to buy the system separately. 

Although we've mentioned before that Milwaukee's M18 RedLithium High Output HD 12.0 isn't as powerful or as efficient as its Forge counterparts, using two HD 12.0 Forge batteries, Milwaukee says it can clean up half-inch, light grass across 3/4 acre for about an hour and a half. As for heavy, 1-1/2-inch grass, it says it can manage 3/8 acres in around 45 minutes. Given this, you may want to consider buying the Forge battery line separately if you struggle with heavy grass or a big lawn.

In general, the unit is covered by Milwaukee's 3 Year Limited Warranty that protects you from faulty parts and manufacturing issues. But take note, this doesn't include if you abused it, used it with fake batteries, or bought it from an unauthorized dealer.

In terms of competition, Milwaukee's M18 Electric Lawn Mower outperforms some of the worst electric lawn mowers out there, like the Black & Decker String Trimmer and Lawn Mower and LawnMaster ME1218 Electric Lawn Mower. But if you want to stack it up against similar models, there are two that outperform it in other ways: the Ryobi 21-inch 40V HP Self-Propelled Lawn Mower and the EGO Power+ 21-inch Self-Propelled Mower. Here's why.

On Amazon, the EGO Power+ 22-inch Self-Propelled Mower has generated an average rating of 4.4 stars from over 4.4 users, wherein it is also an Amazon's Choice product. If you want something with a longer 70-minute run time, you can get this in a kit with a single 10 Ah battery for $1,449. Plus, if you don't think you need the 22 inches anyway, EGO Power+ also offers options in different widths.

On the other hand, Ryobi sets itself apart simply because of its price-to-performance ratio. Without the batteries, the 40V HP Ryobi Lawn Mower retails for just $449. In addition, its $599 kit version includes the mower, charging kit, and two 40V battery packs, which can be half the price you can expect to pay for the Milwaukee kit. Although Ryobi cites a slightly shorter 55-minute run time for half an acre, the mower itself is covered by a longer 5 Year Tool Warranty. Ryobi's 40V battery system also has fewer compatible tools, at 85+ products.

On the official Milwaukee website, the M18 Fuel 21 Electric Lawn Mower has generated an average rating of 4.2 stars from over 660 customers. On Amazon, where it is tagged as an Amazon's Choice product, it shares the same 4.2-star rating from 30+ customers. However, it's important to take this with a grain of salt, since several 1-star reviews mentioned issues with receiving units that were not new. Alternatively, it did score marginally higher from Home Depot buyers, wherein it netted itself around 4.4 stars from over 1,600 reviewers. On Ace Hardware, the kit even got a 4.5-star rating from over 600 people.

Despite its high price tag, a lot of users claim it's worth it. In general, a lot of people praised its power, quietness, battery efficiency, and typical benefits over gas and oil models, such as not dealing with carburetor issues. One satisfied user shared that they were able to mow an impressive 8,000 square feet with just half the kit's 12 Ah batteries. Although there was less positive feedback about the quality of the grass bag and battery cover, several people noted. There were also some complaints about how the blade wasn't as effective for certain types of grass. Additionally, some people felt robbed that most of its body was actually made of plastic and that they didn't think it was very durable. And in particular, one concerned user shared that its safety shutoff switch had problems.

If you're convinced that the M18 Fuel 21 Electric Lawn Mower is for you, Milwaukee lists it on 13 different online retailers. To see the full list of official online sellers, here's how:

1. On the Milwaukee website, go to the M18 Fuel Electric Lawn Mower listing.

2. On the right side of the screen, click Where to Buy.

3. In the upper portion of the pop-up, click Shop Online.

As of writing, this Milwaukee electric lawn mower is currently only listed as in-stock at Home Depot, Acme Tools, Northern Tool + Equipment, Ace Hardware, Tool Up, and Zoro. However, if you'd like to check it in person before making a decision, here's how to find the nearest places to you.

1. On the Milwaukee website, go to the M18 Fuel Electric Lawn Mower listing.

2. At the right side of the screen, click Where to Buy.

3. In the upper portion of the pop-up, click Find Local.

4. Option 1: Click and drag the map around your area to find local stores that carry it.

5. Option 2: In the upper right corner of the pop-up, type your city or state.

For example, if you type "New York", you'll be able to view 30 listings of hardware stores that carry this specific lawn mower. Apart from the store name and location, some retailers will also list phone numbers, which you can call in advance to confirm if there's stock for the lawn mower before you pay a visit.