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Monday, April 11, 2022

NEW MINI ZEN THE SUNJOE CORDLESS MOWER

Well, this was sort of a birthday gift but also something we wanted and had been talking about.  We have the area around the raised beds with the fruit trees and we're sure many of you have seen the mess we often have because it's so hard to get the Zen Machine between the beds like we used to.  The, once we have the fishing line fence up (to keep out the deer) we can't get in with it at all.  The grass would grow unchecked.  

We've used the weedeater/trimmer but it's difficult to "mow" with it.  We tried to borrow 2nd Family's regular mower but it wouldn't start most of the time and was always a mess with oil and fuel etc.

So recently, we started thinking about electric mowers. There are really two options: corded or battery.  We could go corded since there is an outlet on the back of the house but we also thought about using it elsewhere in the yard on occasion and knowing me, I'd run over a cord, ha.  We opted for battery.

This is the one we decided on:


It's the SUNJOE brand and the model that we chose you can see HERE ON AMAZON.

Cordless electric mowers are pricey.  Since we aren't sure how well this will ultimately work out, we didn't want to go the really expensive route.  This one has steel blades, a 14" cutting path, adjustable height, a 10 gallon bag to catch clippings or, in the version we chose, you can just remove the bag and use a side chute.  It's not self propelled though and the run time is only about 30 to 40 minutes but for what we need, it is fine.

Sunjoe mower in the box

I thought I'd take it out and put it together at the apartment but when I saw how well it was packaged, I figured I'd just read the instructions ahead of time and be ready.  I loaded it up and headed to the farm.

Assembly was super easy.  It took me about 15 minutes while sitting on the porch with a cool breeze blowing.

Sunjoe charging

You just attach the upper handlebars and some clips for the wire and that's it.  It's very lightweight.  I plugged it in and let it fully charge while I was on the big Zen Machine.  It charges fully in about 3 hours.

Sunjoe blades

The body is hard ABS plastic but the blade is steel.  I decided to fire it up.  You push the button and pull the safety lever and it starts right up.  It's weirdly quiet.  Like a box fan on high speed.  It takes a bit to get used to it because your mind and ears are so tuned to gas engines and the noise they make.  

Here is an example of what needed to be mowed...

Sunjoe mowing before

This is before:

They are the areas between the square raised beds of the fruit trees and the round rings of the berry beds.  The Zen Machine won't fit and it's too much to try to do with just a weedeater so the grass (and weeds) grow. 

Sunjoe mowing after

And here is the same spot after.  

It will be great for this task and even later on for perhaps mowing around flower beds and getting under bushes and trees where the big Zen Machine can't fit in other places on the property.  Here though, I'll be able to slide it right under the fishing line fence and mow.

It's not perfect;  I sure wouldn't want to mow a large yard with it, the run time is a bit short, it's not self-propelled and the body is obviously not steel construction.  They (and other brands of course) have better models for that but for what we'll use it for right now, it IS perfect and best of all, no cords, no gas, no oil, no mess, and no loud noise.

Exactly what we needed!

The Sunjoe cordless electric mower

And besides, it's so stinkin' cute! 

12 comments:

  1. That is cute and will be very handy for using in places at the farmstead.
    Clouding up here and according to the news; our storms will start moving in this afternoon.
    Have a wonderful day and enjoy your evening

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    1. Yep, that's what we're hoping for. Simple and gets the job done. Stay safe! We dodged the storm bullet here.

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  2. According to info on Google, all Sun Joe stuff is made in China. Congrats on supporting the Chinese Communists and their ultimate air to take over the world.

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    1. Another quick google search finds: "About 60% of what Americans buy is made in China or has Chinese content of some kind. Even “Made in America” products can (and often do) have Chinese parts or labor in it".

      Smart phone any brand? Made in China. Computer or tablet, any device? Made in China. Heck, our Stihl chainsaw and Black and Decker weedeater are made in China. But Apple, Stihl, Black and Decker, Microsoft, etc are all American companies that make their stuff in China.

      They are, like SunJoe, an American company. I can't help if they manufacture over there, almost everyone does. Buy American when you can and support American companies when you have the choice. Would I buy a Samsung? No. Would I buy an LG? No. But an American company that manufactures overseas? Not much we can do about that.

      Our big mower is a John Deere, we paid $5500 for it new. It's made here. If they made an electric mower that was affordable, I'd gladly buy it. But they don't. But we also didn't buy some Chinese branded riding mower.

      I doubt anyone can say they don't have anything that's not made in China somewhere in their house. Buy American when you can and support American companies over others. Nothing wrong with that.

      Peace.

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  3. Lack of noise, gas, oil, and vibration is what I love about reel mowers. If you have to push that machine, think about a reel mower if you need another. It is cute!

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    1. I thought about one of those, but not sure I'd have the energy for that in the heat and humidity of our Summers, ha. They are cool though. We'll see how things go for the future. This is a short term measure to keep it under control but who knows what the future holds.

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  4. That's awesome, my parents have used SunJoe for years (their snow blowers are awesome). If it's made in China, so is my iPhone and my computer and even my blue jeans (most denim comes from China now). Like you said, buy from American companies and at least you are supporting them. Have fun with your mini-zen. Janie V

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    1. Thank you, they had great reviews so that was another factor. We know we might not have it for the next 10 years but hey, if I can get a few seasons of keeping that grass down in the orchard, it's all good. And yes, we always try to buy from American companies (computers, electronics, appliances, tools, even some of our furniture) but we can't control where they make their items. Part of the global interconnected world we live in now. Maybe someday it will swing back this direction. Thanks!

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  5. This is perfect for this hard to maintain area. And it’s so simple to operate. Great purchase!

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    1. that's what I wanted, something simple, not a lot of moving parts (except the blade, ha) and small/lightweight to get in and around the raised beds.

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