Black & Decker CM2040 review was done to see how well it performs among its competitors. The Black & Decker CM2040 is a cordless lawn mower, which is powered by 40-volt Lithium batteries but so are many others. Why would you choose the Black and Decker CM2040 cordless lawn mower over the strong competition from GreenWorks, Kobalt, and Ego? Let’s examine.
Read Black & Decker CM2040 Full Review
These are the areas of major importance to you when purchasing a mower from Black & Decker or any other brand so these are what we focused on:
- Design
- Power and Performance
- Efficiency and ease of use
- Durability
- Ease of locating replacement parts
- Customer service from the company
- Value
Review – Product Information
Product: Black & Decker CM2040 40V Lithium 3-in-1 Cordless Mower, 20″
General Market Price: USD 350
Warranty: 2 years
Best Deal Online: Amazon or Home Depot
This Black & Decker CM2040 cordless mower has good and not so good qualities which I will be pointing out to you in a bit, but first, we like to show our readers a quick video overview of how the company meant for the mower to work, then we can go from there to kill your dreams….or confirm them.
Design – Was much thought placed into this mower’s design?
Specs on Mower:
You will need to watch it to understand the review so take a few minutes to do so
The Good:
- Light and easy to maneuver – 47lbs
- Not very noisy. Your neighbors will not be complaining
- Easy height adjustments – One handle adjusts all four wheels
- Good variance in height adjustments for different levels of grass up to 4 inches.
- The wheels are found closer to the center of the mower than the blades, therefore, you get some great edging done. Other mowers have wheels outside of the line of the blades and therefore you need to do a lot of edging
- It comes with two 40v batteries so one can be charged while the other is running.
- Easy to start. You simply press the button on the handle, then use your other hand to pull the starter handle.
The bad:
- Plastic material does not seem to be very durable
- The catcher is not attached close enough to the mower which may affect bagging
- There is a built-in system that shuts off the mower when it hit a high grass area in a low height adjustment setting. It then takes some time before you can turn on the mower and get back to work.
Power and Performance – Can it power through your entire lawn /garden?
This mower was expected to perform very well as Black and Decker are known for producing quality products. However, it seems this guy only performs well on lawns of sizes 1/6 acres or less.
The Good:
- Cuts well. The blades arrive sharpened and they are pretty sturdy.
- Bagging, mulching, and sideways discharge are satisfactory.
The bad:
- Battery life sucks. Both batteries will die on your very small lawn then take 2-4 hours to charge, especially if you have plush, thick, healthy grass.
- It does not handle thick or tall grass well. It bogs down, stalls, and sometimes shuts off for a while.
- The batteries will heat up easily in thick grass and the mower is programmed to shut off to get them cooled off so if you often have overgrown grass, this mower might not be your guy
Efficiency and Ease of use – How hard do you need to work?
This mower is as easy to use as the next guy but it has some flaws in the efficiency department.
The good:
- Removing the battery and charging it is simple.
- Ergonomics are great. You will have no problem maneuvering this light mower around your lawn.
- Fitting and removing the bag is no trouble at all.
- Adjusting the handle height is made simple by the adjusters on the handle. You do not need to screw until it is tightened like most mowers. There is a handle to snap closed which immediately tightens the screw after adjusting your handle.
- You can fold the handle over for storage space.
The bad:
- Being a brushless motor, this mower should heat up less and functions more efficiently but it does not. It heats up easily and shuts down your mower
- To get a good cut of well-grown lawn, you will have to start from the highest adjustment and then do a second or third mow to get it down to a favorable height.
Here is a YouTube video of the mower in action…..
Durability – How long will your B&D electric mower last?
The mower decking, wheels, and blades seem fine. The motor is protected by built-in systems to shut down the mower if it is being strained so no worries there but according to other customer reviews on Amazon, the batteries will not last over a year. If you have one and your battery is doing fine, let me know in the comment section.
Ease of locating replacement parts – No trouble at all
At the very least, if the battery goes it is easily replaced. No problems here. Blades, batteries, chargers, and wheels can be found online at Home Depot, Amazon, and eBay.
Customer service from the company
Excellent
If you have any problems at all, company representatives are friendly and ready to help. Replacements and sent on time.
Value – Are you getting your money’s worth from B&D?
This will only be valuable to you if you have a small lawn without much overgrowth. There is an upgrade to this mower, the Black and Decker CM2060 (review link) that will be much better for your small lawn and is a bit cheaper so take a look at that before buying this one. If you have a medium to a large lawn, you might want to go with one of our top five picks that can be seen in the “Top Reviews” section to the side of your screen. Full reviews are available for each so take a look.
I hope this was helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this or any other cordless electric mower. We also take review requests.
Review Overview and Final Remarks
Final Remarks
Would have been such a great mower if the batteries were more efficient and durable and also if the mower had a smart cut feature that allowed it to “rev up” in high grass instead of just shutting down. I guess that is why B&D created the 60V improved version, the cm2060.