Black & Decker CM2043C Review
20-Inch 3-in-1 40V Max Lithium Ion Cordless Mower
84Good!
3.9 / 5 from 913 users
$321.41
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We spent 8.4 hours reading reviews from customers and experts. In summary, here's what users think:
9 reasons to buy
The Black & Decker CM2043C is very light, making it easy to move around. (35 reviews)
“It’s super light and it leaves my lawn looking great.”
“I find that this mower is very light”
“Light weight enough that I could lift it easily enough if I had to.”
“Because the mower is light, I walk along the ledge and push it up the incline with little effort.”
“Lightweight, easy to push and move around.”
“It's super quiet and light weight.”
“The mower is very light, easily transported, and highly maneuverable.”
“It is very lightweight and easy to push around.”
“Much more lightweight and maneuverable”
If you have other Black & Decker tools, you can use the same batteries with different devices. (24 reviews)
“Since I had multiple batteries from other black and Deckers i'm able to change them out.”
“I also have black and deckers weed eater, blower and chainsaw that use the same battery.”
“Fortunately I already had previously purchased a couple of B&D 40v tools”
“Well l needed some more batteries for my 40v tool (trimmer, sweeper, hedger, and chainsaw) all great tools, and I get 2 new batteries with this mower; the math worked out for me.”
“I had extra batteries from previous purchase and also have additional batteries from my Black and decker 40v blower and trimmer.”
“It uses a standard battery size from Black & Decker which also fits the chainsaw we own.”
“I also have the edger, blower and hedge trimmer. They all work off the same batteries and they all work great.”
“I have bought in to the Black and Decker product line - so have many batteries.”
“I chose this cordless mower because I had invested in 40V batteries for B&D leaf blower/vacuum and string trimmer.”
“The reason I got Black & Decker is because I have a bunch of other B&D tools, and want to share the batteries.”
The mower features a large and easy-to-use handle to adjust the cutting height. (17 reviews)
“The handle to adjust the cutting height is large and easy to use which is good because you will need to start high and slowly work your way down to your desired cutting height (just like the instructions recommend).”
“Height adjustment is by a lever in easy reach”
“Changing the cutting height is very easy.”
“Height adjustments are effortless.”
“an easy to use mechanism to change cut height.”
“The grass cutting height adjustment lever is in a more reasonable place. It should stay in position until I choose to move it.”
“Blade height adjustment mechanism is pure genius. All mowers should use something like this.”
“Really like the ability to raise and lower the height in one motion w/o messing with each wheel.”
“The adjustable deck is great, easy to operate with one hand”
“Adjusting the height is also super easy”
The mower operates quietly. (16 reviews)
“Very quiet, makes about as much noise as a high powered indoor fan”
“Its much less noisy - you can use at odd hours without unduly disturbing the neighbors.”
“It is reasonably quiet”
“It's quieter and so lightweight, it almost feels like a toy.”
“It is pretty quiet. I was mowing at 7am and had no worries about disturbing any sleeping neighbors.”
“The mower is nearly silent, just a low hum”
“I really like this mower because its quiet”
“It's super quiet and light weight.”
“Of course it's much quieter than a gas-powered lawn mower.”
“It cuts really nice and is super quiet.”
There is a convenient on-board storage compartment for a spare battery. (9 reviews)
“There is a convenient storage compartment on board for the spare battery.”
“The rear battery compartment is storage only, and you swap the front battery out when it is depleted and move the spare to the actual battery port on front.”
“on-board storage for the spare is a great idea”
“The mower itself holds one operational battery, and one extra.”
“On-board storage for the second battery.”
“I cannot for the life of me figure out how to store extra battery in the compartment on the lawn mower.”
“It you decide to get this product just make sure your are working with 2 good batteries.”
“There is a compartment in front of the mower for spare battery.”
“with the compartment to stash the spare battery on the mower it's easy to change them out quickly.”
The mower can mulch, which is great for people who like to use grass clippings as natural fertilizer for their lawn. (8 reviews)
“I do not use the bag catcher. I mulch.”
“Mulching and bagging work well and I don’t think I’ll be using the side discharge unless the grass gets way too tall.”
“I use it in mulching mode and it does an excellent job”
“I tried the “mulching” settings with the 40V Lithium and I think I’ll be raking and paper bagging or composting before I spend the time and batteries that mulching will take.”
“Use it in the mulching capacity, which also doesn't leave bunches of grass along the edge of the mower.”
“used for mulching on a rocky, wooded lot”
“Mulching attachment already in place; will need to remove to install bag.”
“Mulching works well.”
The lawn mower can be folded, taking up very little room when you're not using it. (5 reviews)
“Folds and stores to take up very little space when not in use.”
“fits very neatly in my small garage”
“The handle folds down easily”
“Small for storage”
“folds away nicely”
The mower comes with a large blade and deck, enabling efficient cutting of the lawn. (3 reviews)
“The large blade and mower deck gets the job done.”
“At 20 inches, it cuts an adequate swath.”
“Blade mows all the way out to the sides”
A new 'power remaining' indicator feature is now available, something older models didn't have. This lets users keep an eye on the battery life while they use it. (1 review)
“there's now a 'power remaining' indicator, which the old mover lacked”
5 reasons not to buy
The mower includes two batteries but only one charger. This can be a hassle because you have to remember to swap the batteries to get them both fully charged. (22 reviews)
“Comes with 2 batteries but only one charger (an inconvenience)”
“It only comes with a single charger and two batteries, so if you deplete both batteries, you have to charge one, then swap and charge the other.”
“With one charger provided and the recharging of three batteries (I bought an extra) mowing my lawn takes two days.”
“The other major draw back is the charger, it does take awhile, 4-5 hours to charge each battery.”
“I also highly recommend buying a second charger, for the batteries.”
“Why Black + Decker decided to include a dinky little, slow battery charger for the 40V MAX I will never understand.”
“Also, the battery charger supplied with the lawn mower only has an output of 0.4 amp. which would take many hours to recharge so I use the charger from the snow blower which has an output of 1.35 amp. and only takes 75 minutes to recharge.”
“So even with 2 that came with it, fully charged we can’t mow the lawn all at once.”
“Each battery then takes about 5 hours to charge with the provided charger.”
When dealing with tall grass, the mower might have a hard time and may need to go over the area more than once with the blades set higher. (19 reviews)
“There was one area that has been taken over by Tall Fescue which was several inches high. I had to pass over this area at the highest cut-height setting (7) or the engine would quit.”
“Another frustration is that if the grass is overgrown and thick, the mower stalls quite easily.”
“Its underpowered for tall or thick grass (mow your lawn regularly).”
“I quickly found that if your grass has grown little long it will stall out while cutting.”
“Under weight, under powered, short life/weak batteries. I have to go over most of the lawn twice, occasionally three, times at two/three different height settings.”
“If I use this in a dense grass part, it turns off right away”
“Works fine as long as grass is not too long or too think. If it is then it cuts off multiple jobs and drains battery quickly so that you only get 15-20 minutes of work before you need to switch batteries.”
“if your grass is a little high it will bog down and stall out. The electric drive motor needs a bit more power.”
“if it has been a wet week and the grass has shot up rapidly.If you are unable to mow your lawn and keep it mowed every 4 to 5 days to keep it super short the grass length will bog down and wear out the battery in mere minutes.”
“But each battery only lasts 15-20 minutes, so if you have a medium-size yard or tall grass, I would recommend having extra batteries on hand, and charged.”
The batteries need at least four hours to charge fully, so you'll have to plan ahead before using the mower. (16 reviews)
“They take at least four hours to charge out of the box so make sure that is the first thing you do when you receive the package.”
“The batteries took hours to charge.”
“5-6 hours per charge per battery.”
“With the charger provided, it takes 4 hours to recharge 1 battery.”
“the battery charger that came with it is a SLOW charger, not the FAST charger.”
“The only draw back is the batteries only lasted about 10-15 minutes each and I think really more like 10 minutes but in those 10 minutes it knocked down some really tall grass with little struggle. The other major draw back is the charger, it does take awhile, 4-5 hours to charge each battery.”
“The only drawback seems to be the amount of time it takes to fully charge the battery for use.”
The Black & Decker CM2043C has a lot of plastic parts, including the wheels, which may affect its durability over time. (16 reviews)
“A lot of plastic parts, including the wheels, doesn't feel super durable (but should be good as long as not abused)”
“The mower itself is lightweight (not surprising, since it's mostly plastic)”
“Don't get me wrong, certain corners where cut to get the weight off, the wheels are large & plastic and look like a toy's on steroids, but as long as it gets the job done I just don't care.”
“I find that this mower is very light, but actually seems to be a little flimsy.”
“The wheels are plastic and the mower is very light.”
“The mower does have a plastic cover, so you can't just bang it around, but i'm ok with that.”
“Each three-and-a-half pound battery's plastic case, is just waiting to be dropped and break on the sidewalk or basement floor.”
“The handles do not seem as sturdy as the original one and there were no cushions on the handle bar.”
“The mulching bag has a breathable fabric over a plastic bottom”
“I guess this is a four year disposable plastic lawn mower”
You can only use one battery at a time, which might not work as well for people who want to use two batteries together for longer running time. (9 reviews)
“Only one battery is active at a time.”
“By contrast this mower is sold with 2-2,000 milliamp batteries which can only be used one at a time.”
“keeping after them both to be fully charged is important”
“The mower itself holds one operational battery, and one extra.”
“What I am not happy about is that the batteries need to be replaced less than two years after my purchase.”
“I can cut the back on two batteries recharge as I use them and get the rest later.”
“One battery does all the edging on cooler days. On hot days it takes two.”
“It came with two battery packs so I charge them before I start.”
“with the compartment to stash the spare battery on the mower it's easy to change them out quickly.”
Bottom Line
Need a hassle-free lawn mower? Black & Decker's CM2043C is lightweight and quiet, with a big handle for easy height adjustment. It mulches and folds away neatly. Although it comes with two batteries, there's just one charger, and it struggles with tall grass. It charges in four hours, but the plastic parts might not last forever. Great for folks with other Black & Decker tools, as the batteries are interchangeable. Keep track of power with the new battery indicator.
Facts
| Brand | BLACK+DECKER |
|---|---|
| Cutting Width (in) | 20 inch |
| Features | Electric Start, Mulching, Bagging, Side Discharge |
| Max Cutting Height | 4" |
| Min Cutting Height | 1-1/2" |
| Power Source | Battery |
| Category | Push Mowers |
| Warranty | 3 Years |
| Weight | 47 lbs |
| Additional Info | Edgemax Design, Easy-Fold Handle, Includes 2 Batteries and Charger |
Video Reviews
Tips for Black & Decker CM2043C
- When mowing tall grass, it is recommended to start off on the highest setting and gradually work down to the desired height to prevent the mower from bogging down.
- For lawns larger than a quarter acre, it is recommended to purchase an extra battery for uninterrupted run time.
- It is recommended to avoid mowing when the grass is wet to conserve battery run time.
Special Features
- Dual 40V MAX Lithium-ion Batteries*: You get two powerful batteries so you can mow longer without stopping to recharge.
- 3-in-1 Versatility: Switch between mulching, bagging, or just shooting the grass clippings out the side, depending on what you need.
- EDGEMAX Design: The mower cuts grass so close to fences and flowerbeds, you’ll hardly need to trim afterwards.
- Single-Lever Height Adjustment: Change the grass cutting height with one simple lever, no tools needed.
- Cordless Power: No cords to trip over, no gas fumes – just push a button to start mowing.
- 20-inch Mower Deck: The wide deck means you can cut more grass in one go, saving time and effort.
- Variable-Speed Motor: The mower can go faster or slower to match how fast you walk.
- 10-inch Rear Wheels: Big back wheels make the mower easier to push and turn, even on bumpy ground.
- Comfortable Non-Slip Grip: The handle won’t slip out of your hands, and it won’t wear you out, either.
- Easy Fold for Storage: The handle folds down so the mower takes up less space in your garage or shed.
- 3-Year Limited Warranty: If something goes wrong with the mower within three years, you’re covered.
- Environmentally Friendly: This battery-powered mower doesn't create nasty fumes like a gas mower does.
FAQ
- Q:
Is the Black & Decker CM2043C self-propelled?
- A:
No, the mower is self-push but is very lightweight and maneuverable.
- Q:
Does the mower have a brushless motor?
- A:
Yes, it has a brushless motor.
- Q:
Are the batteries compatible with other Black & Decker tools?
- A:
Yes, the batteries can be used with other 40V MAX Black & Decker tools.
- Q:
Is it possible to store the mower vertically?
- A:
Yes, the mower can be stored upright and is also light enough to be hung on a wall.
- Q:
Can the mower work on 20V Black & Decker batteries?
- A:
No, the mower requires 40V batteries. 20V batteries are not compatible with this mower.
- Q:
Can the mower work on hills?
- A:
Yes, it is lightweight enough to mow on slopes.
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