Sun Joe iON16LM Review
40-Volt 4.0-Amp 16-Inch Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower
87Good!
4.1 / 5 from 1758 users
$299.99
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We spent 8.7 hours reading reviews from customers and experts. In summary, here's what users think:
10 reasons to buy
Many reviews point out that the mower is light, making it easy to move around and even push with just one hand. (61 reviews)
“Yes, this mower is super light weight, I can push it around with one hand”
“The mower is light weight”
“Looks cool, weighs next to nothing.”
“The mower is lightweight. Some complain that is it flimsy but I actually think it is well designed to minimize weight and maximize maneuverability.”
“But the thing is so light and easy to use it's a tradeoff I'm happy to make.”
“Again, my backyard is steep, so it still requires a little muscle but I was to manage mowing with this super lightweight mower, without it dragging me down the hill with it.”
“It is extremely light and maneuverable”
“I also like how easy they made it to carry this with the handle they put on top of the main body, so between that handle and grabbing it by the main handle, I easily carried it up and down stairs.”
“Lightweight and easy to use”
Reviewers are generally satisfied with the battery life, noting that it lasts long enough to cover standard yard sizes on a single charge. (57 reviews)
“Its battery life is awesome”
“The battery handles that easily with juice to spare”
“The battery charges fast and lasts long enough for me to mow my quarter acre.”
“I can mow all my grass (around 3,800 sq ft) on one battery charge.”
“The charge lasted at least 30 minutes. I was able to do my entire front lawn without any loss of power.”
“With the mulch unit and the grass being shorter now, the battery makes it through 45-60 minutes run time just fine.”
“The battery life is great, it mowed the front and large back yard with a single charge and power to spare.”
“Battery longevity is great. I mowed my 4000 sq ft lawn and still had 2/3 of a charge remaining.”
“You get about 45 minutes or more of cutting.”
The Sun Joe iON16LM is good at cutting through tall and thick grass. You can adjust how fast it cuts, and it can either mulch or collect grass clippings. (42 reviews)
“it handled the seeding grass easily as well in the front yard”
“The blade was sharp and I have never gotten bogged down in tall grass as I have with gas mowers in the past.”
“My lawn looks professionally manicured when I’m done.”
“And to my surprise it works really well. Cut through grass and tall weeds in one pass.”
“I set it to 4 on its height adjuster, and mowed the lawn with ease, despite the grass and weeds being at least a foot tall, and a number of the weed types being 2 to 3 feet tall.”
“Would it be able to handle the longer grass and mow over small sticks without suffering loss of cutting power? So far, the answer to both of those questions is a resounding 'Yes!'.”
“Amazed how it perfectly cuts AND BAGS the wet thick grass and leave mix.”
“this thing took on the tall grass like a champ.”
“Sure enough it plowed through 18" high wet grass at a rental with no issues except for having to empty grass catcher a hundred times.”
Users say that being able to start the mower with just a push of a button, instead of having to pull a cord, makes it much easier to use. (40 reviews)
“Pretty much drop in the battery and press the button and go”
“It is dead simple to operate. No pull starts.”
“Starts up easy, just push button down and then pull lever back.”
“I love that it has an easy, push start”
“Startup was simple and I'm pretty happy that I no longer have to do the 'prime, prime, prime, hold bar, pull as fast as possible...pull again....prime, prime...go ice shoulder' song and dance anymore. A simple button press and lever hold and the mower sprang to life.”
“Easy to start and stop to pick up sticks and empty the bag.”
“So easy to operate even my mom can do it”
“I wanted a mower that I wouldn't need to pull a string to start and would always start when I pushed a button!”
“Easy Start - push button start makes starting a 1 second process.”
“The push button start is so much easier than the old pull style”
The electric design eliminates the need for gas and oil, reducing maintenance and mess associated with traditional gas mowers. (35 reviews)
“I like NOT having to deal with gas and oil.”
“No gas, no oil, no fuel additives, no rip cord yanking, no mess, no carb adjustments, no air filters, no complaints!”
“Love not needing gas or a cord!”
“Its the first time in over a decade since I last used electric yard machines, and I have to say the technology has finally gotten on par with the gas powered motors, and better yet, no messing with fuel or oil, just a battery pack. So no fumes, and no getting any of those fluids on your hands, etc...”
“I didn't want to have to deal with a gas mower and a corded electric is a pain unless you have a very small yard to mow.”
“No more aching back! No gas engine repairs. Love it!!”
“I would never switch back to a gas mower for our yard.”
“Not to mention that I don't have to carry a gas can to the gas station when I need to cut the grass. No more having my car smell like gas for 2 days.”
“I would recommend this to anyone looking to do away with constant gas fills and oil changes like I was.”
Users appreciate the low noise level compared to gas mowers, making it less disruptive to neighbors and more pleasant to use. (30 reviews)
“She said she didn't even hear me out front cutting it”
“It is also more quiet than a gas mower.”
“This is quieter then a vacuum”
“It's quiet.”
“Is super quiet, think loud vacuum.”
“runs quietly”
“It's also much quieter than the gas mower, but that was to be expected.”
“Firing it up by pushing a button and pulling the handle it comes to life and it is no louder than an indoor vacuum cleaner.”
“Very quiet. My husband came outside, because he thought I was going to mow and he didn’t hear it.”
“It's much easier to handle, and quieter.”
The cutting height is easily adjustable, allowing users to achieve the desired lawn length. (23 reviews)
“The height adjustment is fantastic.”
“I can change the cutting height and it’s easy.”
“It has 6 height levels.”
“I had read with tall grass I should raise the mower first, then lower it for a second go around. Didn't need to.”
“The first time I used it, it took me a few minutes to get the right height adjustment, it turns out the highest adjustment is what I needed”
“Then I went back and knocked it down to a level 3 height with two batter charges.”
“I also appreciate the different heights you can set the blades at.”
“Adjusting the higher grass settings also fixes this if you want to do a few run overs without stalling.”
“Charged the battery, adjusted the handle length, height of the mower — all simple and easy.”
The mower can be easily cleaned with a blower or brush. It is also small enough to fit in tight storage spots. (19 reviews)
“I've been cleaning it off after each use with a very soft dust brush, takes just couple minutes.”
“After every use I break out my blower and spend a minute or two cleaning off the mower, blowing all the debris out of the various nooks and crannies.”
“Lastly I love that it doesn’t take a lot of space in my shed.”
“I don't have much room to store a push mower and no room for a riding mower.”
“the mulch catcher on back couldn’t be easier to detach, empty, and re-attach”
“takes up reduced storage space”
“I like how much less room this mower takes up, due to a shorter, squarer bag”
“Stores small and easy.”
“It folds to minimize space.”
If you have other products from the same brand, the fact that you can use the batteries in all of them is really handy. (15 reviews)
“Its a good value, especially if you have a SnowJoe and have a couple of these batteries on hand”
“Since I have the iON snow thrower, I have two interchangeable batteries if needed.”
“In fairness, I have an extra battery but I certainly do not need it to complete our yard. It came with the Snow Joe blower (also a great product but that's a different review).”
“Bonus is it uses the same battery as my Snow Joe”
“Fortunately, I have a "Snow Joe" (That I absolutely love) that uses the same battery so I didn't have to wait for a battery recharge to finish.”
“Fortunately I have an extra battery because of the Snow Joe purchase I made prior.”
“I have two other products using the same battery, and it works well in all of them.”
“It is enough time to mow the front yard, and use an extra battery that I have already charged for the back yard while I put the first battery on the charger.”
“I alternate the identical Snow Joe Ion battery”
“I bought the snow blower and leaf blower/mulcher which all use the same battery, so I got three great products with three batteries to use when I use any of them.”
“so I swapp in my Sno Jo one when I need it”
“It will come with a battery that will also run this mower and vice versa.”
“It includes the Lithium Ion battery and a charger for it. This is the same battery used by the snowblower, so if I needed to, I could swap in a charged battery.”
“I purchased a Sun Joe because I also have a Snow Joe snow blower (great snow blower) and wanted something that used compatible batteries.”
“it uses the same battery as the snow blower”
The cost of replacement blades and other parts is deemed affordable, adding to the mower's overall value. (2 reviews)
“The cost of the replacement blade is affordable.”
“The price is great, especially since the battery for the iON is good for both the snow thrower and the mower.”
4 reasons not to buy
Some people are worried about how long the Sun Joe will last. One user said their mower stopped working after 2.5 years and wouldn't start again. There are also worries that it's not built to last because it has a lot of plastic parts. (26 reviews)
“And then it died completely after 2.5 years. So... Long enough that the 2 year warranty was void.”
“Be aware that nearly all the parts are plastic of some sort, including the wheels. I’m not sure that makes a huge difference, but it’s not a machine you can brutalize”
“I did have one of the front wheel axles bend a bit on this first mow day, causing the wheel to turn in a bit”
“The deck is all plastic and you have to be careful not to move over small tree branches or other potential projectiles. I missed picking up a small branch and it broke a piece out of the deck.”
“So not sure how long it'll last.”
“My reason for four stars is that it only lasted 3 years. The key stopped working, We to wiggle it to get the mower to start.”
“Lots of plastic but looks durable; time will tell.”
“Capacitor failed after one month of use”
“after yr running safety key would not remove one day it melted to insert area now mower is paper weight”
“Although this was a great mower for the time I've had it, they no longer support this mower. YOU CANNOT GET REPLACEMENT BLADES AND PARTS FOR IT.”
Some reviewers mention that the grass catcher is smaller than they expected, which means it needs to be emptied more often than with other mowers. (20 reviews)
“The grass bag is too darn small. On average, you’ll have to empty the bag every 5-10 minutes.”
“I was having to stop to empty the grass bag about every 50 feet or so”
“It is not a self-propelled mower and bagging the grass made me have to stop quite often and empty....plus the bag full getting full of grass made it heavy and hard to push.”
“I agree with other comments related to the grass clipping bag being a con. I too believed it just had to be emptied way too much and it was quite a hindrance in a few respects.”
“The little 10 gallon grass catch fills up quicker than you would expect. Once it's full, the mowers performance drops dramatically.”
“having to empty grass catcher a hundred times”
“The grass catcher was, as others have noted, small and filled quickly.”
“The grass catch bag is a little small, so I have to change it every 10 to 15 minutes of cutting”
The part of the mower that lets you change the height can get clogged with debris, which might cause it to jam. Also, the folding handles can be a bit awkward because you have to turn the knobs a lot to either loosen or tighten them. (10 reviews)
“While the handle does have several setting to adjust the angle/height, it requires soo many turns of the knob to loosen/tighten”
“the only thing I don’t find easy is folding down the handles. You have to partially unscrew four plastic knobs, then fold the handles. When you’re ready to use the mower again, you have to re-tighten the knobs. I have no idea how long the knobs will hold out since the threads are plastic.”
“I've found that the lower handle knobs (at the unit housing) do not stand up well to frequent use.”
“Only problem I had was with the height adjustment mechanism (returned due to that)”
“Even at the highest height setting I have to lift the back of the mower to get it over the lawn (folks I was mowing semi-new grass that wasn't thick or high at all).”
“The only thing I caution is when you go to lower the handles and fold it up be careful not to get the cord caught in the folds or it might damage the electric cord running from the starter to the battery.”
“The only drawback is that the handles don’t lock perfectly at the bottom and it moves more than I want.”
“the adjustable handle goes down so low that tipping the mower up in the air for getting up a curb or something similar, means having to get down lower to the ground than what is comfortable with or used to”
“Essentially the mower height control lever stopped working. This component is a lever connected to a rod that is held in place to the plastic body assembly using a metal bracket. It’s poorly engineered IMO. The rod has popped out from under the bracket and will no longer remain in place.”
“The handle folds, but it has a very primitive mechanism, and will tear up the paint over time.”
The mower doesn't do as well when it's cutting wet grass, something that happens a lot in certain climates. This can cause the battery to shut off more often. (8 reviews)
“the battery shut itself off a lot of the grass was damp”
“I wish it would be waterproof so that you could hose it off. You have to brush off the grass with a broom and if there is wet grass stuck inside the deck, I just scrape it off with my hand.”
“Not a good things when the grass is wet though it really doesn't bother me to have to kick some of the grass build-up out of the way.”
“doesn't seem to have problems with damp grass (an issue in our rainy location)”
“During the first usage, it kept shutting off. I assumed I must have been letting go of the safety handle. During the second usage, it got worse. The only way to keep the motor running was to hold the push-start button AND the safety handle.”
“It cuts well as long as the grass is dry. If the lawn is wet, it will bog down and drain the battery quickly.”
“This one chokes off if the grass is damp”
“the instructions say to be very careful you don't spray water on the motor to clean it off after using”
Bottom Line
The Sun Joe iON16LM electric mower offers hassle-free operation with a push-button start, eliminating the pull cord. Lightweight and versatile, it boasts long battery life and an adjustable cutting height, handling tall, thick grass with ease. It's quiet, maintenance-light without the need for gas or oil, and can mulch or collect clippings. However, some users question its durability due to plastic parts and have experienced issues with the small grass catcher and the height adjustment mechanism. It's less effective on wet grass, potentially affecting battery performance.
Facts
| Brand | Sun Joe |
|---|---|
| Cutting Width (in) | 16 inch |
| Features | Electric Start, Bagging |
| Max Cutting Height | 3-3/20" |
| Min Cutting Height | 1-9/50" |
| Power Source | Battery |
| Category | Push Mowers |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
| Weight | 37.3 lbs |
| Additional Info | ETL Approved, Energy Star Certified, Deck Material: ABS Plastic, iONMAX Battery System, EcoSharp Technology |
Video Reviews
Tips for Sun Joe iON16LM
- The mower has an average run time of 40 minutes but can vary depending on grass thickness. It is recommended to purchase a second battery for uninterrupted use.
- The mower can only be used with the bag out of the box. For mulching, purchase a Discharge Chute Accessory here.
- Check that lower arms are correctly positioned during assembly to ensure proper height adjustment.
Special Features
- Cordless Convenience: You don't need to mess with starting cords, getting tangled in wires, or dealing with gas and oil. Just charge it, and you're ready to go.
- Eco-Friendly Operation: It doesn't spit out any smoke or fumes, so it's better for the air we all breathe.
- Powerful Brushless Motor: The motor is built to work better, make less noise, and last longer without giving you trouble.
- Compact & Lightweight Design: It's easy to push around and won't take up much space in your shed or garage.
- Multiple Cutting Options: Whether you want to collect the grass clippings or just shoot them out the side, this mower has you covered.
- Customizable Grass Heights: You can easily change how short it cuts the grass to get your lawn looking just the way you like it.
- Safety & Energy-Efficient: It's checked to make sure it's safe to use and won't run up your electric bill.
- Maintenance-Free Deck: The part that holds the blades is made from tough plastic that doesn't need any looking after.
FAQ
- Q:
Does the mower come with a battery and charger?
- A:
Yes. Both will be included.
- Q:
Can I use the 40v battery from my Snow Joe Snow Blower with the iON16LM?
- A:
Yes the 40v battery will work for both.
- Q:
How long does it take to fully charge the battery?
- A:
It is recommended to charge the battery for 5 hours after the first use then 2 hours on the next charge.
- Q:
What is the mower’s height when folded down for storage?
- A:
The mower folds down to 18 inches.
- Q:
Is this mower self-propelled?
- A:
No, this mower is not.
- Q:
Can the mower pick up leaves?
- A:
Yes. The mower can pick up leaves as well as a gas-powered mower.
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