Sun Joe MJ401C-PRO Review
14-Inch 28-Volt Cordless Push Lawn Mower, w/Rear Discharge Chute, Pro Version
84Good!
3.9 / 5 from 2246 users
$209
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We spent 8.6 hours reading reviews from customers and experts. In summary, here's what users think:
9 reasons to buy
Multiple reviews highlight that the Sun Joe MJ401C-PRO mower is extremely lightweight, making it easy to push and maneuver, even for people with physical limitations. (55 reviews)
“This thing is insanely lightweight.”
“Very lightweight. I have a spinal cord injury so a regular lawn mower would never work for me. I can push it with one hand and even lift it if necessary.”
“The mower is light and easy to push and maneuver. It's also really easy to just pick up and carry or reorient since it has a handle built into its top.”
“Quick assembly and light as a feather.”
“It is also lighter than our older model.”
“As a petite woman you couldn't get a mower lighter than this, you can lift it with one hand.”
“This lawn mower is extremely lightweight at only 26 pounds.”
The mower does a good job of cutting grass, even in difficult areas like around trees and flower beds. (30 reviews)
“When I go into this denser area in my yard that is maybe 8ftx15ft and it goes into this high gear mode spinning at least twice as fast I just quickly go through this spot and it cuts it fast and clean.”
“When in fast mode, it can cut through just about any grass.”
“Aside from the battery, this lawn mower does the trick that it's supposed to do: it mows the lawn. I had not been up to the cabin in about 4 weeks, so the grass was pretty long and the mower took it all down without any issues.”
“I have a small area of the yard that had grown up to my waist and by tilting the mower up, I was actually able to mow through it.”
“The mower is very light and does a great job with even higher grass.”
“The mower has plenty of torque to handle high grass and weeds. I also chose not to use the attachments, and instead, let the mower just mulch for me. Did a great job.”
“When you get into high grass it kicks into high gear and cuts it down.”
“It is more than powerful enough to cut all the grass in both my front yard and huge back yard without needing to recharge battery in between.”
Several users mentioned that the mower is quick and easy to assemble out of the box. (22 reviews)
“Easy to put together.”
“Quick assembly and light as a feather.”
“I assembled it In less than 10 minutes (I’m terrible at putting things together, so if I can do it, anyone can).”
“This lawn mower is easy to assemble, lightweight and easy to use.”
“Assembly was easy.”
“Boy was I surprised when she took it out to test it after the few minutes it took to assemble.”
“Set up was easy.”
“Very easy to assemble.”
The mower has an automatic high-speed mode that kicks in when it encounters thick or tall grass, allowing it to cut through tougher spots more efficiently. (9 reviews)
“Too thick it cuts off, but usually it will just suddenly kick into high gear sounding like it’s about to take off into the sky.”
“The mower has 3 speeds which it switches to automatically: normal, a little faster, and fast. When in fast mode, it can cut through just about any grass, but drains the battery very quickly.”
“it speeds up automatically when it encounters thicker or taller grass.”
“I also like the fact that it has two speeds. When the grass is low it's very quiet and when it kicks into high it's actually not much louder than a hair dryer.”
“I was fascinated by it automatically boosting speed when we reached the slightly taller grass.”
“If the mower encounters thicker/wetter/longer grass it bumps the power up to high. This mode is louder and feels similar to any corded electric mower in both performance and noise. It drains the battery fast in the high power mode.”
“there is 2 speed to the motor, which automatically kicks up to super power when it encounters heavy grass automatically.”
“It speeds up cutting through heavy grass and slows where the grass is thinner.”
“When you get into high grass it kicks into high gear and cuts it down.”
The Sun Joe MJ401C-PRO operates quietly, comparable to the noise level of a hairdryer, making it suitable for early morning use without disturbing neighbors. (4 reviews)
“It is very quiet compared to a regular gas mower, and can be used fairly early in the morning without bothering the neighbors. It's about as loud as a hair dryer and sounds a bit like one.”
“When the grass is low it's very quiet and when it kicks into high it's actually not much louder than a hair dryer.”
“The noise it makes is minimal. You can probably mow your yard in the moonlight and your neighbors won’t hear it unless they have their windows open.”
“As quiet as a handheld vacuum (great for mowing at any time in the city without bothering neighbors)”
The mower offers three cutting height settings, allowing users to adjust the cut based on lawn conditions and preferences. (3 reviews)
“It has 3 cutting height settings which are great depending on hot hot it is.”
“Only three height settings (and sometimes they’ll snap back to another height partially and the mower is off kilter)”
“A couple of negatives is there is only 3 level of grass cutting heights, only the middle one is useful really.”
Includes a safety key feature to prevent accidental operation, adding an extra layer of safety, especially for households with children. (2 reviews)
“It has a safety key so your kids can't hurt themselves.”
“The second thing is that it has a safety key you have to use to start the mower.”
The mower has a handle built into its top, making it easy to pick up and carry when needed. (2 reviews)
“It's also really easy to just pick up and carry or reorient since it has a handle built into its top.”
“I love how I can easily pick it up with its conveniently placed handle on top, and carry it with only one hand, and store it in my garage.”
The Sun Joe MJ401C-PRO mower has two speed settings, which allow for quieter operation on low and more power on high. (2 reviews)
“I also like the fact that it has two speeds.”
“What I didn't realize is that it has two power modes. It starts out in low power mode.... If the mower encounters thicker/wetter/longer grass it bumps the power up to high. This mode is louder and feels similar to any corded electric mower in both performance and noise.”
4 reasons not to buy
The battery of the Sun Joe MJ401C-PRO takes hours to recharge, making it inconvenient to use for larger yards that cannot be completed in one session. (17 reviews)
“It takes HOURS to charge and you don't get much time out of half a charge. This means that my backyard, which is way bigger than the front can't get mowed until the hottest part of the day or that I have to take two days to mow the whole lawn.”
“I charged the battery back to full, which took a little over 4 hours to get to full, and got another 20 minutes of continuous use.”
“As it is, I have to stop what I’m doing, bring the mower back up to the house, plug it in and wait for it to recharge before I can continue working. As a result, a couple hours work stretches out over two days.”
“The battery takes several hours to charge.”
“It takes over four hours to fully charge up the battery.”
“The only downside that I see is that the battery is internal. You only get the one and need to stop mowing and charge before being able to finish (in the event that it died 1/2 way through).”
“I live in a city with city sized patches of front and back grass, but this needs a recharge at 75% if my yard being done, which I can live with though it’s annoying.”
“Well, the battery still takes four hours to charge, but now the battery LIFE is down to 12-15 minutes per use.”
“It takes right around 4 hours to fully charge”
“I will get a good 20-30 min buttt, I will have to re-charge and finish the next day. Whoooo wants to do THAT⁉️ NOOO ONE.”
Multiple reviews note that battery life can be disappointing, with some experiencing significant reduction in runtime or complete failure within months. (16 reviews)
“Just went out to use my mower after having it 7 months and it completely died after 3 minutes use. It says that the battery is full but won't even start.”
“About a year later, I noticed the battery wasn't holding a charge as long as it did the previous year.”
“not even 4 months later the replacement junked out”
“Update: Still like, but unfortunately a year/season in and already the battery is not lasting the entire time it takes to mow my lawn.”
“The mower worked good for 3 years, and then the battery went bad and they don't have a replacement battery for this unit 😞”
“I’ve had mine just under 3 years and was mostly happy with it until it stopped charging.”
“Well, I'm just shy of 2 months and now the thing won't even hold a charge. I got maybe 15 minutes out of a full charge this morning before it died.”
“Second time I used it battery went dead after 20-25 minutes.”
“But it seems that only after 2 years the mower no longer holds a charge and now we have to buy a new one.”
“The battery soon fails to retain charge, and it will not keep enough charge even after a full charging cycle to do more than a few minutes of mowing.”
The mower comes with a rear discharge bag only, which fills up quickly and requires frequent emptying. A side chute must be purchased separately. (12 reviews)
“This comes with no side chute to spew the clippings, just a bag on the back which is TERRIBLE unless you have a yard the size of a bedroom. Almost every row I did it would fill up and need to be taken off to be dumped.”
“Our yard is kind of big and we would have to empty the bag several times with the corresponding walks to the dumpster which is on the other side of the property.”
“The set was pictured with a side-discharge chute, which I discovered later, was not included. I tried to order it but not only was it unavailable, but will cost me an additional $29.95 in cost.”
“we had to empty the bag pretty often.”
“It comes with a rear discharge bag only, which fills up quickly and requires frequent emptying.”
“The grass-catcher fills up fast if you haven't mowed in awhile or if your grass is extra thick due to rain.”
“Must empty bag often for best performance, but this might be true for all bagged lawn mowers, this is my first.”
“The bag fills up quickly and shuts off until you empty it.”
“I don't use the bag because it's small and a headache to keep emptying.”
The cutting width is narrower compared to regular-sized mowers, which can extend the time needed to mow the lawn. (7 reviews)
“One thing I really do wish for this mower was for it to be a few inches wider as it is very narrow.”
“But the cutting width is about 2/3 of a regular-sized mower, and it often needs a second pass over heavier grass, so it takes longer to mow with.”
“I was worried that a shorter width than my old gas mower would be an issue. It takes me a few more passes to cover the entire lawn, but the ease of use and light weight more than make up for it.”
“It does take longer to cut my yard since the cut width is less than I'm used to”
“its small footprint means that it takes a few more passes to mow our yard.”
“Keep in mind this is a small mower. Not very wide.”
Bottom Line
The Sun Joe MJ401C-PRO is a lightweight, easy-to-maneuver mower ideal for small to medium lawns, even in tricky areas like around trees and flower beds. It’s quiet enough for early morning use and offers three cutting heights. Its automatic high-speed mode handles thicker grass efficiently. Easy to assemble and carry, it includes a safety key feature. However, the battery takes a long time to recharge and may not last long, and its smaller cutting width means more time mowing.
Facts
| Brand | Sun Joe |
|---|---|
| Cutting Width (in) | 14 inch |
| Features | Rear Discharge, Bagging, Electric Start |
| Max Cutting Height | 2.52" |
| Min Cutting Height | 1.18" |
| Power Source | Battery |
| Category | Push Mowers |
| Warranty | 2 Years |
| Weight | 23.1 lbs. |
Video Reviews
Special Features
- Powerful Performance: It has a strong steel blade that cuts a 14-inch wide path in one go, perfect for small to medium lawns.
- Cordless Convenience: Runs on a 28V 4Ah rechargeable lithium-ion battery, so you don't need to deal with cords. Can mow up to 10,000 square feet on one charge.
- Adjustable Cutting Height: You can change the cutting height with a 3-position manual adjustment to get the grass just the way you like it.
- Rear Discharge Chute: The Pro Version has a rear discharge chute (MJ401E-DCA), which gives you more options for handling grass clippings.
- Efficient Grass Collection: Comes with a 10.6-gallon (40-liter) grass catcher that you can easily remove to dump the clippings.
- Easy Operation: Just insert the key, press the safety switch, and squeeze the trigger to start mowing. Simple and safe.
- Compact and Lightweight: Weighs only 23.1 pounds, making it easy to move around and carry.
- Environmental Friendly: No gas, no cords, and less noise, which is better for the environment.
- Long Battery Life: Can mow a quarter acre on a single charge. Store and charge it in a cool place to keep the battery lasting longer.
- Customer Assurance: Comes with a two-year warranty backed by Snow Joe Sun Joe, so you can trust in the product and get support if needed.
- Ease of Use: Lightweight design makes it easy to push and move, even in tight spaces. Quick and easy to put together out of the box.
FAQ
- Q:
What is the country of origin?
- A:
The product is manufactured in China.
- Q:
Why is the new unit not fully charged?
- A:
The unit may have lost some charge during packaging and shipping. It is recommended to charge it before first use.
- Q:
When was this model released?
- A:
This model was released in 2020.
- Q:
Can overcharging the battery cause a fire?
- A:
It is advised not to charge the unit in direct sunlight, as the battery may warm up. It is best to charge it in a shaded area to avoid overheating.
- Q:
What assembly is required?
- A:
The handle needs to be assembled and affixed. The process is simple and straightforward.
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