A smaller yard needs a lighter and easily maneuverable mower. The Sun Joe MJ401e Mow Joe, 14 inch, 12 amp electric lawn mower with grass catcher takes good care of small yards with its 14 inch cutting deck powered by a rather large 12 Amp motor. The blades are precision sharpened made from steel with a three position height adjustment to help cut closer to the ground or leave a small tuft behind. It comes with a 10.6 gallon hard top rear removable bag that comes off for easy disposal. This ETL approved walk behind mower also features a complete 2 year warranty package.
Product Info:
- Walk Behind Mower
- Electric Mower (Corded)
- 12 Amp Electric Motor
Features:
- 21 inch cutting deck
- Lightweight (only 29 lbs)
- 3-position height control
- Detachable grass catcher
- 2-years warranty
Sun Joe MJ401E-PRO 14 inch 13 Amp Electric Lawn Mower w/Side Discharge Chute, 14"
- [POWERFUL]: 13-amp motor cuts a 14-inch wide path.No Load Speed (rpm) 3500
- [ADJUSTABLE DECK]: Tailor cutting height with 3-position height control
- [STEEL BLADES]: Durable 14-Inch steel blade cuts with precision
- [ACCESSORIES]: Includes 10.6-gal bag and discharge chute
- [PRO VERSION]: Comes with rear discharge chute (MJ401E-DCA)
In-Depth Review of the Sun Joe MJ401E 14″ Electric Lawn Mower
Ease of Use
Assembly is a breeze as the Sun Joe MJ401e Mow Joe, 14 inch, 12 Amp electric lawn mower with grass catcher comes almost preassembled. All you need to do is attach the blades and fold up, tighten the handles to get started. A word of caution before your first start-up, you will need an extension cord to manage an entire lawn without having to worry about cord shortage. And when you do purchase an extension, please go for a lower gauge cord, preferably 12 gauge as this is a 12 Amp electric mower and thinner the extension cord, the quicker your motor will burn out.
Once assembled and started up, the mower feels light to use, easy to turn with and definitely more reliable than a massive gas mower. However, do not get fooled by its tiny size, this mower can chop off branches and stray twigs into fine pieces. Using with the rear discharge hard top bag is quite easy and with 10 plus gallon of space available anyone with a small yard won’t have to empty the bag until the very end.
Cut Quality
Because of its smaller deck size you will end up with more passes than usual and that is why I suggest this push mower is only ideal for small yards. With larger yards, the necessity to travel more will inevitably result in poorer cut quality as you will want to finish up soon, especially on a hot summer day. Be patient with the mower, try not to speed things up and your yard will look perfectly manicured.
Height Adjustment
Unfortunately, the Sun Joe Mj401e does not offer a multitude of options with height adjustment. Just the three basic heights that are high, medium and low. Even at high, you may feel that your grass is losing almost half of its height and this is true as this mower really does cut close to the ground. I don’t see why it needs a low setting because at low, the mower scrapes the ground clean!
Motor Power
No doubts on the durability of the motor. It is a 12 Amp beast that is powering a rather small mower. 12 Amp motors are usually seen on 20 inch decks, but this Sun Joe MJ401E carries a 14 inch cutting deck that I feel makes its 12 Amp motor an overkill. Nevertheless, it is good to see a massive motor on such a tiny machine as you know it will never disappoint you in terms of raw power. Just remember to use a thicker gauged extension cord with this mower.
Maintenance
Even though the entire body is plastic, the wheels are lightly constructed and the rear bag is a tad bit flimsy, we feel this walk behind electric mower does not need any maintenance. Leave it out in the open or keep it protected in your backyard shed, this mower will jump into action the moment it is started up. The only concern I have though is for the cutting deck which is minute compared to the motor powering it. Pushed hard against an obstacle the blades may bend or even crack owing to the awesome power flowing through it.
Cost Effectiveness
If cost is your priority and you happen to be blessed with a small yard, the Sun Joe 14” electric lawn mower is ideal. It isn’t large and it does look a bit futuristic, but underneath its petite exterior it packs a massive motor that manages to fool all.
- No gas, no oil, no spill, easy push button start
- Compact and lightweight design
- Easy to maneuver
- Powerful 12 Amp motor
- Grass catcher made of hard top and detachable for easy disposal
- 2-year limited warranty
- Only 3 height positions
- Lowest height position scrapes the ground