CMS-Japanese Motorcycle Supply Parts

Ryobi One Plus Lawn Mower OLM1840H Review - Cordless


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The One Plus item in question today is the OLM1840H lawn mower - a battery powered cutter with a 40cm deck. The question is, are the Ryobi cordless lawn mowers any good?

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

My first thought upon seeing it was "Transformers", but it certainly fits into the Ryobi brand image. We're jumping ahead a little with the above pic - let's start at the start and look at the assembly required out of the box. There's two clamps for the top part of the handle;

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Make sure you turn them around so that they close properly or you won't get far attaching the handle:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Attaching the top to the bottom piece takes under a minute for both sides:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

You'll also have to tighten the lower clamps (here pictured loose):

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

There's a key;

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Not much to it:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

The key plugs in next to the batteries under the clear cover at the front:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

At the rear, lift the flap:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

...and you will see the mulch plug in place:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

If you want to use the catcher, push the handle inward and lift it out:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Hook the catcher up:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Plug your batteries in:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

...and you're back to the first photo of the article, ready to go. From the other sides:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

One from underneath for good measure:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

The height adjustment has only five settings, but it does seem to have been styled with a sportscar gear shift in mind;

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

On the side there's a sticker with a little bit of info about it:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

There's a broad handle on the top of the unit:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

The handle is quite handy (pun intended), particularly for those who make use of the fact that the mower is light enough that you could feasibly hang it on a wall to keep it out of the way.

The on button is on the right hand side of the handle:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Next to it are the instructions for powering it on:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Basically, press the "on" button once then hold in any one of the four triggers:

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

The mower will power off as soon as you stop holding down at least one of the triggers, though it's quite happy to stay on if you swap hands/positions so long as at least one is held in at any given time. The triggers are quite light, and it's not a big ask to hold one in while you're pushing the mower around.

And there you have it. Some essential specs for the mower:

One of the biggest things that struck me was the weight of the unit - it's literally half of what our previous 4-stroke mower was, and you can really notice the difference when you're pushing it around. The next big thing was the ease of starting when compared to our old petrol unit; tapping a button is a world apart from the prime-pull-pray routine of the elderly petrol machine, and certainly easier on the back.

Given that we only had a single 4.0ah battery and a number of smaller 1.5ah batteries, we thought we'd see how far we could get with the little ones in the mix. As it turns out, each of the 1.5ah batteries was good for about 40-50 square meters of wet grass, varying in length up to a foot high. I'm no expert on grasses, but the type we have is fairly soft and I imagine on the easier end of types to cut.

Here are some photos of Ryobi's One Plus electric lawnmower - model number OLM1840H - as featured in the MotoFaction.org review.

Mulching and catching both worked well, except on one occasion where the wet grass plugged the hole to the catcher, resulting in the mower going back to mulching the grass. I'm happy to write that one up as user error, as it hasn't happened on any of the subsequent uses with dry grass. The 5 height settings are enough for our uses, and the range is certainly sufficient - I certainly don't have any need to go for the lowest setting! The mesh catcher seems to work well enough, though I do wish it had a handle on the rear as well as the top to make shaking it out easier.

Last but not least, the noise levels! I can hear my kids talking to me through the gauze windows while I mow outside; it's far from silent, but it's much quieter than the petrol mower it is replacing. Think of a large industrial fan whizzing along at ground level and you might have the right idea.

We'll report back when we acquire a second bigger battery with some runtimes. We have around 150 square meters of grass to cut, and anticipate getting the lot done with a pair of 4.0ah batteries.

In conclusion, the pros are:;

Cons:

It's currently $379 without batteries at Bunnings, and it comes with a two year warranty. We're quite happy with the purchase as it fits our needs well, and would absolutely buy another one.



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