Greenworks 16-Inch 10 Amp Corded Lawn Mower 25142 Review

We have a small backyard, maybe around 300 square feet. So, I didn’t need a big gas-powered lawn mower. I was searching for an inexpensive, compact-possibly foldable, electric powered lawn mower. There are several options I found in Amazon.com with prices ranging from $80 all the way to $400. I wish I could try them all, but I settled with the Greenworks 16 inch 10 Amp Corded Lawn Mower. Yes, you read that right – this is the corded lawn mower – that means you’ll need a long extension cord to power it up. I didn’t mind this because again I have a small backyard and didn’t mind the extra cord. I also have to mention that the extension cord you need would have to be a heavy-duty type of extension cord. I’ll have the details below in the review.

Here are the products specifications from the Greenworks website:

Model 25142
Deck size: 16 inch
Dec Material: Plastic
Walk Behind Lawn Mower
Electric (corded) mower
10 Amps
Cutting Heights: 5 position
Front wheels: 6 inch
Rear wheels: 7 inch
Discharge features 2 in 1 (mulching and rear discharge-bag)
Tool Warranty 4 year
Weight: 37.5 lbs

At the time of this review, I’ve been using the Greenworks 25142 lawn mower for almost 7 months now and this lawn mower is just chugging along quite nicely. I’m happy and satisfied by its performance and reliability.

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Package and Assembly

I ordered the Greenworks 25142 lawn mower from Amazon. It took about a week to get to my house. It came in a big box. The lawn mower itself weighs at 37.5 lbs so you better be warmed-up to drag this box to your backyard. This was my first lawn mower, so unboxing was exciting for me.

The box came with the lawn mower, grass catcher, instruction manual, mulching attachment. What I really like about this model is that the handles fold. This is big for me because I can simply fold the handles and store it in my small shed when I’m done. I can lay it flat or standing.

(Show picture with folded handle and unfolded handle)

(Show picture in storage)

Operation and Functionality

Please read the Greenworks Owner’s Manual and follow all Safety Instructions listed in there. All information in the manual are important and vital to the operation and safety for the operator and the lawn mower.

To operate the Greenworks 25142 electric lawn mower, you would need an extension cord that is heavy duty. The manual is clear on what type to use:

Extension Cord: Verify that the extension cord is in good condition, is heavy enough to carry the current that your mower will draw, and is polarized (one blade of the plug is wider than the other). A 100’ (30 m) extension cord should be of 14 AWG, a 50’ (15 m) extension cord should be 16 AWG, and a 150’ (45 m) extension cord should be 12 AWG. Undersized cords cause a drop in the line voltage, which leads to a loss of power and overheating.

150 foot extension cord, 12 AWG
100 foot extension cord, 14 AWG
50 foot extension cord, 16 AWG

If you this your first time mowing the lawn, like me, you need to decide on a couple of things.

First, figure out how high you’ll cut the grass. The Greenworks 25142 has 5 height adjustments on the front wheels. As a rule of thumb, best practice is to remove 1/3 of the grass blade.

Second, figure out where to start cutting grass of your lawn. Start from the closest patch of grass and then move away, or start from the farthest and get closer, as you mow? I asked this question because, remember, you’ll be connected to a power cord at all times as you operate. You don’t want to be going over the power cord going back and forth, across the lawn, that may lead to serious accident. Personally, I start from the closest patch and go farther away.

Another feature of the Greenworks lawn mower is its capability of not just cutting the grass, but also mulching. Grass Mulching is a process where the lawn mower will cut the grass into smaller pieces and dump it back to the grass. This serves as a natural fertilizer for your lawn. The unit comes with a mulching plug.

(show picture of mulching plug)

If you prefer, not leaving grass clippings on the lawn, the lawn mower comes with a grass catcher and can be easily installed on the rear portion of the mower.

Starting the lawn mower is easy, press and hold the start button and pull the bail switch then let go of the button. That will start the motor running and off you go. For every turn, you may move the extension cord out of the way. No big deal. I do it and it’s give me a light workout.

Shutting off the lawn mower is done by letting go of the bail switch.

Things I’ve noticed with operating a lawn mower in general, is that there are times that I need to go over another section or patch of grass because, as I move, the wheels will run over grass and the grass doesn’t come back up. And hence it may look like it’s been mowed but the grass blades are just folded. So, I would have to go back and do another pass. Again, not a big deal.

Regarding the lawn mower motor noise, I guess it’s as loud as the regular gas powered. All I know is, my wife tried to talk to me and I couldn’t hear her. So that’s that!

Maintenance

The maintenance on the Greenworks lawn mower is minimal, in my 7 months of use. I mow every 2 weeks. I simply make sure no debris or dirt are found on the underside of the mower. I splash with water to remove any dirt or debris, wipe it dry and store. It’s that easy! I try to avoid splashing water on the top of the mower as it may ruin the electric components. No need to buy gas or change oil. Very eco-friendly. Occasionally, you may need to change the blade. You’ll know if you need to buy looking at the cutting quality of the blades of the grass on your lawn. A sharp blade will cut the blades cleanly and no tearing. If you see tearing, either bring your blade to a lawn mower shop to sharpen it or replace the blade with Greenworks brand blade. The owner’s manual has steps on how to remove the blade from the lawn mower. The owner’s manual also has the part number you need to replace the 16” blade, as well as other parts of the lawn mower. The blade part number is 33303488.

Pricing

When I purchased this last March, the price was $122.39. Upon checking again on the Amazon website, the price went down to $115 from other sellers. A better deal after 7 months! This is definitely for the budget conscious homeowner-first time or seasoned. I also purchased Asurion Lawn & Garden Extended Protection Plan 4 Year for the Greenworks lawn mower for only $6.88. You can’t beat that warranty! I love buying from Amazon. I always get extended warranties for items/equipment that I know I’ll be using a lot and that may have mechanical problems in the future. So all in all, total purchase was $128.88.

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Alternative and Competitors

Obviously, this product – Greenworks 16-Inch 10 Amp Corded Lawn Mower 25142, will not be suited for you if you have a big lawn. You’ll probably need a battery or gas-powered lawn mower. Greenworks have electric, cordless models:

Greenworks 21-Inch 40V Brushless Cordless Mower, Two 2.5 AH Batteries Included MO40L2512 – $367.99
Greenworks PRO 21-Inch 80V Cordless Lawn Mower, 4.0 AH Battery Included GLM801602 – $434.00
Greenworks 16-Inch 40V Cordless Lawn Mower, 4.0 AH Battery Included 25322 – $246

I don’t have experience on the above electric, cordless lawn mower, but they all have 4+ star ratings on the Amazon website. Feel free to click on the links above to read the comments and judge for yourself.

Here are the top competitors on budget electric cordless lawn mower:

BLACK+DECKER MTC220 12-Inch 20V MAX Lithium Cordless 3-in-1 Trimmer/Edger and Mower – $129.99
Sun Joe iON16LM 40 V 16-Inch Cordless Lawn Mower with Brushless Motor – $257.99
Earthwise 60418 18-Inch 40-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric Lawn Mower – $297.99

Conclusion

I’m happy with the Greenworks 16-Inch 10 Amp Corded Lawn Mower 25142. I’ve been using it for 7 months (at the time of this writing). It is light, compact, handle folds for small storage spaces and affordable. Highly recommended.

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