While best known for its electric snow blowers, Snow Joe has branched out to create a lightweight, cordless electric mower: the Sun Joe iON16LM. It cuts your grass in efficient 16-inch swaths, so it doesn’t take much time to trim your yard.
The mower’s battery can last up to 40 minutes, depending on the length of your grass and how hard the motor has to work to cut it. The best electric lawn mowers have batteries that last up to an hour, but the Sun Joe’s is perfect for lawns that are 1/4 acre or less and regularly maintained.
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Sun Joe iON16LM: What you need to know
One of the best things about the removable lithium-ion battery is that it only takes 30 minutes to recharge. In addition to being ultralight, this is an advantage lithium-ion batteries have over traditional lead-acid batteries, which take much longer to charge.
Next to the iON16LM’s battery compartment, there is a safety key. When you pull the key out, the mower can’t be started or used. This is a good deterrent for small, curious children who may be enticed to play with the lawn mower, and it means you can store the mower with the battery installed.
You can adjust this mower to six height positions, from 1.18 inches up to 3.15 inches. Like most electric lawn mowers, the iON16LM may have a hard time cutting grass over 8 inches long. It doesn’t have a mulching option nor does it have a side discharge. It does come with a catch bag that attaches to the rear discharge point to catch grass clippings and keep them from shooting out at you.
Because it has a lightweight battery, this Sun Joe cordless lawn mower only weighs 37 pounds. This light weight makes it easy to maneuver the iON16LM around trees and other obstacles with a full bag of grass clippings, even though it isn’t self-propelled.
While this is a fine pick for an electric lawn mower, it falls far short of our top pick; which was the EGO Power+ 21-inch LM2102.
The Sun Joe cordless mower is covered by a two-year limited warranty, which covers service and parts for manufacturing defects. There are no service centers or authorized repair technicians outside of Snow Joe, but if you run in to problems, you can contact the company directly by email or phone. You can also download the user manual from the Sun Joe website and order parts like additional batteries and chargers.
Should you buy the Sun Joe iON16LM?
The Sun Joe iON16LM is an eco-friendly cordless lawn mower that’s suitable for taking care of small lawns. It is lightweight, cuts efficiently and charges quickly. As long as you don't need a self-propelled mower, it could be the right option for your yard.