My old gas-powered bright green push mower served me
well for almost 25 years. In its last couple of years, it needed increasing help from a Black and Decker M200 corded mower that was almost as old. I bought it for my dad when he was having trouble keeping up with yardwork. A few years later, he bequeathed it to me, all set up. I've used it in early spring, when the grass gets ahead of the gas can. I've used it also in fall, when the grass kept growing, although I'd put the gas mower away for the winter. Last summer I used it most of theseason and got used to its easy-start, no fumes, nimble ways. Since my back yard is an obstacle course, though, the cord gets tiresome. So after a lot of reading, looking, hefting, I decided to try out the CM 1836.As other reviewers have noted, delivery from Amazon was quick and easy. Set-up was pretty easy too, even for this retired English prof (and female), who's no mechanical genius. I've used the new mower now for a month and like it more every time I do. Not too heavy, it gives me some needed exercise. I've done my whole quarter-acre yard on a single charge with increasing ease. I did note on the instructions that you shouldn't expect it to be fully charged until it's been on the charger a few times. My yard looks great, if I do say so. I enjoy having the quietest mower in the neighborhood and one that seems, well, really smart. My old M200 (not giving that up!) and I call it "the Baby."

Easy to put together and clean. The charge was more than sufficient. Quiet and has many safety features. Highly recommend this lawn mower.

I purchased the Black and Decker Cordless 24 volt mulching mower (CMM1000) in 2005 and have been using it ever since. When I had the opportunity to upgrade to this mower (CM1836) I jumped on it.

I wanted a cordless electric mower to:

- Not have to deal with gas and oil
- Be able to mow without feeling like I need a shower due to exhaust fumes
- Save my hearing
- Keep me from re-injuring my right shoulder by not having to pull the cord to start
- Mulch

The CMM1000 did all of those fantastically for 4 1/2 years for me and the CM1836 improves on most features. I'm really happy to have the newer version. I know I have just barely used this mower and I promise to update this review if anything changes. For now, I can give you a good comparison of this mower with my previous cordless electric, keeping in mind that I've been quite happy with the previous version.

The CM 1836 Improves in all of these areas over the CMM1000 which I really liked quite well:

- This mower claims to be 50% more powerful with 36 volts vs 24 volts
. - Good because old mower struggled with tall grass
. - Not sure how this really translates in performance
- This mower is a tad quieter than the old one
- The handle is more ergonomic and easier to grip
- This mower as a whole is a bit smaller and lighter
- This mower stores more easily because it has a fold down handle
- The starting mechanism is easier and more elegant
- The safety key is better (safer from 2 year olds than the old one)

The CM 1836 actually is a bit worse than the CMM1000 in a couple areas:
- The height adjustment mechanism is harder to use than the old one.
. - Although it may be safer because there is no way to adjust while running now
. - Note that it is still a single lever that adjusts all wheels
- The cutting width is 1" less on an already short cutting width (only 18")
- The bag is a bit smaller on an already small bag (although I mulch)
- There is no longer a battery level indicator on the mower which was nice to have

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but this mower has a smaller rear wheel as well. I haven't noticed it as a problem yet.

I still have the following complaint with this mower, but I think it is slightly improved over the old one. The mowing deck is deceptive. It has a wide side area embedded within the deck that prevents the blade from going out as far as the edge of the deck. You have to have more overlap between strips of grass when mowing. (I think that the frame of the mower with the wheel height adjustment is hidden in the mowing deck.)

One word of caution is that my battery quit working just short of 2 years on the old mower. Luckily, it was still in warranty and Black and Decker replaced it free of charge. Unfortunately, the nearest authorized service shop to do it was 70 miles away and they were not very accommodating (9-5 Monday through Friday).

One thing to note is that when I set this up I found that the front right wheel was sort of caught up on the mowing deck and the adjustment lever wouldn't work with that wheel. I determined that the axle for the wheel had not been inserted all the way across (it had a little stopping mechanism). I fixed it quickly by loosening the axle bracket and sliding the axle the rest of the way and then tightening the bracket back up. Hope the rest of it was assembled correctly by the factory.

BOTTOM LINE: I absolutely love having an electric mower. As long as you don't let the grass get totally out of control, you shouldn't ever have problems with it and you will LOVE that you don't have to deal with fumes, noise, or running to get gas for it.