Greenworks 60V 17" Review

We pushed each mower in our lineup to its limits, comparing how well it mows, how long it lasts, and how easy it is to use. The Greenworks 17" delivered impressive performance for such a compact mower, and we love it for how light and easy it was to push around through all the tight spots in our yard that were too big for a battery powered string trimmer and yet too small for a full-size mower. Its 17" deck is the perfect middle ground for a best-of-both-worlds mower. It's also important to note that this mower is about half the price of the top mowers in our lineup, and is a great value for the money. We tested model #MO60L419.

Mowing

We were pleasantly surprised by how well the Greenworks 17" mowed, even in thicker grass. While it can't chomp through foot-tall weeds quite as well as beefier mowers, it is perfectly fine for chewing through your lawn when you forget to mow for two weeks in the growing season.

The 17" deck is wide enough so that you don't feel like wasting time cutting, but narrow enough to still fit in the tight spaces of your yard between plants, walkways, curbs, and other obstacles. There are six different cutting levels, so you can adjust the grass height to your liking. While the Greenworks cuts slightly slower than other models in our lineup, and can bog down a little in really thick grass, it still cuts very evenly.

The Greenworks comes with a bag if you want to remove clippings from the yard, but if you prefer to leave them, the blades mulch clippings well. The mower only comes with one set of blades, unlike other top models in our lineup, but chances are the included blade is fine for most jobs.

Navigating around obstacles in the yard is where the Greenworks shines. It can cut smoothly through bumps and dips in your yard that other mowers can't fit through. While it doesn't have power assist, it was light enough to be pushed and pulled up and down hills.

Power Performance

For a small mower, we were suitably impressed with the runtime of the Greenworks. Included in the package is a 4.0Ah battery, and the Greenworks is compatible with any Greenworks 60V battery.

The small 4.0Ah lasts long enough to run the mower for about 40 minutes, which is enough to cut about ¼ acre of grass. The battery lasts longer than we expected since the only thing it powers is the blades; there's no self-propulsion or lights on this little unit. The included charger takes about an hour and a half to recharge the battery from empty, slightly below average among others in our lineup.

Handling

It's one thing if a mower cuts well, but if it can't reach certain places or is tricky to use, then it still won't make mowing the lawn any better. The Greenworks really excels in our handling metrics thanks to its small size and light weight.

Starting and stopping the Greenworks 17" is easy. Like most battery mowers, it requires two hands to avoid accidentally starting the blades. Hold down the safety button, then squeeze the ambidextrous handles to start the mower. Pushing or pulling the mower from a standstill is equally easy. It's quite lightweight, so even though there's no self-propulsion, it's easy to move through the grass.

Navigating obstacles or tight turns is where the Greenworks shines. Its compact size fits in most places, and it can pivot easily, too. We were able to maneuver it with one hand, pushing it up and down steep embankments that we wouldn't have trusted using a heavier mower on. We even lifted it up into a raised bed area — not while running it — to trim some weeds that had grown out of control.

Ease of Use

As a no-frills battery mower, the Greenworks 17" can't get much easier or simpler to use.

Out of the box, the Greenworks is relatively straightforward to assemble. A few easy-adjust screws and knobs had the handle on, and we were ready to mow. Installing the mulching bag is also straightforward and only takes a moment. Since it's a battery mower, maintenance is a breeze, too. The only chore is to keep the battery charged up and blades occasionally sharpened.

Adjusting the height on the Greenworks is easy, but sometimes a little finicky. We loved that the whole mower height adjusts with a single button and handle; it's much better than adjusting all four wheels individually like other mowers. There's also a convenient gauge that shows the current cutting height. The mower is so lightweight that sometimes we went to raise the mower height, and ended up just picking up the entire mower. Holding it down with a foot or hand on the wheel is the easiest way we found to counteract that tendency.

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Noise

The Greenworks is one of the louder battery-powered mowers we tested, which is surprising given its small size. We measured noise volume using a decibel reader, and our measured findings matched our perceived loudness of the mower.

Clocking in at around 78 dBa, the Greenworks 17" is still much quieter compared to gas mowers, but not as quiet as other battery mowers in our lineup. We felt no need to wear ear protection like we would with a gas mower, but general guidelines are to stay below 70 dBa on a daily average if possible.

Should You Buy the Greenworks 60V 17"?

We highly recommend the Greenworks 17" to people who are looking for a capable, maneuverable, and compact battery mower for an average-sized yard. It is perfect for small yards and can handle a medium-sized lawn too. It excels at navigating tight twists and turns around bushes, retaining walls, and other lawn obstacles. Its 4.0 Ah battery delivers 40 minutes of runtime on a single charge, and it's compatible with other Greenworks 60V batteries, making it especially compelling if you already have those or need to pick up a second battery to cover your yard.

What Other Lawn Mower Should You Consider?

While there's a lot to love about the Greenworks 60V 17", it's not the biggest or toughest mower in our lineup, and there are others that may be better for you based on your lawn-care priorities. The best of the best in battery mower performance goes to the Ego Power+ 1000 Self-propelled 22". While this mower is a significant investment, it packs more power than most gas mowers we've tested. Just keep in mind it's not quite as nimble in tight areas, given its massive 22-inch cutting deck. The Goldilocks solution might be the Ego Power+ 800 Self-propelled 21" which offers a step up in mowing performance over the Greenworks 17", but costs much less than the Ego 1000 22".