Craftsman has quite a rich history in the field of home gas lawn mowers, but their battery-powered line is still relatively new. When we used 24 different lawn mower models for our comparison of the best gas lawn mowers and the best battery powered lawn mowers, we were pleased to see that the max 60V Craftsman Self Propelled Battery Lawn Mower is Electric What a lawn mower brings.
advantage
- High light load blade speed
- steel deck
- The battery fuel gauge is clearly visible
- Long run time and 1/2 acre cutting potential
- value for money
shortcoming
- slow charging time
- Brushed motors are not as responsive to heavy loads as brushless models
shootout result
The biggest knock against the Craftsman self-propelled battery lawn mower is that its brushed motors are in the same price range as brushless motors dominate the segment. Even so, the Craftsman has relevant performances across all of our scoring categories, telling us they've dialed it in pretty well. For what you get, it's still a decent value.
We have no doubts that adding a brushless motor is the next step for this mower from Craftsman. When they do, we expect it to climb further up the rankings.
With a 7.5Ah kit, you can definitely do most of the work. Grab that covered 1/2 acre lot. If you're the kind of homeowner who cares about lawn care and only occasionally suffers from overgrowth, this is a battery-operated lawn mower you can count on.
Battery-Powered Walk-Behind Lawn Mower Rank: No. 7
cutting performance
Wondering how we arrived at our Craftsman V60 Self-Propelled Battery Lawn Mower scores and final rankings? Check out our cordless lawn mower shootout!
cutting force
With no load on, the Craftsman self-propelled battery mower uses its 60V max motor to get hot out of the gate, with faster blade tip speeds than any mower, gasoline or battery, in our test. Its tip speed of 198.7 MPH beats the Troy-Bilt on gas by just 0.3 MPH, while its closest battery-powered competitor is more than 20 MPH behind.
When putting the Craftsman under a lighter load, simulating a maintenance cut, it dropped over 10 MPH to 188.5 MPH. Still, it leads the pack by more than 10 MPH.
However, it continued to drop under heavy load, steadying at 164.1 MPH. Only a handful of battery mowers dropped in speed in our tests, and the Craftsman had the biggest drop. Most of our mowers have significantly increased blade speeds under heavy loads – some over 30 MPH! So what is given?
The difference is that Craftsman has a brushed motor in this model. Without the advantages of brushless motor electronics, the V60 motor responds more like a gas engine. The more resistance you apply, the lower the rpm drop. And since the blades of an electric lawn mower do not have as much mass as a gas lawn mower, and the momentum and power of the motor are not as great as a gas lawn mower, the drop is even greater.
However, we shouldn't take that to mean the model is poorly equipped. Its high blade speed makes regular weekly cutting a breeze and handles several days of overgrowth well. Try not to let your lawn grow any further than this.
torture test
We took a couple of lawn mowers and let them go through two weeks of growth moving at a steady 2.5 MPH walk speed with the cutting height set to 2.5 inches. Basically, we walk with them until they get stuck and stop.
The Craftsman self-propelled battery mower reached 21.5 feet before exiting. A few didn't make it that far, but it got us wondering what it would do with a brushless motor.
cutting area
In our cutting-area tests, we set the drive speed to 2.5 MPH and ran each mower under a maintenance load until the batteries were depleted. With its massive 7.5Ah battery, we ran it for 61 minutes, giving the 20.25-inch blade time to cut through more than 1/2 an acre (22,646 sq. ft.).
That's an impressive cut, surpassed only by a few of our cordless competitors. However, it's on the low end in terms of efficiency with its 405 Wh battery.
It's worth noting that this is one of the slowest charging batteries we've tested. Is this super important? If you can mow your lawn on a single charge, you probably won't. If you need to charge on the go, know that a full charge cycle takes less than 4 hours.
noise level
The Craftsman self-propelled battery lawn mower isn't the quietest we've heard, but it's still a lot quieter than gas-powered ones. Just tested the sound the motor and blade make with no load, it produces 85 decibels. You will hear more noise when cutting.
This is on the louder side for a battery lawn mower. The full range is 74 – 88 decibels. Most run 77 – 82 decibels, only one is louder than the Craftsman. Still, most gas lawn mowers are well over 90 decibels, giving you a pretty solid cushion between them and the V60.
feature set
drive by yourself
We like mowers that propel themselves, and the Craftsman V60 does just that. It has a variable speed drive that you switch with a lever on the mower handle. It's simple and effective.
deck material
Craftsman self-propelled battery mowers use steel decks instead of plastic or composite decks. This should increase the overall durability of the mower, but also add a little weight. However, since the mower is doing the hard work of moving itself, weight isn't as much of an issue. We're going to add durability here.
Height Adjustment and Range
The Craftsman V60 Mower features two-point height adjustment. This means you need to adjust the control levers on the front and rear of the mower.
Pro tip: When you're bagging, elevating the front wheels one notch higher than the rear wheels will help collect clippings more efficiently.
Craftsman gives you 6 different heights of cut to choose from, ranging from 2 inches to 4 inches, covering most grass species. You can cut some varieties shorter if you like, so if you prefer a lower height, check that it compares to the height you are currently cutting.
Handle Position and Storage
The Craftsman V60 allows for 3 different handle positions and should fit most users' heights. To take up less space in your garage or shed, simply fold the handle over the top and stand it up.
discharge option
Everything you need to mulch, bag, or side discharge clippings is included in the kit.
Additional features
- Battery indicator clearly visible while mowing
- security key
value
The Craftsman Self-Propelled Battery Mower Kit with 7.5Ah battery, charger and 4-year warranty retails for $499 at Lowe's. They currently don't have it, though we've seen it on Amazon for about $70 less. As mowing season begins to wrap up, we wonder if that's a sign of an updated model in time for next spring.
For those looking to get into the OPE battery platform, there is a growing line of Craftsman 60V products. Now, they have this mower, a walk-behind mower, a chainsaw, a hedge trimmer, a blower and a lawn mower.
Here's everything you need to handle most lawn care chores. Hopefully we'll see dedicated edgers and chainsaws in the near future.
the bottom line
The biggest knock against the Craftsman cordless lawn mower is that its brushed motor is in the same price range as brushless motors dominate the segment. Even so, the Craftsman has relevant performances across all of our scoring categories, telling us they've dialed it in pretty well. For what you get, it's still a decent value.
We have no doubts that adding a brushless motor is the next step for this mower from Craftsman. When they do, we expect it to climb further up the rankings.
With a 7.5Ah kit, you can definitely do most of the work. Grab that covered 1/2 acre lot. If you're the kind of homeowner who cares about lawn care and only occasionally suffers from overgrowth, this is a battery-operated lawn mower you can count on.
Craftsman V60 Self-Propelled Battery Lawn Mower Manufacturer Specifications
- Model: CCMMW270Z1
- Cutting Tape: 21″
- Height Adjustment: Central
- Cutting Height: 6″
- Coverage: yes
- Ideal property size: 1/4 acre
- 100% charge time: 1.8 hours
- Power: 60V max battery
- Transmission mode: self-propelled
- Discharge position: side
- – Bagging machine included: Yes
- Start Type: Electric
- Warranty: 4-year limited
- Price: $499
To view the entire V60 line, visit Craftsman.com.