Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower: Our Review

Review of the Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower

The Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower is a popular selling lawn mower on Amazon.  As of this writing it has 2,061 customer reviews and 188 answered questions.  I’ve read through the reviews and also the questions and condensed the results into the report.  I hope that this helps  you when shopping for a lawn mower.

Best Fea​tures

• check Fairly quiet
• check Powerful for its size with 12-amp motor
• check Safety feature switch
• check Low maintenance
• check Grass catcher bag included 

Item Specifics

The Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower starts instantly just by pushing a button.  A safety feature switch was added so that it isn’t accidentally started.  The beauty of electric lawn mowers such as this one is that they are practically maintenance free.  There is no need to add gas, oil or perform tune-ups.   Running it is as simple of the push of a button and go.  A powerful 12-amp motor will cut a 14 inch wide path.  You can then tailor cut the height of the grass that you want with 3-position height control.  A detachable grass catcher feature was added for easy disposal of grass clippings.  This lawn mower weights only 29 pounds which makes transporting and putting it away a breeze.  The Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower is ETL approved and comes with a 2 year warranty.

Make Sure to Use the Right Cord

A hot topic with this lawn mower is that people are using a lesser cord than they should.  This could cause the lawn mower to die out and not work properly.  Make sure to use the correct gauge cord.  The manual for this lawn mower states that for extension cords under 100 feet, to use a 14 gauge cord.  For lengths of 100 feet or more, a 12 gauge cord is required.  (Gauges work backwards, so a smaller gauge means it’s a thicker wire).   If you try to pull 12 amps of power (which is what this lawn mower runs on) with a 16 gauge 100 foot cord, the motor may burn out on you.

Easy to Assemble

The Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower requires almost no assemblage.  All you will need to do when it arrives,  is to put on the bag and handle. Most customers said it took only around 10 minutes to have it  up and running.

To Use the Bag or Not to Use the Bag?

A common topic with Amazon feedbackers, was that the bag was too small to even bother with.  Most people started out with the bag and then quickly ditched the bag and let the grass fly.  If you do decide to use the bag, you will most likely be emptying it often.

Very Narrow Mower

This mower is fairly narrow.  This could be a selling point or a drawback depending on how much grass you have to mow and if you need to get in tight spaces with it.  It is going to cut only a 14 inch path.  If you are cutting a large yard, this basically means you will be needing to make more passes.  However, if you are needing to cut between buildings and tight garden spaces, then the Sun Joe MJ401E Electric Lawn Mower might be perfect for you.

Not for Thick and High Lawns

While a little electric lawn mower like the Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower has some advantages, it does has a major drawback.  It is not going to be good for cutting through high grass nor will it be good for cutting through thick grass.  If you live in an area where the grass grows quickly and you don’t get to mow your grass frequently, you may want to reconsider getting this lawn mower.  However, if you only occasionally get behind on cutting your grass, you may be able to borrow or use a gas lawn mower to catch you up.  Then you can switch back to this lawn mower.

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Pros

• plus Fairly quiet 
• plus 12 amp motor
• plus grass clipping bag included

Cons

• close Not good with cutting thick and tall grass 
• close Only cuts 14 inch path

Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower Conclusion

The Sun Joe Electric Lawn Mower is a great priced, handy dandy little electric lawn mower.  It has great power for it’s size with it’s 12 amp motor.  It will however only cut a 14 inch path. This lawn mower will not do a good job at cutting high and/or thick grass.  But if you have grass that you keep up with on a regular basis, the Sun Joe MJ401E Electric Lawn Mower might just be perfect for you.  With it being electric, you don’t have to worry about maintaining it like you would a gas powered lawn mower.  If you do choose to buy this lawn mower, make sure to use the proper gauge cord.  The gauge will depend on how long the cord you will be using is.

Common Questions

Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying a Sun Joe MJ401E Electric Lawn Mower.

• chevron-circle-right If you use it without the grass catcher, does the grass just shoot out the back?  The spring door closes.  The clippings do come out but more like in falling clumps not shooting.  It can be used with or without the bag.  Be aware if you are going over sticks , rocks or ant piles. 
• chevron-circle-right What material is the deck made of? I have had mower decks rust out in the past.  It is made up of ABS Plastic.
• chevron-circle-right I have a 45 degree hill in my yard, is this hard to push up hill?   No, the Sun Joe MJ401E Electric Lawn Mower is not hard to push.  It is lighter in weight than most gas powered lawn mowers.  

Related Article: Best Electric Lawn Mower – Our 10 Best and Top Pick