Milwaukee Tool has teased about their upcoming M18 Fuel cordless mower several months ago, and finally shared official launch details. Their first-ever cordless mower will be launching soon, in April 2022.
The new Milwaukee cordless mower, model 2823-22HD for the kit, is a 21″ self-propelled dual-battery mower. Milwaukee says that it “delivers best-in-class cut quality and more max torque than 200cc gas competitors, meeting the performance needs of the landscape maintenance professional.”
Milwaukee says that the new mower maintains blade speed in demanding applications without bogging down, and that it also offers instantaneous throttle response on both blade and drive motors for ultimate control.
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The mower will be powered by (2) M18 batteries, and it draws power from them simultaneously.
The mower has a “true 21″ cut capacity” and “optimized steel deck design.” It also features 3-in-1 capabilities – bagging, mulching, and rear side discharge.
Milwaukee says that their mower reduces missed blades of grass and clumps compared to competitive mowers.
It has a single point height adjustment.
It self-propelled functionality has variable speed control up to 4 MPH.
The mower also features front and side lights for 180° visibility in lower light situations.
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The mower folds up for vertical storage.
Key Features & Specs
- 21″ cutting width
- Steel deck
- 3,300 RPM max blade speed
- 0.1 – 4.0 MPH
- 3-in-1 grass management (bag, mulch, side discharge)
- 1″ to 4″ height adjustment in (7) 1/2″ increments
- High lift mode
- LED work lights – front and side
Runtime Claims
According to Milwaukee press materials:
While using the self-propelled function at 3MPH and removing 1” of most types of grass, users can expect up to 60 minutes of run time on (2) fully charged M18 REDLITHIUM HIGH OUTPUT HD12.0 Batteries.
Kit Contents, Optional Accessories, and Pricing
The kit will come with the mower, (2) 12Ah High Output batteries, an M18 dual bay simultaneous rapid charger (48-59-1802), mulch plug, grass bag, rear side discharge chute.
Optional accessories will include:
- 21″ mower blade (49-16-2734)
- 21″ high lift mower blade (49-16-2735)
- Mower cover (49-16-2736)
Price: $999 for the kit (2823-22HD)
ETA: April 2022
It doesn’t look like preorders are open yet.
At this time, there does not look to be a bare tool option, which would have model number 2823-20.
Discussion
The big claims here are that the mower “delivers best-in-class power levels” and “more max torque than a 200cc gas engine.”
For everyone that has been patiently – or not so patiently – waiting for Milwaukee to come out with an M18 cordless mower, is this everything you have been hoping for?
JMG
Wow, that price point sure puts it out of reach for my wallet… I like the looks of it, but the sticker shock kills my interest.
Kenny
Its got almost 500 bucks worth of batteries,wouldn’t want to replace those anytime soon!
Ron
I’d venture a guess that this isn’t designed with homeowners in mind, but rather professional landscapers.
Donnie
I agree with you but even then they’d have to spend a lot extra $ to have spare batteries. 1 hour of runtime on a set of batteries wouldn’t be beneficial to someone who mows many lawns in a day.
nebskram
well if a battery last an hour and charging takes 30 minutes all u will need is 4 batteries even if you mow all day 2 in mower and 2 charging and what respectable redhead does not have 4 batteries
Dennis T Menence
Haven’t had a lot of luck with those Milwaukee batteries. In Georgia, cutting season is about 8-9 months (maybe 18 cuts a year). Batteries last for the season, but usually have to be replaced for the next cutting season.
Can’t really see spending $1500 for a 4-battery set up, then $500 more every year for new batteries.
nebskram
so if i am reading you right you only get 18 charges out of ur batteries last year mowing your lawn? something is not right
funny you say that as the mower only came out this spring
i suggest you quit buying knock off batteries of ebay if your only getting 18 charges’ out of them
i have 10 year old batteries that still get use daily weekly and are still going strong so i say you speaking of the stuff that comes out of the south end of a north bound bull!!!!
Fred Seay
You have to have 3 sets of batteries because of the cool down time needed after using them before they’ll charge again so that’s another 1000 bucks in batteries
Stuart
If you need 3 sets of 12Ah batteries, a cordless mower like this might not be the best tool for the job.
nebskram
with 3 sets you would be able to mow nonstop 24/7 and nobody would need to do that so i am sure 2 sets would only be needed by a professional lawn mower not ur avg home owner
Craig
One set is more than sufficient for most including myself but two sets is ideal for the contractors as they don’t take long to cool down.
Joatman
For that price it would have to come with a Lifetime bumper to bumper warranty that covers even normal wear and tear and free battery replacements. Wishful thinking? That’s what I say to Milwaukee.
Michael
100% agree
Adam
They supposedly are going to announce another 100 landscape items this year. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Been waiting…oh, since release of the Quik-lok for more than 2 useful attachments (string trimmer is a more than capable edger for me). A tiller, a sweeper, really anyt that has already been done by other companies
Kyle
My $300 Troy-Bilt gas that has worked fall asleep for eight years will continue to work flawlessly for probably another decade, much as I would like to buy this. That price is nuts though.
Kyle
Flawlessly not fall asleep. Ha.
Joatman
Ha…. I’ve sent some pretty crazy texts using voice dictation.
Chris
I’ve been borrowing my neighbors mower once a month for 6 mos now waiting for this to be realeased thinkin it would be $100-$200 more than dewalt’s version. Not double. Looks like I’ll be pickin up a Toro when winter is over.
(PS I’m gonna point out I’m not an ungrateful mooch, we were talkin tools one day and he mentioned the DeWalt blower he wanted so I went out and got it for him as a sign of appreciation for letting me borrow his mower until Milwaukee finally released this thing.)
Anson
I’m with you. I’ve been eyeing the Toro battery powered units for a few years, the current(10yr) Toro just keeps doing too good of job to replace it.
Dark time is quitting time, no lights on lawn equipment for me.
Christopher
Half the price is the batteries right at $250 apiece? Ouch!
JB
Many of of already have multiple M18 batteries, so when the “tool-only” option becomes available, it’ll make a lot more sense fiscally. Even early studies suggest that the cost-of-ownership for battery-powered lawn equipment is much lower over the life of the tool.
No gas to buy
Essentially maintenance-free motor
No worries about long-term storage
No oil changes
No filter changes
Quiet
No exhaust
Stuart
Will there absolutely be a tool-only version?
Dewalt has a couple of tools that you can only buy as a kit, and it’s possible Milwaukee might do the same here.
Steffen707
I bet they won’t have mower only option for a long time, if ever. I read Milwaukee doesn’t want people to buy it, put two 5ah or 8ah batteries on it and be disappointed with the performance and return it. Only way to guarantee they don’t do that is only sell it with two 12ah Batts. It’s stupid expensive, but I’m a stupid die hard.
Wish they would have had them ready by March. Acme tools says ship date is May 4th……wtf Milwaukee, snow will be long gone by then.
Flawless
I understand your thinking but $1000.00 plus tax, almost $1,100.00 in Chicago! Is it Bluetooth where you can train the darn thing to set a predetermined path?
$$$$$ Milwaukee!
Craig
Really? I’d rather them make it higher quality even if it’s more expensive than their competitors. Keep in mind this includes 2 of their most powerful 12ah batteries and the dual fast charger. Heck I don’t think 1000 bucks is bad considering what you’re getting 🤷
Bosko
They are charging full price on High Output battery 250$ vs past sales where we could get ( 2 x High Output 12HD for 398$). Let’s wait for sale price promotion to see where we are. Deduct, subtract best past dual 12amp battery promotion from 999 will tell us how much do they really are charging us for lawn mower !
Ron
That’s assuming the bare tool price for the mower (if it becomes available that way) is $499, which isn’t exactly a given.
Doug N
The price is absurd. But I’m curious if it’s 18v or 36v.
Doresoom
It requires both batteries to be installed to run, so I’d bet it’s actually a true 36V tool.
John
Would prefer a push mower as an option. Never been a fan of self propelled.
Benjamen
The way Stuart wrote it (I haven’t looked into it):” The mower will be powered by (2) M18 batteries, and it draws power from them simultaneously.”
That sounds like parallel to me.
Milwaukee has pretty consistently said that 18V is the way forward — I would be very surprised if it is 36V.
XRH07
Milwaukee would just outright advertise it as 18V then. More likely they’ll just obfuscate/dance around the fact if it is 36V. We won’t know until somebody gets their hands on one and will independently report on it.
And a series setup HAS to draw from both packs simultaneously. A parallel setup could be either or. There are parallel config tools on the market that can run with one battery or two.
Ron
The label on the mower should state either way.
It could very well be 18V with a dual battery setup being the best way to try and ensure people get enough runtime to justify the cost.
Matt the Hoople
Agree that price is a bit much. I’m interested in the torque claim. I’ll bet that’s based on the torque at zero rpm where electric motors produce the most torque. Can’t cut much grass at zero rpm.
I do like that it has a stew deck. I’ve toyed with the idea of a battery mower but all the ones I’ve seen in person are plastic. My yard would destroy a plastic mower in about three uses. Too many pine cones and tree branches.
Matt the Hoople
Oh, just saw the deck is actually steel. I guess my hopes of a deck made of stew are still a pipe dream 🙂
Ken
I’ve found the steel decks to be the shortest lasting. I have a 1980s Honda with an aluminum deck and my parents went from an Aluminum decked John Deere to a plastic decked Honda and all three of those outlasted any of the steel decks we had growing up and that was with a lot of branches and pine cones in the yard. No matter what, steel decks seem to rust out sooner rather than later. The aluminum decks do pit eventually, but are thick enough I’ve filled those pits in with JB Weld on my used mower. The plastic ones seem to be a lot more abrasion resistant than I would have expected.
MM
Many years ago I had a Honda Harmony walk-behind mower. Plastic deck. It was easily the best walk-behind mower I’ve ever owned.
OldDominionDIYer
I have a 52 year old steel deck push mower with those funny tangs that look like teeth on the front, third motor same deck, like to see any plastic mower deck (actually used weekly) ever last that long. Mine isn’t but at least if you do get a crack you can drill stop it and patch it or just weld it, I mean plastic will never last as long as steel.
MichaelT
In the 80’s I was mowing my grandmother’s lawn with a Craftsman mower from I don’t know when that had (according to the label) a titanium deck. Twenty years ago, the deck was still around and it was on it’s 2nd or 3rd engine. No idea where it is today, but probably the deck was worth more at the scrapyard than the cost of buying a new mower.
Gordon
I thought a Milwaukee exec said they would never do dual battery tools?
How are they differentiating this from regular M18 tools? M18 x2? M18+M18? M36? 2xM18?
It doesn’t seem competitive at $1k. I know the Makita 21in is also up there but I also see it as a special buy regularly enough that I wouldn’t pay $1k for it. So I would anticipate Milwaukee does something similar.
Doresoom
They’ve apparently changed their minds on dual battery tools. They have a bunch of new patents for dual battery tools, including an X2 M18 backpack blower.
Tim E.
I’m ready for the patent video, but my future wallet is not!
Big Richard
Dual battery 12gal wet/dry vac has been showing up for pre-orders. Looks like a pretty sweet set up. Probably also going to cost around $1k as it too comes with 2x12Ah batteries.
Big Richard
M18 Dual Battery seems to be the verbiage they are going with. They held off as long as they could, but I do think this is a necessary move with the way battery power is going. Especially with OPE.
Tator
I say call them Dual Fuel! You herd it here first, ha!
OldDominionDIYer
Love it! hahaha!
Adam
I believe Ryobi was sued over their 18vx2 marketing verbiage from Makita. This is why the 10″ dual 18v pack sliding saw is no longer available.
Jason. W
my free to me old piece of junk mower that my father-in-law gave me when we bought our house 4 years is still kicking. i haven’t done a single thing to it but add gas.
i just have to ask…why? why would someone want this?
Ken
I would consider it to replace my older gas mower if it ever dies since I am already invested in other m18 tools. The price is high, but half of that is batteries. I’m curious what the sale price might be.
fred
If your locale has set targets for achieving a carbon neutral footprint then the phasing out of gasoline-engine OPE is on the horizon. The landscapers who cut my lawns will likely resist such moves for as long as practical – but in my principal home location – it’s coming. For them, they would probably be more interested in a battery-powered zero-turn or tractor – and will undoubtedly pass their costs onto their customers.
QDog
You can buy a Honda gas mower for about the same price, maybe that’s the segment it will compete with? Last mower I had was the cheapest evgo, but I only needed 15 mins of battery time for my tiny (at the time) lawn.
Last time I worked in a building with lawn maintenance, the day lawn care was out there killed productivity, would make sense for some professional care to require silent operation.
Ron
You’re right that this mower is impractical and expensive for homeowners, because it isn’t designed for them. Milwaukee’s OPE is designed for professional landscapers (as they said it would be).
If you’re a professional landscaper, this mower will get to where your zero-turn can’t. Milwaukee made trade-offs to get maximum power at the cost of some runtime, in order for pros to get the job done quickly. Time is money for them, so the time saved not dealing with gas potentially outweighs the cost.
neb skram
so ur not smoging up the planet and if you have done nothing but add gas(oil?) its not going to run that much longer
Shane
To not pay gas costs or worry about oil changes.
MM
I think it’s rather ironic that they claim this mower is “for landscape professionals” and then compare it to a 200cc engine, which is roughly 5 horsepower. I don’t know any pro landscapers using those. That’s mid-tier residential power, not anything close to a commercial walk-behind.
Jared
Maybe for those pros in DC who suddenly need battery-powered equipment?
Dave
And Cali. I’m sure more states/communities to come.
andy
Around here many of the landscapers servicing residential city lots are using mowers with Honda 160cc engines.
Paul
All our crews use the Honda HRC216 for professional landscaping. It has a 160cc engine and is self-propelled.
The also have a 48″ wide mower on their truck, but that Honda does all the small stuff. It’s got plenty of power for the job.
Ron
And these are exactly the guys Milwaukee is targeting with this.
Jim Felt
Tough crowd.
But I’ve not had a “lawn” to mow in maybe 30+ years? And then used lawn services…
But a Milwaukee two M18 battery Miter Saw or ???
JB
I’ve got the 10″ miter saw and it’s an absolute workhorse. The table saw its excellent, too.
gene
They might sell pretty good in California.
PETE
They’ll have no choice for when the small engines get banned
Nathan
the lights intrigue me but I’d never use it at night I don’t think. hope they turn off.
the batteries are quite spendy as is the charger in the kit.
But what I find odd is why it took so long – all the milwaukee ope is the ECHO 58V ope with electronics for the 18V battery. the trimmer the attachments, blower etc. This mower is nearly the same other than some style bits and the lights.
will be interesting to see what a bare tool price would be. seems too high
Matt the Hoople
Doesn’t the Echo have a plastic deck?
Nathan
no the ECHO 58V mower was steel deck too just like this. pretty sure it was dual battery also but you could run it on just one.
the EGO cordless is plastic deck. supposedly works well.
I hear alot of good things about the greenwork 60V and 80 platforms also
notinuse
My Echo 58V mower has a plastic deck.
Dominic S
@Nathan can this be confirmed? I understand that ECHO 58V is produced by TTi but didn’t think the M18 string trimmer was the same setup as the 58V? My 58V string trimmer is meh at best, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the M18 string trimmer.
Ron
The batteries are also necessary for decent runtime, since you can only squeeze so many watt-hours out of an 18v battery.
Consider two “homeowner grade” mowers: Ryobi kits their 40v (36 nominal) mower with two 6-Ah batteries, which yields the same number of watt-hours as two M18 HD12.0s (432 Wh). Ego’s newest comes with a 56v (50.4 nominal) 10-Ah battery which yields 504 Wh.
Also consider that DeWalt’s last-gen mower flopped because the 5-Ah batteries it was kitted with (totaling 180 Wh) provided terrible runtime. The new mower just released now comes with 10-Ah batteries, totaling 360 Wh.
The math is there.
Ralph Bell
The top of line EGO is also $1k, but there are about a dozen different ones to choose from.
Dcl
The price is crazy, and quite frankly their OPE generally tests in the middle of the pack, maybe with the exception of their chainsaw. Are they going to have a special charger for this thing too. I have their rapid charger and it would take hours to charge two 12ah batteries at only 9.5 amps. These 12’s combined also have fewer WH than a single EGO 10. I know they are hell bent on sticking with M18 for everything but this just seems like a fools errand.
Adam
Comes with a dual-bay rapid charger. Retail on that is $120. So retail cost wise, you are paying over $600 in battery & chargers in the kit.
Gordon
At the same time, it’s not reasonable to use retail prices for components of a kit. Especially when the only option is a kit.
Ron
It seems that most have been going on the assumption that the bare tool price of the mower would be around $500 when making these assessments.
MFC
$$$$$$$
Milwaukee knows some of you will buy it anyways.
$$$$$$$
Chris S
I had thoughts throughout the article, saw the price and realized no argument could overcome that price for a battery powered mower. I’ve owned 5 battery mowers and the only one more expensive is my ryobi riding mower that I found on clearance. The Ryobi was worth the money, the Milwaukee is not. Such a stupid price.
andy
Maybe this one mower would have outlasted and outperformed the 4 walk behinds you’ve already owned.
Chris
No.
I buy and sell yard equipment seasonally. I’m not a brand shill or apologist and only keep the best deal for my money. I buy new stuff when they clearance it out in the winter, use it for as long as it takes for the next deal to come along and sell the stuff I used at the beginning of the next season to either make money or break even at minimum.
ECHO push mower (worked ok for a season, well known battery issues plagued it. Sold it, chainsaw, trimmer, and blower as a package to make a profit).
Ryobi 40V I gave to my sister (4 years strong).
EGO push mower (worked fine, found on clearance in a “middle of nowhere” home depot in an area that is “anti-battery/DE-tohk-er gas mowers!” for $100 still in box. Sold it with a blower after a season.
Ryobi riding mower 48V 38″ cut (Hands down, best mower so far. NO maintenance. I’ll replace the (4) 12V batteries in a few years and not even be mad about it because of how good the mower is. The electric drive motor will pull 1000lbs and not fret. I have an OX cart trail boss 1750 attached and the little mower pulls great. ZERO rust and built very heavy duty. I’ve tapped (2) batteries to make 24V for my added headlights to drive in the dark. Next mod will be a nicer seat or springs (it was definitely built for strength and longevity, not my spine). I’ll probably have this like people hold on to their snapper rear engine mowers. Bought it on clearance for $1,600 and it was worth every penny. It’s gone 3 years so far and looks new.
Got a zero turn cub cadet lithium that had so many codes by the time I got home, we couldn’t take it off the trailer because it was literally broken from the factory. Took that trash back so I wouldn’t get stuck with it.
Currently have a Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT lithium battery model that I picked up for $800. I’m going to sell it. It works fine…for now. The reputation and abysmal customer service are not worth my time. I’ve discovered many things about it that make me question Cub Cadet as a company in general. I think their entire design was meant to harm the battery OPE industry in general. Anyone looking at a battery cub cadet should thoroughly read the reviews before stepping in that pile of S—.
A P
Releasing over a hundred tools with more to come. Sometimes I think EGO is as good as they are ’cause they do just the opposite. Sure seems like a lot to handle.
Ron
Milwaukee and Ego are catering to different customer bases, though, so the comparison isn’t apples to apples.
Ron
I should clarify…Ego does have a pro line, but it isn’t as expansive as their homeowner lines and requires the use of a 28-Ah backpack battery that would be complete overkill for most homeowners.
Marc
I have an addiction and the only cure is more Milwaukee M18 tools! The batteries are $500 at $250 a piece and the rapid charger is $120, so there is $620 of the stack making the mower only $380 which isn’t bad for tool only price. As with all M18 batteries, they produce the same voltage so you could use 2 8’s in this and get 30 mins. I have a plethora of M18 batteries including 12s so I would def purchase this as tool only. I have the M18 weed whipper and it’s the bomb, it lasts over an hour on 1 12 battery and truly out performs my 4 cycle gas powered one. The price is high, but how many of you can sh it talk your M18 tools?! You get what you pay for and Milwaukee is no exception to that rule.
XRH07
Milwaukee OPE hasn’t been particularly special up to this point so it’s not worth paying a premium for it.
CharlesinRichmond
this is not true. I use m18 OPE commercially. It’s awesome. And I’m willing to call out bad m18 tools (1st gen nailers, glorified dustbuster)
Leonard
My $350 21” push Honda mower that I bought seven years ago still works like new & still starts on the 1st pull. I’m sure it’s still got another 10 years of life in it at least . I’ll pass on a $1K wannabe!
Raycr
A year ago at the Snow Joe store bought an “open box” (all boxes were opemned and mowers assembled Troy Bilt TB270xp 21 inch self propelled with Honda 160 cc gas motor.
List $399.
My Honda mower deck rotted out after 20 years of cutting a half acre but motor was still kicking.
Wasn’t going to pay the price of new Honda so I got the same1 pull reliability for half price of $199.00. I am sure they are up a little but it shows you the markup.
It just doesn’t do the corners as tight as the shorter Honda motor but it leavesmoremoney for tools.
Store was calledJoes factory outlet in Lodi, New Jersey.
Bobsnotmyuncle
Definitely not priced for the homeowner market.
Travis
I wouldn’t get too worried about the pricing yet. There will be deals after some time. And eventually probably some bare tool promotions too.
Dave
Its not designed for the homeowner market. Technically nothing Milwaukee makes is but plenty of homeowners pay extra for their stuff. Their target market is the trades.
MM
Despite what Milwaukee says, this is obviously for the homeowner market. It’s dreadfully underpowered compared to a commercial walk-behind mower, not to mention the obvious hassle of batteries. How exactly is a professional landscaper supposed to keep up with the battery demand of this tool for a long workday? Do they bring a few dozen charged batteries at the beginning of the day? How exactly are they expected to charge those batteries to be ready for the next workday?
Dave
A quick google search for commercial grade 21″ gas mowers brings in lots of $1500+ units with the same torque specs as the Milwaukee, same height adjustment and speed range. So for the same $1500, a guy could get the mower and 4 12ah batteries and have approx 2 hours of range before needing to recharge. Push mowers are used for trimming around objects that a zero turn can’t get as close to in a commercial space so they’re not used the entire time a crew is on a job.
MM
The commercial walk-behinds I see when I visit my dealer to get parts for my ZTR, or those run by the guys at my various jobs tended to be 30″ with at least a 10 HP motor so that’s what I’m basing my assessment off of. And you’re right they use them for mowing around trees and in tight areas, like inside a residential backyard gate where a big rider won’t fit…but they’re running them every bit as hard as the riders. While one guy is on the rider (or more common these days, the stand-up ZTR), there’s another guy out with a trimmer and a third on the walk-behind. They all work at once, so I’m sure that walk-behind is clocking a lot more than 2 hours runtime out of a workday.
Now if someone can get by with the lower-end commercial models and they don’t need to run hard all day then I can absolutely see this working for them.
andy
There are certainly cases where a professional uses their walk-behind for only an hour or two a day. Just depends on what type of accounts they have, how many workers are in the truck, etc.
Will Miller
This is why DeWalt released model # DCMWSP255 Y2 @ $729.00 at your local Home Depot w/70 mins. of run time ( that’s 2 – 12ah flexvolt batteries ) so where are the 15ah’s at ??? The new DCCS677 Z1 is what i want !
Big Richard
Yup, got the new 255Y2 mower kit just for the pair of 12Ah batteries. But I’m with you on the chainsaw, the Z1 kit gets you that beefy 15Ah, that alone is worth the price. Been on backorder since Dec, probably won’t ship until around the same time this Milwaukee mower does.
Jason McDaniels
Did it come with the two flexvolts? I was looking at it online and the pictures said 60 minutes of runtime and that it came with (2) 10.0 ah batteries but the description listed 70 and the 12.0
Wasn’t sure if it was something they changed last minute or which was correct
Big Richard
So the new rear wheel mower is available in two kit types:
– DCMWSP255U2 kit is the 2x10Ah 20v batteries, just like the previous front drive and push mower kits (also U2 kits)
– DCMWSP255Y2 kit comes with 2x12Ah FlexVolt batteries, and costs $100 more than the U2 kit.
So just make sure the model number is correct, website descriptions, especially on new products, cannot always be trusted.
MM
Thanks for that Big Richard.
The Y2 kit is honestly tempting. I don’t really need the mower (I have a few rural acres so I already have a big ZTR) but it would be handy for the tight spots that I currently hit with a trimmer, and more importantly I’d get a lot of use out of those 12ah Flexvolts.
I’m also real curious what other kits dewalt might have in the pipeline for the 15 ah batts.
Will Miller
Well at least they put running lights on it !!!Dewalt Didn’t ???
Frank D
Good luck with sales at that price point.
Dave Amich
I definitely buy this mower,now milwaukee need to build riding mower
Rog
1k for a 21″ push mower? No thank you, Milwaukee.
Rob H
I was really looking forward to this release after the rumors it was coming, but that price puts it well out of my budget. I had been joking with my wife that as soon as one dropped at Home Depot here locally we’d own it, but $1,000 for a push mower is a tough sell with the current economy. I get that batteries are expensive and this is probably a “fair” price, but just because it is fair doesn’t make it reasonable or affordable.
Hopefully we’ll see some sales on it eventually. I surely won’t be an early adopter at that price. It is going to take some excellent real-world reviews and compelling sale prices to lure me in. Maybe they could release a “budget” version without the self-propelled and headlights features? Still stuck with the price of the batteries but maybe without the extra drain for a drive system it would run on existing 5ah batteries sufficiently long? Oh well, if wishes were fishes…
Ron
The early adopters will (and should be) pro landscapers. This mower was not designed for homeowners.
AlexK
Reading most of the comments and hearing my own gasp looking at the price, it would seem to be a mistake. But, they are a big company and must have done the research to come up with the reasons to make the mower, charge what they will and know who their target customers are and how many units should sell. I don’t think a radiologist freaks out over the cost of an x-ray machine. For a business, tools are one of the costs of doing business and it’s a tax write off/depreciation thing. I’m sure Fred or someone that has been involved in putting together or running a business could explain how it works. If I had a lawn care business with residential mowing clients, especially in expensive areas with small lawns, having a quieter mower would be a plus. How much does it cost to set up a small business like that? A trailer, two mowers (back up in case one breaks), 10-14 12ah batteries?, blower string trimmers etc……. spread the cost of equipment over 5 years? Charge more because you promote your business as environmentally responsible and “Green”. And yes, getting lithium and other materials for batteries is not environmentally “clean”, but it is smart to try to do better. We are like the people who said cars will never take off, horses are better. If we don’t push forward, our country will just fall behind. So, I won’t be able to buy this. I do have two 5ah Ego batteries, so maybe an Ego $350 mower? Maybe Milwaukee will have a tool only mower and maybe it can run on my Milwaukee 4 and 5ah batteries? We are all waiting to see the reviews and to see it in action.
MichaelT
If this has two motors (assuming, based on the use of motorS in the description), I wonder if that represents essentially two 18V tools working in concert with each other?
Chris
No, there are two separate motors. One drives the wheels/drivetrain and the other drives the blade. All battery mower work this way. It’s more efficient to direct drive the blade and accessories individually than to run belts, chains, hydraulics, etc. Less parasitic loss overall. The biggest downside is usually added weight.
Big Richard
Not all, DeWalt’s front wheel drive mower uses a belt and pulley to drive the wheels.
Don Julio
A quibble: battery powered push mowers also don’t work that way.
I’ve got a Craftsman V60 push mower. It’s nearly effortless. Unless I was mowing up a slope, I can’t imagine needing a self-propelled mower.
MichaelT
That’s exactly what I mean. One battery runs the wheel motor, one the blade. Ergo, “two 18v tools working in concert” as opposed to a 36v tool.
Bryan
Hard pass at that price.
Frosty
Thanks so much for the info, ToolGuyD. I’m a 47 yr old baby Milwaukee owner. Converted to Milwaukee 2 years ago after using my buddy’s Milwaukee circular saw. I’ve drunk the koolaid. My garage is red now. Anyway, I’m loving all this discussion and I’m learning a lot reading everyone else’s comments. Absolutely every single time I touch a Milwaukee tool I am more and more impressed with the quality and performance. It’s always high priced. I’m always hesitant. I’m always glad I paid the extra money. Every time. My buddy says “buy once, cry once.” Anyway, just stopped by to say thanks for all the informative comments and I can only hope this mower goes on sale for Christmas 2022! 🙂
Stuart
Thank you, I appreciate it!
While I don’t expect to see discounts, I think that promo bundles are possible and maybe even probable – if not now, then next year. New releases very rarely go on sale their first year, and this is especially true for more seasonal items.
For mower’s Father’s Day promos are more timing-appropriate than Holiday promos, and the reverse is true for snowblowers.
Frosty
If this does go on sale for Father’s Day this year, I’m quite confident I shall use that as a “Treat Yo Self” excuse to buy the mower and use it on my postage stamp of grass. Because, doesn’t even a poor substitute teacher deserve some measure of happiness????? 🙂 🙂 🙂
Chris
Damn, you drank the koolaid hard
Frosty
Lol. It’s true. I did. I really did. 🙂
Mopar4wd
Price seems like at least 20-25% higher then their competition. Curious what the actual sell price will be? Might end up closer to the Makita and Dewalt. But then again last year I was seeing 200 and more off on the Dewalt and Makita at times.
PETE
Ooooof thats expensive. Makita has a 21″ self propelled, with four 5ah batteries and a dual fast charger for $499 at my local homedepot. I hate makita and wouldn’t but it even if it is a deal but still….
Fireguy116
I disagree with you there. I feel makitas ope line is hands down better than milwaukees. But then again I’m not a fan of Milwaukee. I have the Makita mower and it is the best I have used and is super quiet.
OldDominionDIYer
Yeah and Makita has this one too, Model# XML09PT1 which is the same price (999.00) and only has 20AH worth of batteries instead of the 24AH you get with Milwaukee. The Dewalt is cheaper but if you’re already into Milwaukee battery system it’s not that much more. The Honda gas powered 200CC mower Model #HRX217HZA goes for $979 so again Milwaukee competition seems right in the same cost range. Now I admit that the Milwaukee is gonna have to meet the expectations they claim, or it will make it a tough sell. Don’t recall all this “Concern” about cost for these mowers. . .
Paul
Garbage. Disappointed with Milwaukee, their 18 volt batteries last a couples years maximum. I’ll stick with gas for all of my yardwork duties.
Will
That price is crazy, you can buy riding mowers cheaper than that. I’ll be stick with my ego till the battery dies
andy
Did a little math. Worth noting that the battery cost is in the ballpark of fuel cost in a gas mower. So for a pro, advantages are weight, noise, emissions, cost (much cheaper than a 21″ pro mower). Cons are run time, maybe power.
Chris
Pricing is absolutely ridiculous, not sure what Milwaukee is thinking but I want what their on over at TTI
Ron
They are thinking of landscaping pros who need a mower to get small jobs done fast.
Ron
I own a lawn care business and last year I added 2 Makita 21″ mowers , all the Makita ope lawn care type of tools like the leaf blower and weed trimmer etc.
I also purchased all the Milwaukee same ope tools.
The Milwaukee trimmer overheats and shuts off after only 10 minutes.
Makita lawn care tools were way better working and quality than the Milwaukee.
We offered no noise electric grass cutting for only $5.00 more than our gas mowers and equipment and not one single customer was willing to even pay $ 5.00 more per cut service.
OldDominionDIYer
Yet Makita has had one for over a year at that price which is likely not as good…
Plain grainy
I figured we would have self driving “ robotic” mowers by now.
OldDominionDIYer
I’m in, been waiting and I think they have delivered, albeit later than most. The price tag is high but $650 is for the two 12Ah batteries and the dual rapid charger. You want the best, sometimes you have to pay for it. Can’t wait to see some real-world comparisons just to confirm the performance. Looks like a winner to me but of course let’s see some testing!
MFC
I buy 12ah batteries for no more than $150 a piece, and a two pack for $400 was pretty common, so maybe $500 for the charger and batteries if we’re being fair. $500 for a bare tool mower is still too much.
andy
I haven’t seen them discounted in quite some time.
OldDominionDIYer
Love to know where you buy from Milwaukee approved sellers’ warranty eligible, 12ah M18 batteries giving that discount because I’ll buy four of them today! I’m not trying to justify the cost but there’s a lot of expensive equipment included in what is claimed to be a mower that is more powerful than any other battery powered units currently on the market (yet to be demonstrated independently albeit). Like I said, I’m in….
Chris
The best? Strong claim for an over priced mower
XRH07
you aren’t getting the best when it comes to Milwaukee OPE though. They haven’t had any category leaders to date. And their overall selection still lags behind most everyone else.
If you want the best in the crossover cordless tool/OPE space you’re probably looking at Makita closely followed by Dewalt. If you’re fine with an OPE-only brand then you’ll be looking at Ego.
M18 has a 14″-16″ chainsaw, a hedge trimmer, a power head system with less attachments than the Makita/Dewalt/Ego and an underpowered leafblower.
Makes 0 sense to be a day 1 owner of this thing when their overall OPE selection is slim pickins’.
CharlesinRichmond
not true. I have all the m18 OPE, use it commercially, and it’s great for it’s use case. I use the big stihl stuff 5% of the time
I have the Makita battery system too, so it’s not that.
And the blower is awesome. Not as powerful as my big stihl backpacks, but it’s as powerful as a little echo. So good we bought a bunch of them
Ron
I have all the Makita and Milwaukee lawn care tools and Makita is way better at every tool.
I cut 50 residential lawns a week and I rotated every day between Makita and Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee trimmer head overheats and keeps shutting itself off after only 10 minutes of use.
I took it back and exchanged it and the next one does the same shut off.
Kirk
I have two m18 trimmers and have never had one overheat, sounds like bs.
nebskram
so you have a tool that’s not released yet and can and your giving your review on the tool not released yet? sure sounds BS to me too
Plain grainy
What’s the recharge time on these batteries? Forty five minutes to an hour?
Stuart
60 minutes on a Super Charger – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-m18-super-charger/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
On the included 48-59-1802 dual charger? It’s a simultaneous Rapid Charger, so it should be 130 minutes.
Plain grainy
If you have two super chargers you can be back mowing in 60 minutes! That’s over $300 in chargers though.
Jp
For this price I would expect MX level tools and far strong performance than what is likely on par with other HD. I love Milwaukee, but heck no— I’ll pass
Steve L
Got an Ozito at Bunnings with same specs except being self-propelled for $399 including batteries and dual charger with a 5 years replacement warranty. So light and easy to manoeuvre self-propulsion isn’t required.
Frosty
Hey all, new kid on the Milwaukee block here. I saw a youtube video of this new Milwaukee mower actually being used and a detailed breakdown of actual real world use and run times. Did y’all see that video? It’s possible it’s not real. Hard to know what to believe anymore. I figured some of the more “savvy” peeps on this forum already saw it? Just checking 🙂 Thanks and have a great day!
Big Richard
Link?
Frosty
I’m probably messing something up and I can’t get the link to post. But if you go to the YouTubes and search for “NEW Milwaukee Lawn Mower Review | M18 Fuel 2823-22HD” it should pop up. The video is 10:09 in length. Not as good as ToolGuyD but not terrible. 🙂
Big Richard
PTR is a legit source, that is definitely real. They do some pretty decent reviews with their methods laid out with empirical data to go with it. That’s a good thing.
CharlesinRichmond
I will buy this immediately if it’s bare tool or a deal, and when the honda we use for that dies if it isn’t.
This is great for my use case. I’d rather not do yards at all, but if I have to m18 is the way to go. We are already running the m18 trimmer and blower.
If I need a ride on I’ll use the 30hp Kubota, or the 60 hp kubota… but ride ones are silly.
The people who think they need a ride on either need a ztr, a sulky, or get used to walking. The silly garden tractors are utterly pointless
Greg
Can you charge the batteries in the mower rather than taking them out and putting them on the charger?
Stuart
I doubt it – I don’t know of any cordless cordless mowers than have such a feature.
Scott ALKB
I’m a 52yo homerenter, soon-to-be homeowner, DIYer, not in the trades, but love y’all’s knowledge and skill. (That’s one of the reasons I read this site and the great comments.) In north Texas, US.
I am looking forward to getting this mower and seeing how it performs. As a youth I used my dad’s gasoline Toro, struggled with neighbor’s B&S, struggled with a human-powered reel mower, etc. My aging self will appreciate the self-propelled feature (I’ve only used that occasionally before) and I hope the electric nature of this beast lives up to the hype.
Scott ALKB
I got a Milwaukee marketing email today mentioning this mower as NEW! so I expect they’ll be on the market soon.
Frosty
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-FUEL-Brushless-Cordless-21-in-Walk-Behind-Dual-Battery-Self-Propelled-Mower-w-2-12-0Ah-Battery-and-Rapid-Charger-2823-22HD/318995380
Y’all may have already seen this but it was news to me. Appears to be available to order from Home Depot RIGHT NOW!
Steve Slater
Most homeowners that would want this I believe will be for small city lots, including myself. They could make it a little more price friendly by losing the bag and the self propelled feature. A simple feature free mower with 2 9 ah batteries would drop the price I’m guessing to 5 to 6 hundred and make it much more appealing to the home owner. Too many bells and whistles for me. Disappointing.
Eric Neutman
I have nothing but milwaukee tools. The price is out of hand. I hate to say but Dewalt is almost half the price. I’m in need of a new mower. I think I’m buying a Dewalt.
Mitherial
Milwaukee really should release version of this mower with their giant “MX Fuel” batteries (and mabye a ZTR one too, licensed from some other manufacturer and painted red). The platform exists, why not use it?
Stuart
Maybe eventually for a zero-turn if there’s enough demand for it?
Steve R
When will it be available in Australia?
My petrol mower has been on life support for 2 seasons waiting for a 18v Milwaulkee to come out.
Why the need for self propelled and lights?
Already have the 18v batteries on other skins
Too many gimmicks. Keep It Simple