Price: $700 Weight: 69.9 lb.
Volts: 36 Cutting width: 20 in.
Blades: 1 Drive: Rear-wheel
Cut area on one charge:
4,285 sq. ft.Costing $700, the RMA will
cause any homeowner to won-
der what they’re getting for
that money. One answer is
robust construction; the Stihl
has many burly parts, includ-
ing an all-steel deck and a thick
20-inch blade. But it also has
small and important details.
The motor is located almost
entirely above the deck, pro-make the Stihl slightly taller
than other mowers, but there’s
no harm in that. We also like
the slot, tucked below the bat-
tery hatch, for a second six-Ah
battery. And, as with the Toro,
we advise investing in that sec-
ond battery. The mower did
reasonably well in mulching
mode, cutting taller-than-aver-
age grass with the deck set at
mid-height, but it left behind
trails of mulched clippings in
places where the lawn was
particularly lush. On the other
hand, every battery mower we
tested left some deposits in its
wake when the grass was tall.Price: $549 Weight: 78 lb.
Engine: 190cc Cutting
width: 21 in. Blades: 1
Drive: Rear-wheelThe best gas-engine mower
we’ve used lately is this Snap-
per. It’s got all the bells and
whistles of a fully outfitted
machine, such as single-lever
deck-height adjustment,
a big, powerful engine,
three functions (mulch, side
discharge, and bag), and
push-button starting. On
that last point, we like it, but
if we’d made this mower, werecoil; you never know when
a battery or push button will
give out and leave you with a
shaggy lawn. The mower uses
a battery similar to that found
on power tools—slide it into
the receiver on the engine
housing, push the button, and
away you go. The Snapper
has sufficient power for even
tall and non-turf grasses,
leaves a clean cut, and bags
well, with no visible clippings
trailing in its wake. We prefer
mowers with a deck slightly
wider than the wheelbase to
facilitate trimming, which this
mower does not have, but
TREVOR RAAB that’s not a serious demerit.
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