Ryobi R36XLMW16
VerifiedMPN: R36XLMW165 reviews
- Weekly
Absolute rubbish mower. Under powered, clogs in damp grass, failed a month post warranty.
Purchased in at Bunnings Warehouse for $899.
- Product is used: Weekly
This could have been an excellent mower – I purchased this Ryobi 36V HP™ Brushless 46cm Lawn Mower 6.0Ah Kit a few weeks ago from Bunnings and experienced a similar issue to what others have reported, in that the height adjustment mechanism doesn't work very well. The pin that is supposed to sit into the U shape notch for each cutting height, doesn't sit properly in the U shape and when I stood the mower up vertically for storage, the pin jumped out with a loud bang as it sprang out to its maximum height slot. It didn't do this while mowing the lawn, but I suspect that it could, particularly over rough ground. Apart from the height adjustment issue, I liked this mower. It seemed a solid unit compared to my old and smaller Stihl battery mower I had.
I emailed Ryobi who advised that I must have the Generation 1 version of the mower. Back to Bunnings but all other stock of the same model had the same issue. Another email exchange with Ryobi and then they confirmed that I had the Generation 2 model, and because the issue does not affect the performance of the unit whilst mowing and is only an issue when storing, this is not a fault that they would replace the product for, however I did have the right to return the unit for a refund if I was not satisfied with the product.
After a number of trips backwards and forwards to Bunnings, the Ryobi Rep for the local store had advised Bunnings to replace the mower with the Ryobi 36V HP™ Brushless 46cm Self-Propelled Lawn Mower 6.0Ah Kit Model R36XLMW26. Before leaving the store, we opened the box and checked the height adjustment mechanism. On this model is fits perfectly.
So far, I have mowed the lawns twice on the new Self-Propelled R36XLMW26 and I am very happy with how it has performed. Only issue is, I didn't really want a Self-Propelled lawn mower and its 2.5kg heavier that the non-Self-Propelled model. I am disappointed that Ryobi don't seem to believe that this is a design/manufacturing defect on this particular model and are leaving these in Bunnings stores to be sold to other buyers.
So, a word of warning for those looking to buy the R36XLMW16 - check the height adjustment mechanism before taking it home.
Should have done more research – After 35 years of exemplary service my 4-stroke Masport lawnmower was in need of a major overhaul so I decided it was a good opportunity to ditch petrol and go battery. I bought the Ryobi 36 volt brushless mower. I have been very disappointed with its performance compared with the old 4-stroke petrol mower. The old mower could power through grasses of any length – wet or dry without blinking its sparkplug. The Ryobi freaks out if it has to mow lawn that is any longer than 3cms and will just conk out and won’t restart again for anything up to 30 minutes. If I adjust the cutting level on the Ryobi to one of the three lowest settings it requires a mammoth effort to push the mower around because the whole body of the mower lowers down onto the ground. Another negative - I had to replace the cutting blade after just 15 cuts. I think I replaced the blade on the Masport about every three years! Then there is the design of the body; instead of being smooth it has numerous nooks and crannies that collect dust and grass. I had to buy a small blower to clean the mower after each use. To be fair there are some pluses. I only have to press a button to start it, no more arm wrenching pull starts. I don’t have to worry about running out of petrol. The battery lasts the distance (I have three large lawns) and it recharges quite quickly. Nice colour too! I was seriously thinking of selling the mower and going back to petrol but have come up with a compromise. I have raised the cutting level so the body doesn’t drag along the ground, have adjusted to having longer grass and cut the lawn every 8-10 days instead of every 3weeks. I also bought the Ryobi 36v cordless edger to replace my 2-stroke petrol one – THAT was a good move no complaints there. In my opinion - don’t expect to get the same performance from a battery-powered mower that you would get from a petrol one.
Pretty Good For Electric – A couple of weeks ago I purchased a similar model to this one, but it did not have the self-propelled feature. Review here - https://www.productreview.com.au/reviews/3883b500-a666-5616-827d-56c4e0737724. Literally the only reason that I chose that version was because Bunnings didn't have the self-propelled version in stock. I stumbled across this one which does have the self-propelled option AT THE SAME PRICE, so I was able to swap the two units for no cost and now I have the best of both worlds.
The basic mower function is the same as the other one -
Pros - height adjusting button is very simple - the catcher is an absolute breeze to put on and take off - very light and manoeuvrable - almost silent
Cons - only 2 blades - won't go any lower than 25mm - have to mow slowly compared to a petrol mower - only a 46cm cut.
The speed control is the same as the other one as well - Eco is good on the battery but is often too slow. Power cuts better but murders the battery. Smart keeps on hunting between the other two speeds. I've given up on trying to play around with the speed settings and have instead just purchased a 10Ah battery and I run it on full speed for the entire yard - the battery is dead flat by the end of it but it does get the job done.
Overall it's good, but the price (especially the battery) is exorbitant.
Purchased in at Bunnings Warehouse for $799.
- Product is used: Weekly
Great mower – My old Victor finally died. This electric replacement is superior to a petrol mower. Easy to use, beautiful lawn finish, no noise and pollution. Highly recommended for those who need an upgrade.
ProductReview.com.au has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence our content moderation policies in any way, though ProductReview.com.au may earn commissions for products/services purchased via affiliate links.