Ryobi RLM36X46S52 Lithium+ 36V 5.0Ah 18"

Terrible Performance and Overpriced – I recently purchased the Ryobi 36V lithium battery and was immediately struck by its extremely high price, which, as it turns out, is not at all justified. This battery is incredibly weak and appears to be defective. Despite its premium cost, it lacks durability and efficiency. Shockingly, it only managed about five charges before it completely… Read more

failed and stopped working, which is unacceptable for such a high-priced item. Based on this experience, I strongly advise against this product. In fact, considering the poor quality and reliability of this battery, I recommend looking for alternatives and avoiding Ryobi products altogether.

Can't get one to last more than a year – Used on small to medium backyard. 1st mower I had the battery failed after about a year, Bunnings gave me a completely new one under warranty and then 6 months on this one barely lasts 20 mins before a 4 hour recharge is needed. Constantly boggs out on thicker (not longer) grass types even on highest setting. Will be going back to petrol motors after this experience for sure. Very disappointing considering the price tag. Show details

Ryobi RLM36X46S52 Lithium mower - Grass catcher doesn't pick up any grass – Mowing is average, has problems cutting grass on its highest setting. Leaves lots of clumps of grass behind, and when you pull out the catcher it's just about empty. The grass does not reach the back of the grass catcher. I have to then follow up with a rake to pick up all the clumps of cut grass it missed. Poor grass catcher design (surely Ryobi should have tested this before releasing this model) Only good thing is that its quiet Show details

very good lawnmower – Wanted to replace petrol lawnmower - petrol still good but wanted something a lot lighter and quieter to operate. Checked the large number of mowers on the market and came down to the EGO and the Ryobi 36v mower - the Ryobi came in at 2nd choice but still good mower and overall value for money a better financial deal. I wouldn't opt for any 18v… Read more

mowers, only go with 36v or higher - this mower is relatively light (about 17kg) and has a 46cm cut with multiple height settings. The operation and start up is simple - press a button on the centre of the handle and pull the handles back and away it goes. It has a single cutting bar and does a 46cm cut which is reasonable for my size yard (about 300 m2 all up) - if the grass is long and dense it may require 2 cuts at a higher then lower setting, but for my buffalo lawn, one pass does fine. Because its a single cutter bar compared to the 4 blades on my petrol mower, the finish is not quite as good, but still 95% as good as the 4 blade petrol and a whole lot easier and less noisy to use (not to mention lighter to push around) - I would also consider the same model with self propelled, variable speed (its about $120 more than this model) - the battery is a 36v 5 amp battery and has more than enough grunt to do my 300m2 - it comes with a fast charger that takes about half an hour or so to charge. This mower has variable speed power mode where it will boost the power temporarily if the going gets a bit tougher (revs up to provide more grunt) and it works fine. The Operating manual is comprehensive and to assemble it from the carton is simplicity in itself. The handles are telescopic and 2 settings for height - it has a lock key to be removed so kids etc. cant use it. Its pretty much all plastic but seems strong enough - has 4 year warranty, extended to 6 if you register on line.

Update Feb 2022: Been using the mower for over a month now and very happy with it. Have learned how to get the best results when using it and it is a good unit. The battery easily lasts a full mow with about half capacity left when finished (just over 250m2) and has enough power for the job. This is a nice light mower that is very easy use, doesnt require a lot of effort to use, no motor noise, fumes and having to pull a cord to start. Bunnings sell the replacement cutter blade / bar for around $28..its not showing any significant wear after a few uses so expect it to last a while.

PROS: Lightweight and easy to use Enough power for the job 5 amp battery and fast charger (doesnt take long to charge, about 30 minutes from half) Safety link (key) to be removed when not in use to prevent kids playing with it Good operating instructions Easy to assemble and set up (5 minutes or less) Pretty good cut for electric mower No noise and smelly fumes Cutter bar readily available and looks easy to change

CONS: Battery replacements are expensive (but have 3 year warranty)) Maybe need to be carefull with the control cable which is not overly protected

Decent mower – I've only had the mower for about a week and only used it yesterday. I have new grass so this was the first time cutting it and the machine did well, even on longer section. My grass isn't completely level yet because it's quite new and there is still gaps in the turf. My main issue was before I used it. When I went to connect the handle to the… Read more

mower, the bolts wouldn't fit because the thread was too tight. Tried everything for a good 45 mins by taking off the plates, used WD40, swapped the bolts etc but nothing worked. The issue was the thread on the plate had plastic in it. I only found this out because I took it back to bunnings and they repaired it instead of replacing it because they had none left. When the bunnings guy used a tool to re-thread it, plastic came out of the inside of the thread.

I wasted 2 hours of my morning working on 2 bolts that should have taken 10 mins all because some idiot forgot to complete quality control.

Terible Quality, Please save your money – I bought a Ryobi 460mm battery mower, 2 weeks ago, already owning a range of Ryobi cordless tools with no issues. I researched and some reviews rated this mowere highly. I used the mower for the first time, 10 min, and was happy with the cutting performance. I went to use a second time, (still fully charged battery, took many goes to start, then… Read more

would not turn off without pulling the battery out. Checked everything, handles extended, charged the battery again, dead man's key was in, etc. Still would not start. E-mailed Ryobi Customer Care, no response to date. Took it straight back to Bunnings where the staff member rolled his eyes and said, "i know what the issue is, even before you tell me" Apparently the, cheap, plastic sensor within the extendable handles is an issue, well known by Ryobi, but they take a punt and hope it's only one in 10 that fails. Bunnings took the mower back, no issue advised me to buy another brand, and i'll happily move on to a company that actually works with their customers, not ignores them. Keep your Receipt!!!

Love it , I don’t dread mowing now – Bought this a few months back , was sceptical however ive used it aprox 8 times now and i’m very impressed so far. I have aprox 132 m2 lawn and i get two complete mows on long grass ( buffalo) from the battery , makes mowing a breeze especialy as i had been using a hand push mower before! Best part for me is its light and with the built in… Read more

handle i can easily carry it pass the narrow opening past my rain tank down the side fence to get it to the back yard ( as i used to struggle with a heavy petrol mower over the pepples before) now i can easily carry it all the way

Lawn looks so much better now too having a even uniform cut

My front yard has a bit of a slope in it which i was concerned about how it would cope (aprox 20 degrees ) it had no problem with it

Also ive had no problems at all with the Catcher as it works fine for me ( aprox 2.5 empties ) , as apposed to what some other reviewers have experienced.

Seemed to handle Wet long grass ok too

Very Happy to Recommend this mower

A masochist's dream mower – I just completed my latest 18-hour mow of my humble 200m2 yard. I cannot tell you how happy I am with this masochist masterpiece of engineering. The masters at Ryobi have out done themselves this time. They have created a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing weapon of mass terror which will seek to ruin all happiness you may have left inside you,… Read more

at every turn.

I cannot tell you just how happy I am that I am able to so easily relieve myself of around $300 every quarter for a new 36v battery. This is a far more efficient and economical way of throwing away money than the average un-inducted joe would seek to do the same through the ownership of his manly 2 stroke mower.

Using this mower, you can expect elating experiences of running over your own catcher, as Ryobi has used space age technology in their appliance that until now, NASA and Space X only had access to and underutilized on menial tasks like jettisoning depleted fuel tanks. Words cannot express just how exciting it is to have this feature set to random, and that at any moment the mower may eject the catcher and spray cuttings everywhere.

To take things to the next level I love being able to use my companion 36v blower to blow my lawn after mowing. What a fool I was in the past to never think of such a joyous activity.

Ryobi has also very cleverly baked in regular rest breaks into their technology, as they know how hot and unsafe the Australian sun can be. So thankfully they have designed their batteries to only last around 5 to 10 minutes, and to ensure you take a full break to drink cordial and eat your oranges before going back out onto the field, they ensure the batteries overheat and cannot be charged for 20 minutes after they run out by under spec-ing the batteries and ensuring that they reach maximum thermal inefficiency within seconds of operation.

Ryobi also took great care to ensure that even the driest and unwatered grass will ensure maximum clogging in the blades. Coupled with their patented under powered battery design, you can also bet the farm that the mower will stall under the most humble of lawn conditions.

Are you the kind of person who loves to mow in the dark? Ryobi has you covered here too. As the mower comes equipped with high power LED headlights that are hardwired to be always on and stay on even when you are not using it. Now not only can your neighbours hear your powerful masculine mowing technique after hours, but you can also blind them with high beams. Are you a day mowing peasant? Not to worry! Ryobi will not let you miss out here either. They ensured to not spend any money on a $0.0003 photoresistor and some clear plastic so that you do not miss out on their high beam battery draining search lights.

Finally, if the headlights and the underspec'd battery design just do not tick your desired inefficiency boxes, Ryobi at great expense to you (the consumer) included a separate motor and driveshaft that can self-propel your mower as you mow by way of the same 30 button finger twisting combos you learned playing Mortal Kombat as a child.

This mower is the wet dream for those of you with too much cash and not enough self-hate and punishment in your lives. I highly recommend it to anyone with a lawn, particularly if you have synthetic grass and just want to "be a part of something great".

Wonderful mower, but then – I've been using this mower since the start of 2019 and it has been fantastic. So light and easy and the quality of cut is equal to petrol counterparts. I have a pretty small yard and find that I can mow the front and back including nature strip up to 3 times before I need to charge. Paired with a battery powered whipper snipper it makes a very… Read more

convenient lawn care system. When I bought it I was a little apprehensive about the plastic body but so far it has held up ok and it does make it pleasantly lightweight.

Last weekend a stone ripped a hole about the size of a 20 cent coin right through the body where the blades are so the mower can no longer safely be used. Not a crack, not a bend but a full-on hole.

I contacted Ryobi and the response was simply the part number for the plastic body and that this can be specially ordered at the bunnings service desk. No indication of price, No information as to whether this is a major repair or something easy, No further investigation, nothing.

I would have thought that a key design element of a lawnmower would be resistance to occasional stones. I have a small residential yard and do not ask a lot of the mower. A very disappointing response. Since buying the mower I have also bought a full suite of ryobi garden tools and spare battries etc. but will definitely not buy more.

There was a similarly priced Victa available with a metal body but I decided on the Ryobi based on the range of other compatible tools. I now know this was a mistake and I should have gone with the metal bodied Victa.

UPDATE: After weeks of trying to get some support from Ryobi I have given up and returned the mower to Bunnings who were incredibly helpful. Swapped to a Victa and it is fantastic.

My first battery mower and I love it – Did a fair bit of research before investing $600 into this bad boy. I went with this for a few reasons: -I’m sick of petrol mowers (I do know how to do minor repairs to carbs and basic maintenance) -I only have about 220m2 of lawn which is a mix of cooch and kikuyu. -battery has a 3 year warranty, and even if it dies out of that warranty, I’d be… Read more

happy to pay $299 for a new battery after 3 years of use. -this is a single 36v battery, not two 18v (high discharge on 2 seperate batteries can cause problems in the long term)

So I went and grabbed one from Bunnings. As expected it was quick to set up, starts easily, is nice and quiet and great for my kids to use with my supervision. After mowing the front and the back it only used 1/4 of the battery. The catcher works better than my old petrol mower (though that one was a cheapie)

Overall I’m very happy with the way it performs and am comfortable that if anything breaks I have a decent warranty on it.