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Kress Commercial 60V 21 Inch Self-Propelled Lawn Mower KC710.9

Kress 60V 21" Self Propelled Mower

5/5

Manufacturer: Kress
Model number: KC710.9
Price: $799.00
Power source: 60V Li-Ion
Weight: 77 lbs

At the 2022 International Equip Exposition in Louisville KY Kress revealed a robust line-up of commercial outdoor power equipment that promised to change the professional landscaper approach to lawn care. Kress, a long established and well respected tool brand from Germany has now released these new products in the US and we’ve been using them the last several months to get a feel for their offering and more importantly their performance. In this review we are taking a look at their 21″ Self-Propelled 60V Mower.

Features / Specifications

• Brushless Motor
• Voltage: 60 Volts
• Cutting Deck: Reinforced Steel
• Cutting Speed: 2800/3300 rpm
• Cutting Width: 20-5/64 in
• Grass Bag Volume: 2.5 bushels
• Water Protection: IPX4
• Weight: 77 lbs
• Built-in LED Control Panel
• 2-point Height Adjustment
• Deck wear plate & front bumper guard
• Improved air flow deck design & Versatile cutting blades
• Powerful 7 lb-ft of torque provides the force needed for professional cut quality under severe working conditions.
• Variable self-propelled speed, up to 4mph, allows professional landscapers to match cutting speed to cutting conditions for optimal efficiency.
• The heavy-duty differential drive transmission provides exceptional durability while the auto-clutch allows for easy transition from self-propelled operation to push operation.

Build Quality

The very first thing that was noticeable about the Kress mower was it’s weight and sturdy build. The deck on this mower reminds me of old school push mowers that were built to last forever. It has a reinforced steel deck that’s thicker and more robust than many riding mowers have.

The wheels are robust and also heavy duty and provide easy maneuverability. The mower’s 2-point height adjustment is very easy to use and intuitive.

The steel handlebars are also robust and offer several adjustments to provide the most comfort for different user heights and mowing styles. It’s clear from the moment this mower was assembled that it’s been designed for serious commercial use and longevity. I’ve personally reviewed dozens of cordless mowers over the years and not a single mower has been built like this, not even close! For some the 77 lb weight might seem excessive but this machine is built to work.

This mower is also rated with IPX4 waterproofing so the mower can be washed and used in wet weather conditions.

Controls

The controls on the Kress 60V 21″ self-propelled mower are simple and straight forward. The LED control panel provides users with information on the battery levels and blade speed. To use the mower you first push the on/off red button on the lower right, the larger red start button on the lower left starts the blades. The lower black grab bar must be engaged for the mower blades to engage. The upper red grab bar engages the self-propelled wheels. The speed of the wheels is controlled with a lever to the right of the run/walk graphic on the control panel. I found the controls easy to use and well placed.

Battery Options and Charging

The 60V Kress mower can operate on both of their battery configurations of 4 Ah and 11 Ah. I tested this mower with both batteries and found no difference in performance other than run-time and weight. For me the weight doesn’t really matter because of the powerful self-propelled design this mower offers. The top of the mower lifts up allowing a single battery to be installed (either 4 or 11 Ah packs).

The heart of these new Kress Commercial OPE are their 8-Minute CybeSystem batteries. For the serious commercial landscaper they can purchase the CyberTank DC-DC charger. The CyberTank is essential a very large battery, 5040 Wh or 7200 Wh depending on model, that can quickly charge the the smaller 4.0Ah or 11.0Ah multiple times throughout the day. The DC-DC charging is extrememly efficient and fast as the energy requires no conversion and a large amount of power can be transfered from one battery to another quickly. The CyberTank gets charged typically overnight from an AC power source that takes 4-6 hours. This can easily be mounted on a trailer allowing the batteries to be quickly charged in the time it takes to drive to the next jobsite.

Kress also has an AC-DC charging solution with their KAC840 Kress Commercial 30A AC Charger. We tested this unit along with our battery and blower. While the AC charger is not as fast as the 8-minute DC-DC charge, the KAC840 is still able to charge the 11Ah CyberPack battery in under 25 minutes and the 4.0Ah battery in 12.0 Minutes. This is still unbelievably fast compared to other industry leaders.

Performance -Not A Homeowner Cordless Mower!

The million dollar question for these mowers is are they really a commercial grade mower that can replace a gas mower on a landscaping crew? The answer is absolutely! While these mowers are certainly a much larger upfront investment the savings in fuel, maintenance and the added benefits of no fuel storage, no fumes, and less noise make this a very attractive platform to invest in.

I tested this mower in both the mulching mode and bagging mode and it provided the same or better performance that I expect from quality gas mowers. This is a result of DC motors powering the cutting blade which we’ve come to appreciate with the larger cordless mowers. Tall wet grass is no problem for this mower and it churns through it like a walk in the park!

The self-propelled wheels on this mower will literally tow you around the yard and likely pull a small car uphill. It’s hard to quantify the power of this mower in an effective way, but I’d put it up against any gas powered mower under any testing situation.

The steel deck has been specifically designed to increase suction for the bagging option. With 4 different blade options and an optimized deck geometry Kress has created a mower with exceptional grass collection. Combined with a 2.5 bushel bag users can run longer without emptying the bag.

Run-Time

I didn’t do any run-time testing on this beast. The reality is I did a TON of mowing with the 4 Ah pack and never killed it. I did even more with the 11 Ah pack and it didn’t even move off the fully charged icon. Kress is using a new cell type that doesn’t have the heat issues of 18650 and 21700 lithium-ion cells. Because of this they can charge batteries MUCH faster, they can draw more amps without overheating the tool, and ultimately deliver more power at higher rates than the market standard cells. This is VERY obvious from how this mower performed in the field.

Why didn’t I test run-time? It’s a great question and typically that would be a big issue in a cordless tool review. But the reality is that you can mow with this mower and fully charge in 8 minutes! Think about that, an 11 Ah pack charged in 8 minutes, which is likely less time than it takes to drive to the next job! At that point it’s no different that gassing up  your mower between jobs. As tool companies solve the heat issue with batteries and find ways to fully charge them in minutes, the argument of time lost diminishes and cordless tools become a very attractive solution for every industry.

Obviously another consideration is longevity of the batteries. We’ve seen this with many different brands and it’s a real question. For this review we can’t possibly report any information on the longevity of these battery packs. However, from what I’m seeing in the Kress lineup I have a feeling these are very robust packs that will last through many cycles. Rapid charging is typically not great for the long term health of a battery. Despite this, Kress guarantees 3000 life cycles (charge and discharge) on the CyberPack batteries.

These batteries come with a 6 year (commercial use) warranty or 3,000 cycles warranty which is really quite impressive. 3,000 cycles. If you charge that battery once a day, 5 days a week, that’s nearly 23 years!! Obviously they are very sure of this battery platform and stand by it!

Cost

Obviously commercial outdoor power equipment is typically expensive and an investment. This new line of Kress equipment is certainly an investment but the long term savings in fuel and maintenance can’t be overlooked. If you’re a professional landscaper there will be some overlap with chargers and batteries. I’m not including the CyberTank Portable Power Station as we’ll have another article focusing on that. Here are the listed prices on what we tested for this stand alone mower.

• Mower – KC710.9 – $799.99
• KAC840 Dual Port Charger – $779.99
• KAC810 11 Ah CyberPack Battery – $1,399.99

As a stand alone setup you’d be looking at roughly a $3,000 investment. With the current pricing of fuel this certainly isn’t a terrible proposition along with the warranty that comes with the mower and battery.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been reviewing power tools long enough to remember a few huge transitions in our industry. Kress has unlocked a major transition in OPE with this 60V lineup that is sure to revolutionize this industry. This is the real deal and something that will certainly disrupt this sector. Landscapers and professional lawn-care companies, especially ones working in areas that cannot use gasoline powered engines should take this new product seriously. When you combine really good quality with superior engineering you’ve got a winner. Kress has hit a home-run!

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