STIHL 36V Cordless Lawn Mower Review
STIHL RMA 510 V Cordless Lawn Mower
If you have a fast-paced walk as I do then this mower is for you. STIHL’s RMA 510 V self-propelled, a cordless lawn mower is easy to use and offers variable speed control that can be adjusted to any suburban homeowner. And what’s better is that it works on STIHL’s AP battery platform.
STIHL Cordless Lawn Mower Features
- Model: RMA 510 V
- Cutting Width: 20″
- Cutting Height: 1″- 3.9″ (7 spring assisted)
- Grass Catcher Capacity: 19.8 Gallons
- Deck Material: Steel
- Battery: AP Series 36V 6AH
- On Board 2nd battery storage
- Weight of Mower: 66.1 lbs
- Weight of Mower with Battery: 69.9 lbs
- Mower Blade Speed: 3200 rpm & ECO mode 2800 rpm
- Self Propel Speed: 0.6 mph to 2.8 mph
- Handlebars offer 3 different height positions
- Storage Options: 3 stowed position
- Safety feature: Removable locking key
- Noise level: 87.6 db
First Impression
The new STIHL cordless lawn mower offers a sleek and attractive appearance. During my first use with this mower, I was completely impressed by the speed and how fast you can cut on just a single 36v battery. Another feature I like is that there is onboard storage for the second backup battery.
It’s very user friendly. To start it up you set your deck and handlebar height, then push the start button, squeeze the bottom power bar and begin cutting your lawn. Adjust the speed if you need to. So simple and quiet!
STIHL RMA 510 V Run-time Test
The RMA 510V ran for a constant 28 minutes before having to swap out the battery. The total square footage that was mowed with the 2 AP 300 STIHL battery was 12,090 sf. We can also translate that into miles traveled and that would be 1.3 miles.
The grass conditions for our Head to Head Best Cordless Lawn Mower were dry and recently cut the week before to maintain consistent height. It was an open field area. The speed and strong power coming from this cordless 36 V lawnmower was very impressive.
This mower set in normal running is quiet enough to make grass cutting enjoyable. You can also have the mower drive-in self propel mode without engaging the blade. This is a feature that I truly like and use. This lawnmower handles similarly to my old gas job and offers a steel deck! Not all of the new cordless mowers do.
RMA 510 V Adjustment Levers
Remember when you would struggle with adjusting the height of each wheel with your old mower? Well if you didn’t, lucky you! I absolutely dreaded having to adjust the heights on my old gas mower.
Now, it’s one lever to adjust all four wheels at once and it’s like a dream to adjust the deck height on the RMA 510 V. Collapsing the handle will take you a couple of minutes if you have to store it or transport it in a collapsed fashion. Just adjust/pull all 4 knobs and it’s in a compact form.
Suggested Improvements
The only thing that I am not a fan of is the placement of the lower metal power lever. The placement of this power lever is uncomfortable when you grip it to the foam bar. It feels like it almost doesn’t line up right. The upper bar/engage self propel lever with foam handle work well together, but the lower one not so much.
Another small issue I found was after using the self propel it takes a few seconds to disengage from that mode. If you disengage the self propel mode and want to pull the lawnmower backward, the wheels need to be pushed forward then pulled back to go into freewheel mode. Not a deal-breaker but another step during use.
STIHL Manufacturing
When you buy STIHL you’re buying American built tools. They have a state-of-the-art facility in Virginia Beach that manufactures millions of finished products every year and exports them to more than 90 countries around the world. Made by STIHL is a brand promise – no matter the location of production. So STIHL and China have been a very successful combination for many years. Since 2006, their plant in Qingdao has been proving that tried-and-tested STIHL quality can also come from China.
Final Thoughts
STIHL has made a good cordless lawn mower with the option to expand from this AP battery platform into their other cordless OPE. If you’re in the market for a cordless lawnmower with the thought of expanding into other outdoor power equipment then I would recommend giving STIHL a look. See what they have to offer your property at STIHLusa.com. It just makes sense.
About the author
Michael Hopp
Michael Hopp is a registered contractor in the State of Rhode Island. He has been registered for the last 16 years specializing in interior and exterior remodeling, doors and windows.Mike began practicing his trade 25 years ago at William M. Davies Career and Technical High School in carpentry shop. This gave him the opportunity to become an apprentice at Brodeur Window Distributors. Mike continued working at the company for 10 years. During this time he was in charge of the specialty door shop and assisted on service calls.For the last 16 years, Mike has been working as a general contractor in Rhode Island with his company MJH Construction LLC. Even though his background is in doors and windows, his passion is for remodel work.
11 Comments
Leave a comment
Disclosure
Product reviews on this site contain our opinion of a product or service. We will always strive for objectivity and transparency in our reviews. Our goal is to provide readers with honest, objective information based on our own experiences. We never have and never will accept payment in exchange for a positive review. Many of the products that we review are provided to us for free by a manufacturer or retailer. In some cases, we also have advertising or affiliate relationships with manufacturers and retailers of products and services we review. For additional information please visit our additional disclosure policies.
Great mower…but I have an issue. In drive mode…left drive wheel clicks loudly whilst mowing & then locks up near the end of every mow (up to 1000/f of mowing on a not overlong normal home lawn). The back wheels then just spin on the lawn & if I try to push the mower forward in drive mode it then scours the lawn badly. My mower is a month old & is a Stihl RMA 510V. Any suggestions? Thanks…Bill (NSW Australia)
Bill – No clue…but STIHL has a great customer service reputation, I”d reach out to them. Good luck.
I am in the market for a cordless lawn mower.
The labor cost to keep my gas mower is ridicules.
Once a year it goes to the mower store because it won’t start.
Note (I do run the gas out of it ever year)
Minimum charge $100 includes a new blade.
When I read the is a mechanical defect exists
On a STIHL product it just forces me not to buy one
If they offered a 5 year warranty and free pick up
I would buy one beachside I can no longer safely
Pick it up to bring it back
Where can I buy a Stihl cordless lawnmower in Queensland, Australia?
Not sure, they are typically only sold at an authorized dealer.
What is being featured in the 2nd photo above? Without a caption one cannot tell what the tiny thing being held is.
It’s the key ….clips in next to the battery
I’ve had mine for 6 months. It’s been in the shop for over 2 weeks and no idea when I’ll get it back. The problem is that when I put the battery the blade turns on. Only way to stop it is by removing the battery. It’s bad enough that it’s difficult to clean. Very time consuming. Also, limited tools available that use this size battery.
I’m in Alabama and it’s for sale when I get it back. I’ll buy a Ryobi.
I hva==ave had this mower for on or about four months now and it has performed meeting all expectations. However, there is one design flaw that should be looked at. The drive control bar as located is not only uncomfortable, but it has actually cause pain in the base of my thumbs. After use for four months, I seriously believe I have damaged the nerves in both thumbs. In order to keep using the mower I must wear gloves when mowing to reduce the pain. I now even experience pain in the nerves of my thumbs when performing unrelated tasks.
I strongly suggest going back to the drawing board to address this issue.
Other than that one issue, I am thoroughly satisfied with the performance of this mower. It’s easy to use with a properly placed speed controller making maneuverability around trees and shrubs manageable. It cuts well on the level and on the inclined. I di need to buy a second battery but the change-out is simple and quick.
I recommend this product but also suggest buy a good pair of compression glove to use while cutting grass. I would hate to see others get permanent nerve damage on my recommendation.
I am only getting about 15 minutes out of the battery. What am I doing wrong?
Either the battery is bad or you’re cutting really wet, thick grass. I’d speak with a local STIHL rep.