Ryobi OLM1840BL

Awesome mower for its price does need at least two 5amp batteries to mow a decent size lawn have seen some posts with people having a problem with mower that stops working and only flashing a red light I had the same thing happened to me but I found a way to fix it just tip the mower on its side and spin the blade by hand seems to reset something and works perfectly again haven't had a problem since I hope this helps other people Show details

Disappointed. 2nd mower in 3 yrs – 2nd time round and still a no go. I bought this 2 1/2 yrs ago and then it would cut out after 5 minutes so I ended up getting a replacement under warranty. Well 5 months later the new mower just would not turn on. New batteries ( very expensive) and fully charged but nothing and a burnt smell coming from the handle starter button and grips…. I… Read more

wanted the ease of usage and do my little bit for the environment but I got my refund again and bought the old and trusted Victa 4 stroke… All my tools are Ryobi including the 18v trimmer with zero issues but it seems the Lawnmower range have a lot off issues..

Easy to use but best for manicured lawns – I chose this model because of the dual battery capacity and larger size to handle a larger amount of lawn as I have quite a large back yard. I purchased 2 x 6Ah HP batteries at the same time. At the time of this review I have been using this product for about 6 months. Compared to my old Victa Vantage petrol mower it's nice and light (without… Read more

being too lightweight) and also a lot less noisy. The Ryobi is easy to maneuver and I really like how it doesn't bulge out more to one side like most petrol mowers tend to, which means edges are easier to mow whichever direction you're going in.

Generally I use the mulcher attachment, I haven't tried using the catcher at all so can't comment. With my couch grass I find that I generally need to use the lowest blade height setting which is adequate, but it would be good if the heigh setting increments were smaller between each of the heights as the next setting up can be too high.

Overall I find this lawnmower very easy to use, it performs really well on dry grass that isn't overgrown. I have found that it does struggle in the winter when the grass may still be wet and especially if there are a lot of juicy weeds. The mower seems to often kind of block up around the blades and stop which means flipping it on it's side and clearing the grass out. In such cases it's probably best to use a higher blade setting.

The variable power function seems to work well, it kicks in through thicker / wetter grass patches and backs off on the easy parts. The 2 x 6Ah batteries are adequate for my back yard (approx 60m2 I'm guessing) with usually a bar of charge still left in each, I usually run both as I think it provides more power compared to just using one, I do think I could pretty much get the whole lawn done on just one battery especially in summer when it's dry.

After mowing generally the batteries need to sit for a while to cool down before charging.

I think for larger and thicker lawns this mower might struggle at times. For well manicured and maintained lawns it's pretty perfect and certainly a lot nicer to use compared to a petrol mower.

One tip is to make sure the safety key between the batteries is in properly, if it's not you might find the mower stopping regularly while mowing.

Overall I'm pretty happy, it does the job I need it to do.

Great mower with limitations – I found the Ryobi mower a great mower but not for big yards or long grass, for a normal well kept lawn it works fantastic, but when your doing a bigger yard area and the grass is thicker or longer the mower struggles with power , my yard is large and I go through 4 fully charged batteries to mow it and it stops a lot in thick grass, the mower is… Read more

very light but set up very well with the option using two batteries at a time, I think if your looking for a great mower for a small yard with well kept grass then it’s perfect. Would recommend

Good easy to use mower – I've enjoyed using this mower compared to previous petrol 2 stroke. Whilst not as powerful (there is a 36v version), I went with the 18v version to keep battery compatibility with other 18v tools. Nice that you simply insert the battery and away you go. No messing around with petrol and oils. Happy with the cutting height levels. I use 2 batteries… Read more

- 5amp + 4amp. Ideally 6amp would be great for my lawn area - guessing 200-300sqm. If lawn isn't long I can generally do edging and mowing with these 2 batteries on full charge.

As it is made of mostly plastic, need to be careful around edges/rocks to not bump too hard. Only thing to note is the mower stopped working 12 months after purchase - wouldn't power up. Bunnings replaced with no issues so happy with the outcome. Will be concerned if this happens again, but there is a 6 year warranty.

Light, easy to use and suitable battery performance – Only 2 full lawn cuts so far. Both batteries used the first time easily lasted the approx 180 sqm. Mowed after rain the second time using only one battery and managed the smaller front lawn about 80 sqm only. Its much easier to operate than my 30 yr old 4 stroke, first time start, no petrol issues, etc. No concerns as others have mentioned about the catcher. $438 from Bunnings Gladesville NSW Show details

Mows OK, weakness is battery life – Purchased today with 6Ah battery, and this was written up after the first mow. I added a second 5Ah battery to the mower that I already had. My lawn is partly a Sir Walter invasion from a neighbour’s lawn, mainly Blue couch, and then some patches of Buffalo grass. This mower is definitely lighter that my 20-year-old Rover Briggs-Stratton. … Read more

A little disconcerting to push as it feels like it is sliding across the top of the grass. No problems cutting 50mm high Sir Walter. However, it struggled with the thick (and still slightly damp) Blue couch when trying to remove about 20-50mm. It cut the lawn OK, but the red warning light came on a few times and the engine stopped twice. That said, it left far fewer grass clippings behind than the old Rover.

For my first mow, the cutting time was 25 minutes (including emptying the catcher). I collected just under ½ a green waste wheelie bin, and the area cut was about 200m2. (Keeping in mind that was with both a 6Ah and a 5Ah battery). I ran the mower until it stopped.

On removal, both batteries were very warm, but still OK to hold. The concerning part was that the new charger for the new 6Ah battery indicated a battery fault when placed back on the charger. I gave the battery a few hours to cool off, and fortunately, this time it took a charge. The 5Ah still had a little bit of charge and it started charging immediately.

As an experiment, I put a 2.5Ah and 1.5Ah battery in the mower. It barely did another 10m2 before quitting. What was interesting was that when the 2.5Ah was placed on the charger, it too refused to take a charge (charger showed a fault). Again, I let the 2.5Ah rest, and after awhile it decided to take a charge. It will be interesting to see how the battery life holds up over time. Particularly if the mower is running the battery down so hard that it refuses to take a charge. I think the lesson is that as soon as the red charge light comes on, stop and replace the batteries.

I am still yet to finish the first mow of my lawn. Maybe tomorrow.

So, the positives: Will cut through reasonably thick grass. Seem to do an OK job picking up grass clippings. However, it does stall in spots that don’t trouble a petrol engine.

The biggest negative is that it ran two batteries down so hard that both refused to take a charge and had to be rested. Battery limitations sort of makes mowing an effort spread over two days.

No sure if it will become my main mower. However, I will won’t be disposing of my petrol mower just yet.

Very Distressing - trying to help with the environment - back to petrol for me – I am on my second mower and neither has completed a full mow of my small suburban block. Half way through it just stops. We pack up for the day, put the two batteries back on the charger clean up the unit and wait to try again the next day. Next day, the mower starts but as soon as you move off in a forward direction (no mater the surface) the… Read more

engine stops. I’m fed up, I will be asking for my money back so I can buy a petrol mower….. My one star is for great customer service - exchanging without question.

Pretty good – I found the unit pretty good as a lawn mower it cut the lawn nice and had no issue with cutting my longer lawn than it was usually. I did have two issues first was that the grass was sticking in the cute and under the mower rather than going into the catcher. The other big issue was that the blade does not come up the front far enough and when the… Read more

mower pushes against like a wall the grass that is cut sits about 100mm from the wall, so very difficult if that's as close as you can get with the mower in a corner. Means you need to use the whipper snipper.

Great for small lawn areas – I purchased in September 2020 as a second mower to a ride on to use around our pool area. It has more bad points than good unfortunately. I have found the mower really weak when running on only the 6AH battery and just stalls all the time. Two batteries are the only way to effectively use the mower and I would recommend big ones as the charge… Read more

doesn't last long - I get 150m2 of lawn done with a 6Ah and 5Ah battery combo. Tried mowing a large bit of lawn today as pulley broke on ride on but the thing overheated at about 250m2 of lawn mowed.

The mower is a good idea but just isn't quite good enough to replace a petrol one due to limitations. I was keen to buy an electric ride on and say goodbye to petrol for good, but not after my experience with this mower.

Update 4/1/24.Have upgraded batteries to 2x6Ah which work really well now - plenty of grunt and gets good range. Have upgraded to 3stars.

Update 3/11/25. I've got some 8Ah batteries (non genuine) for it and it goes unreal. Goes better than new!

Best 18v ONE+ Option to start with – We have a small to medium area of grass at our home. I had previously owned the single battery 18v One+ 14" bushed lawnmower (OLM1836H). Which was OK but tended to struggle with long grass and often would keen stopping and needed restarting on low grass areas, it needed two batteries (one replacing the other when it ran out), to do our whole lawn… Read more

(5Ah & 4Ah) even with its weak performance. This new model (OLM1840BL with no included batteries) with its two simultaneous battery operations and a brushless engine is a significant improvement and can deal easily with long grass, including damp, and mows all the lawn with the above two batteries installed. The two batteries effectively books the mower to way more that 18V and it also extends mowing time. The cut seems better as well but might be more the new blade, three perfect cuts so far well recommended.

Great, but only for small, dry lawns and it has flaws – I've been using this lawn mower for 11 months and it's a nice light mower, which is easy to start. The problem would be if you have a need to mow lawns that are frequently wet due to climate. If so, this mower will struggle to get through a standard size lawn, as it will deplete the batteries in no time and struggles to cut effectively. Another… Read more

problem is a feature called "Easy Edge" which is designed to allow you to move up closer to garden beds and retaining walls, which actually hinders mowing unfortunately. Its comb like, forward facing edges actually push and digs into the grass, putting more force on forward motion. It's really a flaw and just marketing gimmick, nonsense in my view. Cutting grass very short can also be a problem and I'm on the second lowest setting and it struggles with power to cut, let alone, to push forward due most of all to the poor "Easy Edge" winglets I mentioned. Recommended only for very flat and small lawns for example a Town House and or duplex garden.

Great mower – I have a few Ryoby 18v tools so there is a strong case for purchasing this mower. Was a bit worry about the low voltage but it does have enough power to cut through thick grass. You don't need 2 large battery, I found the second battery only required when the motor need more power. By using the 5Amp as primary and 2Amp as secondary, I can finish… Read more

my large lawn using half of the primary and a quarter of secondary.

It is narrower than average petrol mower so u will have to walk more, but it is light and easy to maneuver, even my wife can do it now on a slope section.

Because it is so quiet I can do it in early morning while it still nice and cool (put up with a bit of wet grass). The catcher will catch every bit of grass so I have to empty it regularly otherwise it will require more torque and drain the battery faster.

But since having the battery mower, I enjoy mowing, doing it every 2 weeks and I don't need to use the catcher. By using the mulch plug it grind the grass to little pieces, unlike the petrol mower I used in the past it leave so much grass on the lawn that I had to sweep with a rake.

Dual battery goodness – Ok - price included an extra 6Ah battery. I've had it a month and cut the lawn each week 500m2 mottled lawn, took 3 complete mows to get dual 6Ah batteries down to 15%. Noticed the change in RPM from light cutting to throttling up when powering through the shin-high dense grass on the first cut (~50m2 area). Lots of spare torque, only used when… Read more

needed keeps things quiet.

Pro: * Dual battery for run time and more torque, powered through our large backyard which had long grass. * Battery fits One+ charger (surprising that it was not advertised) * Easy handle fold for storage * 6y warranty

Con: * LED indicator on mower only shows Full or <15%. Workaround: 6Ah batteries "check charge" button.

Features: * Dual battery (can take 2x 9Ah) - I bought an extra 6Ah battery to match the included 6Ah. * 18V brushless motor (650W) * 40cm cut-width with 50L catcher

Updated 25/10/20 - added battery LED minor con. Updated 5/2/21 - added note on "check charge" Updated 14/12/24 - still going strong and no issues, my son says it's a great mower.