One of the newest battery-powered mowers to hit the scene for homeowners is the Skil PWRCore 40 Smart Caddy lawn mower. It’s uniquely designed to deal with several pain points, so I jumped on a call with members of the team who brought it to life. I’ll share what I learned and help you decide if it’s the right upgrade for your lawn care needs this spring.
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Best Battery-Powered Lawn Mowers
Making Mowing More Convenient
Quite literally front and center on this mower is what Skil calls the Smart Caddy. Essentially, it’s an onboard bucket. It sounds simple, but it’s a significant upgrade.
Its primary purpose is to give you a storage space for all the things you normally have to pick up before you mow: sticks, balls, litter, and more. Instead of walking the entire lawn ahead of time, you can just start mowing and collect as you go, but without having to make multiple trips to the garage or trash can. It can be a big time-saver.
If you look closely near the back of the mower, you’ll notice a curious round cutout. Dog owners, this one’s for you! It’s specifically designed to hold dog waste bags, so you can easily pick up the waste, tie it off, toss it in the Smart Caddy, and keep mowing.
When it’s time to empty the Smart Caddy, it easily lifts off the mower.
You can also use the Smart Caddy to haul other things you need. If you have a large yard, you might put an extra battery in there. You can toss a pair of gloves and pruners in, and use the Smart Caddy to collect the clippings. You can even set your blower in with the lid off if it’s helpful.
Speaking of the lid, I like that it snaps into place. Its connection keeps rain from getting inside if it starts to drizzle while you mow, and it’s secure enough that it won’t pop off if your lawn is on the bumpy side.
The bucket itself also snaps into place. This ensures that you don’t have to remove it if you store the mower vertically, which makes it that much more convenient.
Skil PWRCore 40 Smart Caddy Mower Performance
Cutting Power
Skil’s 40V brushless motor produces 3.2 ft-lbs of torque for this mower. If you’re coming from the world of gas, that’s on the entry-level side in the 120cc – 130cc engine class.
For many grass species, that’s all the power you need, provided you stay on top of your mowing. While there is a Turbo mode, you’ll chew through your battery much more quickly if you go more than a week between cuts.
I live in central Florida, and my lawn is St. Augustine. Not only is it a thick species that likes to be cut higher than most, but it also grows alarmingly fast at its peak. Some sections can get 3 – 4 inches of growth in a week. For that kind of lawn, this mower would struggle to keep up. If that sounds like your lawn, I’d recommend considering EGO’s 56V line and its more powerful mowers.
Cut Quality
One of the really nice things about this mower is how lightweight it is—just 46.2 pounds without the battery. But being too light can actually work against you when it comes to cut quality. If the mower tips back too easily going up slopes or with your hands on the bars, the blade won’t engage the grass as effectively. Mulching, bagging, or discharge can be negatively affected as well.
Since the Smart Caddy takes up the middle of the mower, Skil used it as an opportunity to shift the battery to the front of the mower. This seemingly simple change of shifting a few pounds moves the center of gravity forward enough to eliminate accidental tipping.
Runtime
Runtime is dependent on a number of variables: the grass species and height, how dry the lawn is, how hot the day is, and more. However, in ideal conditions, you can expect around 60 minutes of runtime for the self-propelled mower and 70 minutes of runtime for the push mower.
That’s based on the 7.5Ah battery that comes with those mowers. If you use a smaller battery, you’ll get less, of course. But you can always put a second battery in the Smart Caddy so you don’t have to go back to the garage for a swap.
Additional Highlights
- 3-in-1 Design: Mulch, bag, or discharge your grass clippings
- Single-lever Deck Adjust: Easily set the deck height from 1.5 to 4.0 inches in any of 7 positions
- Push-button Start: Simple, quick starting with no bending down or pulling a cord
- Optional Self-propelled Drive: Set your walking speed between 0.9 and 3.1 MPH
- Vertical Storage: Fold the handle forward and tilt the mower to a vertical position for a smaller storage footprint
- PWRCore 40 Compatibility: Batteries work with any Skil PWRCore 40 lawn care and lifestyle products
Should You Buy It?
Skil’s PWRCore 40 Smart Caddy lawn mowers are a great fit for people who want to save time and reduce their effort when they’re mowing. I like this one for lawns that sit on 1/3 of an acre or less with grass species that aren’t too fast-growing.
If your lawn is larger or has a thick, fast-growing grass like the St. Augustine I have, I’d suggest you step up in power and deck size as well.
If your lawn is the right fit, it’s not only the features that make the Smart Caddy mower attractive, but also the price. The self-propelled kit is just $374.00 with a 7.5Ah battery. You can also get it for $449.99 with a 6.0Ah and 4.0Ah battery, which gives you 33% more runtime.
If a push mower is more your style, you can get that version for $288.00 with the 7.5Ah pack or $349.99 with the 6.0Ah/4.0Ah combo.
Either way, those are compelling prices for a quality battery-powered lawn mower backed by a 5-year warranty.
