With the rapid improvement in battery and electric motor technology, the cordless lawn mower category is quickly filling up with top quality products, and our testing of the GreenWorks G-Max mower has really awoken us as to just how good a cordless mower can be.
Not all that long a ago battery powered lawn mowers were nothing more than a gimmick, but with the latest jumps forward in lawn mower battery technology they really are now a serious contender if you are in the market for a new lawn mower.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. All opinions are our own we pride ourselves on keeping our articles fair and balanced. For more info see our disclosure statement.
Read on to learn more about why we think you should seriously consider the GreenWorks G-Max cordless mower.
See our review summary here or continue reading the entire post for the in-depth review.
Greenworks 25302 G-MAX 40v Review
Greenworks G-Max Batteries
One of the most frustrating things about battery lawn mowers is that they just always seem to run out of battery too quickly.
Well the Greenworks G-MAX 40V electric mower has found away around this frustration, and it really is such a simple solution.
Greenworks have been able to offer up to 70 minutes of run time  out of the G-Max 40v by using two batteries – at the same time!
It features a state of the art battery switching system, so that when one goes dead it automatically switches over the charged battery and you can keep mowing.
The batteries are of the Lithium-Ion type which means that you don’t have to worry about them building up a memory and losing their charge capacity.
There is one thing about the batteries that may be confusing to some people, the two included batteries are different. They both fit the Greenworks G-MAX mower, but they are different capacities. One is 2 Ah and the other is 4Ah. I’m not really sure why they did it this way, I guess it was a way to get the run time up to 70 minutes but keeping costs down.
Our only complaint when dealing with the battery system, is that the included charger only fits one battery at a time. This can be a bit frustrating if you do have a larger lawn to mow and you need to wait for two batteries to charge.
Battery specs got you confused? Check out our power tools battery guide.
Out Of The Box & Storage
If you are worried about there being too much assembly of Greenworks G-MAX 40v Electric Mower out of the box, then don’t. The setup is relatively painless and you can have it up and ready to go in about 5 minutes. Then you just need to charge the batteries of course!
The mower has a mulching plug that is pre-installed, you will need to remove this if you don’t want to use the mulching feature.
The procedure to store the mower is fairly simple, the handle folds up quickly and easily and it stores away nice and neat.
The manual does recommend that if you are storing it for any length of time, you charge the battery at least every 2 months.
Cutting Power
The Greenworks G-MAX 40V Mower uses a twin blade cutting system, which we found are a great feature.
We also thought the mulching functionality was top notch, even when mowing over sticks and other items that fall out of trees – the twin blades make short work of it. With just grass, there are no visible clippings left anyway on the lawn.
A 20 inch cutting deck saves you time (and your legs) as well. Because it is a little wider than most of the other electric mowers on the market, so mowing your lawns will require less passes.
The single height adjustment lever means it is super easy to adjust the cutting height of your mower in one action. There is no need to adjust each wheel individually.
Feature – Auto-Throttle
The Greenworks G-Max has a built in autothrottle, which automatically adjust power to the cutting blades so the mower is not working harder than it has to. This maximizes battery run time and will also likely lengthen the life of the electric mower due to it not running at full throttle all the time.
In theory, this is a great idea. However, we found that the autothrottle can be a little slow to react when you hit a thicker or longer patch of grass. This meant that the mower would struggle for a few seconds until the autothrottle kicked in and powered up the mower. It’s more of an annoyance than a real problem, but it should be mentioned.
Alternatives
If you don’t think the G25302 is for you, then check out these popular alternatives.
Upgrade Model
On Sale - Save $55.00
Greenworks 80V MO80L410 Mower
If you are after a bit more power, then the Greenworks 80V mower is probably what you want.
This is one seriously powerful lawn mower. You can read our Greenworks 80v Mower review here.
Check Amazon Price Info last updated 2023-09-23 at 08:32
Cheaper Option
SunJoe ION16LMCT Mower
If you are wanting something a bit cheaper, then the SunJoe cordless mower is a great alternative.
It does have a smaller cutting width, but it is still a great little mower.
Check Amazon Price Info last updated 2023-09-23 at 08:32
Greenworks G25302 – Should You Buy It?
The Greenworks 40V range of tools are great, and the G25302 is no exception to this. It has all the features you need and most of them work really well.
It is also priced very competitively and will give almost any competitor a run for their money. You won’t be disappointed with this lawn mower.
See if this mower made our best cordless mowers list here.
- CORDLESS 20” LAWN MOWER – Get more done, faster, with Greenworks electric lawn mowers. This 40V push mower provides the power you need with up to 45 minutes of run-time on a fully charged 4.0Ah and 2.0Ah battery.Brushless motor : No.No load speed : 6000 RPM
- LIGHTWEIGHT, EASY TO USE – a lightweight 20” cutting deck allows for easy maneuvering through small to medium yards (up to ½ acre) more efficiently
- TWIN BLADES - offer better cut quality, superior mulching, and bagging capabilities
- AUTO SWITCH / SMART CUT TECHNOLOGY – dual battery ports with auto switch allows for uninterrupted mowing. Smart cut technology adjusts for power or runtime based on the thickness of your grass
- MAINTENANCE FREE – This walk behind lawn mower is virtually maintenance free, with no gas, no oil, and no emissions. It starts instantly and is quiet, but delivers gas-like power for your toughest projects
So I’m someone who has this mower and have used it since May of 2014. I’ve bought multiple greenworks tools since.
This mower has been pretty good, however I’d now recommend the Ryobi brand. They’ve done a better job innovating new tools where greenworks has some obvious openings in their tool line like a 1200w inverter using multiple batteries.
This mower has done alright. The handle material failed first year but the quality of the part was basically a pool noodle. While a replacement was provided free it was easier to replace with pipe insulation.
The two batteries that came with the mower are another matter. The 2ah battery failed this year. I’ve seen YouTube videos stating this is frequently a fuse in the unit which I need to check. I have ordered a 5ah battery from GW to replace it.
The other equipment is good. The snow thrower and dethatcher are a little underpowered and will safety shut off a little too easily.
Greenworks isn’t terrible and usually priced well. However now there are just better options. Harbor freights line is excellent if you don’t need a snow thrower. Ryobi is an excellent brand that innovates like mad. Ego is expensive but centered on one battery. Greenworks has way too many battery platforms. They have two incompatible 40v platforms, a 24v, 60v, and a 80v when they should have followed ego and Ryobi and just required two batteries for some tools.
Kerry, I have the same problem, and yes, I removed the mulching plug.
I cannot figure out how to get the mower to bag the clippings. I put the bag on and nothing flows into it. Thanks for any advice
Have you removed the mulching plug?