PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower review

REVIEW – Last year, I reviewed the PowerSmart Electric 40V F4017 lawnmower. It was my first experience with an electric lawnmower and I didn’t come away super impressed by its battery life which only provided about 30 minutes of mowing time. Recently, when PowerSmart offered to send me a newer, larger electric mower, I was happy to accept with the hopes that I’d e more impressed this time. Let’s check out the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower.

What is it?

The PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) is an 80V 26” cordless electric lawn mower.

What’s in the box?

• PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower
• 80V battery
• Battery charger
• 2 safety keys
• Grass catcher bag
• Side discharge shoot
• Manual

Design and features

Compared to the previous model PowerSmart mower that I reviewed, the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower is a big step up in size. I know that size might not matter in some things, but when it comes to an electric lawn mower, it definitely does in both battery life and cutting width. This newer mower features an 80V battery and a 26-inch cutting width which is twice as wide as the previous model that I tested. In theory, that means that you can mow faster and longer with this machine.

Like the previous model I tested, the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower has a lot of plastic. There’s a plastic housing around the motor and battery compartment above a red-painted steel mower deck. The wheels are also plastic with plastic “hub caps”. For the price of this mower, I would expect less plastic.

The mower comes completely assembled, and the only thing needed for you to do is unfold and extend the handle. Two release knobs near the mower deck lock the handle in place.

There are two safety lock buckles (that’s what PowerSmart calls them) that allow you to extend and lock the handle in place.

The handle itself is relatively sturdy, but it does have a slight wobble when you wiggle it.

The mower controls are located in the upper handle. There are two clamp-style switches for drive (self-propel) and mow as well as a start button, headlight button, and a speed dial.

The PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower has 5 height levels for mowing. Changing the height is easy by using the adjustment lever that is located on the back right wheel.

This one lever adjust both the back and front wheels.

You can choose to use a side discharge shoot for the grass clippings or a grass catcher bag. Both are included with the mower.

It’s easy to switch between the two options. Neither requires any tools for installation.

To install the included grass catcher bag, you need to lift the rear discharge cover.

Then you pull out the rear discharge door.

The grass catcher bag can then be attached with little to no effort. I live out in the “sticks” and don’t collect grass clippings, so I attached the side discharge shoot for all my testing of the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower.

The PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower doesn’t use gasoline for power. It uses electricity from the included 80V battery pack. The battery clips into a large holder under the mower’s hood which lifts up. I wish that the hood could lock in the open position, but it doesn’t, which makes it a little awkward to insert and remove the battery pack with one hand holding the hood open while the other hand inserts or removes the battery.

The battery has an LED status indicator built into it that makes it easy to see how much juice is left. According to the information on the PowerSmart website, the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower can mow for up to 50 minutes on a charge.

The image above shows the battery installed in the mower along with the safety key on the left side.

Other features of the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower include a water clean-out port.

You can attach a hose to the adapter to spray out the underside of the mower deck.

The PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) uses two blades to provide a 26” cutting width.

The blades themselves aren’t as robust as the one blade on my ancient pushmower, but they will get the job done as long as you don’t try mowing over large branches, rocks, etc.

Let’s mow the yard!

I usually mow my lawn with a 30-year-old Cub Cadet riding lawnmower, but using an electric push mower has some advantages. First of all, you don’t have to keep a stock of gasoline, change the oil, or spark plugs, and a push mower can get into tighter areas than a larger riding mower can.

The first time I used the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower, I had problems figuring out how to start the blades. I had to actually read the manual! Ha! To start the mower, you have to press and hold the start button, and then while still holding the start button, you press and hold the mowing switch (left). After a couple of seconds, the blades will start turning and you can press the drive switch (right) and the mower will start moving. The speed knob in the center will adjust the drive speed.

I had never used a self-propelled mower before and I found that I hated it at first. I kept fighting with the mower while trying to make a turn to start a new row. The PowerSmart wanted to keep driving as I was trying to turn and it felt like I had been in a wrestling match after I finished the yard.

The next day I mowed the other part of my yard (I have a pretty large area to mow, which is why I normally use a riding mower) and was able to figure out (after reading the manual again) how to use the controls better in order to make turns. There is a short learning curve to letting go of the mow switch to stop the mower from rolling/driving so that you can make the turn. I didn’t realize this before because the mower will roll without the drive switch engaged.

My hands aren’t overly large, and I found it somewhat uncomfortable to keep the switches engaged while mowing for long sessions.

This mower has a lot of power and the self-propel feature works really well on non-flat areas of my property.

See it in action

What I like

• Wide cutting width
• Longer run time compared to the previous model that I tested
• 3-year limited warranty

What I’d change

• Make the handle/switches more comfortable to hold/engage
• Use less plastic
• Don’t charge so much for replacement batteries

Final thoughts

I can’t say that I prefer mowing with the PowerSmart (PS76826SRB) 80V 26” Cordless Lawn Mower compared to my Cub Cadet riding mower, but I can say that the PowerSmart electric mower is my new favorite electric mower. The larger battery and wider mowing width allow me to mow a large part of my yard(s) on one charge without needing to use gasoline or a pull-cord start. That said, I would like to see less plastic used in the battery/motor housings and a more comfortable handle.

Price: $699.99
Where to buy: PowerSmart and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by PowerSmart.