Worx WG789 Review

(Rated: 4.8 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Cut Quality
Check Price
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It is important to every homeowner that they maintain a beautiful, well manicured lawn, and so naturally you want the best lawn mower you can find. The Worx WG789 is one of the better battery powered electric mowers on the market today, and it goes a long way to making the task of cutting your grass simple and enjoyable. The Worx WG789 has a powerful battery that can cut a lawn that is up to a third of an acre on just a single charge, and the battery is removable, which allows you to easily swap it out for larger lawns. The mower has an ultra efficient Quiet Mode, in which it can run virtually silently for up to 45 minutes. The mower is also self-propelled, so you will not have to worry about wearing yourself out while pushing it around your yard.

Because it is a cordless electric mower, the Worx WG789 eliminates the strain and hassle of pulling a heavy start cord as well as dealing with smelly gasoline fumes and carbon emissions, like on a gas mower. The battery also eliminates the problems posed by extension cords, which can get underfoot and trip you up while you are mowing, are difficult to keep from getting tangled up, and sometimes do not reach the farther corners of your yard. Running in Quiet Mode means you can cut your lawn at any time of day or night without worrying about disturbing your neighbors.

Review Summary

The Worx WG789 provides several advantages over gas mowers and plug in electric mowers. First, you do not have to worry about filling the gas tank, priming the engine, and then yanking on a heavy start cord to get it running. To start the mower, all you have to do is make sure the battery is fully charged, push the starter key, and pull the lever. In addition, you will not have to keep smelly gasoline cans in your garage or tool shed, and you won’t have to deal with messy oil cans, spark plugs, or filters. The Worx WG789 runs on a powerful 36 volt, removable, rechargeable battery. The battery can cut over 14,000 square feet on a single charge. That’s an area the size of six pro tennis courts!

Because the Worx WG789 is battery powered, you also never have to worry about stringing several long extension cords together, and then be extra careful that you do not trip over the power cords – or worse, run over them with the mower while you are cutting the grass. The batteries are much easier to store than power cords, which seem to always get tangled up and knotted, no matter how carefully you wind them up after use.

The fact that the battery is removable means that you will not need an outdoor power source to charge it. Simply remove it from the mower and bring it indoors for easy charging. Also, the removable battery means that you do not have to worry about running out of power before you are done cutting your grass. If you have a large property, you can purchase a backup battery, and simply switch one out for the other midway through the job. The process takes less than five minutes.

The Worx WG789 has a mode that you can use instead of the regular cutting mode. In the Quiet Mode, the mower runs almost noiselessly. This means you can cut your lawn early in the morning while your neighbors are still in bed without having to worry about disturbing them. Add to that the fact that the Worx WG789 is a self-propelled mower with Pace Setter technology that automatically adjusts the mower’s speed to your own walking speed, and you will find that it solves almost every problem associated with cutting the grass, making for a painless, enjoyable experience.

Specifications

The Worx WG789 has a 36 volt, removable, rechargeable battery that charges to full power in 14 hours. It provides enough power to run the motor for up to 45 minutes in Quiet Mode, and will cut an area of up to 1/3 of an acre on a single charge. It boasts a 19 inch deck size and provides three options for handling grass clippings, including side discharge, rear bagging for later disposal or composting, and mulching back into the lawn. The mower is self-propelled, and with its patented Pace Setter technology, it automatically adjusts its speed to match your walking pace. The mower is started up with a simple key and push button combination, and by engaging both starter handles at once, the mower will self propel without starting the blades for returning it to the garage with ease. The mower has six height settings, from 1.5 to 3.5 inches, and they are easily adjusted with a one touch lever for all four wheels. The front wheels are 7 inches tall and the rear wheels are 8 inches tall.

Mowing the lawn is a snap with the Worx WG789. From the Quiet Mode setting that allows you to reduce the engine noise to barely a whisper, to the patented Pace Setter technology that adjusts to your walking speed, to the powerful, removable battery, it is one of the best cordless electric mowers on the market today. Combine those features with the three grass management options included in the initial purchase price and the easy one touch height adjustment and cutting your grass just got a whole lot easier.

Description

The Worx WG789 is a cordless electric mower with a rechargeable, removable battery. Electric mowers such as this one eliminate several of the problems associated with gas mowers. The Worx WG789 is a zero emissions mower that is far more environmentally friendly than a gas mower. This mower eliminates the need for smelly gasoline, messy oil cans, or changing spark plugs or air filters, as you would need to with a gas mower. The EPA estimates that gas mowers represent five percent of U.S. air pollution, and that a single gas mower puts 88 pounds of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as well as 34 pounds of other pollutants into the atmosphere each year. Simply by using an electric mower like the Worx WG789, you can significantly reduce your household’s overall carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Because it is a cordless electric mower, the Worx WG789 takes care of the problem of dealing with long, unwieldy extension cords. Extension cords almost always seem to get tangled up, no matter how carefully you wind them up. They often pull right out of the socket when you are on the other side of the yard. It’s easy to not notice them in long grass while you are mowing it and trip over them, or worse, run over and damage them with the mower.

The Worx WG789 is powered by a 36 volt, rechargeable, removable battery that has enough power to run your mower for 45 minutes on a single charge and cut an area of up to 1/3 of an acre. Because the battery is removable, you do not have to worry about running out of charge if you are using it to cut an area larger than 1/3 of an acre. If you do have a larger property, you can simply invest in a backup battery, and swap one out for the other in a process that takes less than five minutes. Using a rechargeable battery will save you hundreds of dollars on fuel and maintenance costs every year. The fact that the battery is removable also means that you do not need an outdoor power supply to recharge it, but can simply bring it indoors to charge up.

The Worx WG789 is a self-propelled electric mower that uses patented Pace Setter technology. This means the mower’s drive system will react to your walking speed and adjust the speed of the mower to match it. You never have to deal with keeping up with a self-propelled mower that is moving too fast. And you won’t wind up pushing a mower that is advertised as self-propelled but moves too slowly to be worth the extra cost.

The mower also has a special Quiet Mode that is ideal for homeowners with neighbors. While running the mower in Quiet Mode, the engine noise is reduced to a level below thirty decibels, which is almost as quiet as an actual whisper from five or six feet away. This means you can mow your lawn without worrying about disturbing your neighbors, even early in the morning while they are still sleeping and before the summer sun has warmed up the yard.

The Worx WG789 provides three grass clipping management options. The clippings can be discharged out the side, or collected in a rear bag for disposal or later composting, or mulched back into the lawn with a special blade. Other mowers often do not include all three options in the initial purchase price, and instead make you spend extra money to buy attachments separately. Having all three options available right away means you can start mowing your lawn the way you like as soon as you get the mower out of the box.

The cutting height of the Worx WG789 can be easily adjusted between six different levels ranging from 1.5 to 3.5 inches with the use of a one touch lever for all four wheels. Experts stress that it is important not to cut your grass any shorter than a third of its total height, because otherwise the grass is damaged and becomes susceptible to drought and disease. But the height of the grass will not always be the same when you cut it, so it is important to have a range of options.

Finally, the Worx WG789 is a compact electric mower: its dimensions are 38.6 x 15.5 x 20.5 inches, and the handle folds down onto the mower for convenient storage. This is important especially if you do not have a lot of space in your garage or tool shed. There is a two year warranty on the mower.

Pros

When you are shopping for a new electric lawn mower there are several things you have to keep in mind. A battery powered mower has a number of advantages over a gas mower: you don’t have to keep smelly gas cans in your garage or tool shed; you reduce the emissions your household is producing, and it is much quieter than a gas mower. Cordless mowers also offer advantages over plug in electric mowers. But there are certain drawbacks to a battery powered mower too, and you should shop carefully to make sure you are getting the right one for you. The Worx WG789 is one of the better cordless electric mowers available today, and it has a powerful 36 volt battery that can run for up to 45 minutes and cut up to 1/3 of an acre on just a single charge. This is especially important if you have a large property or thicker grass like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass.

1. Patented Pace Setter technology : The Worx WG789 boasts the patented Pace Setter technology, which means the drive mechanism on the mower will adjust to the speed you are walking at. The mower is self-propelled, but it can sense your pace and adjust accordingly so that it is never moving too fast or too slow for you. This provides all the advantages of a self-propelled mower with none of the drawbacks. In addition, the drive mechanism on the Worx WG789 can be engaged separately of the motor that runs the cutting blade, so you can more easily move the mower in and out of your garage. That means you will never have to push the mower up or down your driveway, even when you are not cutting the grass. The Pace Setter technology ensures that you will never be worn out after cutting your lawn again.
2. Special Quiet Mode reduces noise output : The Worx WG789 has a new Quiet Mode that, when it is engaged, makes this one of the quiet power mowers available on the market today. The mower can run for up to 45 minutes on Quiet Mode, which is more than enough time to cut the majority of suburban lawns in the United States. And because the engine runs at less than thirty decibels on quiet mode – making it literally quieter than a whisper – you will never have to worry about disturbing your neighbors while you are cutting the grass again. That means that you can get out there and finish the job early in the morning, while they are still in bed and before the summer days have gotten too hot. Before you know it you will be relaxing in your backyard while your neighbors are cutting their grass in the hot sun.
3. Six height settings and three grass processing options : The Worx WG789 has six height settings that range from 1.5 to 3.5 inches. Experts recommend that you avoid cutting your grass shorter than one third its total height any time you cut it. Doing so can damage your lawn and leave it much more susceptible to the effects of drought and diseases. The height options available on the WG789 allow you to be sure you are always giving your lawn the healthiest possible cut, even if you have missed a couple of weeks. One touch height adjustment allows you to change the height for all four wheels in under a minute with a single lever. The three options for processing your grass clippings are included in the initial purchase price, which means you can choose to bag the clippings for later compost or disposal, mulch the clippings back into your lawn, or discharge them out the side.
4. Powerful, rechargeable and removable battery : The WG789 comes with a 36 volt battery, which makes it one of the more powerful battery powered electric mowers available on today’s market. The battery is powerful enough to run the mower for 46 minutes and cut up to 1/3 of an acre – that’s an area equivalent to six tennis courts! The fact that it is battery powered means you will never have to deal with the hassle of extension cords again. And the fact that the battery is removable conveys more than one advantage to the owner of the WG789. The battery can be charged indoors as well as outdoors, and if you have a property that is larger than 1/3 of an acre, you do not have to worry about the battery running out of juice: you can always swap it out for a backup battery. The process takes only a few minutes, and you’re almost immediately back to cutting your grass.
5. Simple starting mechanism and safety features : The Worx WG789 has an elegant, easy to use startup mechanism. Unlike traditional gas mowers, which make you prime the engine and then yank on a heavy starter cord to get them going, the WG789 just uses a key and button system to get started. That’s all there is to it. The mower also has great safety features, including a child proof safety key that ensures you never have to worry about young children injuring themselves with the mower and a heavy rubber rear flap that prevents stones or other debris from being flung out the back of the mower and injuring your feet.

Worx offers a two year warranty on the WG789, and the mower is made out of quality materials that allow you to rest easy that it will outlive its warranty by a long time. Although the mower is compact and battery powered, it is tough and powerful, so you can be sure it will be able to tackle even the thickest, toughest grass for years to come. The battery can be charged to full power in fourteen hours, and the removable battery means you never have to worry about the mower dying on you in the middle of a job. The Pace Setter technology means you will never be too tired to enjoy your lawn after you are done mowing it, and the Quiet Mode means it can run almost silently. Because it’s so easy to maneuver, so quiet, and so powerful, the WG789 is one of the best cordless electric mowers available on today’s market.

Cons

This review would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the drawbacks to the WG789. Because there are so many cordless electric mowers out there today, every one of them is going to have certain drawbacks when compared to others. Features such as the deck width, the power of the motor, the battery life, and the ease of maneuverability are all features that will be superior in some mowers over others. What a savvy shopper should do is figure out which features are most important to them when they are buying a mower, and prioritize these over others. Do you want a mower that is self-propelled? Do you want removable batteries or integrated batteries? Do you want a mower with a wide deck? These are some of the cons various users of the WG789 have mentioned in their feedback.

1. Cutting width shorter than other models : The Worx WG789 has a cutting blade that is only nineteen inches wide, which makes for one of the more narrow deck sizes available today. A narrower deck size means that you will have to make more passes to cut the same amount of area than you would with a wider deck size. At the same time, as cordless electric mowers go, the nineteen inch blade falls more or less into the middle of the range for deck sizes. And a narrower deck size will not tax the battery as much as a wider one would, allowing for a longer run time. This is a trade off that is obviously up to the consumer to decide on. The fact that you have to make multiple passes with this mower is, however, one of the more common complaints for this mower.
2. The battery has a rather long charging time : At fourteen hours, the battery charge time for the WG789 falls on the higher end of the spectrum for cordless electric mowers. This is not necessarily a problem if you only intend to mow your lawn twice a month or so (which is about the frequency lawn care experts recommend). But if you are purchasing the mower in part for the backup battery option that the removable battery feature provides, charging two batteries to full power is going to take more than 24 hours. That’s a long time. In part the long time frame is due to the technology that allows the battery to power the Pace Setter self-propelled drive mechanism for as long as it does: more power requires a more powerful battery, and a more powerful battery is going to take longer to charge.
3. Pace Setter can be difficult to use : A number of users have complained that they found the WG789’s Pace Setter feature difficult to get used to. The Pace Setter drive mechanism has a slight delay when it is adjusting the speed of the mower to match the pace of the user. This means it takes some getting used to in order to use it correctly for your needs. By turning the Pace Setter to high too quickly, some users found the mower tended to get away from them. In addition, some people have found the top speed of the mower to be too slow for their desired pace, and wound up having to push the WG789 in order to get it moving fast enough for them. This can be a problem if your primary motivation for purchasing the mower is for ease of using the self-propelled drive mechanism.
4. Heavy and difficult to turn corners : Because of the fact that the WG789 is self-propelled and one of the heavier cordless electric mowers on the market – at 91 pounds – a number of users have found that it is difficult to maneuver around corners. The drive mechanism does not apply power differentially to the rear wheels easily, which means users found themselves having to swing the mower around corners under their own power, while the mower was continuing to attempt to move forward. The heavy weight of the mower also meant that even with the self-propelled Pace Setter technology, some users had trouble maneuvering the lawn mower in general.
5. Mulching blade does not work well : More than one user has complained that the mulching blade – while included in the initial purchase price – does not work very well. This causes grass clippings to be left on the surface of the lawn in much larger pieces than one would want for properly mulching them into the lawn. The blade does not have the necessary torque to cut at a speed necessary to mulch the grass clippings to a size small enough that they are integrated back into the lawn among the grass blades. This can be problematic, as the end result is a lawn that does not look very well manicured. Gathering grass clippings on top of the lawn also can promote brown spots in hot, dry weather, and allows an environment where disease can spread in damp, cooler weather.

It goes without saying that almost any product that is available online, and subject to online reviews, will have at least a handful of poor reviews from users who were dissatisfied with one or another aspect of the product. This is precisely why it is so important to make sure you are shopping around and carefully comparing products and user reviews to make sure you are getting the right mower for you. Overall, there were far more positive user reviews than negative ones for the WG789, and by and large the problems encountered did not seem to be universal. Everyone seemed to be happy with the WG789’s Quiet Mode. There were virtually no complaints regarding the battery life or power, and users generally agreed – even if they were leaving negative comments in other areas – that the WG789 has more than enough power to mow the average sized suburban backyard.

Product Comparison

As I mentioned above, it is always a good policy to do some comparison shopping when you are looking to invest in a new product for your home or garden, and a cordless electric mower is no exception. By doing so, you can see what the strengths and drawbacks of the products you are looking at are relative to one another, and get a better picture of where they are compromising one area in order to add to another. In this way you can be sure you are getting the best product for your money. In the following table, I compare the Worx WG789 with the Black & Decker CM1936 and the Recharge Mower PMLI-14. The table shows which areas each mower is strongest in, which areas they are weakest in, and where they offer the same features.

&nbsnbsp;	Worx WG789	Black & Decker CM1936	Recharge Mower PMLI-14
Dimensions	38.6 x 15.5 x 20.5 inches	36.2 x 18.5 x 22.7 inches	47.8 x 15.9 x 35.7 inches
Power	36V Removable Battery (Inc. 1 battery)	36V Removable Battery (Inc. 1 battery)	36V Removable Battery (Inc. 1 Li-Ion battery)
Charge Time	14 Hours to 100%	12 Hours to 100%	2 Hours to 100%
Deck Size (cutting swath)	19-inch	19-inch	15-inch
Mulch/Bag/Discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge	Rear bag (mulching insert and side discharge chute sold separately)	Mulch and bag
Cutting Area	up to 1/3 acre	up to 1/3 acre	up to 1/4 acre
Runtime charge (conditions may vary)	up to 45 minutes (in Quiet mode)	up to 45 minutes	up to 30 minutes
Drive System	Self-Propelled Motor (Pace setter)	Manual Push	Manual Push
Starter	Key + Push button	Handle pull	Handle pull
Height Adjustment	One touch (6 positions)	One touch (single lever adjusts all four wheels simultaneously)	One point (6 positions)
Height Settings	1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch	1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch	0-3/4- to 2-3/4-inch
Wheel Size	7-inch front / 8-inch rear	7-inch front / 9-inch rear	6-inch front / 6.5-inch rear
Weight	91 pounds	72 pounds	35 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years

As you can see, the Worx WG789 has the longest battery charging time of the three mowers, but it is also the only self-propelled mower with Pace Setter technology. It also is the only one to offer rear bag, side discharge, and mulching as grass clippings management options in the initial purchase price. The Worx WG789, along with the Black & Decker CM1936 has the longest runtime charge and cutting area, at 45 minutes and 1/3 acre, respectively. The Worx WG789 is the heaviest of the three mowers, weighing in at 92 pounds, as compared to 72 pounds for the Black & Decker CM1936 and only 35 pounds for the Recharge Mower. But this is to be expected in a battery powered mower that has a self-propelled drive mechanism, and the Pace Setter technology should make up for the weight of the WG789 to some degree. The WG789 is the only one of the three to offer the patented Quiet Mode option, which means it can run significantly more quietly than the others.

Conclusion

When you are shopping for a cordless electric mower, you should be concerned about whether you are going to have a mower that is powerful enough to mow your lawn in a single charge, how easy the mower is to maneuver around your lawn, and whether the mower is quiet enough to use without disturbing your neighbors. With a 36 volt, rechargeable and removable battery, you can be fairly confident the WG789 will get the job done. Its patented Pace Setter technology means that it will actually assist you in maneuvering it around the yard at the right pace for you, and its Quiet Mode option means that you will never have to worry about disturbing your neighbors, because at less than 30 decibels it is literally as quiet as a whisper. The fact that it comes with three grass clipping management options included in the initial price is a bargain. Overall, the WG789 has some wonderful features that make it a great cordless electric mower.

Conclusion Pros

1. The mower is self-propelled and has patented Pace Setter technology.
2. The mower has a special Quiet Mode that reduces noise to a whisper.
3. The mower has six height settings and three grass processing options.
4. There is a powerful, rechargeable and removable battery.
5. There is a simple starting mechanism and solid safety features.

Taken individually, each one of these features is impressive. The WG789 is self-propelled and designed to match the walking pace of its user. The Quiet Mode on the mower allows you to cut your lawn whenever you want without being concerned about disturbing your neighbors while you do. The six height settings are adjusted with a single lever, and the three grass processing options are part of the initial purchase price. The removable battery means you will never have to worry about running out of charge, and the elegant starting mechanism and safety features make the WG789 a breeze to use. Taken together, these features make this one of the best cordless electric mowers available on the market today.

Conclusion Cons

1. The mower’s deck width is shorter than other models.
2. The battery has a rather long charging time.
3. The Pace Setter technology can be difficult to use.
4. The mower is heavy and can be difficult to turn corners.
5. The mulching blade does not work very well.

At nineteen inches, the deck width of the WG79 is small for the average lawn mower, but it is actually wider than what is available on many cordless electric mowers, and is about average for what is available today. The long battery charging time makes sense when you consider the fact that the mower is self-propelled and needs a lot of charge to run for 45 minutes. While a number of users have found the Pace Setter technology difficult to use, most have not had a problem with it. The mower is heavy, but as with the battery charging time, this is normal for a self-propelled mower. Unfortunately the fact that the mower’s mulching blade does not work very well is a problem if you want to regularly want to mulch clippings back into your yard, but if not, it can be overlooked.

Final Word

The Worx WG789 is a great cordless lawnmower for the average suburban homeowner who wants a self-propelled mower that is dependable and strong. The mower’s 36 volt battery and 45 minute runtime mean that with will be able to cut the majority of lawns in suburban American, and its Pace Setter technology means that it will propel itself at a speed that is right for you, instead of going to fat or too slow. With its six height adjustments, safety features and removable battery, this is a great mower for most families to purchase. In addition the WG789 is compact and folds up for easy storage in your garage or tool shed.

In addition to those features, the WG789 boasts a patented Quiet Mode, which allows the mower to run for up to 45 minutes at less than 30 decibels. This is the same noise level that you would commonly be exposed to in most libraries. It’s literally quieter than a whisper. That means you can be out cutting your lawn early on a weekend morning without having to be worried about whether you are annoying your neighbors if they are still asleep.

The WG789 has six different cutting heights between 1.5 and 3.5 inches, which means you can always be sure you are giving your grass the perfect cut. It also comes with three grass management options included in the initial purchase price, so no matter what you want to do with your clippings, the WG789 is equipped to deal with them.

Best Price

It is always important to keep an open mind regarding the cost and benefits a new product will have. Of course it is tempting to simply look for the cheapest option available on the market, and the Worx WG789 certainly is not that. But this is because of the fact that in many ways the WG789 is head and shoulders above most of the other cordless electric mowers available on the market today. Not many feature self-propelled drive mechanisms and Quiet Modes, and Worx is the only company to boast the patented Pace Setter technology. All in all, this is a pretty good mower for the list price, and you would not be making a bad investment if you decided to buy one.