Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit Cordless Lawn Mower review: an innovative but heavyweight cordless mower for large lawns

Welcome to T3's review of the Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit, a pro-spec self-propulsion cordless lawn mower with some very interesting design details that set it apart from much of the competition. Engineered using high-quality materials and advanced battery technology, this mower is a premium alternative to a petrol model – and without all the associated emissions, noise or maintenance palaver.

With its innovative blade design, powerful 2.2kW motor and unique grass collector attachment, this model is aimed squarely at those with large lawns and a penchant for Italian styling. But is it a cut above the rest in our guide to the best cordless lawn mowers?

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: price and availability

The Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit retails at £1,329 and is available from Stiga and Mow Direct. Alternatively, try Mower Magic where it sells for a reduced £969. This model is not readily available in the USA as the company has no distributors there.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: design

There are two versions of this mower – the Twinclip 950e V Kit as reviewed here, which comes with rear wheels like most mowers, and the Twinclip 950e VR which ships with a rear roller for lawn striping. Both models are worth considering if you’re in the market for a durable professional-spec cordless mower with oodles of cutting power.

In terms of looks, the Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit is a handsome lawn beast that will impress your neighbours with its macho battery compartment, sleek gunmetal finish and chunky aluminium-capped wheels. This mower comes with a plethora of clever design details so to make it easier to digest I shall break this review up into different segments, starting with the cutting system.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: cutting system

The Stiga Twinclip’s robust steel deck measures 48cm (close enough to 19 inches in old money) and that makes it a great choice for medium to large suburban and rural lawns up to around 500 square metres in size.

Its cutting blade, from which the mower gets its moniker, is well worth a mention because it’s unlike any other I’ve ever come across. In fact it’s actually two irregularly shaped yellow blades joined at the hip just below what must be one of the biggest vortex fans on the market. This combination means that the grass is effectively cut twice on each rotation so the cuttings are a little finer than the norm, which in turn means the giant vortex fan above the blades can more easily blow the cuttings towards the back of the ample 70-litre grass carrier.

As a result, you can mow a little longer with this model before having to trudge to the compost heap to dump the cuttings. Moreover, you can also make excellent use of this model’s vacuum-like suction to collect and mulch leaves in autumn.

With its 4-in-1 cutting system, users can choose between grass collection, mulching, rear discharge or side discharge – the mower ships with three plugs for this purpose. Personally, I’d have preferred to see a rear sliding door mechanism for the mulching feature like that fitted to the Worx Nitro and Ego’s latest range. I am, however, a big fan of the spring-loaded cutting height adjustment lever and the little circular window that magnifies the chosen cutting height – seven positions, ranging from 25mm to 77mm.

Unlike a few other mowers I’ve tested that automatically ramp up the power whenever the blade motor detects extra resistance from long grass, this model comes with two motor speeds that are selected using the intuitive keypad at the top of the heavy-duty handlebar. The main default speed is full power, which is up there with the high torque levels of most petrol mowers when cutting long grass. However, for normal use I would suggest always switching it to Eco mode which optimises battery life during less demanding tasks.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: grass collector

Now let’s look at this model’s innovative 70-litre grass collector and, more notably, its connection and removal process. Normally, fitting a grass collector to a lawn mower requires bending down and lifting the spring-loaded rear flap in order to attach the collector. This also usually involves locating the collector’s hooks with two bars on the mower itself. But not this model.

Instead, Stiga’s design team have fashioned up a clever mechanism that automatically raises the rear flap as you slide the grass catcher along two small rails. It’s quite literally a one-handed operation that takes all the faff out of fitting and removing it. And because the bars are so wide apart, the grass collector can be inserted from above, between the bars, instead of approaching the docking process from behind. Well done Stiga!

However, here’s a quick caveat I should let you know about. It’s unlikely to happen with the product you order but my test model had the two removable plastic rail guide covers – one small, the other large – on either side of the grass collector positioned the wrong way round. One is larger than the other so the grass basket stopped dead every time I tried to connect it to the mower. It took me ages to figure out that someone at the factory had incorrectly fitted them. The fix? Simply slide off the two black rail covers on either side of side of the grass basket and swap them round.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: user interface

Before getting to the nuts and bolts of the Stiga’s user interface I feel I should address one area I’m not so keen on – namely this mower’s weight. At 42 kilos – a full 7kgs heavier than the slightly larger cordless Worx Nitro – this thing is darn heavy. That shouldn’t be surprising given the quality of the materials used throughout but bear this weight in mind if you’re of svelte stature, have an irregular shaped lawn or have steps to negotiate.

The high weight extends to the handlebar which seems strong enough to support a tank. This handlebar is height adjustable via two slightly awkward finger-operated spring levers positioned on either side of the bar. Checking the height of the section you hold on to, I measured a low position of 93cm, a midway height 104cm and a full height of 113cm. The whole bar unit folds over the front of the mower for easy upright storage. However the handlebar doesn’t lock into place when folded over and that makes it tricky to move the mower around when folded.

Attached to the right side of the bar is the all-important variable self propulsion knob that takes the mower from a slow stroll to a brisker pace than most other models I’ve tested. If you’re fit as a fiddle and have a very large lawn, you’ll love this extra speed.

As with most self-propelled mowers, the Twinclip 950e is equipped with two narrow bars – one for activating the cutting blade and the other for self propulsion. It’s not the most comfortable system I’ve used since you can feel the pressure of the bars against the hands. Hence, I’d have preferred to see two cutaways in the hand grip like that applied to Ego’s range of mowers.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: battery system

At its core, the Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit is powered by two 48V 7.5Ah ePower batteries that drive a formidable 2.2kW brushless motor. This setup amounts to 648 Watt Hours which, according to Stiga, is enough to keep the mower running for approximately 40 minutes on a single charge. I don’t doubt that figure because I’ve cut my 190m² lawn twice, plus the front section facing the street and it’s still showing two bars of juice on both batteries.

However, the batteries need to be charged via two separate chargers (thankfully supplied) which isn’t as practical as the Worx Nitro system that uses a removable Basecamp module.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: performance

I’ve been very impressed by the cutting performance of this mower and the way it forces the cuttings towards the back of the grass collector so it can fit more in without having to constantly empty it. I also love the hassle-free grass collector fitting system that makes attachment and removal so easy. However, I should warn you that this mower is pretty loud, at least when compared to other large bodied cordless mowers from the likes of Worx, Ego and Cobra.

The Twinclip has cut my square-shaped 190m² lawn extremely well on two occasions and once on the smaller two front lawns. However, while it was very easy to use on the larger lawn, it proved to be far too heavy and ungainly on the smaller, undulating front lawns. Yes, the self propulsion certainly helped when tackling one of the front lawn’s steep inclines but I found this mower too tiring and cumbersome to steer around the wavy flower beds. It was also difficult to support the mower’s weight while I carefully mowed as close to the dropped borders as possible.

Given that this model is aimed more towards the ‘expert’ lawn-smith, I can vouch that it’s built like a brick outhouse and would likely go on functioning till the cows come home. But while I don’t doubt it’s an excellent choice for large, mostly flat and straight lawns, I don’t think it’s suitable for tackling tight curves on a regular basis.

Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit review: verdict

The Stiga Twinclip 950e V Kit is a top-tier choice for anyone seeking a powerful and rugged pro-spec cordless mower with excellent running times. It’s an ideal model for large square- or rectangular-shaped lawns with mostly straight borders but you might find its weight a struggle to control when used on smaller, meandering lawns.