Sun Joe is an outlier among lawn mower brands in that it’s less than 15 years old, does not (as of this writing) offer a riding mower, and all the company’s dozens of models are designed with minimal environmental impact in mind. Sun Joe mowers are made by Snow Joe, which was founded in 2004 with the mission of producing high quality snow blowers that would retail for less than $100. 5 years after launching they expanded into lawn mowers and the Sun Joe imprint hit the market in 2009.
Sun Joe mowers are designed with 21st century environmental concerns in mind, so you won’t find any gas powered mowers. What they do offer is a dizzying array of cordless and corded push and self-propelled mowers that are typically durable, effective and reasonably priced. In our Sun Joe lawn mower reviews we’ll see if these mowers live up to the considerable hype surrounding them.
Our Sun Joe Lawn Mower Reviews
History of Sun Joe Lawn Mowers
As I mentioned, Sun Joe is an offshoot of Snow Joe. Snow Joe is an American company founded in 2004 with the stated mission of making affordable snow blowers for the masses. Through a clever marketing campaign that leveraged giveaways and social media the Snow Joe snow blowers were an immediate hit. Just 5 years after launching their affordable snow blowers, Snow Joe branched out into lawn mowers, which they sold under the name Sun Joe.
But Sun Joe mowers weren’t just any mowers. These were (and are) environmentally friendly electric mowers that are powered either by hyper efficient lithium batteries, or by cord. As was the case with their Snow Joe snow blowers, the company leveraged the power of social media to spread the word about their mowers, and held contests on Facebook to raise awareness and create buzz (with the winner getting a Sun Joe mower).
Last year in the midst of the pandemic, Sun Joe announced they were expanding their distribution and customer service center in Salisbury, North Carolina. It was a bold move that demonstrated their confidence in their product and their ever-growing US customer base. The new, expanded facility will create an additional 100 jobs at a time when they are sorely needed.
Where are Sun Joe Lawn Mowers Made?
While Sun Joe gets a thumbs up for investing heavily in a new distribution center in North Carolina, the key phrase here is “distribution center”. In other words, this will be where they receive shipment of their mowers when they arrive from Snow Joe’s factory in China. From North Carolina they will be distributed throughout the US.
The fact that Snow Joe builds its mowers in China should not really come as a surprise to anyone who’s paying attention. After all, it’s pretty tough to design and build a snow blower entirely in the US and offer it for sale at less than $100, which was the company’s stated mission when it was founded.
Will they eventually on-shore some of their production? It’s impossible to say at this point. In the meantime, check out our Sun Joe lawn mower reviews.