No petrol, no cable, full power. A very handy machine if for example you have to mow a lawn a way away from the house where there is no electric socket. Ok you could get yourself a petrol machine but how many times have you tried to start it to no avail with the end result that you flood the engine. Too much hassle. There is one advantage with a petrol & that is that it can manage higher grass without the risk of burning it out. So if you have a maintained garden & you want a machine that takes the hassle out of mowing go for the cordless option.