Electric lawnmowers?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruce M.
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 36
  • Views Views 9K
Bruce M.

Bruce M.

Well-Known Member
I will be relocating at the end of the year and it appears that I am about to acquire a house with my first-ever lawn (as an adult at least). Having an EV, I would certainly hate to have a gas-powered lawn mower. Does anyone have experience with electric mowers? Recommendations? Thanks!
 
I have a Kobalt (Lowe's) branded one. I like mowing electric a lot...quieter, no fumes, pouring gas into the tiny tank....all that.
Have had it three summers now and like it a lot. It's an 80-volt system, self-propelled because I live on a hill. Not sure if it's the best, but I like it.It may need the blade sharpened...sometimes it doesn't cut as clean as I'd like.
 
I've used corded and battery electric mowers for the last 20 years.

One cheap corded one eventually died after 8 years of abuse. The second corded one I had for 6 years before selling it of so I could upgrade to a battery mower.

My 40v (36v nominal) Worx mower is the shiz. Larger cutting blades (like a tradition petrol push mower), mostly metal body, comes with two batteries which is more than enough to do my whole lawn. No regrets, still going well 6 years on.

And yeah I abuse my mowers, no maintenance, no cleaning. I sharpen the blades about once every five years.
 
I have a an ego battery mower. The product is OK, but I can't recommend them due to very poor customer service.

They don't answer the phone. So if you need service you leave a message and play phone tag for three days. If you can't answer the phone during their working hours, you are out of luck.
 
I used a corded mower for years only sharpening the blade at the start of each mowing season. Then I had a sibling in poor health move in with me and I also took in his battery powered mower as well. It's great being free of dragging the extension cords around and it works well.

My only concern is that like everything else these days, the mowers are made in China and cannot be repaired when something breaks. But yes they do work well and you don't have to store gasoline and do regular ICE maintenance.
 
Screen-Shot-2016-09-26-at-4.24.03-PM.png
 
I have an old lead acid electric mower that's over 15 years old. It worked great, but it was very heavy and not self-propelled. I've considered converting to lithium battery, but maybe buying a new one would be just as cost effective.
 
Bruce M. said:
Thanks, all. Much appreciated! By chance does anyone have experience with this brand, which Home Depot carries? It would be a very convenient purchase at my new location. (They have several models and I haven't compared the details yet). https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-4...0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-RY401110-Y/311084745
Click to expand...
I don't have personal experience with it, but that's a great price point. Glancing over the reviews, it seems the most serious complaint is about the handle. Another plus for as mower like this is that its batteries can be used in several accessories as well.
 
Bruce M. said:
Thanks, all. Much appreciated! By chance does anyone have experience with this brand, which Home Depot carries? It would be a very convenient purchase at my new location. (They have several models and I haven't compared the details yet). https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-4...0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-RY401110-Y/311084745
Click to expand...

I have a 13" 18 volt Ryobi mower that I use for trimming areas that are two steep for my garden tractor. The mower is light easy to maneuver and cuts well. The 18 volt battery last for about 30 minutes of mowing. I have been pleased with its operation and have no complaints. I have had it for about a year. If I needed a larger one I would definitely consider a 40 volt mower. Home Depot has a great return policy so I would suggest you try one. If your not satisfied then just return it.
 
Last edited:
I'll have to take a serious look at the Ryobi, the price seems pretty low and I doubt I could convert my old lead acid mower for much less. Plus I have a Ryobi electric weed trimmer so I'm already invested in the Ryobi 40 V battery packs.
 
I’ve used an Ego mower for the past 2 seasons. I love the quiet motor and especially how clean it is: no oil or gas mess and no engine maintenance. I sharpen the blade twice per season (it’s easier than you think and makes a difference).

My lawn takes 40 min to mow. I used to do it all on a single charge, but that would nearly drain the battery empty so I now split it into 2 sessions. I sweep and do other yard work while charging in between (maybe 45 minutes)

Batteries are expensive so take care of them. Mine isn’t self propelled.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
I have a 60V Toro electric mower and a 30000 sq. ft. lot. I could do about 2/3 of it with a single charge so I bought a second battery. Very pleased, works really well and is powerful.
Recently got their chain saw which can use the mower's batteries too.
 
Gsbrryprk8 said:
I’ve used an Ego mower for the past 2 seasons. I love the quiet motor and especially how clean it is: no oil or gas mess and no engine maintenance. I sharpen the blade twice per season (it’s easier than you think and makes a difference).

My lawn takes 40 min to mow. I used to do it all on a single charge, but that would nearly drain the battery empty so I now split it into 2 sessions. I sweep and do other yard work while charging in between (maybe 45 minutes)

Batteries are expensive so take care of them. Mine isn’t self propelled.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Click to expand...

I have had an EGO electric mower (56V) for some 6+ years that I originally bought at Home Depot. I also sharpen it twice per season. Never had a problem with it over that time frame and have cut multiple types of lawn grass with it here in TX with a pretty lengthy growing season too.

Remember, the battery voltage is an indicator of relative cutting power, while the battery use (how long it will last each time you mow) is related to the amp hour rating of the lithium battery. I chose to replace the battery that came in the box with a new one I bought on eBay, same voltage but higher amp hour rating (5 Ah) so I could easily cut my lawn (front, side & back yards) with a single charge and have enough left over to start the next cutting too.

I don't know anything about EGO's customer service (which was dinged in another comment above), but on the other hand I have never had the occasion(or need) to have to call them, either. They were (more or less) a pioneer of the lithium battery mower space, but now there are a lot of strong competitors too.
 
Last edited:
I had the Kobalt 80v and it did great here in Texas for my ~9500 sqft lot with Bermuda Grass. I got tired of trying to keep up with it in Texas heat and hired someone to deal with the yard. It took whatever I threw at it but not without complaining, if it got too tall you would have to bag and sometimes increase overlap. In comparison to my Honda powered mower in Illinois felt equally powered and you could talk over it while mowing (pretty much all the noise is blade noise) I did need to use both batteries for my yard most mows (likely largely to me not mowing often enough). I ended up selling the whole package to some friends of mine at a deep discount and actually need to follow up with them to see how they like it I loaned it to them for most of the season and they liked it a lot. I had the 80V mower not self-propelled the 80v straight shaft trimmer and had a total of four batteries as there was a free battery promotion (mail in). I also purchased an edger attachment for the trimmer and while that worked it took a bit of finesse but I can not compare to a gas edger. The closest thing I can compare to was a plugged purpose built edger and that seemed to be less finicky but was a completely different design.
 
Last edited:
Bruce M. said:
I will be relocating at the end of the year and it appears that I am about to acquire a house with my first-ever lawn (as an adult at least). Having an EV, I would certainly hate to have a gas-powered lawn mower. Does anyone have experience with electric mowers? Recommendations? Thanks!
Click to expand...
I bought the ryobi 21” electric self propelled mower from Home Depot a couple of months ago. Works great and no regrets. Comes with 2 batteries but 1 battery can do my whole yard. The price for ryobi is about as good as you will find and they make a good product. I have several of their products and all are great and my experience with their customer service has been good also.
 
Bruce M. said:
Thanks, all. Much appreciated! By chance does anyone have experience with this brand, which Home Depot carries? It would be a very convenient purchase at my new location. (They have several models and I haven't compared the details yet). https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-4...0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-RY401110-Y/311084745
Click to expand...
I have a similar Royobi 20 inch 40v. From HD too. It’s on its 3rd year. Came w/ a 5aH battery, bought a 6ah for less on eBay too. Much better than my previous 4 year old Kobalt, which had a bearing failure on the blade shaft. B4 that I used s lead acid 24v mowers for about 10 years. Ryobi’s the best, I mow for 45- 60 mins on one battery. Mulch in summer, bag in fall to pick up leaves. Brother in law bought an Ego that comes w cooling fan in charger, a good idea. Battery needs to be cool before charging, or it won’t charge. I put just used battery in fridge or on concrete floor while mowing with the other. Royobi also has excellent leaf blower, but the 16 inch chain saw overheats the battery quickly and stops working, very annoying.
 
I would also recommend the Kobalt electric mower. We have the 80v self propelled version. It has been very reliable and cuts grass very well. We typically bag our clippings in the spring and then mulch during the summer. The Kobalt performs both task fine. We also have the Kobalt companion 80v grass trimmer and it is a powerhouse. Very pleased with both products. Have owned the mower for 4 years and the grass trimmer for 3 years.

Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2020 lists Ryobi Model RY40180 as a Recommended Buy with an owner satisfaction rating of Excellent.

Some points for electric yard tools:
Every bit as powerful as their gas competitors
Less maintenance
Very reliable
Cheaper to run
No need to store gas and oil in the garage for them
Quieter operation
Less pollution
Competitive with gas tools on pricing
Easy to store in any position - (no gas or oil to spill out)
No special end of season care necessary
Push button start rather than pulling cords trying to start a combustion engine
 
Last edited:
I have an EGO, very happy with it. I also have an EGO string trimmer ("weed whacker")
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top