My mom wants an electric lawn mower. Any reccomendations?
- Thread starter YY1
- Start date
-
My boss has 1 of them green ones from Lowes. He said he wishes he would have bought 1 sooner. He says it is almost fool proof.
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
My gas mower had to go in for repairs so they lent me an Ego. It was not ergonomically good, I couldn't get it adjusted to make me feel right mowing with it! You had to grab two different controls to keep it running, you release either one and the mower stops, made it tough when switching hands to make corners like I often have too. It was earlier this year, hopefully they corrected the issue as I would never feel comfortable using it like it is. It did have enough charge to do my lawn which takes around 45 minutes to mow...
My wife bought a Kobalt about a year ago. She loves it. It's light and the big back wheels helps her maneuver easily. We had .80 acre in Georgia and the battery would cut about 75% of it on one charge. Now we have. 33 acre and it cuts the entire yard.
Since we're on flat land now, it might be time for a robot, lol.
Since we're on flat land now, it might be time for a robot, lol.
I have an EGO and absolutely love it. Lots of battery power. I also have the EGO leaf blower, it too is an excellent piece. My Brother in law liked my setup so much he bought EGO items for himself. If I were to buy again, there would be no choice, it would be EGO. I have not noticed the ergonomic issues noted above, nor do I need two hands to run it, and nor does my Brother in laws unit. Mine is 5-6 years old, Mike's is 2.
They make some nice electric riders too. The technology is much better than the electric cars.
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
This is the model I had. I also remember that the battery made it top heavy and hard to keep the front wheels on the ground. I wanted to like it but it turned me off on these. In 1969 I mowed with an electric mower, but it had a cord...LOL..
We actually have a 60's-early 70's corded electric mower.
It's our emergency mower.
I did notice after a walk through of the offerings at Lowes, that the controls were different on almost every unit, even of the same brand.
I also noticed that you pay a $100 premium for "uneven terrain" vs "flat terrain" capabilty.
On some, this means "high" rear wheels. On a few, I could see no difference.
I did not look at the blades.
Are they "standard" metal, plastic, or are some string?
It's our emergency mower.
I did notice after a walk through of the offerings at Lowes, that the controls were different on almost every unit, even of the same brand.
I also noticed that you pay a $100 premium for "uneven terrain" vs "flat terrain" capabilty.
On some, this means "high" rear wheels. On a few, I could see no difference.
I did not look at the blades.
Are they "standard" metal, plastic, or are some string?
jos51700
Green Bearing thread connoisseur
With electric stuff, does it really matter which brand? It's a motor and a battery, isn't it?
Given the amount of yard I have (most of it is junkyard), I'd probably mow with a scythe before I bought an electric mower.
Given the amount of yard I have (most of it is junkyard), I'd probably mow with a scythe before I bought an electric mower.
Like any other tool- yes it does matter.
Manufacturing quality, design, features and ergonomics all matter.
I just went through a battery design/manufacturing issue with my 2 year old Skill brand 20v drill/osculating tool.
Both batteries failed within days. Again, one battery was 2 years old, the other newer.
The first one leaked thin, black tinted fluid.
I thought it had gotten wet, so cleaned it off, but it wouldn't charge.
This was right before the last hurricane, so I put the one I was currently using to put up plywood on the charger.
It never worked again.
I had to run an extension cord all over the place to finish my prep.
Those are $30 batteries.
I sure don't want to go through that with 48/56 volt batts.
Manufacturing quality, design, features and ergonomics all matter.
I just went through a battery design/manufacturing issue with my 2 year old Skill brand 20v drill/osculating tool.
Both batteries failed within days. Again, one battery was 2 years old, the other newer.
The first one leaked thin, black tinted fluid.
I thought it had gotten wet, so cleaned it off, but it wouldn't charge.
This was right before the last hurricane, so I put the one I was currently using to put up plywood on the charger.
It never worked again.
I had to run an extension cord all over the place to finish my prep.
Those are $30 batteries.
I sure don't want to go through that with 48/56 volt batts.
Last edited:
Also, look at the accessory tools that particular company handles and can you buy "tool only". Mom might need a string trimmer or a blower for her deck and sidewalks. A friend has bought 4 or 5 different cordless tools. Every battery and charger are different. Nothing interchanges. 
dano
Evil Handy Man
I bought an EGO on a buddies recommendation, he's the type that will spend a year researching things before he buys. Only downside I've found is the battery will charge and if left on the charger unused for several months will loose charge. I like that my boys can just go mow, no fuel to spill, oil to check, "dad, can't start the mower", etc. It's battery, mower, go!
mopar56
Well-Known Member
I bought a 40v Ryobi 7 years ago, I needed to replace the battery about 3 years ago and there a little pricy with higher amp ones being more expensive but other than that it's been flawless, it cuts long wet grass with no issues and the battery always makes it through the cut, it folds up for easy storage, the best part is no anual carb jobs because of ethanol fuel, I also have Ryobi weed trimer and leaf blower that are 40v, once I'm done the lawn I swap the battery into each one of those to trim then clean up. I don't have acreage anymore but I do have a large city lot, I have more than gotten my moneys worth out of this. After seeing how durable it is both my son's bought one for their homes, one about 4 years ago and the other about 3.5, both are also going strong.
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
Well I've had my Toro Personal Pace mower for 10 years now, still starts on the first pull and only 2-3 pulls after sitting all winter. My wife does have problems pulling it though as she has weak wrists. I change the oil every year and the spark plug every 3-4 years but never see anything wrong with the old one. I really like the personal pace feature and guess I am one who will keep using it until I die...
Daves69
Well-Known Member
My son bought an electric along with a trimmer (Ryobi 40 volt) and is happy with them as opposed to gas. I decided to go for it and bought the below when it had a leaf blower promo with it.
The review I left............
[[[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] In late May 2023, I decided to try electric with regards to lawn care equipment over gas and gas /oil mix fuel. The mower has been in service for three months now, so I feel that's adequate time to fairly review this item. I find this mower as very acceptable for its primary task, mowing my lawn. It's quiet enough to have a conversation with the neighbor as I mow. The cut is even and the clippings are fairly small. It has no issues with some uneven terrain. The mow time for my lawn (5K sq. ft.) using the rear drive is at least equal to my gas mower. The drive takes some getting use to as it's on or off, whereas the belt drive on the gas mower can slip for you. The forward lighting feature is adequate for late evening mowing. I have not needed the AWD feature as yet. I have not encountered any blade / deck conflicts. One 6ahh battery completes the mowing task for me with one charge indicator led left for the blower and clean up. Nice to be able to fold the handle and store the mower on end saving floor space in small shed. Drawbacks IMO.... For the Mulch / Bag gate, the guide tracks (top and bottom) tend to load up making it difficult to close off the rear discharge. I use a length of aluminum guy wire to clean them out. PICTURES The plastic caps for the handle rails have about a half inch 90° that can get caught on my fence and bring things to an unexpected abrupt halt. PICTURE A little concerned with its ability to pick up leaves without needing to scalp the lawn. Fall is coming for that test.Overall, I'm happy with it. So, it's a keeper!
by ]]
My second season now. The battery life still good. No breakdowns.
There's no "ramp up" on the drive, so its always a hard takeoff and a bit harder cornering than a belt drive slip mower. Kinda' like a spool axle.
For bagging or mulching small embedded tree leaves or pine needles out of 2" grass it fails. I'd need to shorten the deck height another inch to have it somewhat effective, whereas my gas mower has no issue at the higher height.
RYOBI 40V HP Brushless Whisper Series 21. in Walk Behind Self-Propelled All Wheel Drive Mower - (2) 6.0 Ah Batteries & Charger RY401210 - The Home Depot
The RYOBI 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled All-Wheel Drive Multi-Blade Mower delivers more power than a 170cc gas mower, making it a true gas replacement. It's ideal for up to ¾ acre with dual active
www.homedepot.com
The review I left............
[[[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] In late May 2023, I decided to try electric with regards to lawn care equipment over gas and gas /oil mix fuel. The mower has been in service for three months now, so I feel that's adequate time to fairly review this item. I find this mower as very acceptable for its primary task, mowing my lawn. It's quiet enough to have a conversation with the neighbor as I mow. The cut is even and the clippings are fairly small. It has no issues with some uneven terrain. The mow time for my lawn (5K sq. ft.) using the rear drive is at least equal to my gas mower. The drive takes some getting use to as it's on or off, whereas the belt drive on the gas mower can slip for you. The forward lighting feature is adequate for late evening mowing. I have not needed the AWD feature as yet. I have not encountered any blade / deck conflicts. One 6ahh battery completes the mowing task for me with one charge indicator led left for the blower and clean up. Nice to be able to fold the handle and store the mower on end saving floor space in small shed. Drawbacks IMO.... For the Mulch / Bag gate, the guide tracks (top and bottom) tend to load up making it difficult to close off the rear discharge. I use a length of aluminum guy wire to clean them out. PICTURES The plastic caps for the handle rails have about a half inch 90° that can get caught on my fence and bring things to an unexpected abrupt halt. PICTURE A little concerned with its ability to pick up leaves without needing to scalp the lawn. Fall is coming for that test.Overall, I'm happy with it. So, it's a keeper!
by ]]
My second season now. The battery life still good. No breakdowns.
There's no "ramp up" on the drive, so its always a hard takeoff and a bit harder cornering than a belt drive slip mower. Kinda' like a spool axle.
For bagging or mulching small embedded tree leaves or pine needles out of 2" grass it fails. I'd need to shorten the deck height another inch to have it somewhat effective, whereas my gas mower has no issue at the higher height.
Yunick13
2 Time FABO NASCAR champ 2023 FABO NHRA champ
Fence in some goats and chickens. Problem solved, no battery charging necessary.
HemiSSDart
Dartus Interuptus
I forgot about the all on/all off feature like you said, hard to corner with it! There was a range of speed controls too but I never found the best setting, only used for three mow cycles...My son bought an electric along with a trimmer (Ryobi 40 volt) and is happy with them as opposed to gas. I decided to go for it and bought the below when it had a leaf blower promo with it.
RYOBI 40V HP Brushless Whisper Series 21. in Walk Behind Self-Propelled All Wheel Drive Mower - (2) 6.0 Ah Batteries & Charger RY401210 - The Home Depot
The RYOBI 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled All-Wheel Drive Multi-Blade Mower delivers more power than a 170cc gas mower, making it a true gas replacement. It's ideal for up to ¾ acre with dual activewww.homedepot.com
The review I left............
[[[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] In late May 2023, I decided to try electric with regards to lawn care equipment over gas and gas /oil mix fuel. The mower has been in service for three months now, so I feel that's adequate time to fairly review this item. I find this mower as very acceptable for its primary task, mowing my lawn. It's quiet enough to have a conversation with the neighbor as I mow. The cut is even and the clippings are fairly small. It has no issues with some uneven terrain. The mow time for my lawn (5K sq. ft.) using the rear drive is at least equal to my gas mower. The drive takes some getting use to as it's on or off, whereas the belt drive on the gas mower can slip for you. The forward lighting feature is adequate for late evening mowing. I have not needed the AWD feature as yet. I have not encountered any blade / deck conflicts. One 6ahh battery completes the mowing task for me with one charge indicator led left for the blower and clean up. Nice to be able to fold the handle and store the mower on end saving floor space in small shed. Drawbacks IMO.... For the Mulch / Bag gate, the guide tracks (top and bottom) tend to load up making it difficult to close off the rear discharge. I use a length of aluminum guy wire to clean them out. PICTURES The plastic caps for the handle rails have about a half inch 90° that can get caught on my fence and bring things to an unexpected abrupt halt. PICTURE A little concerned with its ability to pick up leaves without needing to scalp the lawn. Fall is coming for that test.Overall, I'm happy with it. So, it's a keeper!
by ]]
My second season now. The battery life still good. No breakdowns.
There's no "ramp up" on the drive, so its always a hard takeoff and a bit harder cornering than a belt drive slip mower. Kinda' like a spool axle.
For bagging or mulching small embedded tree leaves or pine needles out of 2" grass it fails. I'd need to shorten the deck height another inch to have it somewhat effective, whereas my gas mower has no issue at the higher height.
pishta
I know I'm right....
I had an old 24v 500w mower that would bog hard on basic grass, i hope they got better. I took the motor out and put it in my kids Razor scooter, it rips at twice the rpm of the old 250w motor.
I bought my dad a Roybi combo unit, push mower, weed eater, leaf blower a few years ago, they are still going strong.
His yard is tiny, postage-stamp sized, but it was getting too hard for him to pull the strings on the gas stuff.
His yard is tiny, postage-stamp sized, but it was getting too hard for him to pull the strings on the gas stuff.
Swinger 340
Well-Known Member
I remember the "TORO" were the first and may be the only 2 cycle mower, I had one. I also had one of the first Battery mowers, made by Black and Decker. I was their ginny pig, before it went to market. I believe it was back around 1985. It worked great for a small yard that was cared for. I understand the B&D goes by another name now.
-
