OT: Battery Operated Lawn Mower?
- Thread starter Alphabets
- Start date
I had a B&D for about 5 years, and now a Greenworks 60V 21” for the past 2+. I sense they don’t quite cut as well as gas, but for my size lawn they’re nearly perfect. If you get one, buy an extra battery pack b/c it may be needed - the mower may outlast the battery and why buy a new mover just b/c they quit making the battery pack?
Last edited:
The plan is once i pick a brand to go all in on the accessories such as a trimmer, blower, etc. Therefore, I'll have more batteries on hand for those as well.
Just bought a 21” Snapper 82 V today. No vacation this year so I am using my credit card cash back and treating myself. Already have their string trimmer. They make a bunch of equipment that all runs off the same battery.
Plan to use it for the first time tomorrow. I will provide a review.
Plan to use it for the first time tomorrow. I will provide a review.
Awesome, had not considered snapper but i certainly will especially if you have a good experience.
I know it’s not on your list, but you might also want to look at Makita. I have their blower and trimmer and really like them. I can’t speak to the lawnmower but have seen favorable reviews.
I bought the blower and trimmer primarily because I was already in their battery platform for other tools (drills, drivers, saws, etc). One of my favorite pieces of equipment is a Makita cordless reciprocating saw that I put a pruning blade in to trim tree branches. Makita has the benefit of a huge tool catalogue that goes far beyond lawn equipment and may be worth checking out if you have any need for tools other than lawn equipment.
I bought the blower and trimmer primarily because I was already in their battery platform for other tools (drills, drivers, saws, etc). One of my favorite pieces of equipment is a Makita cordless reciprocating saw that I put a pruning blade in to trim tree branches. Makita has the benefit of a huge tool catalogue that goes far beyond lawn equipment and may be worth checking out if you have any need for tools other than lawn equipment.
Two words: Heavy Plasticky Garbage
save yourself some aggravation and pull a demlion and just mow over your wallet*
save yourself some aggravation and pull a demlion and just mow over your wallet*
Last edited:
I have the 80v Greenworks string trimmer and love it. It seems to have every bit as much power as the gas trimmer I used to have. No more dealing with oil/gas mixture and has enough juice to do my yard twice before needing a charge.
I am also likely going to be buying the other tools and another battery or two. The convenience is great and performance awesome.
Sorry that I can't help on the mower. I'm still using a gas powered Craftsman with Honda engine for that.
I am also likely going to be buying the other tools and another battery or two. The convenience is great and performance awesome.
Sorry that I can't help on the mower. I'm still using a gas powered Craftsman with Honda engine for that.
The battery for the mower may be a different voltage than the other tools in the family. For example Kobalt makes both an 80 volt and a 40 volt lawn mower. The weight difference is significant. The 80 volt in a lawn mower is fine, but too heavy for handheld tools, They make both 40 and 80 volt handheld tools. I would not want to be trying to trim a hedge with a 80 volt battery. My handheld tools are 40 volt and they are adequate. The lawnmower is 80 volt. It is adequate but is not as powerful as my Honda. The advantage is there is no gas or oil to store. The blade is not as sturdy as a gas mower. I am old and if the battery dies I am just fine with waiting for it to recharge 2 or 3 days or a week. Naps and rest are important to build into any yard maintenance project.
They don't work as well. My neighbor has one, Greenworks I think, and it leaves some of the blades uncut. When we cut at the same time you can tell the difference.
That is an excellent point. I went with Black & Decker purely because I figured they would be around when I needed a new battery. So far, it has worked just fine. And I have a fairly large yard - nearly an acre and lots of hills/banks.
I converted to battery power for my outdoor tools in 2011 and don't miss the gas. But, you have to keep up with mowing the grass and don't let it get too long. I love my new Snapper HD 48v (5 Ah). Adjusts blade speed automatically based on load feedback. Also had a B&D mower that lasted 8 years before the handle broke (of all things), battery was still working fine. Never had a gas mower last 8 years without a rebuild.
Yep, a mismatch for most mowing applications... you can be certain that battery is toast should you live in an area where temps hover in the teens & twenties and that little vibrator is sitting in your shed or garage during the off-season ....
a waste of $$$ unless your yard is about the size of your back
Wandering Spectator
Well-Known Member
I have the 56v Ego mower, blower, trimmer and hedge clippers. Love them all. I have two batteries a 2.0 Amp and a 5.0 The only problem is the 2.0 battery runs out quickly and sometimes I have to use the 5.0 in the hand held tools. The extra weight makes it more difficult for sure but not horrible.
We have a small front and back lawn so it’s pretty convenient and easy to manage with the batteries.
We have a small front and back lawn so it’s pretty convenient and easy to manage with the batteries.
I've had the Kobalt 40v series for the last 5 years. Mower, blower, weedeater, pole saw and small chain saw. I'm on just over .25 acres in suburbia. I've replaced the mower blade twice, the cap on the weedeater once. The weight has never been a problem. I've lost one battery in 5 years. They tend to last a bit longer if you're not a moron that stores batteries outside when not in use.
I bought a Greenworks for my girlfriend's lawn last year. Happy with its performance.
i’ve gone all battery for my lawn equipment. I have the EGO mover, edger and blower. My grass trimmer and hedge trimmer are Kobalt. All of them work fine, I have not had any problems with any of them. I live in Florida so at this time of year I am cutting the grass every 4-5 days and my yards is about one quarter acre.
Gas all the way on anything bigger then a postage stamp.I want something that cuts not something that caresses the grass.
I have this one from Greenworks its a 60V rechargable.
I think it works great. You can choose to mulch or bag, is self propelled with
or without the blades turning.
Its a lot more powerful than I thought it would be.
It is perfect for my yard. That being said my back yard is not very big, 30' x 75' and the front yard is probably 20'x20'
I can get 2 full cuts on 1 charge.
That’s a one-dimensional view, MM2. No need to run for and store gas. Much quieter, meaning I can cut at a broader time range w/o annoying the neighbors. 100% reliable start. No engine service/upkeep.
Use a Greenworks on my quarter-acre. Love it. Have had it for two years. No maintenance except sharpening blades. Original battery still lasts much longer than needed. And this is on tough Florida St. Augustine grass that needs to be cut every 5 days in our summer monsoon season and every 10-14 days through the winter. Love how quiet it is. Can cut the grass when it is cool at 6-7 am and wife doesn't even wake up. Super light weight - no propulsion system needed, and can hang it on the garage wall. Never going back to gasoline.
Last edited:
I have a Ryobi 40 volt, and for my needs -- front lawn of about 1/4 acre on a fairly steep incline -- and a back lawn of maybe 50 feet by 30 feet, it's perfect. I get about an hour on a full charge, which allows me to finish my front lawn before recharging. It's light, durable enough, and very reliable.
I'll never go back to gas.
I'll never go back to gas.
Last edited:
Our development has 1+ acres per lot........so electric was out. I use Stihl and Husqvarna....the biggest problem comes from not using Ethonal free fuel in all small motors. Checkout Stihl though......great quality.
I’ve owned two that were purchased to supplement my lawn tractor / for trim-work close to the house / plantings etc. 1st was a Lawn Boy rechargeable purchased from a proper power equipment retailer that required $80 battery replacement after two low-use seasons... love LawnBoy products of yore (prior to Toro purchasing/ruining the brand) but it was small, crappy, clumsy and weighed wayyyy more than my trusty gas model... ended up giving it to a friend who had a small city plot... the other was a brand my wife got from HomeDepot (Netron or Ego or something) .... it was even worse, reluctant to cut much more than errant stemmy weed, sucked as a mulcher ...battery failed / stopped working after one or two seasons... The blades on electric/battery units are lightweight pot-metal that wear like candy and do not take to repeated sharpening - junk. Plastic housings get marred and cracked, electrical connectors underneath are cheap and were prone to failures with even light use... learned my way around these as they required frequent troubleshooting... not to mention cleaning as electric motors need ventilation...
No more.
for the same reason I’d never consider a rechargeable snowblower or a rechargeable chain saw... battery-powered mower might be suitable for a tiny girly-yard but it’s not a solution for anything greater than that... not even for light duty trim work...
I've completely given up on just about anything battery powered except maybe a drill.
I thought the same way....i had drill, flashlight, trimmer, blower all running off the same batteries. It was great.
Right up until the batteries won't hold a charge anymore. The company you bought them from has moved on to the next best thing, and the only place to buy replacement batteries is from shady Ebay sources for something resembling a compact car payment.
Gas or corded for me from here on out.....
I thought the same way....i had drill, flashlight, trimmer, blower all running off the same batteries. It was great.
Right up until the batteries won't hold a charge anymore. The company you bought them from has moved on to the next best thing, and the only place to buy replacement batteries is from shady Ebay sources for something resembling a compact car payment.
Gas or corded for me from here on out.....
Review of the Snapper 82 V Step Sense
Purchased this yesterday from a local dealer. It came with two 2.0 Amp Hour 82V batteries and a charger. I also already had a charger and a battery for the Snapper trimmer.
I am replacing a ten year old Craftsman 6.5 hp gas mower. My yard is surrounded by woods and has some considerable slope to it in places ( I would say too much grade to safely use a riding mower ).
My lawn is a mess. After three years of a lawn service, I decided to take over. They insisted on cutting the lawn at about putting green height. This eliminated much of the grass over time. I threw down both grass and clover seed last fall and winter just to get some cover other than Creeping Charlie, moss and barnyard grass. The clover won.
Positives :
- Quiet. Probably didn’t need to wear hearing protection.
- No more choking fumes ! This was probably the biggest reason for wanting to switch. The old gas mower was probably raising my COVID risk, too.
- Height adjustment for all four wheels with one easy lever. Good design.
- Weight. I actually believe this mower is lighter than my Craftsman.
- Step Sense self - propelled feature. This is really good. You can choose to use the self propelling drive or not and the amount of drive you get is the result of nifty design feature built into the handlebar as you push against it. Every self propelled mower should have this.
- Battery endurance was very good. My yard is about 3/8 of an acre and sloping. The two batteries were more than adequate for the whole job, even with using the drive feature to go up some long, steep grades.
- Rear bag attachment was decent sized.
Negatives :
- Not the cleanest cutting mower. I checked the blade after finishing and it did not seem as sharp as I would have expected for a new mower. I think it is more that that, though. I will allow that the grass was still a bit wet and the stems of the clover flowers had gotten pretty tough after 2+ weeks of very little rain before yesterday. However, I do not think this mower has nearly the same cutting power as my Craftsman. It should be OK with regular lawn grass that isn’t too tall, but if you have clover or some sort of drought resistant lawn grass like Buffalo Grass, it won’t provide a nice, clean cut.
- The hatch cover for the batteries is a spring - loaded plastic flap. I have concerns about this cracking after significant use.
- I was reluctant to hose off the underside of the deck ( steel ) because of all the electronics. I may email Snapper to ask about this.
Purchased this yesterday from a local dealer. It came with two 2.0 Amp Hour 82V batteries and a charger. I also already had a charger and a battery for the Snapper trimmer.
I am replacing a ten year old Craftsman 6.5 hp gas mower. My yard is surrounded by woods and has some considerable slope to it in places ( I would say too much grade to safely use a riding mower ).
My lawn is a mess. After three years of a lawn service, I decided to take over. They insisted on cutting the lawn at about putting green height. This eliminated much of the grass over time. I threw down both grass and clover seed last fall and winter just to get some cover other than Creeping Charlie, moss and barnyard grass. The clover won.
Positives :
- Quiet. Probably didn’t need to wear hearing protection.
- No more choking fumes ! This was probably the biggest reason for wanting to switch. The old gas mower was probably raising my COVID risk, too.
- Height adjustment for all four wheels with one easy lever. Good design.
- Weight. I actually believe this mower is lighter than my Craftsman.
- Step Sense self - propelled feature. This is really good. You can choose to use the self propelling drive or not and the amount of drive you get is the result of nifty design feature built into the handlebar as you push against it. Every self propelled mower should have this.
- Battery endurance was very good. My yard is about 3/8 of an acre and sloping. The two batteries were more than adequate for the whole job, even with using the drive feature to go up some long, steep grades.
- Rear bag attachment was decent sized.
Negatives :
- Not the cleanest cutting mower. I checked the blade after finishing and it did not seem as sharp as I would have expected for a new mower. I think it is more that that, though. I will allow that the grass was still a bit wet and the stems of the clover flowers had gotten pretty tough after 2+ weeks of very little rain before yesterday. However, I do not think this mower has nearly the same cutting power as my Craftsman. It should be OK with regular lawn grass that isn’t too tall, but if you have clover or some sort of drought resistant lawn grass like Buffalo Grass, it won’t provide a nice, clean cut.
- The hatch cover for the batteries is a spring - loaded plastic flap. I have concerns about this cracking after significant use.
- I was reluctant to hose off the underside of the deck ( steel ) because of all the electronics. I may email Snapper to ask about this.
I have a self propelled 40V ryobi which I use to supplemnt my gas mower. I have the chainsaw, blower and weed-wacker which all use the same batteries. My lawn is .6 acres but terraced. It does great on the flat surfaces but the not so well on the uphill portions because the battery goes very quickly. Overall, I love it because I can send the 12 year out to mow knowing she'll be OK but battery life is an issue. Thankfully I have four.
“No more Choking Fumes” ?!?!?!?
Was your old mower running on PEAT?!?!?
If you have a 2cycle or 4cycle engine less than 30yrs old that is maintained and running correctly - fumes should never be an issue, much less noticeable for that matter... Furthermore- benchmarking against a lowly Craftsman with a budget Briggs engine isn’t really saying much
If you have a 2cycle or 4cycle engine less than 30yrs old that is maintained and running correctly - fumes should never be an issue, much less noticeable for that matter... Furthermore- benchmarking against a lowly Craftsman with a budget Briggs engine isn’t really saying much
Last edited:
We have a rechargeable weed trimmer, leaf blower, and hedge trimmer. I cut our one acre yard with a small zero turn (lots of trees), but if we ever downside to a smaller yard, I will be in the market for a rechargeable lawnmower.
none do... you know that
Even if it were mandated on these tiny engines - any poorly running / improperly maintained engine equipped with a catalyst would still be a stinky mess to operate
There was a study out of Sweden a while back that appeared in the American Chemical Society that equated the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from an hour of lawmowing to a 100 mile car trip.
I’m just glad I don’t have to breathe that anymore when pushing a lawnmower up a steep hill in the summer heat.
Come talk to me when you buy an electric grill for your patio/deck
Your grill spews as much ppm CO as a lawnmowermy direct experience has been cordless mowers are certainly heavy but not heavy-duty, don’t get the job done, and incur battery replacement outlays that tend to make them subject to costly disposal/replacement every couple of seasons...
Again, if you have a low-demand property scenario - I can imagine a rechargeable as a possible mowing alternative .... otherwise fuggheddabowditt
Similar threads
