Battery powered lawn movers: pros and cons

NJFL1 · 07-05-2021, 09:07 PM

Thinking of switching to a battery powered lawn mower. Does anyone have first handed experience and willing to give a review for the best in field (sorry for the pun)? Thanks

John Mayes · 07-05-2021, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJFL1

Thinking of switching to a battery powered lawn mower. Does anyone have first handed experience and willing to give a review for the best in field (sorry for the pun)? Thanks

I have a Kobalt 80v self propelled and have been pretty happy with it. Mine is two years old so and haven’t had any problems so far.

GrumpyOldMan · 07-05-2021, 11:26 PM

I had a DeWalt and loved it. No-fuss no mess, just plug in the battery and mow the yard. I stopped mowing, so I sold it, but if I ever started mowing my own lawn again it is the one I would get. It is DeWalt, so more expensive, but DeWalt stuff is pretty good, and I have a lot of their tools, so they all share the same battery system.

Malsua · 07-06-2021, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJFL1

Thinking of switching to a battery powered lawn mower. Does anyone have first handed experience and willing to give a review for the best in field (sorry for the pun)? Thanks

I think the question is more about the size of your lawn although with batteries these days, it's not as much of an issue. Both of my villas have really small mow areas so I bought one of those 13" 40v Ryobi mowers. The mower weighs 30lb and I can throw it in our CRV to take the mower to the other CYV. I have a ton of Ryobi tools anyway so I'm swimming in batteries.

It mows just fine and hangs on a hook when I'm not using it. If I was on a fully grassed corner lot, I'd have a gas mower for sure.

It reminds me of one of those plastic toy mowers we got as kids 50+ years ago. The little plastic one with the dice popper thing at the top.

Papa_lecki · 07-06-2021, 06:19 AM

My father in law has one. He loves it. He has almost an acre. He has 3 batteries. I think he uses all of them when he mows.

rjm1cc · 07-06-2021, 07:01 AM

Had one and only problem was I had to do my lawn on two separate days due to its size. You should not have that problem here. I would get one, no noise, no gas storage.

BoSox49 · 07-06-2021, 07:04 AM

I have used a Kobalt battery powered mower for 2 years now to mow 5000 sq ft. I only use one of the 2 batteries that came with it. I haven't had any need to use the 2nd battery; 1 battery does the whole yard. Highly recommend this mower.

Blueblaze · 07-06-2021, 10:26 AM

Another vote for Kobalt. Mine is a 48v self-propelled mower that folds up for storage. It uses two 24v batteries that also work in other Kobalt tools.

Which brings up another issue if you're going to do it yourself. You'll also need a battery-powered string trimmer, hedge trimmer, and leaf blower. I had already bought a 40v Black-and-Decker string trimmer and blower before I bought the mower, so I can't comment on the Kobalt equivalents, but I don't think 24V is enough to do the job. The 40v B&D stuff works fine, but there are better brands.

I sure wish the industry would settle on a standard battery pack so we could mix and match instead of being forced into brand loyalty just because of the batteries.

I don't think these plastic battery-powered tools would have lasted a season of mowing my 2 acre Texas place, but they seem to work fine for my current postage stamp lawn.

Toymeister · 12:37 PM

There are two main factors that you need to consider.

- Do you currently have any battery powered tools? If so use that brand of mower as you already have extra batteries on hand.

-Do you want better quality of cut/better battery life/longer usable life of tool/bigger budget? If so you want a brushless mover.

Most comments on this thread will probably be useless as they will be something along the lines of buy the one I did, at a local store, as it works for me.

All references to voltage of batteries are meaningless. If it was true that more volts equals superior equipment then every European -220 volt- product would be superior to every US 120 volt product. Not to mention that every 20, 40, 60, and 80 volt cordless tool are stated at peak voltage and are in fact 18, 36, 54, and 72 nominal volt tools/mowers.

I bought a Makita. I chose the Makita system because Makita has the most cordless tools in the world and everyone uses the same battery (sometimes doubled up). Makita chargers fan cool the batteries during charging, extending battery life. Makita does not lie though marketing exaggerated claims. The 21" mower has a 21" blade not a 21" deck and 20" mower (I am looking at you Kobalt). Makita has three mowers to choose from and several weed trimmers, four blowers etc. The steel deck Makita models are made of a thicker gauge steel (25% more). The tires are rubber and not a black tinted slick plastic, and so forth.

All of this comes at a price. At this point I my life I simply want something that does what it claims to do and does not break, that is why Makita is the best choice for ME.

logdog · 07-06-2021, 04:52 PM

I'm happy with my Worx 40V mower. The batteries are compatible with my drill and other yard tools. I like that it folds up and stands on end for storage saving lots of garage space.

Wendy Bradley · 07-07-2021, 05:07 AM

I have a Sun Joe that is one year old I love it runs great never had a problem. I don't do my yard work here. So, I am thinking of selling it.

Looking for next wife · 07-07-2021, 06:02 AM

ONE DANGER. My son has Ryobi and loves it. However, there is one thing to beware of. If you have been used to a heavier gas mower for years and are now switching over; please remember that the electric mowers are much lighter than the gas engine ones and there are many instances where, when turning at the end of a row, new electric users pull the lighter mower up over their feet or foot while turning because they use too much effort out of habit and end up causing injury. Just remember at the end of a strip, be careful and nurse it around until you get your new muscle memory.