Last one I bought was nearly 20 years ago. Any recommendations/tips on buying a new one? Don’t need a rider and pretty intrigued by the electric ones despite the higher prices. Any constructive feedback appreciated!
I recently bought a Stihl electric with their best battery. It cuts beautifully, has variable-speed self-propulsion, and it's simple to work. It was very expensive, but it's their top-of-the-line. A couple of other mowers are higher rated (especially considering the price) but our local John Deere/Stihl dealers are people I trust totally, and they'll stand by their products. For the record the mower is the 510V with a 300APS battery, AL 300 charger. Again, it was a lot of money, but I'm going to be buying more of the "AP" product line (chainsaw and blower) so the battery/charger costs were worth it to me. My wife enjoys yard work, and loves the mower, too.
spend the extra and do it once If you know exactly what mower size you need. I went commercial scag(Turf tiger II) and haven't looked back for my size property after using a ferris for 30ish years.
I use Stihl equip and they hold up and start every time. Zero experience with elect units.
I recently bought a Stihl electric with their best battery. It cuts beautifully, has variable-speed self-propulsion, and it's simple to work. It was very expensive, but it's their top-of-the-line. A couple of other mowers are higher rated (especially considering the price) but our local John Deere/Stihl dealers are people I trust totally, and they'll stand by their products. For the record the mower is the 510V with a 300APS battery, AL 300 charger. Again, it was a lot of money, but I'm going to be buying more of the "AP" product line (chainsaw and blower) so the battery/charger costs were worth it to me. My wife enjoys yard work, and loves the mower, too.
Not very back. About 1/4 acre including the backyard which has a couple decent sized grass less spots
is the cost of the battery itself at $80-130+, and how long will the battery last/hold a charge over years of use.
For example, the Husq hedge trimmer I was looking to purchase costs $280 + another $200+ in battery/charger costs. If the battery quits or shorts, it's expensive to replace.
Brushless motors should last a long time, idk, it's all new tech in the field the way I see it. Go Tesla!
Awesome I love it. I have a half acre and it does it easily on a single battery charge. Lawn mower is pretty light. Battery charge takes about 90 minutes.
and if you go Toro do not get one with a Kohler engine.
If you don’t have a huge yard (like me) and you get a gas mower I highly recommend using a non-ethanol canned gas like Trufuel from Home Depot. It has a shelf life of 2 years once opened and you don’t have to worry about condensation with your gas can.
I mowed for the first time with it this evening. It had been 2 weeks since I mowed last and it has rained a lot lately, so the grass was really long. I was expecting this mower to be not up to the challenge and I gotta say- it handled it better than my 14 year old Honda. Power was not at all a problem.
I had seen people return them in previous years because they couldn’t handle just this situation, so I was expecting to have to return this one. I was so amazingly surprised!
The only downside to Ego is that the batteries are expensive. They pour a lot of tech into the batteries to, hopefully, extend the life. That said, a 10 Ah battery that charges in less than an hour is pretty amazing.
I would just find a few that allow you to adjust the height as high as possible. Then just buy a used on on FB marketplace or craigslist. Sharpen the blades when you get it...and that's it.
a few days ago! I'm in the same boat.... 20-year old lawn mower that I bought for $110 (push Troy-Bilt with Honda engine) was simply falling apart.
I did what BUgiantfan and decided to go in new direction and got the Ego. Haven't used it yet, but it got really good reviews. I will say it's a very cool looking machine and since it folds up, you save a a lot space in the garage.
It takes one battery and the battery lasts about 1.5 (maybe 2, depending on how long the grass is) cuts, my front and back yards. Pretty quiet, no issues at all with it, really.
My Troy-Bilt probably would have lasted another 10-20 years easy had:
(1) My son not driven over it when he first started to learn how to drive. (ha)
(2) I invested a little time and effort into fixing a few issues (replacing the wheels, fixing the choke). The engine, blade, and deck were still fine.
The reason I say this is you can still find very "cheap" lawn mowers that will last a long time (decades) if you take care of them. Anything by Honda has great reviews (great engines) but they can be expensive too.
And it's excellent. From Home Depot. It is the 22" self propelled recycler with a feature where you can fold it up to stand vertically for storage.
I can't get my mind to accept the concept of battery operated lawn mowers. Yard equipment to me requires gas and oil. Filters. Funnels. Clean up rags. Cursing at carburetors and checking exhaust screens.
For a "push" mower, I like large rear wheels, front wheel drive, a very reliable motor that easily starts (honda) and a recycler design. I don't use a grass bag, if you don't let it get too long and if you don't have an ultra dense lawn, the recycler design pulverizes the clippings well enough that you don't really notice them. Saves a lot of time.
For anyone looking for a bargain price, try this... I found from a Facebook garage sale ad that a temporary storefront has opened near me selling a lot of what appear to be equipment rental liquidations. Meaning newer model equipment clearly used but not contractor grade. Mainly ryobi but also toro, craftsman. All kinds of yard equipment. I got a current model Ryobi 4 stroke line trimmer head for $60. Maybe there is something like that near you.
One thing to consider is the entire "ecosystem", not just the mower. What other tools do the various companies offer that run off the same batteries? I know Ryobi has a ton of stuff that uses the 40V batteries (I personally have an 18" chainsaw, trimmer, and inverter).
I have had a Greenworks and a Kobalt. The greenworks was fine, but I ended up switching to the Kobalt last year when I couldn't buy a replacement blade anywhere, even from the actual manufacturer. The one they sent me had the wrong cutouts and wouldn't fit on the mower.
I went Kobalt because my other lawn tools (blower, edger, string trimmer) are all Kobalt. I'm not an experienced lawn professional or anything, but I've got close to a half acre that I put a ton of work into maintaining and I've been very happy with their performance. I can generally cut the whole thing on a single charge (though if I let it go too long, I may have to dig into the second battery). My one complaint is that it seems like the batteries take FOREVER to charge so I kind of juggle batteries if I'm going to give my yard the 5 star treatment and use the edger, string trimmer, and mow all in one go. Even that is manageable if I do it one yard at a time with a little bit of planning and some battery juggling.
He loves it. He won’t love the battery replacement in 10 years but no gas or maintenance until then.
I’ve had Toros, but I really do love my craftsman from a few years ago. Got a deal through Sears online. Payed 38% off - and got it serviced within the first year under warranty.
Works efficiently. But more than that it is so quiet.
You can mow early in the morning without disturbing the neighbors or their kids. Or you can mow in the evening.
The battery charge for the Ego lasts a lot longer than that of the Ryobi as my neighbor discovered.
The foldup feature saves space in the garage.
Essentially there is no downside with the Ego.
Good luck.
I charged the battery for the first time a couple of days ago and it fully charged in about 30 minutes. (Supposedly that is the norm). Full charge is supposed to last at least 60 minutes.
My full charge is closer to 50-55 minutes which is right about the amount of time I need to complete mowing my full lawn.
You should be able to see three red lights in the front of the Ego that tell you how much charge you are consuming and therefore how much charge you have left.
More than once I have had to jog the last couple of circuits of my lawn while mowing. But that is better than leaving an incomplete lawn mow and having to wait to charge to finish up.
My neighbors who are from Asia, think that I am a little crazy, however. But upon reflection that is not necessarily a bad thing.
I’m all in with Ego, mower, blower and trimmer. I bought the mower last year because I had good luck with their blower and trimmer. The mower has been great all last season and this season. The great thing about electric is no maintenance, no gas or oil or plugs or starter or stabilizer. Sure the batteries won’t last forever but the rest of the machine should hold up just fine. It’s mostly plastic and aluminum but, I think that will wear just fine and I imagine the gas mower aren’t built any better. It’s all kind of cheap shit from China now isn’t it?
Anyone know anything about the quality of that brand? I see comparable specs to the ones mentioned but made in the U.S. (and a little more expensive).
Ryobi makes solid tools. I have both their 18V and 40V lines. Had the mower 5-6 years ago and it was great (needed a ride-on when I moved 3 years ago). Only issue I had was with the auto-shutoff (safety feature) when making quick turns or hitting bumpy spots in the yard. It's basically a small pressure sensor by the base and didn't have a tight fit with the handles. Easily fixed with twist ties though.
Mowed ~1/3 acre with 1.5-2 batteries depending on length of yard. I think they were both 4 AH batteries though and I know they now have 6+ AH units. Charge time wasn't terrible, but they have protection built in to prevent overheating and sometimes the batteries would need to cool off for 30 min before charging would start (more a factor when using the trimmer/chainsaw).
Had a Craftsman - it was crap. Had a Honda - it was crap too.
But I LOVED my Toro. It outlasted my Craftsman and my Honda COMBINED and I still sold it because it wasn't done yet. It started way, way better and was easier to service than either of the others. And in contrast to the other two, it gave me virtually zero problems. Did have to clean the carb once. That was it in 15 years other than normal maintenance, which was easier and a bunch less expensive than on the Honda.
Get a good Toro from a servicing dealer and take care of it - it will last for many years. It's American made, and the company is American owned - which Honda isn't. Furthermore, it will start easier than any Honda or anything else I've ever tried.
You won't ever run out of charge before the lawn is fully cut. You won't have any trouble buying a replacement blade or filters.
last year I replaced my almost 20yr old toro w a honda; i looked into a new toro and i pretty much went w the honda GVC200 bc i wanted to try something different.
it was a mistake, as i really don't like their implementation of self-propelled, they call it select drive i think. its too difficult to get it to the speed i want and keep it there. it also has this clutch like thing that is supposed to automatically slow the mower down in dense/tall grass. the problem is this same thing kicks in on even the slightest hill and likely one of the reasons i can get select drive to maintain the speed i want.
the unit is heavier than my old toro which, on the surface, leads ppl to think it's made better. but it is significantly more effort to maneuver in tight spaces. and their system to switch from mulch to bag is poorly designed, they pitch that you simply move a level (which opens or closes a gate). the problem is the area where the gate needs to go is almost always stuffed w stuck on grass.
the positives are the automatic choke and one-time pull-start, they work really well (not sure if the new toro's have that). it also cuts a little better than my old toro. but then again, that toro was 20yrs old, I would expect any new mower to perform better than it did toward the end.
Only problem is that it’s made in China.
I use Stihl equip and they hold up and start every time. Zero experience with elect units.
Only problem is that it’s made in China.
Copy that. Except for my iPhone I’ve consciously tried to avoid buying anything made in China.
Not very back. About 1/4 acre including the backyard which has a couple decent sized grass less spots
Unless you've got some specific use case, there's no reason to buy a new mower for your home that's not electric.
For example, the Husq hedge trimmer I was looking to purchase costs $280 + another $200+ in battery/charger costs. If the battery quits or shorts, it's expensive to replace.
Brushless motors should last a long time, idk, it's all new tech in the field the way I see it. Go Tesla!
If you don’t have a huge yard (like me) and you get a gas mower I highly recommend using a non-ethanol canned gas like Trufuel from Home Depot. It has a shelf life of 2 years once opened and you don’t have to worry about condensation with your gas can.
I had seen people return them in previous years because they couldn’t handle just this situation, so I was expecting to have to return this one. I was so amazingly surprised!
The only downside to Ego is that the batteries are expensive. They pour a lot of tech into the batteries to, hopefully, extend the life. That said, a 10 Ah battery that charges in less than an hour is pretty amazing.
Unless you've got some specific use case, there's no reason to buy a new mower for your home that's not electric.
Same, perfect for my lawn... and you can listen to music and podcasts
Masport Lawn Mower - ( New Window )
I did what BUgiantfan and decided to go in new direction and got the Ego. Haven't used it yet, but it got really good reviews. I will say it's a very cool looking machine and since it folds up, you save a a lot space in the garage.
(1) My son not driven over it when he first started to learn how to drive. (ha)
(2) I invested a little time and effort into fixing a few issues (replacing the wheels, fixing the choke). The engine, blade, and deck were still fine.
The reason I say this is you can still find very "cheap" lawn mowers that will last a long time (decades) if you take care of them. Anything by Honda has great reviews (great engines) but they can be expensive too.
I won't go back to a combustion engine.
I can't get my mind to accept the concept of battery operated lawn mowers. Yard equipment to me requires gas and oil. Filters. Funnels. Clean up rags. Cursing at carburetors and checking exhaust screens.
For a "push" mower, I like large rear wheels, front wheel drive, a very reliable motor that easily starts (honda) and a recycler design. I don't use a grass bag, if you don't let it get too long and if you don't have an ultra dense lawn, the recycler design pulverizes the clippings well enough that you don't really notice them. Saves a lot of time.
For anyone looking for a bargain price, try this... I found from a Facebook garage sale ad that a temporary storefront has opened near me selling a lot of what appear to be equipment rental liquidations. Meaning newer model equipment clearly used but not contractor grade. Mainly ryobi but also toro, craftsman. All kinds of yard equipment. I got a current model Ryobi 4 stroke line trimmer head for $60. Maybe there is something like that near you.
One thing to consider is the entire "ecosystem", not just the mower. What other tools do the various companies offer that run off the same batteries? I know Ryobi has a ton of stuff that uses the 40V batteries (I personally have an 18" chainsaw, trimmer, and inverter).
I went all in all EGO products and the batteries can be used across them.
I have the pole saw, leaf blower, trimmer and have been very happy.
I went Kobalt because my other lawn tools (blower, edger, string trimmer) are all Kobalt. I'm not an experienced lawn professional or anything, but I've got close to a half acre that I put a ton of work into maintaining and I've been very happy with their performance. I can generally cut the whole thing on a single charge (though if I let it go too long, I may have to dig into the second battery). My one complaint is that it seems like the batteries take FOREVER to charge so I kind of juggle batteries if I'm going to give my yard the 5 star treatment and use the edger, string trimmer, and mow all in one go. Even that is manageable if I do it one yard at a time with a little bit of planning and some battery juggling.
I’ve had Toros, but I really do love my craftsman from a few years ago. Got a deal through Sears online. Payed 38% off - and got it serviced within the first year under warranty.
It’s been solid.
Quote:
Best lawn mower I've ever owned by far.
Unless you've got some specific use case, there's no reason to buy a new mower for your home that's not electric.
Same, perfect for my lawn... and you can listen to music and podcasts
That’s the impression I get! Just which one is the decision now!
You can mow early in the morning without disturbing the neighbors or their kids. Or you can mow in the evening.
The battery charge for the Ego lasts a lot longer than that of the Ryobi as my neighbor discovered.
The foldup feature saves space in the garage.
Essentially there is no downside with the Ego.
Good luck.
You can mow early in the morning without disturbing the neighbors or their kids. Or you can mow in the evening.
The battery charge for the Ego lasts a lot longer than that of the Ryobi as my neighbor discovered.
The foldup feature saves space in the garage.
Essentially there is no downside with the Ego.
Good luck.
I charged the battery for the first time a couple of days ago and it fully charged in about 30 minutes. (Supposedly that is the norm). Full charge is supposed to last at least 60 minutes.
You should be able to see three red lights in the front of the Ego that tell you how much charge you are consuming and therefore how much charge you have left.
More than once I have had to jog the last couple of circuits of my lawn while mowing. But that is better than leaving an incomplete lawn mow and having to wait to charge to finish up.
My neighbors who are from Asia, think that I am a little crazy, however. But upon reflection that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Ryobi makes solid tools. I have both their 18V and 40V lines. Had the mower 5-6 years ago and it was great (needed a ride-on when I moved 3 years ago). Only issue I had was with the auto-shutoff (safety feature) when making quick turns or hitting bumpy spots in the yard. It's basically a small pressure sensor by the base and didn't have a tight fit with the handles. Easily fixed with twist ties though.
Mowed ~1/3 acre with 1.5-2 batteries depending on length of yard. I think they were both 4 AH batteries though and I know they now have 6+ AH units. Charge time wasn't terrible, but they have protection built in to prevent overheating and sometimes the batteries would need to cool off for 30 min before charging would start (more a factor when using the trimmer/chainsaw).
But I LOVED my Toro. It outlasted my Craftsman and my Honda COMBINED and I still sold it because it wasn't done yet. It started way, way better and was easier to service than either of the others. And in contrast to the other two, it gave me virtually zero problems. Did have to clean the carb once. That was it in 15 years other than normal maintenance, which was easier and a bunch less expensive than on the Honda.
Get a good Toro from a servicing dealer and take care of it - it will last for many years. It's American made, and the company is American owned - which Honda isn't. Furthermore, it will start easier than any Honda or anything else I've ever tried.
You won't ever run out of charge before the lawn is fully cut. You won't have any trouble buying a replacement blade or filters.
it was a mistake, as i really don't like their implementation of self-propelled, they call it select drive i think. its too difficult to get it to the speed i want and keep it there. it also has this clutch like thing that is supposed to automatically slow the mower down in dense/tall grass. the problem is this same thing kicks in on even the slightest hill and likely one of the reasons i can get select drive to maintain the speed i want.
the unit is heavier than my old toro which, on the surface, leads ppl to think it's made better. but it is significantly more effort to maneuver in tight spaces. and their system to switch from mulch to bag is poorly designed, they pitch that you simply move a level (which opens or closes a gate). the problem is the area where the gate needs to go is almost always stuffed w stuck on grass.
the positives are the automatic choke and one-time pull-start, they work really well (not sure if the new toro's have that). it also cuts a little better than my old toro. but then again, that toro was 20yrs old, I would expect any new mower to perform better than it did toward the end.