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Picked up a battery powered lawn mower recently. My old mower started surging real bad. And my years of dealing with small engines like this indicated it was the carburetor. Which, are 0% serviceable since they're plastic, and one solid unit.
So, instead trying to fix this thing, I decided to look at electric, and picked up one of these: https://www.lowes.com/pd/EGO-POW…
It's been raining like crazy (including the last two days), and my yard is at least a week overdue for a mow. So, I had about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of an acre of long, wet, thick grass to deal with.
Here's my initial impressions:
Good:
1. It's lighter than the old gas mower. Not terribly lighter, tbh, but lighter none the less.
2. It rolls SO much nicer. These wheels have ball bearings in them vs. the old mower that just spun around a metal shaft. So, while the initial push to start moving isn't terribly different, once you're moving, the lighter weight and smoother roll really make a difference. Plus, turning around to mow the other direction feels smoother. Was surprised by this part.
3. It's so quiet. I wondered if it was even working a few times because of how little noise it made.
4. It cuts every bit as good as my old one. I contemplated setting the blade higher to deal with the high grass, but figured I'd put it right to the test in wet tall grass. It powered right through. It rev'd up a little higher from time to time. But, my old mower would have been bogging down quite a bit more.
5. Folds up and stores upright to save space, or to clean off the deck. This is pretty awesome, actually. Plus there's handles to pick it up with.
Not as good:
1. I don't bag, because it would take twice as long to cut. So, I used the side chute thing. Which attaches to the back, instead of the right. Which didn't seem like a big deal, until I kicked it off pulling up a hill and ran it over.
So with the chute properly destroyed, I had to mulch the rest of the yard. Which, it handled just fine, tbh. The worst part in the back yard was already done, so I didn't put it to the ultimate test. But, under normal conditions, I assume it will do just fine.
2. The handle position isn't the best for pulling up hill. There's a bunch of spots I need to do this in. My yard is like 5% flat, so I'm always dealing with hills. I probably just need to get used to it, but the old one had a perfect angle for this.
3. I'm probably going to have to get another small battery to finish the front yard. When I finished, it was on the last bar of life (which went to 1 with probably 20% of the yard left). Which makes sense since it took me 50 minutes, and the battery is rated at "up to 55 minutes". But, I booked it for the last part of the yard so I didn't run out of juice. Will probably see how long it lasts with shorter, drier grass.
Overall, pretty happy after a single cut. Didn't get self-propelled, because they're shit on most every mower that's not like $800.
Hope you enjoyed my 4th of July, border line "signs you're getting old" post about lawnmowers.
- Isn't this our second electricity-powered lawn mower post this year? lol
Signs QBN's getting old :)Nairn - i wish more people use electric mower. the noise ruins my morning!!pango
- My neighborhood dads apparently coordinate and work in shifts so there’s always someone mowing, 24/7scarabin
- ^ that is one sinister plan!pango
- I mow the lawn and weed whack front and back yards plus trim the hedges 100ft and the battery is still good. Ryobi from Home Depot though but yeah get a longer1_niko
- NICE! I bought an EGO earlier this year and love it. You can adjust the height of the handle - there are two positions. And the less you use the self-propel...stoplying
- ...the longer the battery will last. I've started hosing it down when I finish (battery removed) and tip on its side to get the blades.stoplying
- Good luck! Every electric mower I've had (3 so far) lasts just about 3 years before failing in some way or having the battery discontinued by the seller.evilpeacock
- Isn't this our second electricity-powered lawn mower post this year? lol