After doing some research have found the following two top rated cordless electric mowers:

1) EGO 56V (Lithium-Ion) 20-inch:

Lawn Mower | Lithium-Ion, Cordless, 56V | Egopowerplus.com | EGO Power+

2) Greenworks 80V 21-inch:

80V 21" Cordless DigiPro Lawn Mower - Greenworks

Plan on buying one early in Spring of 2015 and does anyone have experience in using an electric mower?

No gas, no oil, no filters, no spark plug changes.

Can charge battery in only 30 minutes.*

*EGO model

 

I have a Black & Decker CM1000 that I have had for more than16 years. It is a 24 volt model with a pair of 12 volt SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries. I am still using the original batteries with no apparent loss of capacity.

I got this mower when I had a shy 1/4 acre lot with a 900 square foot house and the rest grass. Never had a problem mowing the entire yard on one charge. I now live in a home with a much smaller yard and I can mow at least twice without recharging the battery. In addition I often let my grass get entirely too long yet my mower is still able to bull its way through.

Maybe this doesn't exactly answer your question but I can assure you that battery-operated electric mowers ARE thoroughly practical.

 

@Furd,

I am quite impressed with the long term usage you have gotten from your cordless B&D. I don't know of many folks who own gas powered mowers that have lasted 16 years - like yours!

However, I am somewhat skeptical of the latest offerings (as in my two links above) that tout very fast charge times (for the EGO model) although there is no way to know as of yet as to how long these new Lithium-Ion batteries will last.

Question:

Would you recommend one of the new B&D cordless models that have similar lead acid batteries to the one you own?

If anyone else has experience with using a newer cordless model it would be good to know how the batteries are holding up especially if they happen to be the Lithium-Ion type.

Any other feedback is certainly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Why not a corded model? My neighbor has one (very small yard) as did a friend back in VA (good sized yard). Once you get the mowing pattern right the cord isn't an issue. Cheaper than cordless I think and never ANY worries about charge.

 

I have an 85 to 90 foot back yard area and my nearest outlet is going to put it over the 100 foot requirement with a cord. The front yard would be very difficult to figure out with a cord due to the front porch situation (no outlet) and large bushes in the way, also. Looks like cordless is going to be my best and easiest option.

I have my sights on perhaps a B&D model (as mentioned below) although I am willing to try a new model if the batteries are known to be reliable.

Has anyone tried the EGO 56V Lithium Ion 20-inch model?

 

Ok I get it. One problem with Li batteries is they give no indication as they start running down. At least in my cordless tools. They run fine right up until they shut down. Boom...no slowing, no weakness...just poof...they stop.

 

Yes, the Lithium-Ion battery just stops flat out with no slowing down although I have just come across what appears to be the latest offering for a new 80V cordless (double the 40V ones) from Greenworks tools which should be available as of March, 2015:

80V 21" Cordless DigiPro Lawn Mower - Greenworks

This model should be very good in cutting high and/or thick grass - plenty of power. The unanswered question remains as to the longevity of the battery even though the charge time is fast. If the battery can last even three years or so it might be worth the cost.

The 80V boasts a 21-inch steel deck although I have read reviews and seen videos where cleaning out the newer poly plastic decks are far easier to do since even wet grass just slides right off of it (in a clump) instead of sticking like crazy to metal decks.

 

I'd check the price of replacements before plopping down the cash on the mower. SLA batteries are relatively cheap and have been around a long time in applications like this. Greenworks and Ego have been around for a while now, but are still relatively young companies. Be bad to have a mower and 5 yrs later it's useless because you can't get a new battery.

Holy moly...just looked at the GW site...list price of those battery packs are from 179 to 399 depending on capacity. I'm sure street price would be less but I'm in shock! B&D 36V pack is only $115 list.

 

Since I have no need for a new mower I don't really keep up on the latest innovations. As you can guess, I am as pleased as can be with my B & D mower so if they still offer one with SLA batteries that would be my choice over Li-ion. The SLA does take several hours to recharge but so what? Even if you can only mow half the yard one day and have to do the other half the next day it is rarely a hardship.

 

@Furd & Gunguy45:

Thanks for the replies and I have to agree with both of you that the most reliable battery appears to be SLA (lead acid) in the B&D mowers. Greenworks / EGO haven't really been around long enough to trust the quality of their stuff. And, the lead acid batteries are not nearly as expensive.

And, Furd -- keep on with that 16 year-old machine -- sounds like a winner to me!

If anyone else uses other cordless mowers that work well, let me know.

 

For some laughs you might want to read my thread on converting a gasoline riding mower to battery operation. The project is kind of stalled now because the rainy season (October to May) is here and also because of my various ailments and very little room to work in my messy garage.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/al...n-mower-2.html

 

That was a pretty hilarious link with you working on that riding mower although if you can get it to work that is all that probably matters in the end!

Decided to pull the plug and bought the EGO 20-inch 56 volt cordless mower (on Halloween day actually, which is going to be my early Christmas gift to myself) and by all accounts it appears to be a very nice mower after I got it out of the box. Couldn't cut any grass today since we had some rain mixed with sleet (later in the day after I got back with the mower) and hope that maybe there will be a few warmer and dry days left in November, which is usually the last month left before the ground freezes up and the grass stops growing, i.e., with the temperature settling in at around 40 degrees and less.

The EGO is undoubtedly expensive although the features and ease of use with this mower make it a great choice and I have already turned it "on" (right in my kitchen) just to make sure it works and the engine hums smoothly and isn't very loud. Do love the way this thing folds up in a snap and you can store it away like a piece of luggage with one hand. The fast 30 minute charge times plus a 45 minute cutting time clinched it for me. Remains to be seen how long the battery will last.

 

My work on an electric rider was not meant to be hilarious, it IS a serious endeavor.

I hope you are happy with your purchase. For me the 30 minute re-charge time would have been so far down the list to not even be an issue. Easy storage IS a major issue.

 

@Furd,

Okay, I see you have put a lot of work into your project so far. Please do not give up on attempting to finish it as you will have something to be proud of in the end.

Yes, as for the new EGO mower it is a great machine although I quickly nicked and chipped the blade when hitting a couple of sticks, a stone, and a vine. I surveyed the yard for debris before starting although I still encountered these objects in a few thick patches of grass.

As for storage this mower is the best I have ever seen as for the easy use of the handles which quickly fold over and the entire mower can be moved via two well placed handles and you can roll it like a piece of luggage. It also can store in a vertical position on end!

It is now going to very cold here (in the 30's and 20's starting tomorrow) so I doubt there will be any more lawn work until next year although I did buy four (4) new blades for the mower at $20 each so that one blade can be changed out each season of use.

Also had to buy a couple of wrenches, one of them a beam torque wrench, so I can tighten the blade bolt to 40 ft-lb as recommended by the EGO user manual. Looks like I will be ready for next season.

 

Holy crap...why 4 new blades? Do you not have a vise (not vice...we all have those...lol) and a few files? I always had a spare blade that I sharpened and hung back up for the next change.

 

I do not own a vise to handle the blades and do not plan on buying one (no work shop or garage) and want to make things as easy as possible with the minimal amount of maintenance. I bought this mower for a small yard and simply do not have a lot of tools to work with. Wanted to avoid all the hassle with buying gas, oil, filters, spark plug changes, and, yes... sharpening blades.

It should be enough work to remove and replace a blade (as needed with one standard wrench and a torque wrench) and make sure I replace the blade correctly. I am going to check to see that the new blades are "balanced" before use.

Other than that the EGO mower is virtually maintenance free and I am waiting to see as to how many seasons I will get from the lithium-ion battery.

 

I'll lay odds you have a local shop that probably would have sharpened a blade for $5 or so. Blades don't go bad and can be sharpened for years before needing replacement. New blades are balanced...no need to check them. It's when material is removed unevenly during sharpening or they hit something that they need to be checked.

Sorry, it's just the $80 on spare blades freaked me out.

 

I agree with Gunguy, four blades is a bit overkill. I now have three blades for my B&D but it is mostly because I got a good buy on the new blades and I was a bit concerned that "they" might discontinue the blade before I am willing to retire the mower.

My local "old time" hardware store does blade sharpening, well, they have a guy comes in once a week or so to pick up and drop off blades for a reasonable charge. And it IS easy to sharpen a rotary lawnmower blade.

Depending on your yard you may want to change the blade at least once, halfway through the season. Twice a season won't be too often.

As for the rider...I bought a pair of blades off of Ebay because finding 26 inch blades IS difficult. I need to drill a couple of holes in them to adapt them to my blade mount. I have pretty much shelved the rider project for the next few months as it is too cold to do much in the garage now and too wet outside to do any welding. It's okay as I still have plenty of projects to keep me occupied during the colder and wetter months. I've been plugging away at this thing for close to thirty years so another few months won't hurt.

 

I bought the four blades as I too was concerned that they might be discontinued after a short while as there is always something new coming out and you never know if you will be able to continue to buy them. Perhaps I can find someone to sharpen the blade as mentioned here since the original blade that came with the mower (after only ONE use) is already dinged and chipped and I am not sure if I should continue to use it since it could already be unbalanced. I do know that a small piece of the blade has been chipped off the one corner of the blade (where I hit the stone) as I can clearly see it. Seems like a lot of trouble to take a blade on and off multiple times and find someone to sharpen and/or fix it and the chipped piece obviously cannot be fixed... after a one time use of the mower!

 

Did find out that my local hardware store has someone that can sharpen blades for only $8 so I am thinking I will take in the current blade next year (when Spring arrives) as we are now getting snow here and may have 2 to 3 inches of the white stuff by morning. No more yard work this year as it appears. And, it's time for some "mud" on a cold and blustery day!