Just purchased an EGO mower, any experience?

[wrcsixeight]

LIthium chargers do not 'float' the battery once fully charged.

But they also dont truly fully charge the cells, on purpose.

My Ridgid charger brings batteries to 20.5v.
Makita and Dewalt 20.6,
not sure about ryobi, yet.

21v would be a truly fully charged rested, open circuit voltage for 18v nominal systems, dewaLt ' 20v max ' included.

Keeping battery packs in the middle 20% to 80% range is best for cycle life.
Keeping baTteries cool helps greatly.
Every 10degrees C average temp increase, doubles the raTe of self degradation/capacity loss with lead acid, and lithium 'might' not be as extreme in this regard, or it might.

Self discharge also increases at higher temperatures.

Ill be busting out Makita mower in a few hours, its 4 baTteries are in an air conditioned space, around 80% charged. That garage is still 88f, and rising.
I'll plug in the charger and top them off first. Ill usually take a break, put mower in shade, take hot batteries with me into aircon'd space, take the other 2 once ive cooled off.

IVe not yet drained makita Batteries in mower till the LVD shut power down. I was expecting it as LED 1 bar had been hding for longer than expected, but i finished before.

Ridgid BMS seemed say below 16v was the threshold.
I try and avoid that level of discharge.

I have 4 makita and 4 ridgid batteries, one dewalt, one Ryobi.

I have made in USA 3d printed adapters to run ridgid baTteries in Makita tools and maKita batts in ridgid tools, and Ridgid batts in the now never used ryobi blower.
Ive a MaKita blower, whacker ,and hedge trimmer too, and often run the ridgid batteries in these and keep the Makita batteries in pairs on ' landscape day'.
I never place hot/warm batteries in charger, and try to stop charging, with the ridgid baTteries, when amps have tapered below 0.5. Ridgid's external wall wart power supply allow his luxury.

2 RIdgid 4.0 AH batteries and 2 amp charger, often go on sale for 99$.
Once, I saw it at 79$ but waited till morning to order, and the deal was gone. Came back a few days later paired with angle grinder for 139$, and I jumped.

My lawn is small, but having enough battery capacity, even when my current batteries inevitably lose capacity is not a concern.
I can fully understand the capaciy decline stress of those with bigger lawns and less common baTtery systems, and why I chose Makita over other lawn tool offerings.

Ridgid batteries, charger and warranty, and adapters to run in MaKita ryobi maKe them my favorite.

Just got a Dewalt 8" polesaw with 4.0ah battery and charger for 229$.

Significantly less than the maKita or Milwaukee options which were the other contenders.

Doubt I'll acquire a Ridgid to Dewalt adapter anytime soon though.

 

[ARB1977]

I have been considering a new mower for a while since the transmission in my gas Honda push mower went out prematurely a few years ago. I have been taking care of my mother in laws lawn since she had surgery and is currently unable to do so. She has a Ryobi 40V electric mower that I have been enjoying using. I never thought I could consider electric but after using hers I think the pros might outweigh the cons. I went ahead and purchased a 40v 21" EGO self propelled model as Lowes is having a sale. Run time is listed at 60 minutes, which for me likely won't be enough to cut my lawn. An additional battery is a cool $400 and I'm not ready to invest that much yet. I'll just have to break up the lawn into two sections and change in between if needed. Do any of you have experience with the EGO mowers? I can always return and go a different route but reviews seem to be good and the price was good as well.

Returned a 40V ryobi AWD and bought a toro gas powered. For 800 the ryobi should cut 8” bermuda in 100 degree weather. It’s pretty sad my 15 year old Honda had to finish the job.

 

[gregk24]

Returned a 40V ryobi AWD and bought a toro gas powered. For 800 the ryobi should cut 8” bermuda in 100 degree weather. It’s pretty sad my 15 year old Honda had to finish the job.

Are you saying it was not capable of cutting or just not on single charge?

 

[ARB1977]

Are you saying it was not capable of cutting or just not on single charge?

It mowed the front fine. Got to the back and quit. Checked the battery and showed half charge left. Took the battery inside to cool off. Made two passes and quit again. Took a fresh battery and made two passes and quit. Had to use old faithful Honda 160 to finish. A 800 mower shouldn’t do that. Returned it and got a toro 165.

 

[wrcsixeight]

I was watching my Makita batteries bake under the smoked cover in direct sun the other day. 94f in shade.
Was thinking about a sun shade for them.
Filled the catch bag twice before I myself got too hot.
Parked it in shade, took hot batteries inside, placed on shelf in aircon'd space, next to charger in front of fan, and took cold shower. Weighed myself.
Sweated 2.5lbs.
Still warm Batteries showed 2 bars when I returned them and finished mowing.
But yard is small and most parts of lawn, not all that thick, and i cut it as tall as possible, without bigger wheels.

 

[B6_Dolphin]

I have the EGO Self-Propelled 21" Select-Cut XP Rear Bag Mower. It's my 2nd EGO mower after 5 years of mowing with the 1st gen, then switched to the 2nd gen last year, as Lowes had it on clearance w/o battery for $300. Since I already had batteries (7.5A, 5.0A, and (2) 2.5A), I snapped it up and gave my 1st gen mower to a neighbor, which he still uses.

I can use either the 5.0 or 7.5A battery to cut my 1/2 acre of grass, with some level of charge left over. I typically cut my grass 2x/week.

I also have the EGO string trimmer, hedge trimmer, edger attachment, pole saw attachment, snowblower attachment, hedge trimmer attachment, 530 CFM blower, powerhead, and extension for the powerhead. Aside for the blower and the mower, which I typically use with the 5.0A battery, the other tools can be powered for a quite a long time on the 2.5A battery.

As mentioned previously, the cut quality of the dual blades on the Select-Cut is very good, although if I let the lawn grow too high, the mower will leave some clippings in the wheel tracks.

 

[billt460]

It mowed the front fine. Got to the back and quit. Checked the battery and showed half charge left. Took the battery inside to cool off. Made two passes and quit again. Took a fresh battery and made two passes and quit. Had to use old faithful Honda 160 to finish. A 800 mower shouldn’t do that. Returned it and got a toro 165.

I was watching my Makita batteries bake under the smoked cover in direct sun the other day. 94f in shade.
Was thinking about a sun shade for them.
Filled the catch bag twice before I myself got too hot.
Parked it in shade, took hot batteries inside, placed on shelf in aircon'd space, next to charger in front of fan, and took cold shower. Weighed myself.
Sweated 2.5lbs.
Still warm Batteries showed 2 bars when I returned them and finished mowing.
But yard is small and most parts of lawn, not all that thick, and i cut it as tall as possible, without bigger wheels.

I have to agree. Spending $800.00 on a push mower, then another $400.00 for an additional battery, that for the most part can't make it through an average size yard without overheating, and / or running out of charge is ridiculous.

It tells me that much like EV's, these things are more of a novelty, and are not ready for prime time yet. At least not for the masses. I'm not seeing any advantage to them... At least not at this point.

Even the cheapest battery powered drills and impact wrenches can do an amazing amount of work for what they cost. And the tools themselves, along with the batteries and charging systems are cheap enough, so even if you're a contractor, it's affordable to have several on hand to get you through the day.

But if you have to pay $800.00 for the mower, then another $400.00 just for an additional battery to get you through the job without overheating, or running out of charge, I would most definitely stick with a ICE mower. It's just not worth the cost and aggravation.

 

[Dave_T]

Doesn't the charger for these things automatically shut off when the battery reaches full charge?

All of the chargers for my battery powered tools shut off as soon as they reach full charge, and the light changes from flashing green to solid green.

Mine certainly does... has an internal fan and I run a desktop fan on the setup while it's charging as well. Once the charge cycle finishes it goes into an extended cool down mode then just goes into a stand-by like mode. The EGO charge system also has some type of auto self-maintenance mode if the pack is left on the base... from the manual:

The battery pack will fully charge if left on the charger,but it will not overcharge. If the battery pack remains onthe charger for one month or more, it will perform selfmaintenance and drop to 30% charge capacity. If this occurs,reinstall the battery pack on the charger to recharge it fully

 

[billt460]

Mine certainly does... has an internal fan and I run a desktop fan on the setup while it's charging as well. Once the charge cycle finishes it goes into an extended cool down mode then just goes into a stand-by like mode. The EGO charge system also has some type of auto self-maintenance mode if the pack is left on the base... from the manual:

The battery pack will fully charge if left on the charger,but it will not overcharge. If the battery pack remains onthe charger for one month or more, it will perform selfmaintenance and drop to 30% charge capacity. If this occurs,reinstall the battery pack on the charger to recharge it fully

On most all of my battery powered tools, the battery itself barely gets warm to the touch while it's charging.... Or while it's being used. The unit that plugs into the wall gets warm, but not the battery itself. It's pretty much the same deal with my cell phone.

As far as batteries getting hot, I have 2 of the cheapest drills Harbor Freight sells, ($15.00 "Warrior" brand). I used both of them the other day, (one with a drill, the other with a nut driving socket), to install a new set of hinges on a wooden gate with 3/8" bolts. The outside temperature was 117F.

Both drills got so hot sitting in direct sunlight, it all but burned my hands when I picked them up. I ended up having to cover them with rags just so I could handle them when I needed to. Both drills accomplished the task just fine. Drilling pilot holes, and driving 2" long, 3/8" lag bolts into hardwood without a hiccup.

So to have a $800.00 mower with a $400.00 battery shut down because of overheating, while cutting short grass in a small yard is insane. The tool simply can't accomplish the job it was put on the market to perform.

 

[Dave_T]

On most all of my battery powered tools, the battery itself barely gets warm to the touch while it's charging.... Or while it's being used. The unit that plugs into the wall gets warm, but not the battery itself. It's pretty much the same deal with my cell phone.

As far as batteries getting hot, I have 2 of the cheapest drills Harbor Freight sells, ($15.00 "Warrior" brand). I used both of them the other day, (one with a drill, the other with a nut driving socket), to install a new set of hinges on a wooden gate with 3/8" bolts. The outside temperature was 117F.

Both drills got so hot sitting in direct sunlight, it all but burned my hands when I picked them up. I ended up having to cover them with rags just so I could handle them when I needed to. Both drills accomplished the task just fine. Drilling pilot holes, and driving 2" long, 3/8" lag bolts into hardwood without a hiccup.

So to have a $800.00 mower with a $400.00 battery shut down because of overheating, while cutting short grass in a small yard is insane. The tool simply can't accomplish the job it was put on the market to perform.

Just a long lasting/effective habit I have when charging anything... never hurts to have moving air to possibly/slightly minimize wear due to any heat generated. Same approach with my car cell mount as I have it setup in one of the vents to keep it cool when running GPS while charging. I almost never bother using heat while driving unless it's 30s or less so that's never been an issue.

 

[Badgerstate]

I have been considering a new mower for a while since the transmission in my gas Honda push mower went out prematurely a few years ago. I have been taking care of my mother in laws lawn since she had surgery and is currently unable to do so. She has a Ryobi 40V electric mower that I have been enjoying using. I never thought I could consider electric but after using hers I think the pros might outweigh the cons. I went ahead and purchased a 40v 21" EGO self propelled model as Lowes is having a sale. Run time is listed at 60 minutes, which for me likely won't be enough to cut my lawn. An additional battery is a cool $400 and I'm not ready to invest that much yet. I'll just have to break up the lawn into two sections and change in between if needed. Do any of you have experience with the EGO mowers? I can always return and go a different route but reviews seem to be good and the price was good as well.

I hope that you have better luck with the batteries than some seem to have. It seems like a lot of people are only getting 2-3 years before the battery fails and wont take a charge, requiring you to drop $300-$600 on a new battery.

 

[jeepman3071]

I hope that you have better luck with the batteries than some seem to have. It seems like a lot of people are only getting 2-3 years before the battery fails and wont take a charge, requiring you to drop $300-$600 on a new battery.

I haven't heard of the batteries failing to take a charge yet, just that they certainly don't last as long on a charge after 2 years. That would suck if the battery fails to the point where you can't use the mower at all.

 

[earlyre]

To those commenting on the batteries year over year.... Aging wheels has a couple videos on his Ryobi zero turn ..
worked fine mowed his whole property in one charge the first year, second year... about half...
come to find out, it didn't have Lithium batteries like he assumed... just good ol' lead acid....


and a followup where he upgrades to lithium, using cells from his collection of broken EV's

 

[Oily Ed]

I‘m on my forth year with my EGO mower. I really have no complaints. I had a Toro commercial grade with a blade/brake clutch for probably 20 years. When we moved into our current house it was basically overkill for a 15 minute job. I mow probably every other week and have only charged the battery once this summer. It’s 7.5 amp/hour unit. I keep the battery in our air conditioned utility room off our garage. The mower itself is not as robust as my old Toro but I dont abuse it either.

 

[Danh]

I had a Honda mower for 30 years and swapped it for an EGO, which works fine for my size lot.

With the current state of technology the equation is really pretty simple:

Good battery mowers are very convenient if sized properly. No maintenance other than sharpening blades, always start, no need to go to the gas station and very quiet.

On the other hand, gas mowers are likely cheaper to own given battery replacement cost and can handle yards of any size.

You pay your money and make your choice.

 

[bluesubie]

I've had an EGO 2102SP for just over 6 years now and previously had a Toro gas mower. After about 3 years, the 5 amp hour battery started overheating easily and the cut time was down to about 20-30 minutes and it takes me 40 to cut my lawn. I also got a new lawn treatment service during that time and my grass was getting much thicker than it was. I have zoysia in my backyard.

EGO sent me a new 7.5 amp battery under warranty. At about the 4.5 year mark, the self propel on my mower stopped and Home Depot sent it away to EGO and they repaired that under warranty.

I do not plan on going back to gas with any lawn equipment.

 

[Thebigm]

I have been considering a new mower for a while since the transmission in my gas Honda push mower went out prematurely a few years ago. I have been taking care of my mother in laws lawn since she had surgery and is currently unable to do so. She has a Ryobi 40V electric mower that I have been enjoying using. I never thought I could consider electric but after using hers I think the pros might outweigh the cons. I went ahead and purchased a 40v 21" EGO self propelled model as Lowes is having a sale. Run time is listed at 60 minutes, which for me likely won't be enough to cut my lawn. An additional battery is a cool $400 and I'm not ready to invest that much yet. I'll just have to break up the lawn into two sections and change in between if needed. Do any of you have experience with the EGO mowers? I can always return and go a different route but reviews seem to be good and the price was good as well.

I have a Ryobi for 6 years now with no problems: I love it.

 

[gregk24]

Ended up cancelling the order for the EGO. Too many bad reviews on their batteries and the cost is higher than any other for replacement. I ended up getting this Ryobi today instead.

RYOBI 40V HP Brushless Whisper Series 21. in Walk Behind Self-Propelled All Wheel Drive Mower - (2) 6.0 Ah Batteries & Charger RY401210 - The Home Depot

The RYOBI 40V HP 21 in. Whisper Series All Wheel Drive Multi-Blade Lawn Mower delivers the power of gas with cordless convenience. The premium HP brushless motor provides power, longer runtime, & a longer

www.homedepot.com

 

[billt460]

Good lord, these things seem to have as many, or more starting problems than any ICE mower.

 

[Cujet]

I have the Toro 60V with 6AH battery. It is a conventional mower in every way. Steel deck, heavy duty conventional steel blade. Conventional belt drive.

I love the thing (as a finishing mower), gobs of power, light and easy to use. But it is not up to the task of mowing any more than 1/4 acre before the battery runs out. Takes 1.5 hours to charge back up. A second 6.0Ah battery is $259 or $359 for a 7.5Ah upgraded bat.

I needed some easy exercise the other day. The battery mower was a fun choice for this. Now the grass is only half mowed... UGH. I normally use my JD GT235 garden tractor to mow. Also, the battery mower is slower than my Snapper Commercial mower or my LawnBoy 6.5HP mower.

My point: A good bat mower is a great tool, but it will not mow a large lot, regardless of brand.