Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Cordless electric lawn mower?
Old 03-04-2017, 09:34 PM   #1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,340
Cordless electric lawn mower?

I'm planning buy my first lawn mower in a month or so. I'm thinking about going with a self propelled cordless mower. My reasoning is I wouldn't have to deal with gas or oil or other maintenance. It would be much quieter than a gas engine mower which is a big plus to me. I also wouldn't have the smell of gasoline in my attached garage(no where else to store it). Has anyone used a cordless electric lawn mower. Any opinions or advice would be appreciated.
aaronc879 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 03-04-2017, 10:27 PM   #2
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kerrville,Tx
Posts: 3,361
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronc879 View Post
I'm planning buy my first lawn mower in a month or so. I'm thinking about going with a self propelled cordless mower. My reasoning is I wouldn't have to deal with gas or oil or other maintenance. It would be much quieter than a gas engine mower which is a big plus to me. I also wouldn't have the smell of gasoline in my attached garage(no where else to store it). Has anyone used a cordless electric lawn mower. Any opinions or advice would be appreciated.
How large is the yard in question? Thats the biggest issue, in terms of how many re-charges it might take to mow it. You might consider a corded mower also. I had one when I did my own lawn in Houston with about 2500 sq ft to mow. One issue to consider is could the entire yard be mowed using a 100 ft power cord and the various outlets on the outside of the house? These cords are typically bright orange, so its not hard to see them, and you just throw them out of the way to mow.
meierlde is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2017, 10:32 PM   #3
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,340
Quote:
Originally Posted by meierlde View Post
How large is the yard in question? Thats the biggest issue, in terms of how many re-charges it might take to mow it. You might consider a corded mower also. I had one when I did my own lawn in Houston with about 2500 sq ft to mow. One issue to consider is could the entire yard be mowed using a 100 ft power cord and the various outlets on the outside of the house? These cords are typically bright orange, so its not hard to see them, and you just throw them out of the way to mow.
I would estimate my front yard to be 30x30ft and back yard 40x50 at least. I bought a corded snow blower and hated it so i'm not very interested in a corded lawn mower.

Something like this would be close to being able to do entire yard on one charge. EGO 21 in. 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Battery Self Propelled Mower-LM2102SP - The Home Depot
aaronc879 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-04-2017, 11:45 PM   #4
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 16,973
I talked to a person who had an electric mower, it was nice and quiet. However after she said they had 2 batteries so they could swap batteries to mow the lawn and that the batteries are heavy, I was glad I had a gas mower.
Sunset is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 02:19 AM   #5
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
euro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,301
I've always had gas powered lawnmowers but my DW didn't like to use them because she had trouble starting them and they are too heavy for her. So we bought a corded electric - worked fine but at least once a year, she did manage to run over the cord and cut it - aside from having to repair the cords, I think that is seriously dangerous. So finally we did settle on a cordless and it is doing really well for us. For relatively light duty, it's the way to go in my opinion.
The batteries have become so much more powerful and longer lasting. Heck, I just switched to 16inch cordless electric chainsaw and I'm amazed how powerful that thing is and how much cutting it does on one charge. Also, I don't even use my corded power drill, saws-all, circular saw, etc anymore - all gone cordless. Given almost certain further improvements in the battery technology, I'm convinced the entire "non-pro" section of these power tools will all go exclusively cordless electric soon
euro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 03:44 AM   #6
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 106
I bought a craftsman cordless electric last year. We have a large yard that I mow with a ride on mower. I use the cordless to do areas that require too much backing up and turning with the tractor but are too big to do with a trimmer. It has worked out very well for me. Obviously it has it's limitations, overly tall or wet grass for example. But for normal grass conditions it exceeds expectations.
upset264 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 04:29 AM   #7
Full time employment: Posting here.
txtig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Sugar Land
Posts: 587
I don't have any experience with cordless mowers, but I do own the EGO cordless leaf blower, which uses the same battery as the cordless mower you're considering. I love the blower as compared to all of the gas blowers that I previously owned. It has plenty of charge to complete my somewhat smallish yard. Initially, it would run continuously for about 30 minutes before requiring a recharge. However, I have noticed that the battery doesn't last as long as it did when it was new. Mine is about 3 years old and the runtime has definitely gone down a bit. I used it last week for my first yard cleanup in several months, which took quite a bit longer than usual. I had to recharge once to complete the job. I could see that this might be a problem with the EGO mower as it starts to age.

BTW, my old mower died right after I started it up on this most recent yard cleanup day. I ran down to Lowe's and picked up a new gas-powered self propelled mower. I really didn't consider going with the EGO mower. My gas mower was half the price of the EGO mower and the EGO wasn't self propelled. That was a deal breaker for me.

I also own an EGO hedge trimmer, and I love that too. It replaced a corded model that I previously owned, and the cordless one is much easier to use.
txtig is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 06:03 AM   #8
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
jimbee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,211
I have been using the Echo cordless lawn mower for two years. It works well, runs for about 40 minutes straight on one charge. The battery take about 1.5 hours to charge from dead to full. It isn't self propelled, but weighs less than sixty pounds so it is easy to push.

ECHO 21 in. 58-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Mower-CLM-58V4AH - The Home Depot
jimbee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 06:11 AM   #9
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Midpack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,150
I've always wanted one, but our yard is too large. And with a cordless mower, you've got real problems if the grass gets too long. Where I live we can have several days of rain where the grass is too wet to cut, and it's too long for an electric mower when we finally have a dry period. As much as I'd prefer something like an EGO mower, I'd only buy one if I had a small yard in a region without too much rain. I'm not willing to own both gas and electric to accommodate the electric. YMMV
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57

Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
Midpack is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 06:39 AM   #10
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbee View Post
I have been using the Echo cordless lawn mower for two years. It works well, runs for about 40 minutes straight on one charge. The battery take about 1.5 hours to charge from dead to full. It isn't self propelled, but weighs less than sixty pounds so it is easy to push.

ECHO 21 in. 58-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Mower-CLM-58V4AH - The Home Depot
One like this would work for me. I have a patio home and have around 1700-1800 sq ft to mow. I could easily knock out my yard w/o having to stop and charge. Last Fall my gas mower played out and I looked into buying an electric mower. Ended up buying a reel mower and it does a good job. After edging with my corded weed eater, my yard looks as good as any in the neighborhood. Takes me about 10 minutes longer to mow with the reel. If I get tired of it, I think a corded mower would work as I have the cord out anyway for the edging. I even have an electric blower. The blower and weed eater are hand me downs from my Dad. We've got out money worth out of them as both have to be 30 years old. Oh yes, I bought a corded hedge clipper last year and it does a great job.

Like the OP, I wanted to get away from gas. Small yards makes it doable. Wouldn't try it with average to above size yards.
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 06:53 AM   #11
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,340
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawg52 View Post
Last Fall my gas mower played out and I looked into buying an electric mower. Ended up buying a reel mower and it does a good job. After edging with my corded weed eater, my yard looks as good as any in the neighborhood. Takes me about 10 minutes longer to mow with the reel.
I just started a new job and during the spring and summer I will be working 60-72 hours a week. I will need to lift 1200 lbs per hour to hit my quota so I will definitely not be buying a reel mower. I want something that requires as little physical effort as possible without paying someone else to do it for me. I think a self propelled mower is worth the added cost.
aaronc879 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 07:11 AM   #12
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronc879 View Post
I just started a new job and during the spring and summer I will be working 60-72 hours a week. I will need to lift 1200 lbs per hour to hit my quota so I will definitely not be buying a reel mower. I want something that requires as little physical effort as possible without paying someone else to do it for me. I think a self propelled mower is worth the added cost.
I don't blame you. I'm retired and need the added exercise. What are you lifting btw?
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 07:18 AM   #13
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: the prairies
Posts: 5,021
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronc879 View Post
I would estimate my front yard to be 30x30ft and back yard 40x50 at least. I bought a corded snow blower and hated it so i'm not very interested in a corded lawn mower.
I can't imagine a corded snow blower has enough power to handle a "real" snowfall, so that may not be a fair comparison.

When using an electric mower, start cutting the grass near the outlet and work away from it to minimize the risk of running over the cord. My sister has had the same electric mower for 25 years and loves it...no gas, no oil, no charging. It's the most maintenance free lawn mower you can get.
Music Lover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 08:24 AM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 16,973
I did switch from a corded hedge trimmer for our 140 foot hedge. It has been fantastic to not have the cord hassle.
I have 2 batteries and need to swap out when doing a full trimming, even then sometimes I need to finish up the next day, but not having to drag the cord up the ladder (hedge is tall) is so much easier.
Sunset is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 10:03 AM   #15
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Washington State
Posts: 2,341
I have the battery powered EGO string trimmer and leaf blower and have been very happy with them. I ended up selling my old gas string trimmer since the EGO worked just as well without the noise and mess of mixing fuel.

If I had a smaller yard I would easily go for the EGO mower. But we have close to an acre of yard to mow and it's fairly hilly. So I rely on my 25+ year old self-propelled Honda gas mower.

I keep thinking about switching to the EGO battery powered chainsaw. I don't use my Stihl gas chainsaw very often, and it's always so noisy and finicky to start. But, I'll probably keep the Stihl until it quits working.
mountainsoft is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 10:37 AM   #16
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Hyperborea's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 1,008
Using a regular corded electric mower is all about cord management. I spent a lot of years in the 70's and 80's mowing the lawn growing up as one of my chores. It passed to my kid sister in the mid-80's and I showed her how to do it and she carried on with it fine too. It requires picking a direction to mow from and then laying the cord out in advance parallel to the rows you will make with the mower. Lay it out back and forth as many times as the cord will go. That way when you move up and down the rows that cord will pull only as much as you need and then as you move to a new row it will pull just a little more. You will also that way never be going back over the cord.

I have no lawn where I now live so I no longer mow on a regular basis (something that I'm supremely grateful for). However, about two years ago my mother bought a battery powered electric mower. It was to replace the gas mower that my father had been using. My father had become incapacitated (severe stroke) and could no longer mow. The gas mower was too heavy and unwieldy for my mother and she didn't know how to properly look after it and didn't like it. Unfortunately, they had a number of years earlier moved farther out into the ex-urbs and so they couldn't get one of the grandkids to do it (too far away).

I've used it when visiting and it does the job fine for the small lawn. It's a smaller Ryobi mower that uses that same batteries as the rest of their tool line. So, she already has some batteries and chargers meaning that some are always available. It runs about 30 minutes. It's relatively light so handles well on a slope and in tight areas. If the lawn was larger then you might consider a larger model (bigger blade and/or bigger battery) or perhaps a couple of extra batteries to swap in the middle of the mowing.
Hyperborea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 10:46 AM   #17
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8,971
An "old" guy who worked at Home Depot told me awhile back to avoid tools with batteries. I've found that advice pretty useful over the years. They are usually under powered, die at the wrong time, not charged at the right time and are usually hard or darn near impossible to find if needing to be replaced. Cords, while sometimes inconvenient, are the way to go.
COcheesehead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 11:04 AM   #18
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
growing_older's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,657
I've had a Black and Decker cordless electric mower for almost 15 years. It's heavier than comparable corded or gas mowers and has some quirks. As it gets older it takes longer to charge and mows less before needing a recharge, but still okay for my small lawn. It doesn't do well on long grass and I have to mow every week to avoid problems. It's not self propelled and I wonder if it was if that would make it even heavier, as it's already unwieldy sometimes.
growing_older is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 12:06 PM   #19
Moderator
Jerry1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 9,070
FWIW, Consumer Reports rated that mower very well. It scored higher than many other self propelled mowers except for the Toro and Honda gas powered mowers. I was surprised. I was looking at a electric snowblower and CR basically said not to waste the money. Therefore, your comparison may not be too comparable.

Others have given good advice, which I would echo. Mow often so you're not dealing with long grass and after a trial period, I believe you'll appreciate a second battery. I wouldn't get one right away until you see how long the one battery lasts. It may do you fine.
Jerry1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2017, 12:29 PM   #20
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Washington State
Posts: 2,341
Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead View Post
An "old" guy who worked at Home Depot told me awhile back to avoid tools with batteries. I've found that advice pretty useful over the years. They are usually under powered, die at the wrong time, not charged at the right time and are usually hard or darn near impossible to find if needing to be replaced. Cords, while sometimes inconvenient, are the way to go.
Times change, battery operated tools are much better than they used to be. Also, cords can only reach so far unless you want to drag around extension cords. I had a corded electric snow blower for a while and it was a real hassle to hook up the cords and drag it around in the snow. It was no match for my 150+ foot driveway, even with extension cords.

I have an assortment of Dewalt 20V battery operated power tools. Most perform as well, if not better, than the cheap corded tools I used to own. As long as you have extra batteries charged up, a dead battery is a non-issue. Just swap the dead battery for a new one. That's certainly easier than dragging around a cord, or having to wind it up when you're done.

The only time I opt for my corded drill is when I need to use a 2 inch auger bit with my low RPM, high torque Dewalt drill. That thing will rip your arm off if you're not careful.

My EGO string trimmer performs just as well as my old gas powered trimmer. It has a wider cut, handles just as well with thick brush, and there's no gas to mix or fumes to deal with. It's also completely silent when I'm not cutting, moving from one area to another.

I've never owned a leaf blower before, but my EGO blower does everything I need it to. One battery usually lasts long enough for me to clean all the walks and areas around the house. I simply swap batteries if I need to clean more areas up around the driveway or something.

As for finding replacement batteries, you shouldn't have any issues if you stick with major brand names. Also, if you stay with one brand for multiple tools, it allows you to have extra batteries without needing a separate battery for each tool. My Dewalt and EGO batteries are widely available at the local Home Depot, or online from Amazon. However, I have not needed to replace either battery since I bought the tools.

My first Craftsman cordless tools used Nimh rechargeable batteries. They performed well for me too, but I did have several of those batteries die over time. Most new tool batteries are Lithium-Ion now.
mountainsoft is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Lawn mower recommendation for a small lot..... Dawg52 Other topics 61 09-06-2016 04:46 PM
Old Mower, New Mower ls99 Other topics 9 07-18-2011 02:30 PM
Electric lawn mower advice Sue J Other topics 21 08-03-2009 11:10 AM
Best lawn mower and power washer for cheap bank5 Other topics 10 05-12-2009 08:45 PM
Auto maintenance (vs lawn mower) kaneohe Other topics 17 07-16-2008 07:21 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:11 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.