Does anyone own/use a Greenworks electric mower?

[Mr._Graybeard]

I have a large, hilly yard where my riding mower feels unsafe in spots. For years I've used my old Troy-Bilt Wide Cut mower to handle the steep bits, but it's getting long in the tooth and the transmission is getting a little balky. Plus, it weighs at least a couple hundred pounds, quite a handful at times.

I'm looking at the Greenworks GMS 250, a 25-inch twin blade commercial electric mower that supposedly has a two-hour run time on two li-ion batteries. It's about one-third the weight of the Troy-Bilt, and the videos where I've seen it perform look encouraging. But, as Packard used to say, it's best to ask the man who owns one. So, any experiences out there?

 

[Dawg52]

I can't speak to that particular mower, but I'm sold on battery powered mowers. From reviews I have seen Greenworks is a good brand. I have a small flat lot(patio home) and my Sun Joe 16" is running and cutting well after 3 years of use. I have 2 40v batteries that gives me 40 min of use with each battery. I only need one as I'm done mowing in 20-25 minutes. I rotate them throughout the season.

 

[ivinsfan]

son in law has a Greenworks mower and loves it. We have several pieces of Greenworks but no mower. My DH is more then happy with the battery chainsaw...

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Good to know, folks. The electric mower market is filled with new brand names that are unfamiliar to me ... and not many of the gas mower brands are offering electric options.

With the acreage I'm mowing, I want a mower that's at least a little bigger than the usual 21-inch footprint. The wide-cut mowers tend to be heavy, though, unless they're junk. The Greenworks looks like a rare combination of wide cut and maneuverability. The low maintenance -- no gas, oil, filters ... is a bonus.

 

[davebarnes]

Stihl

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Stihl

I saw Stihl's robotic mower demo'ed at a local hardware store. Looked like a nice machine.

 

[Jerry1]

Stihl has some great products. I have their blower (two of them) and their grass trimmer. I think they’re great. However, I think they’re great because of their engines. I’m not sure if the premium you pay for Stihl transfers to their battery powered equipment. Their reputation certainly justifies giving them a look, but I’d want to see some reviews after a few years.

 

[mountainsoft]

I am not familiar with Greenworks, but I am a big fan of the EGO brand battery powered tools. I bought their early leaf blower a few years ago and loved it. I later bought their string trimmer and liked it so much I sold my gas string trimmer. Just a couple days ago I bought the new EGO 18" chainsaw. I haven't had a chance to take it out of the box yet, but am looking forward to give it a try.

I have a nice Stihl gas powered chainsaw but it's always a pain to start, especially after I've used it and have to restart. It's loud to use and I always end up smelling like gas and exhaust when I use it. Not to mention having to mix the gas and do routine maintenance. The times I need it the most, such as a tree falling down during the winter, is when it is the hardest to start. I'm really hoping the EGO chainsaw works out so I can ditch the gas machine.

I have a nice self-propelled Honda gas mower that is about 30 years old now. It has served me well, but is starting to have issues and is a pain to maintain. I would love to switch to the EGO self-propelled mower, but am not sure the battery would last long enough to do our large yard. Then again, I have several EGO batteries I could swap out quickly if needed. We'll see.

The older I get, the less I want to fuss with gas engines...

 

[folivier]

My son has had a Green Works mower for a couple years now and is cutting 1/2 acre of grass at least weekly. He likes it and now has their blower, chain saw, and long pole tree trimmer. Very satisfied with them.

 

[Jerry1]

The older I get, the less I want to fuss with gas engines...

Ain’t that the truth. I have a bunch of Ryobi yard equipment and love them. I wish I’d had gone with the EGO equipment but the Ryobi works well for me for most of my yard work. I really like the chain saw. I’m not cutting down any trees but it works great for the branches that are too big for the loppers.

I did just buy a backpack style Stihl leaf blower. It kicks butt. Not sure there’s a battery model that will match the performance of a gas blower.

 

[Red Badger]

I have GW products and love them. Even though they are price point items, the performance is great.
Cordless; mower, blower, edger, pole saw. Corded; cultivator. and pressure washer. All of my cordless are older 40V systems and they hold up well. If the mower is just for spot-mowing, GW will get the job done at a great price.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go the Greenworks route. Can't go robotic (Stihl) because the yard is too challenging. I want something bigger than the average walk-behind mower. Between, batteries, mower and charger I'd be into this over a grand (Greenworks calls this a "commercial" model) but when it comes to mowers you get what you pay for.

Here's the model I'm considering: https://greenworkscommercial.com/global/en-us/products/mowers-gms-250

 

[mountainsoft]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go the Greenworks route. Can't go robotic (Stihl) because the yard is too challenging. I want something bigger than the average walk-behind mower. Between, batteries, mower and charger I'd be into this over a grand (Greenworks calls this a "commercial" model) but when it comes to mowers you get what you pay for.

Here's the model I'm considering: https://greenworkscommercial.com/global/en-us/products/mowers-gms-250

With any of these battery operated tools you're basically buying into a "system". You can't swap batteries with other brands, so once you buy one piece of equipment, it makes sense to stay with that brand so you can charge and swap batteries between machines. So look at the complete lineup of tools the brand offers and see which ones you like, even if you don't need them now. Greenworks certainly looks like they have a wide range of tools that use the same batteries. You might look at reviews of some of the other tools in their lineup to see if they perform well also.

I bought the EGO blower first, which meant I opted for the EGO string trimmer, and now the EGO chainsaw. I have multiple batteries and multiple chargers that can keep me going all day.

Power hand tools are the same. I bought a Dewalt 20V Max drill years ago, so I've stuck with that brand for later tools so I can use the same batteries in each.

It's a shame there isn't a standard battery format that can be used with all brands, as the batteries are one of the biggest expenses. So once you choose a brand, you're kind of stuck.

 

[davebarnes]

It's a shame there isn't a standard battery format that can be used with all brands

Communist!
We (the people who run the world) let you have D, C, AA, AAA. That was enough.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I don't have a lot of cordless tools -- a couple of drills is it -- but anything that can replace balky two-cycle engines has my interest.

Greenworks has a bunch of different batteries, so I don't know if they're all necessarily usable across the product line.

Greenworks is probably the only game in town for blades as well. They look quite light in the videos I've watched, and replacements are listed at $33 each.

 

[Steeler75]

I own GW mower, edger and blower and love them. All batteries are interchangeable. Have had zero issues to date over the last 12 months.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I own GW mower, edger and blower and love them. All batteries are interchangeable. Have had zero issues to date over the last 12 months.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Dalmore]

I don't have any experience with Greenworks, but last spring I dove into the EGO line and have had no regrets. I currently use the EGO mower, blower, and string trimmer. The performance on all three is excellent.

 

[mountainsoft]

I have a nice Stihl gas powered chainsaw but it's always a pain to start, especially after I've used it and have to restart. It's loud to use and I always end up smelling like gas and exhaust when I use it. Not to mention having to mix the gas and do routine maintenance. The times I need it the most, such as a tree falling down during the winter, is when it is the hardest to start. I'm really hoping the EGO chainsaw works out so I can ditch the gas machine.

I used the EGO chainsaw for the first time today and have to say I'm impressed. With the battery it weighs about the same as my gas powered Stihl, and the weight is perfectly balanced on the handle. The sound takes some getting used to, but it's a lot quieter than the gas saw. Best of all it starts right up, and shuts off completely when you're done with the cut. No gas fumes to deal with, excellent.

I cut down a couple dozen vine maple trees (about 2" around) and cut them up into firewood. The saw worked great for that, but isn't much of a load for the saw. So I cut a 10" alder stump from a tree that fell down last winter and the saw went through it with no issues.

The battery lasted all day. When I ran out of energy, the battery still had three of five bars left. But again, I wasn't pushing it much and I have multiple batteries I can swap out if it comes to that.

Another bonus, the chain oiler is very efficient with oil. My old Stihl empties the chain oil quickly, but I still had quite a bit of oil left on the EGO at the end of the day.

I'll have to use it a bit more before I decide to ditch my old gas saw, but things aren't looking good for the gas saw.

 

[Red Badger]

I own GW mower, edger and blower and love them. All batteries are interchangeable. Have had zero issues to date over the last 12 months.

+1.
As mentioned earlier, mine are all older 40V tools, and they are completely interchangeable. Also, if I put both batteries in the mower, it will switch to the fresh battery when one is discharged.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Found a Greenworks deal on Costco online today and placed my order. It's not quite what I wanted -- the mower I ordered is 21 inches (82 volt) vs. the 25-inch mower I was considering -- but the Costco deal comes with two batteries and a charger for $599+tax. The 25-inch mower comes bare, and with batteries and charger would run up around $1K.

In addition, the brick-and-mortar Greenworks retailers in my area seem pretty lackadaisical about marketing their products. I'm not sure how responsive they would be on service after the sale. Costco is a different story.

My Troy-Bilt is headed for the scrapper, I'm afraid. I'll miss the old mammoth.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Well, after a couple rounds of mowing I am pretty happy with the Greenworks mower. It's light, which is helpful on some extreme grades I have to navigate. I thought I'd miss the front swivel wheels on the Troy-Bilt, but I can just about pick this mower up and set it down in hard-to-reach spots.

It's also powerful. It hasn't bogged down at any point, even while climbing a hill (of which I have many). The 2 ah battery is good for only about half an hour, but the 4ah covers the ground I need to cover nicely. I think the smaller battery would be a nice fit for smaller appliances like a trimmer or chainsaw.

The one thing that takes some getting used to is the way the self-propelled feature disengages. It takes a second, so you can't just stop and back up; the wheels are locked in drive, and you end up dragging the mower rather than rolling it. I'm finding that the most effective technique is to anticipate the stop while moving forward and disengage the drive while moving. Then, the drive is in neutral when coming to a stop, and it's easy to freewheel it around as needed.

I'll definitely be looking at some other Greenworks power tools, particularly the leaf blower and chainsaw.

 

[socca]

It's also powerful. It hasn't bogged down at any point, even while climbing a hill (of which I have many). The 2 ah battery is good for only about half an hour, but the 4ah covers the ground I need to cover nicely.

The next time I'm in the market for a mower, I'll consider an electric self-propelled. Since I already have EGO tools and like them, an EGO mower would be my first choice. I need a full hour of mowing in demanding conditions. I have trouble believing that a single EGO 56V 7.5 Ah battery would be sufficient. I could have two EGO batteries fully charged on mowing day, and then swap out a battery when it gets weak. Thanks for the update!

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

The next time I'm in the market for a mower, I'll consider an electric self-propelled. Since I already have EGO tools and like them, an EGO mower would be my first choice. I need a full hour of mowing in demanding conditions. I have trouble believing that a single EGO 56V 7.5 Ah battery would be sufficient. I could have two EGO batteries fully charged on mowing day, and then swap out a battery when it gets weak. Thanks for the update!

7.5 ah is pretty good capacity, nearly twice what I'm working with. To me the question would be whether 56 volts would deliver the torque you need.

I wanted to make sure I had the power to handle a decent cut and pull the mower up a slope, so I went with an 80-volt unit. Experiencing the mower I have now, I'm not sure Greenworks' 60-volt mower would have been adequate for my situation.

SunJoe has a 100-volt Li-ion mower out now, so a voltage race appears to be taking shape.

 

[Walt34]

When lawn mower shopping last spring I did give serious consideration to a Toro battery powered mower, but looking at the reviews I decided that the energy density of the current batteries just isn't quite "there yet" for my needs. The mower itself seems to be very good, in appearance it is virtually identical to the gas powered models of similar width. Performance-wise, it seemed about identical to the gas powered models except that it just won't run long enough for me without a much larger battery or a second battery, which drove up the price considerably.

Oh well, maybe the next generation mower will meet my needs.