Gas-powered mowers have long been the standard way to take care of your lawn, but there’s a new sheriff in town—and it’s battery-operated. We know that a perfectly-cut lawn is a precious thing and that you may be hesitant to switch to something new, so we put the EGO 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Mower to the test in our own backyard. Read on for our review of the mower’s design, performance, battery life, price, and competition.
Setup Process: Simple and minimal
The box included the mower, a 5.0Ah 56-volt battery, a charger, grass collection bag, mulching accessory, and side discharge chute. There were also three separate manuals: one for the mower, one for the battery, and one for the charger. The manuals were fairly easy to read, although there were some pages where we could have used come clearer instruction or additional written direction alongside the pictures. This wasn’t a big deal, though, as there isn’t a lot of set-up required and most of it was self-explanatory anyway. The setup process was quick and easy and the lawn mower was ready to go in under ten minutes. The battery terminal door is located on the front of the mower and pops right open, so you don’t have to turn the lawn mower over or wrestle with any latches or screws. Getting the battery in is a breeze; it slides in easily and clicks right into place with a little pressure. Releasing the battery is just as easy. When it’s time to take the battery out and recharge it, you simply press down on the release button and the battery pops right up so you can pull it out. The only real set up required was connecting the grass collection bag to the metal frame it hangs on—a process that took three minutes, at most. Once the bag was secured on its frame, it clipped on easily to the back of the mower and held sturdily in place. In lieu of the grass collection bag, you also have the option to use the mulching accessory or the side discharge chute instead.
Design: Sleek and stylish
As soon as the EGO lawn mower came out of the box, we were impressed. It has a sleek, stylish design and because the majority of the body is made out of plastic, it’s extremely lightweight—especially when compared to traditional mowers. In addition to its plastic body, the EGO is equipped with 9-inch plastic wheels that seem large and sturdy enough to push through even the most unkempt lawns. One of our initial concerns was whether or not the plastic would be able to hold up to inevitable bumps and dings, especially as we’d be storing it in a garage with other items. We’ve had metal lawn mowers that last for years and the light body of the EGO mower makes it seem less rugged. On the other hand, this could be beneficial, as plastic is weather-resistant and doesn’t rust like metal does. We suppose time will tell. The EGO lawn mower is very user-friendly, with easily-accessible mechanisms on the front and sides of the body that are simple to adjust. It also comes equipped with LED headlights that provide enough extra light to mow your lawn in low light conditions. If your only time to mow is after work or just as the sun starts to go down, this is a major plus.
Performance: Lightweight and powerful
Unlike pull-start mowers which require priming and several start attempts, the EGO lawn mower operates with the push of a button. After you fully extend the handle, a single push on the start button ignites the motor and you’re ready to go. This was one of our favorite features because it eliminates the need to wrestle with a gas-powered mower just trying to get it to start. This is a major benefit for someone who doesn’t have a lot of manual dexterity. The mower is also quieter than most. We were able to carry on a conversation at a slightly higher-than-normal volume with the motor running, instead of having to shout over the sound of a gas-powered mower. Once the lawn mower was started, pushing, pulling, and turning were all a breeze. The battery provided almost as much torque as we’ve seen from most of the gas-powered lawn mowers we’ve used. And with the added bonus of not having any gas fumes, we were willing to trade a little power for significantly cleaner air. When mowing, we were able to smell the scent of freshly-cut grass; something that’s lost among the gas fumes of traditional mowers. The light weight of the plastic made going uphill and downhill especially easy since we didn’t have to fight against the heft of the mower. The EGO mower boasts a 21-inch cut capacity with a minimum cutting height of 1.5 inches and a maximum height of 4 inches. There are six different height adjustments (labeled one through six) that you can use. You can toggle back and forth between the different heights by pulling on a knob lever that’s located on the side of the mower body. The lever is spring-loaded, easy to access, and easy to adjust. You just have to pull, adjust, and go. We set the blade at different heights to test the cutting power at various lengths and we were not disappointed. The cuts on the grass blades were sharp, precise, and cut at a perfect 40 to 45 degrees to deliver a professional looking lawn with minimal effort. Grass lines came out clean and sharp and the lawn mower had no issue taking 6-inch grass blades down to 3 inches. The mower did stall a couple of times, in areas where the grass was a little too long or wet from rain, but this was a minor inconvenience and something that’s to be expected when there’s been a little extra time between mows. Despite longer-than-ideal grass, the chute didn’t clog and the grass made its way easily into the collection bag without any hassles. When we were done cutting, we swapped out the grass collection bag for the mulching attachment and tested the mower’s ability to handle mulching leaves. It tackled both dry and slightly damp leaves with surprising ease. One thing we didn’t like was the inability to adjust the height of the handle. Because of built-in safety mechanisms, the mower won’t start unless the handle is fully extended. While we appreciate that EGO designed the lawn mower with safety in mind, it would be an added bonus if there was an option to adjust the handle to different heights. On this note, you can move the handle up or down to change its angle, and that helps make it easier to maneuver if you’re on the shorter side.
Battery Life: Long enough to get the job done
Right out of the box, the battery clocked in at a 25 percent charge. Once we locked it into the charging station, it took 40 minutes to get to a full charge. This is a bit longer than the manufacturer’s claim of 40 minutes from zero to 100, but it was still fairly quick. Because the battery needs to be charged in advance for the lawn mower to work, it does take some forethought, unlike gas mowers that you can start up at a moment’s notice. The charger has a sensor that tells you when the battery is 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent charged, which we thought was a nice touch. While charging, the built-in fan on the charger makes a noise that’s similar to the sound the lawn mower makes when it’s running. This is a minor issue that’s certainly not a dealbreaker for us, but it’s something you might want to be aware of it, in case you don’t have a dedicated place outside of your regular living space to charge the battery. If you’re charging your battery in the kitchen, you’re going to hear it; but we think it’s a fair trade since the fan was designed to keep the battery from overheating while it charges and we’re willing to deal with a little noise in the name of safety. Once we got the mower going, we were able to mow our acre of yard space (back, front, and side) on one battery charge and even had some power to spare. The entire project took about 40 minutes, which aligned with the manufacturer’s claim that a single charge will get you at least 45 minutes of run time.
Clean Up and Storage: Quick and easy
The grass bag has a hard plastic bottom and tight mesh sides that make clean-up as easy as mowing. The cut grass slides right out of the bag without much extra effort to remove it. The handle also folds flat, so when you’re not using the lawn mower, you can push the handle down to decrease the EGO’s overall footprint. This allows you to store it on the floor or upright against a wall, if you’re tight on space. This was another one of our favorite features, since we don’t have a lot of shed or garage space to dedicate to a mower.
Price: On par with others in its class
At a retail price of $400, this lawn mower is right on par with others in the same class. Plus, you don’t have the added expense of regularly purchasing gasoline to run it.
EGO 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Mower vs. RYOBI 40-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Mower
One of the EGO’s biggest competitors is the RYOBI 40-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Mower, which has the advantage of a more well-known name. That said, the EGO has significantly more power than the RYOBI, which cuts down on the time it takes to get the job done. The EGO’s battery also charges faster and lasts longer, which is especially beneficial if you have a larger yard. The lighter weight of the EGO also makes us lean in its direction, since the heavier weight of the RYOBI can make mowing hills more difficult. If you’ve been looking to venture out from a traditional gas-powered lawn mower to something a little more user- and earth-friendly, the EGO cordless mower is an excellent choice. It’s lightweight, has serious cutting power, and doesn’t come with the added fuss and expense of dealing with gasoline.
