Cordless lawn equipment

[rice rocket]

I know I'll get flamed for this, but I'm tired of maintaining small gas engines. Between the snowblower, chain saw, leaf blower, push mower, and riding mower, there's a lot of rebuilds happening that I'd rather not have to do.

In the past few years, the cordless lawn equipment market has exploded. There's a bazillion brands, and I have no idea how to pick. I don't mind spending a little more for decent stuff, but I'm not dropping my savings on this either (to put it into perspective, I buy Milwaukee, Armstrong, and used Snap-On stuff, I would never buy Snap-On/Mac/Matco new).


Anyone dive into any of these yet? If Milwaukee made lawn equipment, it would be a win-win for me since I have half a dozen M18 batteries. Maybe I should have gone with Makita since they make just about everything...

The other annoying thing is companies that keep switching battery platforms. Ryobi went from their 24v to 18v ONE+, Worx has a 40v, 24v, 20v, and 18v, Greenworks has done the same, no clue about Kobalt, B&D has a 36v, 24v, 20v, 18v, no clue what's newest.

I know the gas version will always have better power, but I'd take lack of required maintenance and reliability over power at this point.

 

[r22yu]

I think the Ryobi 18v system is here to stay for a long time, as it is the same battery as their power tools line. However if you are looking at mowers, I don't think they have an 18v mower.

 

[rlitman]

My local HD has new 56V li-ion brushless garden tools that look like they'll give gas tools a run for their money. Looks amazing on paper. Haven't seen much real-world commentary yet.

http://egopowerplus.com/products/mower

Their blower has higher power specs than just about any gas powered handheld blower.
Stihl has already had a well reviewed 36V hedge trimmer. With this being brushless, I would expect it to be at least as good.
Same thing for the string trimmer. I saw video on youtube last year from Stihl's demo, and it looked quite nice. The issue was that for a commercial user, the battery longevity was lacking, so you'd need to carry a bunch of batteries. Brushless helps that a lot.

My father is happy with his Newton mower. Me, I'll stick with my Honda thank you very much.

 

[rice rocket]

The tools-in-action guys reviewed the EGO, Greenworks, and Kobalt ones. They all seem to be capable. The EGO is certainly the cadillac of cordless mowers, but it's also double the price of the Greenworks/Kobalt ones.

Didn't know Stihl had a cordless trimmer. Just looked it up, $450 is pricey!

 

[smiffy]

Husqvarna have a good range of tools desighned for professionals that want reduced noise for innner city work this includes hedge cutters chainsaws strimmers and even an out front deck ride on mower which looks quite impressive

 

[rice rocket]

The Huskys are all still gas though, with this ethanol gas being jammed down our throats, all gas powered lawn equipment is going to ****. Too much other stuff to do in life to rebuild over and over.

 

[Bobdog]

All my equipment runs fine, year after year. What are you guys doing that you have to rebuild the engines all the time?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[submariner]

All my equipment runs fine, year after year.

Same here, my Honda 4 stroke mower and blower has been running great for the past 11-12 years. I have only changed the air filter once and engine oil twice

 

[jethro29]

I am with you man.i'm tired of friggin ropes,mixing gases,draining it all out at the end of the season,eithanol issues ,ect.i purchased a black and decker cordlees weedeater and it will do my yard,which has a lot of trimming,house,sidewalk,multiple flower beds,driveway,ect about three times on a single charge,i've had it thre years now,came with two batteries one charger and one roll of trimmer string and I'm still using that same roll and those same batteries,last summer I bought the black and decker cordlees puss mower also and am just as happy with it.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Try to find an ethanol free alternative either vp/trufuel or local place that has ethanol free for you to mix or run straight. No issues/rebuilds in 3 years running ethanol free.

 

[MadMechMaster]

Easily 10 years on my cheaper gas equipment.

I started with some corded electric on my first 1/4 acre yard. The cords were annoying, and slowed me down. I would consider rechargeable if I was still there, since the yard was small. Now I need the range of gas since I could easily trim 600 linear feet of edging.

 

[ddawg16]

I think the Ryobi 18v system is here to stay for a long time, as it is the same battery as their power tools line. However if you are looking at mowers, I don't think they have an 18v mower.

Same here....and it uses the same battery as my cordless tools...one charger...one kind of battery.....

I can usually go two weeks with the weed whacker before needing to charge it...BTA....I use the same battery for all my other tools...so...it stays charged.

I'm tired of having to keep a gas can...and put gas in the mower. I'm about ready to sell my gas mower and buy an electric one.

The only exception is the tiller.....I have a gas powered weed eater that has different attachments...one of them is the tiller. I think that job is a bit tough for electric.

 

[rippered]

I went with the Ryobi 18v for a trimmer and blower. I have had a Toro 24v mower for 2 years now works well.

 

[rice rocket]

Anyone try the Greenworks stuff?

The 40V Greenworks stuff seems to have good reviews on Amazon and Lowes. $349 w/ two batteries for the mower, and then I can pickup a string trimmer for $50 since the batteries are the most expensive part of the package. They also have a brushless chainsaw w/ a 16" bar which sounds pretty capable.

My only concern is that it's a company in China with no offices in the US, I wonder who's going to support it in 5 years...

 

[Zeke]

I see you guys like the Ryobi but I've had bad luck with Ryobi batteries. But they are ni-cad. Are the new 18v and 40v li-ion really much better?

 

[AirJunky]

I have a Craftsman push mower that is 12 yrs old. I've never even changed the oil in it. It pull starts first time, everytime (if you prime it first).

But I've gone thru 3 weedeaters in that time frame..... 2 electric & 1 gas. They all ran fine, but the spools foul up & need to be replaced. Then the replacement fouls up. I hate weedeaters.

 

[uart]

Does anyone have any idea how long the Li Ion batteries are likely to last on the mowers? I've been considering getting a a ryobi cordless mower, but the battery is 36V (40V) and costs about $200 to replace (here).

Given that I only mow about 15 times a year, I'm thinking it would be something like 20 to 25 charge cycles per year. So if the battery lasted a long time like 8 to 10 years then it would be a good deal, but if I had to replace the battery every few years it would be pretty annoying.

Just wondering how long those packs are likely to last?

 

[bochnak]

My sears mower is 27 years old and always starts 1-2 pulls. I keep the blade sharp and that is about it. Minimal maintnenace.

Trimmers, blowers, hedges however, I'm always replacing the fuel lines and rebuilding the zama carbs....hate it!

I run stabil year round in all my small engines.

 

[retfr8flyr]

Stay away from Worx their battery's are worthless. I had the Worx setup and went through battery's every year. I got the new Black and Decker 40v tools last summer and they have been great.

I also have gas powered tools, for the heavier work and I don't have any problems with them at all. I use the Trufuel 50-1 canned fuel and don't worry about how fresh my mix is anymore, it's good for 2 years after opening. I found that the 2 cycle tools just don't like the new ethanol blended gas in the mix and once I quit using that my problems with gas powered lawn tools ended.

 

[rlitman]

Does anyone have any idea how long the Li Ion batteries are likely to last on the mowers? I've been considering getting a a ryobi cordless mower, but the battery is 36V (40V) and costs about $200 to replace (here).

Given that I only mow about 15 times a year, I'm thinking it would be something like 20 to 25 charge cycles per year. So if the battery lasted a long time like 8 to 10 years then it would be a good deal, but if I had to replace the battery every few years it would be pretty annoying.

Just wondering how long those packs are likely to last?

5-7 years for a li-ion battery is what I would expect. 10 years is a stretch, and even in lab conditions, I wouldn't expect more than 40% of the storage capacity to be remaining after that much time.

Still, that's better than nicd or nimh, and the big limiting factor on li-ion is shelf life, not charge cycle count (which was a big limit on nicd and nimh).

 

[rice rocket]

Nicads can last if you treat them right, but it's tough to do correctly. Li-ions are much less picky about how they're treated, but still wear as any battery does. Biggest no-nos for li-ions are overcharging and discharging them fully and then not charge it for a year.

B&D and Ryobi sound like a safe bets, I was hoping to roll a push mower into the system as well though so I don't have to invest in multiple battery platforms.

 

[ddawg16]

I see you guys like the Ryobi but I've had bad luck with Ryobi batteries. But they are ni-cad. Are the new 18v and 40v li-ion really much better?

I have my first Li battery....so far it's working great. I have eaten up 4 of the NiCad battery packs....but then again, they built my garage and addition.

When you consider that a NiCad battery is good for about 300-1000 charges....and I was using my battery powered tools almost every day....charging them 1-2 times a day...and 5-10 times on weekends....and I got almost about 2 years of service out of them...I guess they performed as about as well as one could expect...chances are I had about 600+ charges on each one.

When I was doing things like drilling holes for Romex....I would recharge the batteries 2-3 times in just one evening....weekends were abusive.

I like the lighter weight of the Li...but....I sort of got spoiled by the heavy weight of the NiCads and how they would hold the drill up right....with the Li, it's easier to knock the drill over.

 

[uart]

5-7 years for a li-ion battery is what I would expect. 10 years is a stretch, and even in lab conditions, I wouldn't expect more than 40% of the storage capacity to be remaining after that much time.

Still, that's better than nicd or nimh, and the big limiting factor on li-ion is shelf life, not charge cycle count (which was a big limit on nicd and nimh).

Yeah that's about what I was thinking. The thing is, my last 4 stroke mower (Briggs and Stratton engine) is still going fine after 15 years with only minimal maintenance. If a replacement battery for the Ryobi cordless mower is gonna cost me $200+ then that might just about represent the end of it's economic life in as little as 5 years. So though I'm tempted to go electric because they're cleaner and quieter, somehow I think my next mower is gonna be another 4 stroke.

 

[rlitman]

Yeah that's about what I was thinking. The thing is, my last 4 stroke mower (Briggs and Stratton engine) is still going fine after 15 years with only minimal maintenance. If a replacement battery for the Ryobi cordless mower is gonna cost me $200+ then that might just about represent the end of it's economic life in as little as 5 years. So though I'm tempted to go electric because they're cleaner and quieter, somehow I think my next mower is gonna be another 4 stroke.

Not a good assumption though. In 5 years, battery technology will have changed quite a bit. There's a good change that the $200 battery today will be $100 in 5 years, BUT then again, replacement batteries for a mower you buy today will probably not be available. So by the time battery replacement is due, you may have to buy a whole new machine.

As for gas tools. Maintenance is cheap. Gas is far from free (battery charging electric is nearly). I get 5-7 years between carb cleanings, but if I was less thrifty, I'd replace carbs instead. Still, gas tools may be cheaper in the long run, IF your gas bill is low (the fuel savings in commercial use is an interesting use case).

In other words, if you want the quiet, and lack of fumes, you'll have to pay for it, but it is finally not totally exorbitant any more.

 

[uart]

So by the time battery replacement is due, you may have to buy a whole new machine.

That basically was my assumption. Either not available or not worth buying given whatever new stuff is available.

Gas is far from free (battery charging electric is nearly).

Yeah, I don't spend much on mower fuel for the amount of grass I cut, probably only $20 per year or so. Charging the batteries would probably be $2 or less (per yr) so it saves money, but not much.

In other words, if you want the quiet, and lack of fumes, you'll have to pay for it, but it is finally not totally exorbitant any more.

Yep, that's the only reason I'm still considering one. That is if this old 4 stroke one I've got now ever finally gives out.

 

[rice rocket]

I have my first Li battery....so far it's working great. I have eaten up 4 of the NiCad battery packs....but then again, they built my garage and addition.

When you consider that a NiCad battery is good for about 300-1000 charges....and I was using my battery powered tools almost every day....charging them 1-2 times a day...and 5-10 times on weekends....and I got almost about 2 years of service out of them...I guess they performed as about as well as one could expect...chances are I had about 600+ charges on each one.

Nicads are great for heavy users. It's when you let them sit that they grow crystals that short the cells.

 

[pepi]

All my equipment runs fine, year after year. What are you guys doing that you have to rebuild the engines all the time?

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Same here, they start every time, but then again I change my oil every spring and run hi test, throw a plug in on the odd years. Gas and oil a whole hell of a lot cheaper then replacing batteries, run longer, more power, I could go on but no need. I will be on the porch watching the battery brigade fussing around with new and improved lawn equipment.


Just the way it is

 

[EdT]

If you look at battery powered tools, regardless of the battery chemistry, the replacement batteries are stupid expensive. The government requires that manufacturers provide replacements, but the pricing is silly. I was at HD a couple of days ago and a Makita 18v Li drill with two batteries, charger, and drill was on sale for $109 (IIR). Over in the battery department the replacement batteries were $79 each. Not much incentive to buy batteries. I read last week that the cost of lithium cells has dropped 90% in the last 5 or 6 yeras, but clearly that has not found it's way to the customer.

 

[CJM8515]

The battery is stupid expensive to replace, it isnt worth it in the long run. DOnt buy cheap yard equipment, stihl, husky, echo, redmax, etc. There is a reason professional landscape companies spend alot of money on good stuff-it doesnt break easily and lasts and lasts and lasts. After helping a buddy do pro landscaping for awhile I will not buy consumer grade stuff, Ill happily spend 2-3x that cause it will last 10+ years easily with barely any work.

Also DO NOT RUN less than high test in these things, ethanol content of the lower grades of gas is too much. Also pay careful attention when mixing 2 stroke, ratio must be right in order not to mess up the carb or engine. I swap plugs every year as well cause they are only a few bucks. Im running the same pro echo weedwacker for 7 years now, nothing but a plug change.

 

[1950mercury]

What are you "rebuilding" allthe time? Ive had all my stuff for 15 years and only had to change oil,filters and spark plugs.

 

[r22yu]

Well I really like my 18v ryobi weed eater and you can score some dirt cheap batteries at home depot when they do their clearance deals (ie. My second battery came with a drill and cost me $15). Waiting for a deal on the blower. If they had an 18v lawn mower I would switch to electric.

 

[MN4x4]

Anyone try the Greenworks stuff?

The 40V Greenworks stuff seems to have good reviews on Amazon and Lowes. $349 w/ two batteries for the mower, and then I can pickup a string trimmer for $50 since the batteries are the most expensive part of the package. They also have a brushless chainsaw w/ a 16" bar which sounds pretty capable.

My only concern is that it's a company in China with no offices in the US, I wonder who's going to support it in 5 years...

Me!

I looked at all the product a couple years ago after my Doctor told me no chainsaw, trimmer, etc.

I now own the 40V Digital chainsaw, pole saw, trimmer, and 16" mower. Love 'em all and will never go back to gas.

 

[smiffy]

The Huskys are all still gas though, with this ethanol gas being jammed down our throats, all gas powered lawn equipment is going to ****. Too much other stuff to do in life to rebuild over and over.

i meant everything above is available as rechargeable
they have a huge range now designed for professional use


http://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/battery-series/husqvarna-battery-series/

 

[6-Speed]

I have the Greenworks mover (single 40 v Li-ion battery version); it works great on my small ~1200 sq-ft yard and uses about half the charge on their large capacity battery. The mower is much lighter than those that use lead-acid batteries. You can also remove the batteries and store them indoors. Their brushless blower is the bee's knees but it will drain batteries fast using the highest speed ... best to have a couple of batteries on hand with the blower. I find that their 40v weed eater is clunky to use. Batteries are cheaper if you buy them with the tools. I also have a Craftsman C3 hedge trimmer that works great.

 

[hickfied]

I bought a pallet of sears returns that had a 19.2 weedeater, hedge trimmer, and leaf blower. They all worked great! The leaf blower was good for sidewalks with dry debris, anything else it failed at.

I often pick them up over the gas powered stuff now, just so I don't have to fool with getting it started now.

 

[rice rocket]

I have the Greenworks mover (single 40 v Li-ion battery version); it works great on my small ~1200 sq-ft yard and uses about half the charge on their large capacity battery. The mower is much lighter than those that use lead-acid batteries. You can also remove the batteries and store them indoors. Their brushless blower is the bee's knees but it will drain batteries fast using the highest speed ... best to have a couple of batteries on hand with the blower. I find that their 40v weed eater is clunky to use. Batteries are cheaper if you buy them with the tools. I also have a Craftsman C3 hedge trimmer that works great.

Thanks for the input.

Greenworks has the 40v 20" deck mower w/ two batteries for $349, which seems like a bargain since that's $175 in batteries if you were to buy them separately.

What's clunky about the weedeater? That was the second tool I was considering (and $129 @ CPO Outlets until the middle of next week).

 

[gml1998]

I use a Lehr propane powered mower (self propelled ) and a Lehr propane powered weed eater. Had both for 3 years so far. I haven't even changed oil yet and it looks new. Weed eater is a little heavy but if you use the strap it's not too bad.

 

[MagnumForce]

I have a 8 year old craftsman mower with a 6 horse briggs and that thing is awesome. No issues at all, absolutely bulletproof.

 

[JonnyMac]

I wouldnt consider electric yard equipment. However I have noticed that makita is doing a very obvious thing that I have not seen any one else doing.
They have a range of 36v equipment which simply uses 2 18v batteries.
I'll put good money on the chance that soon they will move into garden tools using this system. Keep your eyes peeled...

 

[6-Speed]

Thanks for the input.

Greenworks has the 40v 20" deck mower w/ two batteries for $349, which seems like a bargain since that's $175 in batteries if you were to buy them separately.

What's clunky about the weedeater? That was the second tool I was considering (and $129 @ CPO Outlets until the middle of next week).

I find that the model 21132 weed eater is big and awkward to use. I just can't seem to hold it at a comfortable angle for it to work effectively and the string feeder doesn't consistently advance the string when needed. Does the $129 include the battery or is it the tool only? I saw on Amazon where they now offer an improved Digipro brushless model with dual string feeder and options for other head attachments.