If I were local, I could cobble the green LED down to less annoying. :-) I regularly modify plug-in things because that drives me nuts.

One minor thing to mind is that forty minute charge. Either the battery is small, they're cooking it during charge, or the charger is incredibly intelligent. From the data, it does look like the charger is really smart. But there's a limit; hot lithium batteries aren't thrilled with 1C charges even during the bulk phase.

If the charger has the option to charge more slowly, I'd use that whenever you don't require the speed charge. It'll lengthen the life of the battery by many charges.

(All other lithium battery considerations also apply, of course).

Absolutely Honda and Toro have ball bearing wheels . Agree charging at to quick of a rate can overheat and damage any battery . Trickle charging is best however much longer option , follow the manufacturers charging instructions carefully .

I thought it was interesting that inside the package there were separate operating instruction books for the mower, battery, and charger. It isn't too hard to follow the directions. Plug in the charger and set the battery in place. The charger seems to take care of itself. When charging you can hear a cooling fan blowing. There are lights to tell you if the battery is charging normally, fully charged, or too hot to charge.

I've been using a Black and Decker battery mower for years and have been happy, but I was mowing St Augustine in dense shade. Now that I have a lawn in full sun, this stuff is like mowing cabbage. I was hoping to get a better test of the EGO, but her lawn is really thin. I'm going to fertilize her lawn on our next visit and spray the creeping Charlie with atrazine to see if I can densify it. She has a long growing season on the Gulf, so it should thicken up nicely before Christmas.

Sounds like a quality charger , should pose no. Issues ! Unfortunately the user write ups are not good . The power is not overly stout and after the 5 th charge the lifecycle of the battery deminishs quickly apparently . Most likely developing a memory . Keep an i on it . The pricing is not cheap either ! You could buy a quality gas mower for the same price even cheaper .

The user reviews I saw were pretty good. Compared to the rest of the battery powered units, this one seems to win hands down. Compared to a Honda, there is some difference from Honda's double mulching blade, but otherwise they like the EGO. If you have to go to a Honda to compare to a battery mower, you must have high expectations.

Ego stuff is good. The wife has 2 handheld pieces. I had customer just rave about his. When I sharpened it, he gave a demo. It looks well thought out and put together.

dichall , never compared a Ego to a Honda you did . I just mentioned that the 56 volt ion battery apparently only lasts 30 minutes , as that according to user reviews on the Home Depot site it lacks sufficient powder to mulch or side discharge without clogging . I have personal knowledge and use of the 80 volt Kobalt elect ion batter mower from Lowe's . It does cut strong and clean with 2 battery units available one in service while one is charging . P.S. As far as Honda twin blade system , the worse gimmick ever produced . Only Toro for this Guy . Sorry to disappoint you just relating additional info as provided in the Ego Home Depot site , read it yourself .

@ssewalk1 are you talking about the Honda HRX series mowers with the dual mulching blade? I have one and it's a great mower. What do you find gimmicky about the blades?

Bud , you are new to this Site ! Please take some time and research prior to making such a blanket statement . Hondas are and always have been a less than adequate mulching mower . Hondas niche has always been bagging , thus the twin blade design which made mulching even worse ! This is not New to the lawnmower world . Actually Hondas are now made in China as are the Ego , so keep you current model also . Any how much like full roller ball bearings in Gas mower wheels question , you have much to learn . The sparse grass you have related to us in Texas , is nothing to what the rest of us in the North deal with . That is why I scoff at Individuals who preach to the Choir ! Been There done that Bud !

@ssewalk1

danielj_2009, dchall and morpheuspa have been helping folks on the lawn care forum for nearly a decade, maybe more. Your attitude is uncalled for. I have reported your post as inappropriate/abusive.

@lawniac , Been a forum member since 2004 . Nothing abusive or inappropriate in either of the posts I have made . I only advised of what is known or has been reported in the Home Depot Site . I,am not a big supporter of elect mower,s period . However have been repairing mowers and saws or small engines in general for 30 yrs . So don ,t preach to me of Hondas merits for mulching when it is well known that they are terrible mulchers with over the top complaints , especially with the twin blade design . Anyhow back to the intent of this thread Electric mower merits " Ego " not Hondas ! lmao .

I've had a Honda walk behind for over 15 years now. Doesn't get a whole lot of use nowadays but I've tried it with a regular low-lift mulching blade, a gator blade, and of course, the stock twin blade. For mulching, the stock twin seemed to perform best. Not by a wide margin though.

When I used to own a Snapper ride on, it's "Ninja" blade, which is basically the same concept, worked well also.

And then there was the time that ewalk threw his cheerios at me in '74..... At least I THINK it was him. :)

Nah Tom , it was Shreddies Bud lol. Mishmosh , yep Snappers have always been good munchers , Hondas not so much , always seem to leave uncut strips and swatches or clumps . However they are among the better baggers on the market . The twin blade design was introduced to resolve the short coming while mulching . I removed same and utilized a low lift blade to reduce the customer complaints . Neither a Gator or Ninja resolved the issue completely either as you advise . Something to do with the high dome deck design on the Honda ! Alas we are off the op,s topic line . Best of luck with your Ego dchall .

Just to clean up a few points...

We both seem to be GardenWeb veterans. I happen to hang on the Lawn Care forum. The ssewalk1 name is new to me so I assume you hang out on the Lawn Mower forum. I searched the Lawn Mower forum before recommending the EGO to my SIL. There was very little information there on electrics. The reason I side-posted to the mower forum, was to get something going - but not a pissing contest. There is no love there for batts at all. This might shape up to be the Organic/Synthetic fertilizer battle all over again, but I hope not. I don't think we need to pick sides. I'm simply trying to inform folks. I had one Toro mower from 1965 through 2010. It started first pull, every time, even after the winter. Then I got a Black and Decker battery mower for my yard in San Antonio. It mostly worked, but has some issues with really dense grass. I know a gas powered mower could handle that, but I'm off of gas forever. So among the choices of electrics, I pick the EGO at this point in time.

The EGO is not my mower. It's my sister-in-law's mower. I got to use it on her thin lawn. I would like to use it on my cabbage patch density lawn, but she's 180 miles away. Her husband recently died leaving her to tend the yard. She wants push-button yard equipment rather than fiddly, gas equipment.

The comparison to the Honda was made by one reviewer I read. Most of the other reviews were against other battery powered units. I was impressed he picked a Honda rather than a Dollar Store mower to compare to the EGO. And when he did he found them comparable, with few meaningful differences. You can appreciate the differences with gas, but as Volkswagen proved at Pike's Peak, electric vehicles could be the future. Another feature I mentioned above was the fast recharge on the EGO. 45 minutes is great once you get used to this "feature" of battery powered equipment. My Black and Decker equipment takes hours and hours to recharge.

The 80 Volt Kobalt has a different class of motor than the EGO. I believe EGO offers a brushless motor, but the one my SIL got is not that one. As I recall the mowing times for the two comparable mowers was about the same on a lawn for lawn basis. The real deadbeat electric mower was the Ryobi 40-volt with about 1/3 the mowing time on the same lawn as the EGO. I get 45 minutes even in my dense grass on the older technology Black and Decker.

Dchall: I read your original post in regards to Ego battery charging and gave my advice as to over charging or charging at too quick of a rate . I further advised of "consumer complaints" on the Home Depot sites " not mine" I am a former Diesel mechanic & 3 rd Class Stationary Engineer . Have used serviced /repaired small engines in various units for over 30 yrs . Have been a forum member on the Toolshed / Tractor and lawnmower site since 2004 . Not a avid battery mower advocate . Have only assisted neighbours with advice on purchasing info accordingly . However I can easily review a spec sheet and indicate the pro,s & con,s of various electric equipment . I have never visited the lawn care forum , so you and the other posters are foreign to me . This lawnmower site has some very knowledgeable people within gas mower products . So the Honda mulching frustrations have been identified & discussed at length since early 2000 within various Honda models . You can search the archives and find numerous threads on the subject from numerous owners requesting help from us with their Hondas . Anyhow , I will post another thread for this topic since this thread should have been devoted only to your Ego mower input . Sorry did not mean to insult you or have your possy saddle up Bud ! P.S. The 80 Volt Motor on the Kobalt is also Brushless only larger than the Ego unit , also yes , we do cringe on the lawnmower site when battery mowers are mentioned :) .

Danielj: your absolutely correct , this thread was posted simultaneously in both forums lol. Dichall: In the future please only post in one forum to reduce the potential for such confusion . I did not realize my response in the lawnmower forum was being posted in the lawn care forum also . P.S. New Honda Mower mulching problems thread will be initiated as advised within the lawnmower forum !

@sse: it's all good! I've been confused by the multiple posting thing, too. I'll find that Honda post and read with interest. I've been happy with my Honda so I guess ignorance is bliss. lol.

danielj : Thanks Bud ! Off to the Fertilizer Wars ? :) P.S. Posted a New Honda Thread on the lawnmower site , please peruse and comment accordingly !

Having an Echo 56 Volt chainsaw with two batteries and charger.. I have been looking at their mower.. I would grab one on a heart beat if they offered two things. Side discharge and a self propelment mechonisism.. .

I could pull a couple of Honda's a year out of the dumpster here. Only thing is I know how they cut and in my opinion Their are where they should have been put from the factory.

Tread lightly Mule your posting simultaneously in both forums and there is some fierce Honda Loyalty within the Lawn care regular,s ! lol.

SS.. Dont get me started.. I may have to tell the one about a Dixie Chopper dealer that set up at a local fair.. He ask if i was interested in one..

"NOPE, Solid front axle, solid rear axles.. the things will beat you to death.."

We sell a spring loaded seat that..."

So I pay you $10,000 for a lawn mower.. THEN have to buy a seat so that I can ride on it..."

"EER ah we ah"..

"Exactly why I sold the 3 month old Dixie Chopper I had with less than 50 hours on it"

"EER ahh What???

I bought a Ferris.

Dichall: In the future please only post in one forum to reduce the potential for such confusion .

I recommend you post your way and I'll post my way. In the past I would agree with you, but this multi forum cross posting seems to be the future at Houzz. The problem in the past was that the replies to a cross posted topic were not cross posted to all the selected forums. Now they are. If everyone is polite, then no problem, right? We're all trying to adjust.

@sse: I know you're only kidding, but don't misinterpret my posting about Honda mowers. I know basically nothing about mowers other than the research I did before buying the HRX about 5 years ago and have no particular allegiance to any brand. It has performed perfectly and I'd recommend it to anyone who asks my experience with it. However, I did not read the posts in the lawn mower forum and your post on the matter made me interested. I do find narrow (1 inch") strips of grass here and there not mowed, but like i said it is always in the same places best I can tell. When I have some free time I intend to search the archives. I'd say it is a bit hyperbolic to say Honda's belong in the trash, but then again I haven't read the archives to find out how bad my perfectly well running mower is! :o)

Don't look at me, my bottom of the line Toro is still running after 16 years.

The robot is currently down and I have some work to do on that.

danielj , Your assumption and read are correct . The lawnmower forum as previously advised is full of numerous mechanical guru,s with yrs of real life experience. As I am sure the lawn care forum is within their practices . We all have gone through the feeling out phase over the last decade , Mostly No Harm No , No Foul ! There have been a few heated dialogue but usually short in duration . As i said did not realize the duplication of threads initially and apologize for my curt response to dichall who I assumed was a uniformed new forum member by his questioning of full ball bearings on world class mower wheels . Please check out the new post in the lawnmower site that I have created , the debate is still alive and your more than welcome Bud ! P.S. I love your vernacular " hyperbolic " lol. Give Mule some time he will grow on you , means we'll and is very knowledgeable within mowers . P.S. dichall , Sorry your Thread has been officially hijacked , can,t persuade your comrades to post on the lawnmower site lol.

Morp , Hey Comrade , also a Proud Toro Owner . Actually have owned 3 over the last 18+ yrs . 1st was a Recycler with a Kohler , then a Super Recycler with a Briggs , all still being used within the family . My current unit is a Commercial Toro 21" with the Stout Kawasaki Kai 6 hp engine within integral auto style oil filter. Also. Blade brake , Cast Alluminium deck and 1 gallon tank with fuel shutoff and manual choke . The truth be known , I a m a lawn boy 2 stroke freak , still miss my Old Duraforce running Klotz R Castor oil . Now those were mowers Baby !!

I've been reading reviews of the Ego mower as I consider buying a replacement for my 15-year-old Craftsman Tecumseh-powered mower, now deceased. The idea of a battery-powered mower is attractive, but the reviews cause concern on four counts:

1. Favorable reviews are frequently based on brief experience with the Ego machine, hardly enough to judge its durability and reliability in use.
2. Unfavorable reviews suggest that quality-control at the factory is deficient: i.e., new mowers come out of the box unable to perform according to company performance claims, sometimes dramatically unable to do so.
3. Plastic may not be the best material for making parts that directly affect the operability of the mower: e.g., the engine stops running if plastic clips holding the handle in place break.
4. Repair times are long, perhaps because the machines must be returned to the dealer, who then ships them to its repair shop. The only dealer in America is apparently Home Depot.

So I'm still mulling gas or electric.

Keith , Mean Green also has a very stout lawnmower unit . All the new elect mowers will likely have a transition period . Some of the big 3 gas mower manufacturers are marketing elect units which will fast path production and provide a dealer network to serve the electric mowers users much better !

Mean Green mowers should be stout, as they're designed for professional lawn-care use. And the smallest mower costs about $8,000 and weighs 350 pounds. Other than those features, it would suit me fine.

Keith lol No the Commercial / Residential 20" push mower , weighs 70 including the battery .

I see that now. I'm afraid I won't have the energy to do my yard with a push mower. I did it for several years, but now I need to rest after 30 minutes using a self-propelled mower.

Alrighty then lol :)

Keith Nichols, if my experience with Ego customer service is any indication, they have responded to the negative comments about repair times by upping their customer service. My mower's propulsion stopped working and instead of having me send it out to them, they shipped a replacement mower first. It's going to arrive on Tuesday and I'll ship the old mower back in the new mower's box.

I love not having to worry about running out to get gas for my mower.

Sounds great! I may see if Home Depot has an Ego mower in stock. However, getting gasoline for gas-powered mowers never posed any problem until alcohol showed up in the gas and required adding an antidote to the fuel tank.

Adding Startron one ounce to 2 gallons and you will never have any efuel issues with any small engine equipment . Product is available @ Wal-Mart or any quality auto store . 8 ounce bottle for $6.00 treats fuel for up to 2 yrs in storage .

I purchased the Ego Self propelled lawnmower this spring and made a video review.

A few things I have noticed since I recorded this. First this handles thick grass easier than my gas mower by far. After 2 weeks of rain the grass was really tall and even on the highest setting I was taking off around 5" of grass and it powered right through it.

The other issue was that the battery does not last nearly as long when you are mowing tall grass the battery runs out a lot faster. I only have a 1/4 acre and I had to stop and recharge when the grass was really tall one time. Granted that again was after 2 weeks of rain and really tall grass.

When not going through thick grass it doesn't have the suction of a gas mower. I have really noticed it with the leaves starting to fall off the trees it doesn't pick all of them up.

So these are some of the drawbacks I have found overall I still really like having an electric lawnmower.

worldcomposting and others, my old Black and Decker broke last weekend. When I say, broke, I mean a large chunk of the chute broke off and flew out. I need to take a pic. I stopped mowing and bought an EGO self propelled. Unpacking these things is trivial. It's already assembled in the box, so you unfold the handle, put the battery in, and go. I happened to have another battery so I used that first and charged the one that came with the mower.

This topic started as initial thoughts on my sister in law's mower. Here are my initial thoughts for my own mower.

Simply pushing this mower is much easier than pushing the B&D. The ball bearing wheels make a big difference over an entire lawn. It's nice.

I wondered if I would like the self propelled, but I do. My back yard slopes down away from the house, and the self propelled helps to get it off dead center at the bottom of the hill. I was not sure it would get through the tall and dense St Aug, but that did not seem to be a problem. I do believe that trying to lower the deck a lot might present a problem, but you never do that with St Augustine. The lever to start the wheels going is pretty flimsy. I can see that being the first thing to break on this.

It does power through the dense St Augustine. I wondered about that, too. My sister in law has thin grass, so that's easy. When the mower hits a heavy load, it throttles up the blade. I guess some gas mowers do that, too. Nice feature.

Reseting the deck height is easy and solid. I mow my yard at two heights. The St Aug is mowed at the highest
setting and the weeds are mowed at the lowest. The St Aug is taking
over the weeds, so soon enough I'll be mowing it all at the highest
setting. The EGO mows lower at the lowest setting and higher at the highest setting compared to the B&D.

Mowing has not been fun in a long time. The B&D had some features that made it not fun. This EGO is a lot better.

As I mentioned in the original post, the EGO comes with headlights. I thought it was a gimmick, but I had to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. If I had a yard with lots of rocks, child's toys, or even pet toys, I would not mow in the dark, but it is possible to do. It turned on the outside lights, but that's not enough to see what you're mowing. The headlights are. One problem with them is a bright green LED that indicates the headlights are on. That green light is right in your eyes. So I'm no longer laughing about a lawn mower with headlights. But I'm not going to make a habit of mowing at night. I still think it's a little dangerous.

So back to worldcomposting, when the mower does not completely mulch the grass or leaves, you have to go over it multiple times until you are satisfied. This is true with all mowers. I did this with a Toro back in the 1960s. Many of today's mowers do a great job the first time, but many do not. Deck height makes a difference, too, as does the type of leaves you're mulching.

Thanks for the follow up guys , sounds like Ego is satisfying your needs !

I've had my EGO mower for more than 4 years now with no problems. Love it. It's not self propelled and I have no issues handling it. The battery system is best I've used and is interchangeable on all their battery operated tools. It stores great standing upright and is easy to transport to mow our rentals. I like the quality and ease so much I purchased a carbon fiber EGO string trimmer with rapid reload and it performs great. Lot's of power and the battery lasts. I plan to get more EGO tools.

Wanted to chime in on this. Been two years since I got my mower, trimmer, edger, and blower. I'm very happy with the product. Customer service is like no other. It's well worth the investment. More importantly it gets the job done without the mess of fuel. It puts the excitement and fun into yard work.

I got a super deal for the EGO mower in january for $218 out the door, And yes I got the self propelled one for this price :) They had them on clearance at a home depot 25 miles from me. The one closest to me was still marked $499. I asked why such a big difference in price for home depots so close together and the woman said "its a regional sale" .

I have a 100 % bermuda lawn that I used it on. It was dormant and I used it for scalping it down. I know some reviewers said the cut wasnt that great, that it left a few stranglers. And these lawns was always some kind of cool season grass(thicker grass blade). On my bermuda I think it had a cleaner cut than my other twin blade honda I have. Never seen any stranglers it left behind. Was really impressed with cut quality on a bermuda lawn

My only gripe about it is it doesnt go lower than 1 1/2 inches, So i havent been able to use it for the last 2-3 months. Right now my bermuda is at 1 inch and about 95% green here in north ga.

Another small thing I dont like about it is the deck is more thin/long and not as wide as a traditional gas mower. If that makes sense