It's a self-propelled Craftsman with a Honda engine and works great, although it needs either a new blade or a good sharpening of the existing blade.

Still, I'm having a really hard time not buying an electric anyway. Probably a Ryobi and most likely this model: [www.homedepot.com]

By the way, I went to Home Depot last night and it was electric mower central. All rider models on display were electric, none gas. For push mowers, they had a few gas models but most of those were electric as well.

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... Because no gas engine?

I love my 120v mower, but I have a rather tiny yard (live in a city).

Quieter, less heat, less stress according to a few friends. Spare battery makes a larger yard do-able.

The only oddity to me is the cleaning procedure. I haven't mowed my own lawn in some years but recall basically hosing the whole thing down after each mow, something you cannot do with an electric mower. And the "simply wipe it down with a damp cloth" is kind of silly sounding, especially if you happen to mow and hit a damp area.

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Wash a mower? What? Whatever for?

I'd like to go electric for my next mower. But the price point for sufficient run time and cutting width to efficiently (time-wise) do my 1/2 acre hilly lot is still uncomfortable while my current gas mower yet lives.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2022 08:03PM by Acer.

Honda makes GREAT engines. Perform basic annual maintenance and they're virtually bulletproof and will last a LONG time ((think decade+). Your main complaint seems to be about the blade on your gas mower. You'll have the same experience with ANY electric mower. Eventually, ALL mower blades need sharpening or replacement (which YOU can do with the right hand file or Dremel tool and a YouTube tutorial). ~ a decade ago when I had a .5 acre+ property, blades ran about $20. I expect they cost more now. On an electric, eventually you'll wind up with batteries that DIDN'T get charged (for whatever reason). You'll then have to wait an hour or more for said batteries to charge. On a gas mower, a quick trip to the nearest gas station and you'd be up and running in about 15 minutes with fresh gas.

Bottom line; if you're REALLY "Jonesing" for an electric model, treat yourself (or your wife if she does the mowing). You should be able to sell your gas mower which will in effect reduce the cost of the new mower.

Sounds like you don't HAVE TO get a new mower but you want one. Go ahead and treat yourself. I have an EGO mower that I'm super happy with - its just nice to avoid an internal combustion engine. That said, if I had an ICE mower I might run it until it died, or sufficiently annoyed me.

Could you borrow a similar model from a neighbor? Might get the urge out of your system.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2022 08:37PM by mattkime.

I bought one of these this year after my garage burned and I lost my mower.
[www.lowes.com]

I hate the thing. If you mow some and then leave it set a day or so, the remaining battery only last about 10 minutes. You have to take the batteries out and put them in the charger after each use.

The other thing is the self propelled feature. When you turn a corner with it on, it speeds up, because it has no differential & the inside wheel drives it around a corner faster than when going forward. (Hard to explain, but to does speed up on corners).

Fred

I have the generation (edit: or two) before that. It is kind of wimpy and won't cut wet or tall grass. Wet grass collects around the periphery/top-inside of the mower deck. It doesn't mulch OR bag well.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2022 09:17PM by Filliam H. Muffman.

Meanwhile the freebee Snapper two-stroke mower I got last Spring fires up in pouring rain, shakes it off, then gets down to a serious grass knifing. I love the smell of Castrol R in the morning.

I have a fairly new 40V kobalt, less than 6 months, not self-propelled, but its been fine.

My total yard might be 250-300 SF, cuts it fine, even if long. mowed 2 weeks ago. Its been sitting outside got rained on even. battery still in it, lights up 3 cubes. I would have no qualms about cutting the grass again and leaving it for the next time... would not pull battery. Maybe you should have your battery replaced Fred. Doesnt sound right. Image the self propelled eats some, but still.

This is mine, but looks like it got a toatla redesign, looks sturdier.

[www.lowes.com]

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I thought about getting a zero-turn electric but my Deere zero-turn works really well so I’m minimally motivated. Also, I hate having a battery powered mower sit half the year in my unheated garage, sometimes in -20°F weather (on occasion that’s the daily high temp in my garage). Now I either bring into the house the starter battery from my Deere or plug in a battery maintainer over the off-season. I mowed for the first time this spring yesterday and had to jump start it even after using the battery maintainer.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/2022 09:34PM by Speedy.

Well, gas mowers are incredibly potent polluters of toxic smog, noise, and greenhouse gases. Those would be the main reasons right there. Noise, difficulty starting, need for oil changes, spark plugs, etc and occasional non-starts would also be a pretty big reason.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

What davester said.

Got an electric when I moved here 6 years ago and much prefer it to the Honda gas machine I'd had before. The main thing is weight, the electric is quite a bit lighter than the gas one but I also like not having to store gas.

I do flip it over after most sessions and clean the underside of the deck. This too is an advantage over the gas which cannot be flipped upside down. A lot of the green stuff that is not grass tends to collect and will fill the deck, so I clean it every time. I use a rubber glove and a small wire brush. Occasionally I have used a hose but only when I know it will be a week or two before using it again.

It's a self-propelled Craftsman with a Honda engine and works great, although it needs either a new blade or a good sharpening of the existing blade.

Ok, you have a perfectly capable gas mower, and note that it could use a blade sharpening or new blade.



Still, I'm having a really hard time not buying an electric anyway.

So even though you're aware that your gas mower doesn't need to be replace, you're electric-curious.


By the way, I went to Home Depot last night and it was electric mower central.

And you saw that the overwhelming majority of mowers are electric.



So why do I really want an electric?


Again, electric-curious.

You want to walk on the quieter side.

I have to agree, not storing cans of gas is an incentive.

That's more tedium than outright danger, though that's not nothing.

Having to schlep down to the gas station to fill up a can or two, then make sure the gas gets used before it get old...

But the reduction in noise would be the biggest motivating factor for me.

Mow a little earlier or later if need be, without bugging the neighbors, if that's a consideration.

And it's new tech, compared to ICE kit.

Flip over all the cards and satisfy your inner groundskeeping nerd.

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And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

You may want to check out some of the self-propelled electric mower comparisons on youtube. Similar size batteries do not equate to similar cutting ability. Some stall out in high grass, others don't. Some cut longer than others by a substantial margin.

EGO was top performer but not by much and at a higher price. The best overall was Greenworks - similar performance as Ego but at a much lower price. I don't recall exactly where Ryobi scored but it was in the upper half I believe.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

We like our EGO electric at two years and change. Quiet and quick.

I've had a battery Black and Decker lawn mower for 10 years.
Original battery. Original blade.

Zero maintenance for 10 years aside from a few sharpenings over the years.

No oil, no gas, no stabilizer, no winterizing, no tuneup, no spark plugs, no pull cord, no priming, no excess noise, no exhaust fumes.

[forums.macresource.com]

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Quote
davester
Well, gas mowers are incredibly potent polluters of toxic smog, noise, and greenhouse gases. Those would be the main reasons right there. Noise, difficulty starting, need for oil changes, spark plugs, etc and occasional non-starts would also be a pretty big reason.

Wouldn't you be wasting more resources by purchasing a newly manufactured electric model if your present gas mower works?

We have a lot of EGO stuff: Mower, trimmer, edger, blower, chainsaw

The mower is now 3 years old and developed an issue. The mower only runs at the highest speed, as it normally only does to power through thick grass. It never slows when the mowing is easy. This high speed racing cause the battery to overheat pretty quick. If i sprint while mowing the lawn, I can maybe finish the backyard before it overheats.

Apparently it's a controller replacement that is needed. From what I have read online, EGO is quick to blame that on wetness. Under warranty repairs are reported to take forever. Not under warranty, the repair is $380....or just buy a new mower.

Ugh...it was all going so well in the electric conversion.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

As above, my electric mower is very quiet compared to gas. I wear earbuds while moving, and I keep the sound levels much lower.

Also, much less vibration. I felt like the gas mower would beat the crap out of me from the vibrating motor.

I did not get the extra battery, but find that a plus, as it forces me to not overdo it in the Texas heat.
I once cut a lawn, and determined to finish it. I nearly passed out in the yard. I poured some water over my head to cool off and soon got a massive, debilitating headache. I went to lie down in a very cool, dark room. My wife was checking on me.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


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I’ve had the Kobalt 40-Volt Max Brushless Motor Lawn Mower from Lowes for 2 years - without the powered wheels. I bought it when I had problems starting the old gas mower due a shoulder injury. The experience has been very favorable - plenty of power to cut grass, though you need to walk slow once the grass gets a foot high. Much less noise and very little vibration compared to a gas mower. The 40 minutes of cutting time that’s advertised is accurate. This means I can’t mow the front and back yards the same day. Keeps me out of the sun for an extended amount of time.

I have an EGO as well. It's a good little mower...unless the grass is taller. Then it bogs down a lot and I just fire up the old Honda and plows through.

I'm in the "run it till it dies" camp with my mid-1990s vintage Honda mower (bought used about 15 years ago). Starts on the 1st or 2nd pull, plenty of power, and when I mulch leaves in the fall I can make 2-3 passes simply by refilling the tank.

If I sold it, I'm sure someone else would run it till it dies, so no carbon footprint offset there.

I do blow the dirt off of it after mowing with my battery-powered blower, though.

Quote
Rolando
I once cut a lawn, and determined to finish it. I nearly passed out in the yard. I poured some water over my head to cool off and soon got a massive, debilitating headache. I went to lie down in a very cool, dark room. My wife was checking on me.

Your problem is obvious. So is the solution: Have your wife mow.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
davester
Well, gas mowers are incredibly potent polluters of toxic smog, noise, and greenhouse gases. Those would be the main reasons right there. Noise, difficulty starting, need for oil changes, spark plugs, etc and occasional non-starts would also be a pretty big reason.

Bingo, we have a winner! Gas mowers are an environmental disaster.

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Quote
davester
Well, gas mowers are incredibly potent polluters of toxic smog, noise, and greenhouse gases. Those would be the main reasons right there. Noise, difficulty starting, need for oil changes, spark plugs, etc and occasional non-starts would also be a pretty big reason.

That's why my relative kept all their 2-stroke lawn equipment.

I doubt anyone is still reading this thread...

My plan was to continue using the gas mower unless I could find a really good deal on an electric. There was an ebay auction for the model I was looking at (Ryobi self-propelled 40V at a retail price of $399), that started out really cheap because it had a very mangled box, but with expensive shipping. Of course, ebay being ebay, it got bid up to almost the point I could have walked into Home Depot and paid full retail--with a good box.

Anyway, the Honda/Craftsman will not die.

I thought I emptied the gas last fall, but nope. I bought a new blade and was going to change the oil--which I have neglected for several years. Before doing that, I needed the tank to be empty. I thought about dumping the gas, but instead decided to try to start it and maybe mow until it ran out of gas. And with the gas that had been sitting in the tank all winter, it started on the second pull!

I also had a little gas left in my gas can. I ended up putting in that old gas and mowed (most of) the rest of the yard. The oil change and blade swap will wait until next time.

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