Tag Archives: lawn mower

EGO Power+ Mower Review: Cut The Grass & Gas

Disclosure: EGO sent me their Power+ Mower to review on Going Dad. I was not compensated for this post, and all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

The Going Family received our EGO Power Plus Lawn Mower about a month ago, and we’ve used it every weekend since.

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Right out of the box, it’s basically ready to kick some mow your grass! No gas, oil, or air filter that you’ll frantically check every time the pull-string motor doesn’t start. Those of you with gas mowers, you know what I’m talking about; I was there too. Just a clean, battery powered mower with plenty of power and convenience.

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It’s everything we wanted in mower, or is it? Avery helped me look it over and even helped with the mowing, here’s what we have to say.

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Looks and Lights

A blogger friend of mine said it looked like something Luke Skywalker would use to mow his lawn (if it was more than just sand), and I agree. It’s futuristic bright green battery cover and LED headlights set it apart from other push mowers. I can’t find anything I don’t like about the looks of the EGO and think Avery agrees too.

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One of Avery’s favorite words for the time being is “lights”, so it comes as no surprise to see her fascination with the LED’s on the EGO. She’ll push the button to turn them off and on forever until one of us stops her. And who can blame her? Those things are cool!

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But they aren’t cool without a purpose. One day, I found myself spending time with Avery and my wife while it was light out and wound up running out of daylight before I could get started mowing. Luckily, there was no need for concern since I had super bright LED’s to lead me on my grass cutting path and help me dodge the stinky “dog bombs” in our back yard.

Cutting Power & Noise

Unlike the typical cordless mowers that seem to struggle just to propel their blades against air, much less your lawn, the EGO Power+ Mower is impressive. My first time to use the EGO was also the first mow of the season where we scalp the grass using the lowest setting. Our yard wasn’t terribly overgrown or anything, but there were many thick, patchy areas on their way to overgrown status.

There was slight hesitation when the 20″ deck went over the really thick areas or made contact with the dirt from our uneven lawn, but it forged through and scalped just as well as any gas mower I’ve used in the past. The cut is clean and even across our yard too, which I’ve owned many mowers that do a crappy, choppy cut which makes an overgrown lawn look elegant.

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Now I use a higher setting which is a breeze to adjust with just one handle that glides effortlessly from the lowest, 1.2″ to the highest setting, 3.5″.

The noise level on this thing is nothing like that of gas mowers (30% less, as a matter of fact), and found it easy to talk over the mower if needed. Sure, you’ll know when the motor is running, but it’s a welcome sound compared to the loud, relentless drone of a gas mower. Avery never once seemed timid from the noise and had no problem chasing after my wife while she was mowing.

Battery

Ahhh, yes, probably the most complained about aspect of cordless mowers, the battery!  Well, no complaints here. Even after the first mow on the lowest setting and with the lights on 50% of the time (due to Avery pressing the button), the 4. 0Ah 56-volt Lithium-Ion battery was still showing green with plenty of juice left.

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It takes me about 30 minutes to mow the front and back with the EGO, and without recharging, am able to almost finish mowing again the following week. The light finally turned red on me after I finished the front and had made a few rounds in the back. But no worries, the battery charger has the battery fully charged and ready to finish the job in 30 minutes or less.

I was happy to set it on the charger and go for a quick walk around the neighborhood while waiting. To go along with the futuristic looks, I feel like I’m handling a mini nuclear reactor each time I slide the battery on its nuclear charging station. It’s fun to pretend, right? I mean, for the kids…..

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Functionality and Storage

You know those mowers with handles that fold down using thumb screws in a pivot that quickly bends out of shape? Yeah, EGO’s design team knows that sucks, and made adjusting the handles a cinch. First, there’s a lever on the side that allows you to quickly fold or unfold for storage or mowing action, respectively. Once you select the angle, the handle is extended using the bright green clips on each side.

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The down side is there are only two handle angle settings for mowing, and it must be fully extended for use. If you try to lower the handles while the motor is running, it will start to shut down until you extend them again. Trust me, I tried.

I’m 5’10, my wife is 5’6, and we were both able to easily mow despite the lack of height and angle options. Even Avery doesn’t seem to mind.

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The only time it gets annoying is when I’m trying to turn while next to the fence line or do a 180 degree turn in the narrow area on one side of our house. It’s not even close to being so annoying that I wish we had something else though, and as long as I don’t try and throw it like Thor’s hammer, everyone comes out just fine.

Once you’re done mowing, just undo the clips, push the handle down, and fold it using the side lever to set it to storage mode. Then, my favorite part, you store it vertically! This is the best way to store a mower and don’t know of any others that do it so well. Having a home gym in my garage means space is precious, so this is a welcome feature and absolutely LOVE IT!

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Wrapping It Up and Where To Buy

The EGO Power Plus Lawn Mower has a lot going for it. With it’s cool looks, light-for-a-mower weight, highly powerful 56 volt battery with insanely quick recharging speeds, and easy storage, there’s not much to complain about. My biggest issue is the one length setting which can make maneuvering in tight places a pain, but like I said, it’s not a big deal to me. Being able to adjust the length would still be nice though.

I have no problem mowing our entire lawn on one charge, but if you have a bigger yard, you might want another battery for non-stop mowing. Or just wait the short 30 minutes for a recharge and go back to finish what’s left. The best thing to do is start with one and see if you really need an extra battery. I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with the power on this mower, and love not ever worrying about gas or changing the oil and filter. Cars are enough.

The mower comes with a bag or inserts for mulching or side discharge. I used the bag for the first mow and it worked just as a bagged mower would without issue. But we are firm believers in mulching since letting fresh grass clippings rest across the yard allows important nutrients to be retained in the grass for a better, healthier lawn. Whatever you choose, EGO gives you the accessories needed to easily adjust to your liking.

Overall, I’m convinced this exceeds that of a gas mower and will end up saving money and tons of stress in the long run. The EGO Power Plus Mower currently sells for $499.00 at The Home Depot which I consider a fair price considering the long term savings. It also comes with a 5 year limited warranty which is one of the best I’ve seen. The season is just getting started, so if you’re in the market for a new mower, consider going “green” with EGO and experience the #PowerBeyondBelief.

Here’s an informative info-graphic showing Gas vs. Electric mowers when it comes to saving money and keeping our planet clean too.

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Don’t try and save a $100 now and regret it later, I suggest giving EGO a home in your garage, it won’t take up much room, and be happy with your eco-friendly mower. Thanks to this mower, I can finish mowing in no time and get back to other things like being a husband and daddy to my two favorite girls! Now if only I could get Avery away from the thing….

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Teaching Daddy How To Use the EGO Power Plus Mower

Oh, hi there! I’m just enjoying the weather and prepping my, errr. I mean Daddy’s EGO Power Plus Lawn Mower to mow the lawn. As you can see, I’m properly dressed in non-matching yard work attire with my pink Ramblers from Soft Star Shoes. Thanks, dad……

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Mommy and Daddy have been really busy lately and haven’t made time to learn how to use this fine piece of battery powered machinery. I’m not sure why they’re so busy, but something about watching The Walking Dad. I don’t know what’s so great about that, I walk with Dad every day and it’s nothing spectacular.

Anyway, I’ve taken it upon myself to learn how to operate the EGO so I can explain it to Daddy. Turns out, this mower, while highly futuristic and cool looking, is quite simple to use. Not to mention just fun to look at it’s fine lines…..and buttons!

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Obviously, the coolest button of them all is for the LED headlights! How many other push mowers have those? Seriously, I don’t know, I’m asking.

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Daddy looked lost when I turned the lights on, so I had to show him a few times. First, they are off….

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….and then, viola, you push this button and they’re on!

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It doesn’t take a button scientist to figure that one out, geez, Dad!

Now that we have the lights figured out, all you need to do is simply push the 56-volt lithium ion battery, only the most powerful battery in the industry, into its compartment until it clicks securely in place.

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With the handles unfolded, you take the key to…..what?….yes, that one, Dad.

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Ahhh, just look at the provided instructions, Dad, they’re pictures so you should catch on rather quick.

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Got it? Good. Once it’s running, just start pushing!

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What? Seriously?! No, not over the pavement! Push it over to the grass, you know, the stuff lawn mowers cut.

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See that green stuff, Dad? That’s the grass. Do I need to do the first run through for you?

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Here, I’ll start since you look confused.

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Your turn now. There you go, Dad, good job!

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See, that only took 20 minutes for the front and back. Gotta love that 20 inch deck! Now, how about you push me on my tricycle with the extra time we have?

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Phew, teaching parents is hard work! I might be exhausted, but I’m still cute.

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Disclosure: The EGO team sent Daddy their powerful, battery powered, and 20% less noisy-than-gas mower to review free of charge. All thoughts and opinions express here are his (or my) own. I like the lights!

Our First Mow With EGO

The EGO Power Plus team recently sent me their Power+ 56V Lithium-Ion Cordless Lawn Mower to use and review on my blog, and I just used it for the first mow of the season!

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This is not my review, just my initial thoughts after using it this past weekend. While I was excited for what was in the box, Avery was more excited about THE box.

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And a mighty cool box at that! Just the quality packaging let you know EGO is a company that puts care into their products and wants them to arrive safely to their destination. Here are the specs as listed on their website:

  • 4.0Ah 56 -Volt Lithium-Ion Battery: Industry’s most powerful battery
  • 30-Minute Charger: Industry’s fastest charger
  • Up To A 45-Minute Cut Time: Battery run time meets or exceeds charge time
  • Fold Flat In Seconds: Convenient storing and cleaning
  • 20” Cut Capacity: Reduces the number of passes required to cut your lawn
  • True 3-In-1 Function: Superior mulching, rear bagging and side discharge performance
  • LED Headlights: Allow for mowing anytime
  • 600W, High-Torque, Magnetic Motor: Designed for high power output at 3300RPM’s
  • Convenient Push-Button Start: No more pull cord, easily starts at the press of a button

Out of the box and ready go in a matter of minutes, their cordless mower is perfect for those too impatient to read through assembly instructions.

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The battery already had a good charge when it arrived, but I’m a charging nazi and feel like everything I own must always be charged or charging. So, I set the ultra-cool, futuristic battery on its charger to make sure I had a full charge before mowing the grass.

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I was prepared to wait at least 30 minutes for the battery to charge, but it was ready to go in less than 10! I hardly had time to go pee and blow my nose, geez! No, it doesn’t really take me that long, so no wise cracks (not here either) about it. 🙂

It was dark to where I needed headlights, but honestly, why wouldn’t you use headlights on your push mower if you had them? Seriously, how cool is that? I think I’ll mow at night sometime soon just because I can!

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For the first mow of the season, we use a very low setting to scalp the yard in order to foster new growth and bag the dead grass trimmings. The rest of the time we choose to mulch fresh-cut grass when it’s green and thriving as it has a lot to give back to the ground, but the dead stuff sitting around all winter doesn’t have much to offer.

Scalping would put EGO’s claim to have the most powerful rechargeable mower on the market that still delivers the performance of gas. Upon starting the electric beast (no pull string battle!), I set off to cut our grass.

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Compared to gas mowers, the EGO is pretty quiet (thanks for catching my typo, Gary!). Of course, cutting grass will be noisy to some degree since debris and other things being hit by the blades make noise no matter what you have. But this battery-powered machine performed like a champ and it’s 20 inch deck had me finished in no time.

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Or so I thought. Avery pointed out a few spots I missed and demanded that I hold her so she can show me where to go.

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What a great helper, we’d have such a messy lawn without her low level eyes to spot my imperfections! Her not being scared of the mower is a testament to how non-threatening the noise level is, don’t you think? After finishing, I tried sweeping off the mower as it was driving me crazy that it was dirty.

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I know, I know, it’s a freakin’ mower, that’s what it’s for! Go ahead, tell me again, Going Mom already laughed at me anyway.

While mowing, when I went over an area that rose up coming in contact with the blades more than normal, an orange light would flash letting me know of the issue and if it got worse, the mower to auto-shutoff. This was no problem since it easily started right back up, and I had the setting on the lowest level to scalp the yard, so during normal use I don’t expect this to happen.

I’m used to spending close to an hour mowing like I did last season with our reel mower, which I still think is cool for the exercise factor, just not the clean-cut grass part. With the EGO, I’m done in less than 30 minutes and our yard looks great!

Looking forward to using our EGO Power Plus Mower this season, and will post a full review after several sessions, including at least one at night! If anything does go wrong, it’s great to know Avery can help us fix whatever it is. Apparently she’s quite the expert in battery-powered lawn mowers. Or so it would seem….

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Do you have or have you heard of the EGO line of battery powered yard tools?

Are you an electric user or gas junkie when it comes to power tools?

Gas is a big enough of a pain for our cars, so I absolutely love not having to worry about it when it comes to other power equipment. Plus, it’s much cleaner and safer for nosy kids who like to touch everything!