My Greenworks 80V Mower is a bit of an enigma. I love Greenworks and they make great products, so I am scratching my head a bit.
My 80V mower is a beast. Basically the same amount of power as my gas Honda mower with the convenience of battery.
But it also had a few problems. A battery that didn’t work. A really hard time trying to back it up when in self-propelled mode.
Today – I will break down our brutally honest (as always) thoughts about this mower.
Jump ahead:
- What to look for in a battery-powered mower
- Ease of use
- Power output
- Battery life
- Price and value
- Our recommendation
How I tested out this Greenworks 80V mower
I got this Greenworks mower sent to me by the folks at Greenworks (they don’t pay us or anything). After assembling it, I went straight out into my yard and played with every function on it as I took it to my tall fescue.
I tested out the battery run time, the bells and whistles like self-propelled functions, how it did with my grass, and finally how it compares to my gas mower and other battery mowers I’ve used.
Basically, I put this thing through the dang GAUNTLET and documented it all on my YouTube channel – check it out!
Greenworks 80V Mower: Feature review
The Greenworks 80V mower is one of the most confusing I’ve ever reviewed. There are some features that are great and I really love. Then there are some that leave me scratching my head and wanting to ask Greenworks, “What were you thinking?” or “Did you even take this through quality control?”
It reminds me a lot of Thanksgiving dinner. We’re all happy to be there and enjoy time with family… but once I’ve been hanging around each other for a few hours, and my crazy uncle has had a few too many Miller’s, it just starts turning into nonsense.
That being said, the big question is if this one gets the TLR stamp of approval or denial. Without further adieu, here’s the review of the Greenworks 80V Mower:
Ease of use on the Greenworks 80v mower
Starting off with the ease of use, I really like the feel of this mower.
Most electric or battery powered mowers have a hard plastic deck, which can feel fragile and low quality. Greenworks chose a 21” steel deck, like most gas-powered mowers, making it much more durable. Because of the heavy steel deck, I never felt like I was being jostled around my yard as I was going over bumps & divots while mowing.
I also like that it is featured with a cruise control speed setting. For some of our readers, this is a key feature if you have a hilly yard and want some assistance from the mower pushing up hills. It’s also great to go at a slower pace when I’m going through damp or thick grass to make sure I get a quality cut and prevent the mower motor from overworking.
As for the downsides… Greenworks is a great partner, but we’re not going easy on them. One of the most frustrating things about this mower was that the bottom flap on the backside would roll under the mower and prevent it from rolling backwards and the back tires wouldn’t roll at all. This caused me to pivot a lot more and tore up my yard in several spots.
Then there were several times where I would turn on the turbo button and it would cut off. I still can’t figure out what was going on, but it’s frustrating that a key selling feature wouldn’t work at all.
Power output: Greenworks 80V mower
I really loved the brushless motor on this. If you’re not familiar with brushed vs. brushless motors, brushed motors require a brush in the internal components of the motor to convert the energy from the battery to the energy in the motor. Brushless motors typically use magnets for this process. Long story short, it simply means there is less friction to convert the energy, which means less energy to produce power, less wear & tear on the motor, and longer lasting batteries. Anytime I see “brushless” on a tool, it’s typically the better performer.
On top of that, when I hit the turbo button, this bad boy hits 3200 RPM!! Impressive for a battery powered mower, since that’s comparable to most gas-powered mowers performance.
Battery life of the 80V battery on Greenworks mower
Because this Greenworks battery powered mower has a steel deck, I anticipated the battery life would be lackluster. After all, it would make sense that more power would be needed to move a heavier mower. I was pleasantly surprised to get about 65 minutes of run time, giving it an edge over other brands like Ryobi & Ego. This is one of the best run times for battery mowers. I have a little under a half acre, so this was plenty of run time for me.
If you have a bigger lawn the handles have an indicator to show how much battery life you have, which can help you plan out if you’re going to need additional batteries (I always like to grab extra batteries anyway, just in case).
That being said, one of the major downsides was that this mower is supposed to automatically switch to the second battery when the first one dies. That didn’t happen. I had to take out the battery, pop it back in, and restart the mower. So a key feature and selling point of this Greenworks mower was a total bust.
Price and value
When looking at any mower, it’s going to come down to the overall cut quality. When we combine ease of use, power output, battery life, and performance, the cut quality was top notch and I was satisfied with how my yard looked at the end of an honest day’s work in the lawn.
The price, at the time of this writing, is $629. Which can be on the pricier side of mowers, but it does come with a 4 year limited tool & battery warranty. That can be a great perk, knowing that I am getting a tool that Greenworks will replace for the next 4 years.
Why we I started The Lawn Review
The reason I started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site.
As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.
What to look for when buying a battery-powered lawn mower
If you’re looking for a new battery powered mower, you need to make sure you understand what things matter on the mower. You will get hit with a lot of technical specifications and people throwing acronyms at you.
Below are my main criteria when buying a mower.
Battery-powered mower brand quality
Quality is going to be super important here. Just about everyone is in the electric mower game these days and there are a ton of junky mowers out there. Avoid anything from a weird brand on Amazon that takes 9 years to ship. It is probably being 3D printed in a Laotian bathroom. Go for brands that have consistent quality and focus on the details, not just flashy colors.
Some brands I trust off the top of my head are: Greenworks, Milwaukee, Makita, Toro, EGO, and Kobalt. SOME Ryobi mowers, although myself and others have had some problems with reliability. Brand quality matters, but it’s also important to look at the specs on each.
Luckily, Greenworks is on this list so we are in good shape!
Metal where it matters: the deck
Most electric mowers are plastic-y. Probably to reduce the weight of the mower so that the battery can get you further, but it feels cheap. Make sure to get metal where it matters – namely the deck. The deck is the part that covers the blades. Don’t get plastic here – a rock can rip through it.
Battery interoperability.
A ten dollar word used here, but really just make sure to buy a mower with a battery that is compatible with other electric tools. You’ll see a bunch of these brands that have battery lines that work with a ton of tools. Milwaukee, Makita, and Dewalt are all great options because you can use them for all lawn tools AND power tools – saving you a ton of money on extra batteries.
If you have more questions, check out our guide to electric lawn mowers, where we break this down into a lot more detail.
The Greenworks 80V series is a good one – including their awesome blower.
Self-propelled or not
Self-propelled mowers are lawn mowers that slowly crawl forward when mowing the lawn. They propel forward the mower, taking off a lot of the “pushing power” required by traditional push mowers.
Self-propelled mowers are ALWAYS more expensive because they have the additional power and functionality that makes life easier. They have their place, but because of the cost can often seem not totally worth it
Our Review: Greenworks 80V Mower
Does this get the TLR stamp of approval?
Reluctantly, I’m going to give this a yes. Like 55% approval rating. Barely making the cut (pun intended).
Though there are some downsides (battery not switching, not rolling backward, turbo cutting off), I think the pros outweigh the cons. The battery life is top notch, I couldn’t ask for better cut quality, the steel deck made it easy to handle, and the warranty is a great add-on to make my money stretch for at least 4 years.
If you’re in the market for a mower this season, the Greenworks 80V Mower is a great choice and can be found on Amazon or at Costco.
