The Ryobi 40V lawn mower is an electric mower that is one of the most popular on the market. I’ll be the first to admit, I have ALWAYS been a gas person. That being said, I am open to changes and trying new things out.
I personally have owned and enjoyed their 3-in-1 yard tool that includes a trimmer, edger, and blower. You can tell it’s battery powered and feels slightly weaker than each of those tools individually, but it gets the job done.
Here are my final thoughts on this Ryobi 40V mower if you want to stop reading here:
- It is a fine mower, although I wish it had a metal deck
- The Ryobi 40V series is great for a ton of tools
- I find this Ryobi mower to be a bit overpriced compared to others
- I test out the most recent version of this mower in a big video comparison on my Youtube channel
Today, we are going to review the following:
- Who should buy this mower?
- Battery considerations
- Functionality and use
- Criticisms of the Ryobi 40V mowers
- The official review
Let’s get started!
Why would I get an electric lawn mower?
There are a few benefits to getting an electric lawn mower. For starters, I am an early riser and have often angered my neighbors with mowing the lawn and doing other yard work before 9am. The Ryobi 40V lawn mower is quiet. Surprisingly quiet.
Ryobi perfected the quiet tool space when they created their ultra-quiet and surprisingly powerful Whisper Series leaf blower. They have quickly adapted most of their tools to be quiet.
This has allowed my children to once again trick-or-treat in the neighborhood and minimized the dog poop left in my yard.
Electric lawn mowers also have another obvious benefit – they don’t require gasoline. Not only does this free up some space in the garage, but makes the pain of spilling gas everywhere go away. The other benefit to being electric is the minimal maintenance required. While it can be annoying to sit and wait for your lawn mower to charge, you don’t have to worry about oil changes or other messes.
Another benefit to having an electric lawn mower is the lack of air pollution. While lawn mowers aren’t blowing black smoke like your diesel truck, they still put out fumes. My wife will sometimes relieve stress by mowing the lawn, but had to stop while pregnant due to the fumes. A minor benefit, but still noteworthy.
Does the Ryobi 40V mower require a replacement battery?
The Ryobi 40V mower comes with a 40V lithium ion battery that will definitely last for small to medium jobs. At the end of the day, this is battery powered and requires charging just like any other tool in our garage.
Something that is useful to recognize is that Ryobi has built some compatibility with some of their products and this mower. If you have another Ryobi tool with a 40V battery, you can swap them out when your main battery runs dry.
What you should think about the battery system
With the normal Ryobi 40V battery and the backup battery, you can successfully complete any job. Some considerations for battery life include the following:
Yard size for an electric mower
This is an obvious one. If you have a huge yard, you will likely run out of battery because of the sheer volume of grass that needs to be cut.
If you have a smaller yard, you will find that you can likely complete more than one mowing session on a single charge. My neighbor has this exact lawnmower and only charges it about once every three weeks during peak season.
Grass length
Thicker, longer, or wet grass will all deplete your Ryobi 40V battery faster. It takes a lot of energy to push the blade across thick or wet grass. For those of us that like a golf course style trim, you can run through the battery quickly when cutting grass down to that level from a taller level.
Self-propeller function on a Ryobi 40V mower
The Ryobi 40V lawn mower has a self-propelled option, which will creep the lawn mower forward and assist in pushing it across your yard. Naturally, using this option will cut down on battery life and require you to charge more frequently. If you have a large yard, you may want to consider turning this off to conserve battery. Otherwise, purchasing a second battery will help get the job done in one trip.
Breaking down the features of this mower
When looking for a Ryobi electric mower, you have two main options. The Ryobi 40V 21 inch or the 20 inch. Let’s check out the main differences between the two electric lawn mowers:
Design
The design of the 21 inch model looks slightly cooler to me. The deck is steel, similar to a traditional gas push mower, instead of plastic. Both have a neon green and black design which fits the normal Ryobi profile. The 21 inch model has a slightly more prominent light for those who mow at dusk.
Overall, the design screams “I’m using an electric mower, look at me!”. However, the silence of the mower makes up for it. While I am a traditionalist when it comes to design, others might like the futuristic appearance of both of these mowers.
Functionality
Obviously, the 21 inch Ryobi 40V is slightly larger. Both the 21 and the 20 inch mowers have push-start capability and the same battery. The battery life lasts a little longer (5 minutes longer) on the 20 inch model than it does on the 21 inch model. The battery longevity likely relies on the weight of the mower and the slightly longer blade.
Storage
While both of these mowers easily fold over in the garage, the 20 inch mower takes the cake on storage capability. As the lighter and slimmer model, the 20 inch mower can easily be folded and even hung on the wall. The 21 inch model has the heavier steel deck and larger body, making it difficult for storage. Consider that both will be easier to store than a traditional gas push mower – and won’t leak any gas or fluid either!
Value
Considering both the 21 inch and the 20 inch Ryobi 40V use the same battery, similar blades, and are almost identical – the 20 inch mower is the best value. As I look through a few online shopping venues, the 21 inch mower is consistently over $100 more than the 20 inch mower.
If it were me (and I am cheap), I would go with the 20 inch mower and be okay with getting made fun of by my guy friends.
What I didn’t like about this mower
Electric lawn mowers are new entrants into a long standing, traditionalist marketplace of incumbents. Therefore, they will receive their fair share of criticism. What I see most out of those that have a problem with these mowers is the run time.
Ryobi 40V lawn mower run time
The 20 inch Ryobi mower boasts a 40 minute run time while the 21 inch mower has a 35 minute run time.
Again, there are several factors that will impact run time. Grass length and density will eat through the battery as well as the self-propelled function. If you have two batteries, you should not have a problem getting the job done.
That being said, the battery charge time is about four hours for each of those 35-40 minute uses. If you have a very large yard, it may take a long time to get cut.
Getting a replacement battery
You can order individual batteries to replace the battery on your Ryobi 40V. I have never had a problem with my Ryobi 40V battery for any other of my appliances, but I generally don’t run them as long as I do my mower.
For those with other Ryobi 40V products that have a compatible battery, you can use those in both tools. This is how Ryobi gets you to become loyal to their products!
Where to buy the Ryobi lawn mower
You can grab this one and bunch of other Ryobi mowers from Home Depot, where Ryobi is almost exclusively sold.
The Official Review of the Ryobi 40V 21 inch Lawn Mower
| Feature | Ryobi 40V lawn mower | Comparable gas push mower |
| Difficulty to use | Less difficult than gas | More difficult due to weight |
| Durability | Less durable plastic deck | More durable than electric |
| Maintenance | Easiest to maintain | Requires yearly oil changes |
| Value | Medium value | Medium value |
| For lots <10,000 sq. ft | Highly recommended | Highly recommended |
| For lots <1 acre | Recommended if willing to use a push mower | Recommended if willing to use a push mower |
| For lots >1 acre | Not recommended | Not recommended |
To summarize our review, the Ryobi 40V 21 inch lawn mower is a great mower for small yards. The ideal electric mower owner will be someone with limited storage space for a larger mower, a smaller yard, does not like to push and strain too hard when mowing, is eco-conscious, and enjoys a quiet mow.
Why we review lawn tools
The reason we 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.
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