Stihl and EGO both make great battery powered mowers. I own both the Stihl RMA 510 V and the EGO Select Cut mower with Touch Drive – two of the most popular electric mowers in the game right now.
After using both mowers extensively, I like the EGO Select Cut mower better because it provided a better cut and has a more extensive battery series.
Read my experience using and abusing the EGO Select Cut XP mower here and my full review of the Stihl’s foray into electric push mowers here.
Comparing EGO Select Cut to the Stihl RMA 510 V electric mower
I took both of these mowers into my backyard for a little side-by-side comparison. Here’s what I found.
The EGO Select Cut mower is more powerful than the Stihl battery mower
It is always difficult to quantify the power output of an electric mower. Gas mowers are easy to compare because they have horsepower or ccs or other metrics. One metric that EGO advertises is torque.
EGO claims that their Select Cut mower puts out about 8.9 ft. lbs of torque. I am not quite sure that that means but it is a claim EGO uses to show that this mower is more powerful than gas mowers. After using the EGO Select Cut I can tell you that it feels more powerful than gas.
The Stihl RMA 510 V mower doesn’t have an advertised torque amount, but it felt like a pretty standard mower on par with gas.
Side-by-side the EGO mower is definitely the more powerful mower of the two. It’s hard to describe the feeling but it really feels solid, doesn’t miss a cut, and pulls you forward when you use it.
The winner: EGO Select Cut Battery Powered Mower
EGO Select Cut is cheaper than the Stihl RMA 510 V mower
Let’s get straight to the point – which one is a better price, the EGO Select Cut or the Stihl RMA 10 V?
The EGO Select Cut with one battery comes in at around just over $750. You can find it on Amazon for a really good price here.
The Stihl RMA 510 V is about $800 and can be found on Acme Tools website (no affiliation).
It is clear that the EGO Select Cut is the less expensive option here.
The winner: EGO Select Cut Battery Powered Mower with Touch Drive
The Stihl RMA 510 V has a more durable build than EGO
Stihl’s RMA 510 V mower comes with a great metal cutting deck that is 21 inches wide. Metal cutting decks are great for a few reasons. For starters, metal cutting decks are more durable than plastic cutting decks (regardless of how thick they are).
Metal cutting decks also provide more weight to the mower. Weight on a walk-behind mower like the Stihl RMA 510 V is not always a bad thing. The additional weight helps keep electric mowers grounded and stabilized.
The EGO Select Cut has a thick, plastic cutting deck. While this is still pretty durable, I prefer the classic metal decks for appearance, durability, and added stability.
If you’re looking for a more durable EGO mower, check out their new (about time) aluminum deck mower.
The winner: Stihl RMA 510 V Battery Powered Mower
EGO’s battery system is superior to Stihl’s
With EGO’s 56V battery lineup, you can use the same battery to power the Select Cut mower that you would to power your blower, edger, and dozens of other tools. If you grab a something like their attachment system that can swap out a ton of different tools, you can literally use the one battery and power head for like 8 different tools.
Stihls AP 300 battery system is still relatively new – just like Stihl’s presence in the electric and battery powered lawn tool game. You don’t quite get the breadth and variety of tools with Stihl that you would with EGO.
The winner: EGO Select Cut battery powered mower
The EGO feels easier to use than the Stihl mower
While the Stihl mower is a perfectly fine mower, I noticed a huge difference when I switched back and forth between the two. The EGO feels much more powerful, likely from its construction feeling really “solid”. It is a hard thing to put into words, but the EGO feels like it is just really well built.
One other noticeable difference is the self-propelled function on the EGO Select Cut. The self-propelled function is so hardcore that it literally pulled me forward when I started it. This allows you to mow your lawn really quickly and reliably compared to the slower, weaker feeling Stihl RMA 510 V.
Overall Review: EGO Select Cut vs Stihl RMA 510 V mower
The EGO Select Cut battery mower is better than the Stihl RMA 510 V battery mower because it is less expensive, more powerful, and has a bigger battery system. The Stihl has a more durable metal cutting deck and is a fine mower – but still isn’t quite up to par with EGO.
You can grab the EGO Select Cut mower on Amazon here.
How I tested out these mowers
I tested out the EGO Select Cut mower and the Stihl RMA 510 V in my backyard. I put both through thick grass while lowering the cutting deck, ran them until they died, took them over sticks and rocks, and cranked the self-propelled function all the way up.
If you want to watch more about how I’ve tested some of these, check me out on YouTube!
Why we compare electric lawn mowers
The reason we started The Lawn Review 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 in an electric 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 discuss what you should know before buying an electric mower.
The Greenworks 80V series is a good one – including their awesome and sleek leaf 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
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