Tag: Ryobi

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Ultimate Guide to Battery Powered and Electric Lawn Tools

electric and battery powered tools

In the same way electric cars are becoming powerful and popular, so are electric lawn tools. Long gone are the days of corded leaf blowers and mowers that can barely move a leaf off the ground.

The new mowers are in town.

The new generation of battery-powered lawn tools by brands like EGO, Greenworks, Ryobi, and Makita are powerful machines. The top brands can often rival gas-powered tools in just about every way, but without the maintenance, noise, or smell. You can also save a ton of money by purchasing the tool-only version of lawn tools.

As a former lawn tool collector with a garage full of gas-powered tools, I can tell you that I have made some bad purchases in the electric lawn tool space. That is why we created this resource guide. You can also check out everything you would want over on our Amazon Storefront, where we’ve consolidated all of the best tools into one place.

Let’s get started.

Battery-powered Lawn Mowers

Let’s start with the big kahuna. You don’t have yard work or lawn care without a lawn mower. The absolute number one essential lawn tool is the mower. Let’s review exactly what you should look for in a mower, then I’ll make a couple of recommendations that can help you make the perfect purchase.

When looking to purchase an electric lawn mower, you need to make sure you understand what things matter. You will get hit with a lot of technical specifications and marketing tactics. Totally forget them and focus on the things that impact you. Below are my recommendations:

  1. Go with a high quality brand with a trusted reputation
    • Quality is going to be super important here. If you are new to the electric lawn mower space, there are definitely some names you will recognize making electric lawn tools, but there are a few others that are top-of-the-line and electric-only.
    • 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 with a stellar reputation include Greenworks, EGO, and Makita.
  2. Metal where it matters. 
    • 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.
    • Metal decks are only found on a couple of the brands. 
  3. Battery interoperability.
    • A ten dollar word used here, but really just make sure to buy a mower with a battery that is compatible with trimmers, blowers, etc.. Ryobi has this, so does Dewalt, and so do some of the Greenworks products. This will save you garage clutter and plug space.
    • The last thing anyone wants is seven or eight different plugs on the wall trying to charge batteries. A single line of batteries goes a long way here.
  4. Self-propelled or not. 
    • While I personally don’t use the self-propelled function, a lot of people love it. If you are older, have steep banks or hills, or otherwise just want to move more quickly, self-propelled mowers can be a huge help.
    • They can also significantly drain the battery of your mower, so be prepared to stop to charge the mower at some point.
  5. Motor Type 
    • While electric motors have historically relied on wound coils of wire to create a magnetic field to utilize the energy in a battery to rotate the “rotor” which has positively and negatively charged ends that spin – creating torque. The coils act like a brush against the internal components of the motor  that will wear out over time  – the new kid on the block, brushless motors, are different. 
    • Brushless motors have removed the friction and replaced with magnetic force fields – thus removing the wear and tear on the coils.
    • This adjustment significantly improves motor performance and durability. Less friction makes for easier spinning of motor components. Faster spinning means higher performance – usually. Higher performance makes us happy.

Top Battery-Powered Lawn Mower Recommendations

We have tried, reviewed, and ranked close to 100 battery-powered mowers. A few really stick out to us. 

Greenworks 80V Pro Brushless Cordless Lawn Mower 21”

This mower from Greenworks is a masterpiece. Everything we recommend in a mower can be found in this one. A steel deck. A brushless motor. A battery line you can stick with for all of your Greenworks tools. A great brand. This one is top-of-the-line. It can be found on Amazon for a pretty good sale or at your local Costco.

EGO  Power+ 56V 21-inch Cordless Electric Select Cut XP Lawn Mower

A close runner-up, this thing has a killer self-propelled function, a long-lasting battery, a pretty sweet design, and a brushless motor. The only downside here is the plastic deck. Otherwise, this is a great mower and part of a great battery series. It can also be found on Amazon and on sale right now or at Lowe’s.

Pictured here is the EGO Select Cut, which I go into further detail here.

Battery powered weed eaters (string trimmers)

Again, let’s break down what you need to know when picking out a battery-powered weed eater. Then I’ll give some recommendations based on our research and trials.

What to look for in a cordless string trimmer

Cordless weed eaters come in all shapes and sizes. They aren’t highly complicated pieces of equipment, but they do have a few nuances. Here is how I see it:

  1. Feel and usability
    • Obviously this is subjective, but feel is everything to me. I have had weed eaters in the past where the handle is off to the side, making me torque my shoulders and back. Bad. You are going to be using this often and for a long time, so make sure it is comfortable.
    • I recommend using trimmers with a molded grip that comes in the shape of a D. This way you can grab the handle at multiple angles for whenever you want to do some edging with it.
  2. Motor type
    • Brushless motors are king here. They are longer lasting and more durable. Brushless motors also produce more torque and less heat.
    • This is the same benefit found across all battery-powered lawn tools.
  3. Batteries
    • Not only do you want a lighter weight battery, but you also want to try to get a battery with your trimmer that also works with a blower. 
    • They sell trimmer and blower combo kits, which we have reviewed and written about here.
  4. Curved vs Straight shaft
    • I always, always, always prefer straight shafts. They are so much easier to use and control. Curved shafts are better for smaller areas that require “mowing”  with a string trimmer, whereas straight shafts are better for precision and clean lines.
    • Longer straight shaft trimmers are also easier to balance and handle as they distribute weight better.

Top Battery-Powered Weed Eater Recommendations

I’ve used dozens of battery-powered weed eaters and review and rank them extensively. Here are some of my favorites.

Makita XRU15PT1 36V Brushless String Trimmer

Okay, this one is an absolute beast and can blow the socks off any commercial  gas trimmer. It has a massive cutting swath of 15 inches, a brushless motor, and comes with 4 batteries. Makita does a great job with their products, whether they be hand power tools or their full suite of different weed eaters.

The downside is that it is pricey. Check out the most recent price for the full kit, but much cheaper if you have a bunch of the batteries already.

Worx WG163 GT 3.0 PowerShare 12” Cordless String Trimmer and Edger

This one is much more affordable. It weighs about six pounds, is super easy to use, has a telescoping arm, and can be plopped on its side for proper edging. Worx makes some really cool products, just like this flexible and simple weed eater called the GT revolution.

It is also one of the highest rated lawn tools on Amazon, with over 22,000 reviews. 

Battery-powered Leaf Blowers

Leaf blowers have some of the largest variety in power, with most folks still thinking gas is the most powerful. You would be surprised to see how far some of these blowers have come. Let’s check it out. 

What to look for in an electric blower

Cordless blowers come in a bunch of shapes and sizes. There are smaller, lightweight handheld blowers, massive backpack blowers, and everything in between. Regardless of the type of blower, there are three basic things you need to understand before making a purchase.

  • CFM 
    • Cubic feet per minute. This is a measure of air output on the blower. Higher CFM means more air output, but not necessarily more miles per hour. You may see a lot of blowers that have really high CFMs, but don’t always blow air at the highest miles per hour. This is due to the fact that some blowers have wide nozzles. They can push air out with great force, but since the area of the nozzle is large, the miles per hour isn’t as proportionally high. 
    • High CFM blowers with low MPH are great for moving big piles of leaves across the yard.
    • Blowers with high MPH might not have as high of CFMs, but have narrower nozzles. These are great for precision blowing or for things like wet grass or wet leaves. 
    • I prefer to have a high MPH blower so that I can get those wet leaves off of my back deck. Most commercial landscapers use backpack blowers with high CFMs so that they can remove leaves from parking lots and other surfaces. 
  • Usability and “Feel”
    • Leaf blowers come in all shapes, sizes and weights. If you have a large yard, you will want to really pay attention to the weight distribution and handling of a blower, otherwise you may end up at a chiropractor.
    • For large yards, I generally recommend a backpack blower. It is the most comfortable blower for heavy use because it is wearable and powerful. 
    • For medium and small yards, there are some great lightweight handheld blowers that have just as much power as a backpack blower – see our recommendations.
    • Another feature you will want to watch out for is cruise control settings and variable speed control. You can quickly tire out your hands if you are holding onto the blower and also trying to keep the trigger on a very specific setting. 
  • Motor Type
    • Brushless motors reign supreme. Cooler running motors with more torque, a longer run-time, and last many more years. Brushless is a no brainer when picking a blower, especially since these tend to start and stop so much during use. Keep this thing ticking for many years with a brushless motor.

Top Battery-Powered Blower Recommendations

We’ve reviewed and ranked a ton of battery powered blowers after hundreds of hours of testing and posting them all to our YouTube channel. Here are the best.

EGO Power+ LB7650 56V Blower

This blower is more powerful than most, if not all, handheld gas blowers. It has 765 CFMs and can blow air at up to 200 MPH. Holy cow.

It also has a variable speed trigger, cruise control, a few different nozzle tips you can attach, and a brushless motor. Basically, it has it all. It even comes with a five year warranty. If you already own EGO batteries, at the time of this writing  you can get the tool-only version for just over $200. Not bad. It is also available at Lowe’s.

Me with my EGO blower.

Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Blower

A close competitor to the EGO blower, I recommend the Ryobi for anyone with an existing Ryobi battery. This thing is just slightly less powerful than the EGO blower but is MUCH quieter. The 40V series by Ryobi is pretty sweet as well, with a ton of different tools that can use the same exact battery. That’s a big money, space, and time saver.

At the time of this writing you can grab this blower from Home Depot with batteries and charger for a really good price.

Corded electric lawn dethatchers

Lawn dethatchers and aerators are harder to find in folks’ garages, but mostly because folks neglect this process in their lawn. Dethatchers and aerators are great for the overall health of the grass – those two tools are probably the best kept secret in lawncare – and they happen to be the most satisfying tools on the planet.

The Value of a Dethatcher

Dethatchers are a lesser-known lawn tool but that’s because most folks don’t care enough about their yard to use one. If you are reading this post, you are in the elite subgroup of yard enthusiasts who give a darn and are about to be the envy of all of your neighbors.

Dethatchers work by pulling up dead grass that is stuck to your lawn’s soil. 

“Wait a second, that stuff is bad?”

Well, maybe not BAD, but it limits the amount of nutrients your soil can take in. We go out and pull weeds in the garden bed because they can overtake our flowers and bushes. The same goes for our grass. The thatch is not going to take over your yard and is dead, but it is still taking up valuable real estate that could help grow more grass.

Weeds and grass when they see your lawn.

When to dethatch your lawn

Dethatching your lawn should take place just prior to aerating and overseeding – so generally in the fall. For those of us that live in the South, this is sometime around mid to early October. If it’s too hot, the seed will dry up and not thrive. If it’s too cold, well, it is too late.

You can also dethatch at the end of a brutal winter to allow your soil to open up and breathe again before it warms up. So many lawns continue to limp into the spring because they are mushy and have a ton of moist thatch just clogging up the yard. Get rid of that.

 Electric Dethatchers 101

Okay, let us make our way into the meat of this post. Old-school dethatchers are fine-toothed rakes that require you to physically make your way across the yard and pull up all the dead grass like a caveman. I do not recommend this to anybody that enjoys having a back. 

On the flip side, there is a reason that motorized dethatchers are not gas-powered. Dethatchers, even motorized ones, require a slower movement across the yard. And honestly, that is a good thing. There’s no way to go through the process quickly. If you had a gas-powered dethatcher, you would basically till your entire yard and you might as well plant something else if you do that. 

Electric dethatchers are perfect because they are super light, easy to use, and simply hover across your yard, pulling up all the dead thatch. We did a full comparison post of the two best dethatchers on the market.

Top Corded Electric Dethatcher Recommendations

The most satisfying tools on the planet, here are our recommendations for electric dethatchers based on personal use and testing.

Greenworks 10A Electric Dethatch

The Greenworks Dethatcher is a super affordable, easy-to-operate, and powerful lawn tool that can help your yard breath again. We’ve mentioned Greenworks a few times now, but they are a trusted brand that provides amazing products. At the time of this writing, you can grab their dethatcher for about $125 on Amazon.

I got this a few months ago to give a whirl after my lawn looked dead as dead can be. Needless to say, my jaw was on the floor.

Sun Joe AJ798E 12A Electric dethatcher

The Sun Joe is also a great option if you have any brand preference for them. The machines themselves are about neck and neck in all features, with the Sun Joe being slightly smaller and more expensive. I used this one in my YouTube video I made about dethatching my lawn. It was great – not super sturdy, but did the job over my half acre of land.

Right now, you can grab the Sun Joe on Amazon for around $130, where I got mine.

Battery-powered Snow Blowers

When it comes to clearing snow from your property, there are two main types of machines to choose from: the snow thrower and the snow blower. Both have their pros and cons, so how do you decide which is the right machine for you?

Snow blowers vs snow throwers

Many people ask what the difference is between a snow blower and a snow thrower. Let me tell you right now, both are far superior to a snow shovel. While snow blowers and snow throwers build significantly less character for young men, they are much easier to use and more effective for clearing out large amounts of snow. 

In short, snow throwers launch snow 10-15 feet away and are generally more narrow. Snow blowers launch snow 25-30 feet away and are wider. Snow blowers are heavier duty and can also handle many, many inches of snow. At the end of the day, it will be much more fun to launch the snow into the neighbor’s yard instead of just the edge of your own yard. 

1-stage vs 2-stage snow blowers

Snow throwers tend to be the name for one-stage blowers. One-stage means that the action of launching the snow happens in one step: it gets scooped up and shot through a tube in one motion. Two-stage blowers are more powerful. Blowers with two stages have one action that scoops up the snow and another that launches it. This allows for a much stronger “launching” capacity, sending snow to the moon.

Top Battery-Powered Snow Blower Recommendations

While I don’t use snow blowers often, when I do they are a TON of fun.

Greenworks Pro 80V 20-inch Brushless Snow Blower

This Greenworks snow blower thing is a dang beast. It’s 20 inches wide which means you get inside and out of the snow way quicker than with narrower snow blowers. If you’ve read anything from this article, you know that I’m obsessed with brushless motors, which this one has. Greenworks has a great reputation and the 80V battery here can be used with a ton of other great Greenworks tools.

EGO Power+ SNT2110 21-inch Blower

For a little bit more, you can get a little bit more. A nearly identical snow blower, but with an additional inch, this is a great option if you already have other EGO products and have the battery. 

This one is also available on Amazon, Lowe’s, and a couple other places.

Battery-Powered Chainsaws

A solid chainsaw is one of the most important tools a homeowner can have. Buying the right one is absolutely essential to your kids or neighbors thinking you’re a cool man or woman. Chainsaws come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, types and models. Most are either gas or electric powered. Depending on your application of course, most people can get away with a 14” bar and chain. Unless you’re cutting up massive trees you probably don’t need anything bigger than that. 

In addition to that, most people nowadays can probably get away with an electric model vs a more powerful, smoother cutting gas powered model. But it’s all personal preference. However, honestly I tend to always go with the bigger more powerful engines because I think they’ll last longer. So far that’s proven to be true, but I could just be wasting money. 

Must-have chainsaw features

Just make sure your chainsaw at least has a kickback reduction feature. This prevents you from losing one of your precious fingers! You only have 10 of them ya know! This also prevents you from cutting your head in half. Kickback reductions can be in the form of the chain or bar itself. Basically these just prevent you from cutting too aggressively which prevents your saw from bouncing back on you. Or a chain brake which causes the chain to stop when it hits something hard or moves too abruptly 

Other features that are nice to have are more comfort-centric. These include tool-less tensioners, mufflers, anti-vibration, automatic chain oilers, etc.

Top Battery-Powered Chainsaw Recommendations

Battery powered chainsaws are one of those tools we just didn’t expect to match up to our gas powered chainsaws. When we tested these – we were proven wrong.

Greenworks G-MAX 40V 16-inch chainsaw

The Greenworks G-MAX chainsaw can cut through 15 inches of wood, with the equivalent power of a 35cc gas chainsaw. Also featuring a brushless motor, anti-vibration, and no gas or fumes, this thing is pretty dang sweet and looks really cool as well.

It has a ton of positive reviews on Amazon, where it is listed for a great price with several options.

Dewalt 60V Flexvolt Chainsaw

A great option for the average homeowner that needs to break up fallen branches. It’s 16 inches, has a brushless motor, and is a great deal. Not the most powerful in the world, but pretty sweet especially if you already have the battery – which most people do.

There are a ton of buying options on Amazon, but you can also grab it at Home Depot.

What to look for in electric pressure washers

Here’s what I look for when picking out a new electric pressure washer.

Nozzles Matter

When choosing a pressure washer, you should pay attention to the nozzles included in the package. Two types of spray nozzles are available usually, adjustable spray nozzles that can be controlled and quick-connect nozzles with predefined spray patterns.  

The predefined spray patterns typically come in different angles, allowing for you to quickly switch between a broad, lower pressure spray or a narrow, higher pressure stream.

Soap tank

Additionally, you may want to consider a soap tank – equipped pressure washer. Some of these pressure washers have “foam cannons” where you can simply add some soap and it will mix it in with the water. Pretty cool.

I recommend a soap tank for cars and windows.

Wheels on pressure washers

Despite these seemingly minor features, they can have a big impact, especially with larger units. No sense in lugging around one of these in your yard and tripping all over the place.

The trusty Sun Joe SPX3000.

Hose types

There’s a big difference between how easy or difficult it is to use a pressure washer based on the kind of hose that comes with it. Stiff, rigid hoses make it extremely difficult to have any maneuverability without messing up the job or knocking over the base.

Portability

Even if this has the drawback of making the unit less powerful, a portable, smaller pressure washer will be a better choice if you have to move around or carry the unit with you. Most of us do this, especially if you are doing the exterior of your house.

Totally depends on the job you are trying to do.

Pressure washers: Gas vs. Electric

Gas pressure washers have been around forever and probably aren’t going anywhere – but electric pressure washers are on the up and up like all the other lawn tools.

Electricity and water! What can go wrong?

The maintenance and cost of gas pressure washers are greater, including things like air filter changes, spark plugs, and more. Gas pressures are also insanely loud. However, electric washers simply have a power source and a button and are far quieter.

I like buttons.

Top Electric Pressure Washer Recommendations

Just like some of the others, we’ve tested a TON of electric pressure washers. Here are some of our favorites.

Sun Joe SPX3500 Pressure Washer

The SPX3500 is a souped-up version of the most popular pressure washer on the planet, the Sun Joe SPX3000. It basically fixed all the negative feedback on the SPX3000 and even looks cooler. It’s got a brushless motor, brass fittings, and is easy to store and  transport. It even has a tad more power. It is the best Sun Joe pressure washer on the market.

It is perpetually on sale on Amazon, where it does crazy numbers.

Greenworks PRO 3000 PSI TruBrushless Electric Pressure Washer

This thing is legit. All of its stats have been verified by the Pressure Washer Manufacturers of America, meaning the nerds who designed this really put some love behind it. Believe it or not, that’s rare.

I love how this Greenworks pressure washer boasts the PWMA certification and also distinguishes the Brushless motor as TruBrushless, throwing shade on competitors who exaggerate numbers or don’t actually use brushless motors through and through. This one is higher quality, but also slightly more expensive, right now this one is for sale on Amazon.

Final Wrap-up

Folks, thanks for reading our guide. The tools here are not exhaustive – this is not a static list, in fact the pros over at Greenworks, EGO, and all the other manufacturers are constantly coming out with new products that exceed expectations and advance the electric armory.

Check out our YouTube channel to see us using and testing all these tools – sometimes head-to-head!

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. 

Here’s how I spend my time now.

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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5 Battery-Powered Blowers That Rival Gas

The best battery powered leaf blower is the EGO 765 CFM blower. Cordless and battery powered leaf blowers are all the rage right now. They are quieter, just as powerful, and easier to maintain than gas-powered blowers – there I said it!

Yeah…pretty sweet.

But there are a LOT out there. I see some awesome trusted brands but I also see some that look like they were 3-D printed in a Laotian bathroom. And that isn’t good.

So I’ve put a ton of these blowers to the test (which I will explain more later). Either way, the ones on this list are absolute winners that I have personally used and tested. You can see a lot of the reviews of each of these on my Youtube channel.

Here is my list of top battery powered leaf blowers:

  1. EGO 765 CFM Battery Powered Blower
  2. Ryobi 40V Whisper Series Blower
  3. Enhulk 58V 930 CFM Battery Powered Blower
  4. Greenworks 80V Blower
  5. EGO 650 CFM Battery Powered Blower
  6. Dewalt 20V Max Leaf Blower
  7. Kobalt 80V Battery Powered Leaf Blower

Powerful Battery Powered Leaf Blowers (Ranked in 2024)

Ranking these battery powered leaf blowers was pretty easy, although it took about 18 months  of getting access to all of them. But after I did, it was a fun process. There’s a clear runaway winner, but after that the playing field is pretty even. Let’s get started.

EGO 765 CFM LB7654 Leaf Blower

The EGO 765 CFM battery powered blower is hands down the best. It is the most powerful handheld battery powered blower on the market and much more powerful than many gas-powered blowers. That statement is what gets me hate mail.

But it is true. I got a lot of comments about that on our Youtube review of this blower, but we compared it side by side to my first blower – a Stihl BG86C. It is an absolute unit. At 765 CFMs, it has serious blowing power. It also has a decent sized nozzle that allows it to still push air at super high speeds – up to 200 MPH. 

I compared them!

That’s an extreme combination of speed and power. When I first used this, it was a powerful blower, then I pushed the turbo button and I had to literally (yes, literally) fight against it because of how powerful it is. It has a brushless motor, is a part of EGO’s extensive 56V battery series, and is durable as heck.

You can grab it from Lowe’s or get it online at Amazon for a great price.

Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Blower

I put the Ryobi Brushless Whisper series blower as number two on the list because it is almost as good as the EGO blower, but not quite as nice. One thing it has going for it is that it is quieter, which is why it is called the Whisper series. But it isn’t super quiet, it just makes a different noise – you can see a video where we compare it to the EGO blower here.

But all things considered, this is still a great blower. The best part is that Ryobi has a TON of 40V products. If you already own the batteries, you can buy it tool-only and save a ton of money. If you have a Ryobi 40V battery already then I recommend this one over the EGO.

This one is pretty sweet, too.

The power output on this one is still great for a battery powered blower. 730 CFM and 190 MPH put it just under EGO’s blower and it has all the same bells and whistles: a turbo button, cruise control, and a brushless motor.

Ryobi did a great job with this one and they sell it almost exclusively at Home Depot. Using that link, you can use it with or without batteries to see the cost difference.

ENHULK 58V 930 CFM Electric Leaf Blower

I know this brand is one you haven’t heard of but the Enhulk 930 CFM blower should immediately catch your eye. For starters, this battery powered blower boasts 930 CFMs (its right there in the name). That is an insane amount of air volume.

When I first stared using this blower I was absolutely shocked at how powerful it was. I immediately called up Tyler (the guy in all the pictures) to have him buy it and try it out himself. We were both stunned. Not only does this blower have extreme power but also it has a really cool digital interface for things like cruise control and turbo, a bunch of different nozzles, and a big ole’ battery.

While this is definitely the most powerful blower on the list, I had to move it to number three because the battery can’t really be used with a ton of other tools. Either way, the Enhulk 58V is still worth the money – you can grab it on Amazon for a really low price compared to the others.

Greenworks 80V 730 CFM Leaf Blower

We love Greenworks products and enjoyed this blower as well. It is just as strong as the Ryobi blower, but comes with a much less popular 80V line. Don’t get me wrong, Greenworks has some great 80V products, like their 80V mower, but isn’t quite as built out or popular as Ryobi.

Not bad!

That being said, we got our hands on this one as well and were impressed. It is a great option, especially if you already have a Greenworks 80V battery. But at 730 CFMs, this one is still strong. It of course has a brushless motor as do almost all of Greenworks’ products.

After a few uses we noticed that it started making a higher-pitched noise. It still works totally fine, but is kind of annoying. Otherwise, this blower has been darn near perfect and has some awesome bells and whistles. As a plus, I think it is one of the coolest looking battery powered blowers on the market – all black and really sleek looking.

This one is available on Amazon for a great price.

EGO 650 CFM LB6504 Battery Powered Blower

I’m sad that the EGO 650 CFM blower is so far down this list because it is still a wonderful option for most people. While it doesn’t have the absurd power that the 765 CFM version has, most people don’t need that much power. 

Honestly, this one is almost identical to our number one rated blower but just comes short in the power department. It has the same brushless motor, battery series, cruise control, turbo button, and looks almost identical. 

The main power difference in my experience is that this will be much closer to a standard electric blower. A very high quality blower, but nothing differentiating the power. When I used it, it was just fine, but didn’t lift the stuck wet leaves and grass that the 765 version can lift.

But really – it is a carbon copy of the number one blower but without the insanity. If you are looking for a really high quality blower that doesn’t knock you backwards, then this is a great option.

This one is also available on Amazon for a good bit cheaper than its more powerful counterpart.

(BONUS) Dewalt 20V Max Leaf Blower

Dewalt! What can I say? They are one of the OGs in the battery-powered tool game but somehow got boxed out of the battery-powered lawn tool game.

Don’t underestimate them. They don’t have the market share that Ryobi and EGO do, but they put out some products that absolutely slap – like their nice Dewalt mower and some great weed eaters.. All that to say, they’ve translated their ability to make insane power tools into insane blowers.

The tip is a nice add-on

The Dewalt 20V Max leaf blower is a part of their MAX series of 20V lawn tools, which lets you use this battery across dozens of other tools and even into the garage with some power tools. While Dewalt’s battery powered leaf blower only puts out 450 CFMs and 125 MPH, it comes with a really cool nozzle tip that allows you to supercharge your speed. 

One other thing I really loved about this blower is the handle. Dewalt is consistent with having handles for all of their lawn tools that are super ergonomic and similar to their hand tools. They have a molded rubber grip, are very light, and extremely comfortable to use. 

You can grab one at Home Depot for a really good price.

BONUS: Kobalt 80V Battery Powered Leaf Blower

Last, but not least, is the Kobalt 80V battery powered leaf blower. This one was an enigma to us. For starters, the battery would absolutely not die. We put this one to the test and it had the LONGEST battery run time – it was hilarious. We zip-tied the trigger down and the battery lasted for 3 hours. Yes – 3 hours. 

This one was pretty great, too!

Anyways, this battery powered blower from Kobalt has 630 CFMs and 140 MPH of speed coming through the end of the nozzle. That is some serious power. One thing I don’t love about Kobalt is that they are dang hard to find. They used to be exclusively at Lowe’s and seem to be disappearing from their shelves.

All-in-all, we were impressed with this blower’s run time but it had slightly above average power and average usability. It is a great option, particularly if you already own some other Kobalt 80V products. I don’t think this is the one I would start with if I had other options.

This one can be picked up at Lowe’s or on Amazon here.

What to look for in a battery powered blower

Cordless blowers come in a bunch of shapes and sizes but there are three basic things you need to understand:

CFM 

Cubic feet per minute. This is a measure of air output on the blower. Higher CFM = more power, but not necessarily more miles per hour. High CFM with a wide nozzle = lower MPH. High CFM with a narrow nozzle = high miles per hour. Ideally, you want both a high CFM with a narrow to medium nozzle for most residential jobs.

Usability 

What is the point of having a blower if it is hard to use? Have to get one that is lightweight, easy to start, and has some functions that make your life easier.

Motor type

Brushless motors reign supreme. Cooler running motors with more torque, a longer run-time, and last many more years. Brushless is a no brainer when picking a blower.

These are three things you need to pay attention to when looking through the specifications. 

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. 

We love this stuff.

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. 

How I tested these blowers

I’ve tested these blowers using personal experience with all of them. I’ve written extensive reviews of each of them and put them through the ringer. 

Testing gas vs battery powered blowers.

For starters, I tested out their run times compared to the advertised run time. I did this by zip-tying down the trigger and seeing how long it goes for before dying. I also did some side-by-side comparisons to a handheld gas blower and even a corded electric blower. I also compare the noise levels then the other bells and whistles, like turbo buttons.

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5 Best Battery Powered Mowers That Rival Gas

The best battery powered mower is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel electric mower. This battery powered mower is extremely powerful, has an amazing cutting deck, and is part of an enormous battery system. And believe me, I have tested DOZENS of these bad boys and have only been impressed by a few.

The EGO Select Cut is prettttttty good!

Whether or not you agree with, battery powered mowers are taking over the lawn care space. When I walk into any Home Depot or Lowe’s I see electric mowers prominently displayed in flashy colors all over the place.

But some of these new electric mowers are straight up plastic-y and cheap – and they’ve failed our rigorous testing. And if you’re used to using an OG gas push mower like we were, well then you’ve got some high standards.

We weren’t looking for the Rolls Royce of mowers when we made this list – I am looking for the best value, most durability, and most gas-like power I can find. Which is why I kept the list shorter than others.

Here are the best battery powered mowers I’ve tested:

  1.  Milwaukee M18 FUEL Battery powered mower
  2. EGO Power+ LM2021 Electric Mower
  3. Greenworks PRO 80V Battery Mower
  4. Ryobi 40V HP Brushless Electric Mower
  5. Toro 60V Max Super Recycler Battery Powered Mower 

How I tested these battery powered mowers

I tested these mowers over the course of a few years. For starters, I bought the Milwaukee M18 battery mower for over $1,000 a few weeks ago (you can see our YouTube video here). I have a few other videos that include the EGO mower and the Greenworks mower below. For the Toro battery mower, we went to Home Depot and tested it out. And lastly, the Ryobi mower I borrowed from my friend Drew for the comparison video we made against the EGO battery powered mower. All undergo an extensive testing protocol that includes assembly, mowing my 1/2 acre lawn, and battery run time tests.

This is me comparing the EGO and Ryobi mowers.

Ranking the best battery powered mowers of 2024

This was actually a pretty easy list to put together. I do this all day – what did you expect? Let me break down the best electric mowers and why I ranked them where I did.

1. Milwaukee M18 FUEL Battery powered Mower

The funny thing about Milwaukee’s M18 FUEL lawn mower is that it is the only mower they make. It’s like they got a team together, thought about how to make the perfect mower, then just….did it. Then they decided to never try again.

Either way, the Milwaukee M18 FUEL is the best battery powered mower offered in 2023. We like this mower for a few reasons:

  • It has as much power as a 200cc lawn mower (more than your classic Honda push mower)
  • A heavy, strong, steel metal deck as opposed to plastic ones found on the market
  • Goes to full throttle in less than a second
  • Brushless motor (requirement to be on this list)
  • The two 18V batteries work with any of the other 200+ M18 tools from Milwaukee

The only downside is that it is probably one of the more expensive push mowers I’ve seen. It retails at Home Depot for over $1,000. If you are a Milwaukee enthusiast or are truly looking for peak battery powered mower performance, then this one is the right one for you. 

It’s just a dang beast – but expensive.

If you’re looking for a side-by-side comparison, check out how the M18 stacks up against the Ryobi 40V HP (which also made this list).

2. EGO Power+ LM2021 Battery powered mower

We are never popular for saying that this EGO mower is our favorite EGO mower, but we don’t care about being popular.

It is not the EGO mower with all the bells and whistles, but it does have most of the EGO features plus a steel cutting deck. It is the only EGO mower with a steel cutting deck, making it the most durable one they offer and also one of the heaviest. 

Steel deck is unbeatable.

Why do I like heavy electric mowers? Because they feel more like a gas powered mower and are actually easier to control and keep in a straight line.

I love that this EGO mower still runs for an hour, still folds like the other EGO mowers, and has a brushless motor.

When it comes to EGO, it is easy to just jump after the prettiest one for sale at Lowe’s or wherever else you buy it – but this is legitimately the one that will make you the happiest (in my opinion).

You can grab this one at your local Lowe’s – or check it out on Amazon (it’s usually cheaper there but good to compare).

3. Greenworks PRO 80V 21 inch Battery powered mower

We’ve been big fans of the Greenworks 80V mower because it is darn near perfect. I have it as number five not because it has the best specifications of any battery powered mower, but because it has the a great combination of quality and price.

If you haven’t heard of Greenworks, they are an up-and-coming battery powered lawn tool brand that puts out some high quality stuff. They have a real attention to detail and offer great warranties on their brushless motors, this one with a four year warranty. My other neighbor has this mower and is obsessed.

I got my hands on this mower (my photography skills below) and had a confusing experience. I mostly loved using the mower and was super impressed by the power, but when I tested it on my yard it seemed to fall apart. The self-propelled function jammed up whenever I made a turn and I also experienced the mower just randomly cutting off.

It’s made the top of many of our lists.

There’s a lot to like about this mower, but we will just point out a few of our favorites:

  • Can mow up to 1 acre on a single charge
  • Works with a bunch of the other 80V Greenworks tools
  • A nice steel metal deck
  • Super easy to fold and store
  • The price
  • Self-propelled function

The best thing about this mower though is hands down the price. It’s similar (maybe even better) quality than just about every mower on this list, but comes in at ½ to ¼ of the price. 

Yes, you can grab this one on Amazon for an insane price, especially if you already own the batteries. It is also one that is starting to show up in Costco, which is another great place to buy it.

4. Ryobi 40V HP Brushless Battery powered mower

My Ryobi 40V HP Brushless battery powered mower used to be my number one favorite electric mower. Because it was the first one I’ve ever used. Since then, I’ve matured a bit in my taste and become much pickier.

The first one I used

Nevertheless, it still made this list. It was a little bit too light for my liking, getting moved off-track whenever a tuft of thick grass or a stick got in the way.

But I can’t deny just how great it is to use my same Ryobi 40V battery with a ton of my other different tools. I have used it with my 40V weed eater, my 40V Whisper Series blower, and even my backpack sprayer. 

It’s super convenient. Oh, and the mower’s not bad either. It has a brushless motor, some serious 6 Ah batteries, great functionality, and self-propelled function – really all the bells and whistles you could ask for.

The cooler new guy.

The Ryobi 40V is an amazing mower and should still be highly considered despite being second to last on this list – it’s super exclusive.

This mower is available at Home Depot for a great price, check it here.

5. Toro 60V Max Super Recycler Battery powered mower

Toro’s battery powered mowers are a beauty. But they’re a bit expensive. If you’re used to seeing these bright red mowers in your garage and all around your neighborhood, you aren’t alone. 

Toro makes some of the most popular mowers on the planet and for some reason – they last for many years. But Toro definitely overcompensated for being late to the battery party by creating the 60V Super Recycler mower.

Gotta love the air intake system.

Here are some cool features that I liked about their new battery powered mower:

  • The power output is similar to my Honda gas mower
  • It has a shiny red metal deck that’s more durable than the plastic ones
  • Recycler cutting system finely shredded my grass – that’s good for your yard
  • It has this cool air intake valve at the top that pulls air in and causes grass to stand up tall, creating a really even cut in the lawn

Toro nailed this one and the price isn’t honestly all that bad. The reason it isn’t higher is that Toro doesn’t have a ton of other battery powered tools, so you won’t get the same efficiency that you would from a Milwaukee or EGO mower..

You can still grab this one (currently $80 off) from Home Depot online or in-store.

What to look for when buying a battery powered lawn mower

When looking to purchase an electric lawn mower, you need to make sure you understand what things matter. You will get hit with a lot of technical specifications and marketing tactics. Totally forget them and focus on the things that impact you. Below are my recommendations:

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.

One I trust (no affiliation)

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. For example, Greenworks sells like 60 mowers, only a handful of them would I ever consider for this list. EGO also sells a bunch of mowers, and only a few are within an acceptable price range to be on this list.

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.

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

Have bermuda? Check out our mower ranking for bermudagrass.

Battery powered mower vs gas mower

This is an age-old debate. Which is better, battery powered or gas? It’s not that simple and I’ll explain why.

Gas powered mowers have always been the dominant force because they are reliable, run as long as there’s gas in them, and tend to be more powerful.

But that’s changing. Yes, the runtime will always be better as long as you have gas, but battery powered mowers are becoming increasingly reliable and in many cases just as strong  (if not stronger) than their gas-powered counterparts.

Embarrassingly, I was mowing my damp lawn back in the Fall with my Troy Bilt TB160 gas mower when my neighbor, who owns an EGO Select Cut XP mower saw me struggling and asked if I wanted to borrow his mower.

The other huge benefit to battery powered mowers is virtually ZERO maintenance. No pull cords, no spark plugs, no oil changes. It’s super convenient. Except when your (expensive) batteries die.

How long do battery mowers last?

It depends on the Amp-hours of the battery and the specific mower, but most last up to 1 acre or around 45-60 minutes on a single charge.

Using the self-propelled function on a battery powered mower can decrease this, as can super long grass.

Is it worth getting a battery powered mower?

If you have less than an acre of land, then yes – these are great investments.

The real money savings from battery-powered mowers comes from the ability to use one battery system across several tools, saving money on batteries with each tool. 

What are some disadvantages to battery powered mowers?

Battery powered mowers tend to be limited by their battery life, making it difficult for those with larger yards to get it all done in a single charge.

They also take a long time to charge, burning precious daylight. And while they are easier to maintain than gas-powered mowers, they aren’t as reliable and have a lot of electronic parts.

Why we started The Lawn Review

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. 

We take tool testing very seriously.

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 reviews that mean something..

The Bottom Line: Best battery powered mowers of 2024

When I am picking a battery powered mower, it’s important to consider the comparison to gas-powered mowers, the size of your yard, and how much you’re willing to spend. The ones I’ve included on this list are all premium – if you are looking for a more affordable one (less than $400 or so), check out the electric mowers for small yards.

One thing we were surprised by in 2023 – the mower selection at Walmart – check out our ranking.

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Greenworks vs Ryobi Electric Pressure Washer Comparison

Greenworks vs Ryobi pressure washer: two of the best selling electric pressure washers on the planet. Both make some bold claims about power and efficiency. I like the Greenworks pressure washer better because it has an extremely long warranty and durable build.

But as we all know, electricity and water don’t mix. One of these pressure washers is clearly better than the other and it isn’t immediately obvious. Both have good marketing departments, but with all the specifications thrown at  you, it’s tough to tell who is telling the truth.

That’s where we come in. We’ve used both of these pressure washers (and dozens more) and put their claims to the test. Buckle up – it’s about to get brutally honest here.

Today we are going to put the Ryobi 3000 PSI pressure washer against the Greenworks 3000 PSI Pressure washer.

Jump ahead:

SPOILER: Winner is the Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer.

Want to read more? Check out the ultimate electric pressure washer buying guide.

Greenworks vs Ryobi Pressure Washer Comparison

The Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer and Ryobi 3000 PSI pressure washer must be the exact same thing, right? WRONG! They have similar PSIs, but we will soon learn how they are dramatically different. Here we go!

Power comparison: Greenworks vs Ryobi electric pressure washers

So as we mentioned earlier, pressure washer power has two metrics: gallons per minute (GPM) and pounds per square inch (PSI). GPM measures the volume of water and PSI measures the pressure. You ideally want both to be high to maximize both pressure and stream thickness.

I love the big wheels on the Ryobi.

The Ryobi 3000 PSI pressure washer advertises 3000 PSI, but also has 1.1 GPM. 3000 PSI is a great pressure and is competitive with even many gas-powered pressure washers, like some of  these Honda pressure washers. At 1.1 GPM, you’ll find that the stream is extremely concentrated and pin-like. At higher GPM’s, the same PSI will be a thicker stream, even when a turbo nozzle or zero-degree nozzle is attached. 

Sneaky, sneaky.

The Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer obviously also has 3000 PSI, but advertises 2.0 GPM. Upon further examination, the 2.0 GPM is when the pressure washer is only applying 100 PSI. So basically, when your hose is running. This is entirely unhelpful and honestly feels like a bit of fraudulent advertising. When it is operating fully at 3000 PSI, it has 1.1 GPM. Exactly like the Ryobi pressure washer.

Sweet picture after using on my deck.

There’s simply no way to distinguish the two when it comes to pure power – they perform at the  exact same levels, despite the tricky advertising by Greenworks. 

Winner: It’s a tie between Ryobi and Greenworks!

Durability of the Greenworks and Ryobi pressure washers

A lot of folks don’t expect much from electric pressure washers, but they should. These things have evolved and grown in popularity because they are so much easier to use than gas-powered pressure washers. For starters (pun intended), they’re extremely easy to start. No cord pulling or oil mixing required. They’re way quieter and easy to maintain. 

But I think a lot of people are still worried about mixing electricity and water. Fortunately, new premium electric pressure washers are made with brushless motors. Brushless motors provide much more torque, a cooler running motor, and a longer life than their brushed counterparts.

Brushless motors are the best.

And you’re in luck if you’re choosing between the Ryobi and Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washers as BOTH have brushless motors. 

The cool thing about Greenworks’ brushless motor is that it has a patented TRUBRUSHLESS system that adjusts pressure and flow from the pressure washer to match the specific nozzle that is being used. Not sure how that works, but it’s a thoughtful approach that helps optimize the machine. 

One other thing I like about the Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer is that it has a 10 year brushless motor warranty. That is INSANE! It’s also certified by the Pressure Washer Manufacturer’s association. Because they went way above and beyond to certify the life of this motor, I’ve got to go with Greenworks.

Winner: Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer

Bells and whistles

People buy electric pressure washers for a TON of different reasons. So they should come with a TON of different options. You don’t want to use the same nozzle on your driveway that you do on your car. Let’s see what Ryobi and Greenworks pulled together to make sure that this is a flexible machine.

Ryobi’s 3000 PSI pressure washer has the following extras:

  • 5-in-1 nozzle + a turbo nozzle for ultimate flexibility
  • Accessory storage built into the  machine  (nice)
  • 35 foot hose so you can go further than others without moving the machine
  • Soap tank (great for cars)
  • 12 inch flat-free wheels that make it easy to move around

Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer has these bells and whistles:

  • 5 nozzles (including a turbo like Ryobi)
  • 25 foot hose (10 shorter than Ryobi)
  • 35 foot power cord with inline GFCI (this is really cool because it helps you plug it in basically anywhere)
  • 10 inch wheels
  • Soap tank
Greenworks stores well.

Both of these are great systems, but I really like the longer hose on Ryobi’s pressure washer as well as their 5-in-1 nozzle. Greenworks has a really cool power cord that doesn’t make plugging it in a bulky, annoying exercise.

Winner: Ryobi 3000 PSI pressure washer

Comparing the cost of Greenworks pressure washers to Ryobi pressure washers

Now that we’ve assessed all the different features of the pressure washers, let’s compare the cost. The Ryobi 3000 PSI pressure washer is available at Home Depot for about $450. Not bad.

The Greenworks one is available from their website for about $450, but is currently on sale for $399.

Greenworks looking good!

We don’t have an affiliation with either brand or store, so go wherever you like to buy pressure washers the best!

Final Review: Greenworks vs Ryobi pressure washer

Honestly, this one was a close race – neck and neck the whole way. Both brands have some premium equipment and both thoughtfully crafted their own pressure washer.

I like Ryobi’s bells and whistles as well as their honest advertising about power. With Greenworks, I like the sale price and the insane warranty on their brushless motor.

Winner!

If I had to pick today, I would go with the Greenworks 3000 PSI pressure washer from Amazon. They have a good return policy, so if I didn’t like it I could take it right back.

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. 

We take tool testing seriously.

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 features to look for in a pressure washer

Both Greenworks and Ryobi electric pressure washers make it relatively easy to knock off one of the biggest must-haves on your list: a reliable and powerful engine. But there are a few other things we recommend truly making sure are available when searching for a new pressure washer – especially for home use.

Nozzles Matter

  • When choosing a pressure washer, you should pay attention to the nozzles included in the package. Two types of spray nozzles are available, adjustable spray nozzles that can be controlled and quick-connect nozzles with predefined spray patterns.  
  • The predefined spray patterns typically come in different angles, allowing for you to quickly switch between a broad, lower pressure spray or a narrow, higher pressure stream.
  • Quick connect nozzles are super convenient, but they’re almost like airpods – you can lose them!

Soap tank availability

  • Additionally, you may want to consider a soap tank-equipped pressure washer. Some of these pressure washers have “foam cannons” where you can simply add some soap and it will mix it in with the water. Pretty cool.
  • I recommend a soap tank for cars and windows.
Dual soaps on the Sun Joe!

Wheels on pressure washers

  • Despite these seemingly minor features, they can have a big impact, especially with larger units. No sense in lugging around one of these in your yard and tripping all over the place.
  • Some pressure washers have a tendency to flip over and be top heavy, so make sure the base is sturdy.
  • If you’re on the job site, keep an eye out for never-flat tires that will protect the wheels in case there are spare nails laying around.

Hose types

  • There’s a big difference between how easy or difficult it is to use a pressure washer based on the kind of hose that comes with it. Stiff, rigid hoses make it extremely difficult to have any maneuverability without messing up the job or knocking over the base.
  • Length is also important for pressure washer hoses as you can end up in a tight spot, literally, if you don’t have enough reach.
  • If you want a better pressure washer hose, check out our comparison of the top two pressure washer hoses, UberFlex and FlexZilla

GPM and PSI on electric pressure washers

GPM stands for gallons per minute. GPM measures how quickly water is leaving the end of the electric pressure washer. PSI stands for pounds per square inch and is a measure of pressure that is being applied out of the electric pressure washer.

If this is confusing to you, you’re not alone. In reality, if you are looking for power, you want both. They work hand-in-hand to deliver water from the machine at a high rate and effective and efficient volume.

For reference, a pressure washer can have a high PSI but a low GPM, meaning it is able to have a high pressure but generally not over a large area. Having both a high PSI and high GPM means that it’s coming out fast and it’s producing a more effective stream.

Likewise, you can also have a low PSI and higher GPM. This is a good ratio for cleaning cars because you get a lot of water at a safer pressure.

If you want a lighter duty pressure washer and need low PSI – check out a power cleaner we reviewed.

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Ryobi 40V vs Milwaukee M18 Lawn Mower Comparison

Ryobi vs Milwaukee mowers are two premium electric mowers found side-by-side at Home Depot. Ryobi has a TON of mowers they sell and have been in the game for a long time. Milwaukee, well, they just have ONE mower. And it’s a beast.

Me with the Ryobi 40V brushless mower.

Bottom Line: Ryobi’s mower is cheaper, but the Milwaukee M18 is probably the best electric mower I have ever used. You can check the price of the Milwaukee online at Home Depot here.

We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on both and have some opinions. So let’s walk through what we like (and dislike) about both.

Oh yeah, and BOTH the final listing of our favorite electric mowers.

I bought and tested the Ryobi 40V and Milwaukee M18 mowers

I saw these two side-by-side at Home Depot and they were both extremely expensive. Needless to say, my wife was not happy when I came home with two more lawn mowers and $2,000 spent.

But it had to be done. I put these through my normal gauntlet, which includes testing it on my tall fescue grass, checking out the self-propelled functions, evaluating the battery run time, and finally comparing it to my gas mower.

Things got interesting. And I’m still in the dog house.

Milwaukee M18 vs Ryobi 40V HP Mower: Features breakdown

When I’m looking at both the Milwaukee and Ryobi mowers, I’m asking myself – why the price difference? Before we get there, let’s do a deep dive into the power, ease of use, durability, and value of each of these mowers. If you want to go deeper, we’ve done a full review of the new Milwaukee M18 mower and ranked the some of our favorite Ryobi lawn mowers.

The Milwaukee M18 mower is more powerful than the Ryobi 40V mower

Comparing power on electric motors is difficult because they don’t have ccs or horsepower definitions that you find from the classic gas-powered mowers. Instead, metrics like torque are used to compare to traditional mowers. 

Up close on their battery enclosure.

Let’s break down the specifications on the Milwaukee mower first. It has a large 21 inch deck with a variable speed self-propelled function. 21 inch decks are standard cutting widths on push mowers, so we can check that box. One thing that Milwaukee boasts is their POWERSTATE brushless motor, which gives more torque than a 200c gas mower. 

That is really impressive. Honda makes some great mowers, but even their old classic and my personal favorite Honda GCV190 mower doesn’t have that kind of power. 

The Ryobi 40V HP mower also has a 21 inch deck with SMART TREK adaptive variable speed self-propelled functionality, just like the Milwaukee mower. One differentiator is that it has multiple blades that help cut faster and more evenly than single blade mowers. Their HP brushless motor and HP battery work together to deliver higher performance (HP) to the mower.

Easily the best looking Ryobi mowers.

It’s interesting assessing the power between these two just using the specifications, but the Milwaukee mower feels more powerful. Maybe it is the metal deck or maybe it is truly the motor design, but it feels just as powerful as my gas-powered mower. 

The winner of this power battle is the Milwaukee M18 Mower.

Both Milwaukee and Ryobi have super easy to use mowers

Evaluating how easy it is to use a lawn mower means checking out all the features that make it convenient, including bells and whistles. I’ll break out each element of both mowers in easy-to-understand ways that help you know what you’re buying. 

The M18 Milwaukee mower has some great features:

  • REDLINK PLUS – a battery and mower chip system that helps maximize the communication between the two to optimize performance (Ryobi has this, too)
  • High Lift Mode – pulls air through the bottom of the mower and lifts up the grass, making it easier to cut
  • Front and side LED lights (cool for at night use)
  • The M18 battery works with over 200 Milwaukee tools
  • Single point height adjuster means you don’t have to change the height settings on both wheels
  • 12 Amp-hour batteries for serious power and capacity (up to ¾ acre or 60 minutes)
  • Over 80 lbs

The last point is a contentious one but I actually like heavier push mowers. They hold a straight line much better and make mowing easier. 

This mower is an absolute unit.

Milwaukee nailed it with this one, but let’s check out some of the specs on the Ryobi 40V HP brushless mower:

  • LED headlights
  • Cross cut multi-blade system
  • 70 minutes of run-time (compared to Milwaukee’s 60)
  • HP battery system and chip that give you better performance (like Milwaukee’s REDLINK)
  • Ability to use with Ryobi’s 40V HP 50 other tools

These both have a ton of bells and whistles, but I actually like Milwaukee’s better. They have clearly put a lot of thought into making this a premium mower and don’t even sell another kind. It is designed to be near perfect, especially for someone who takes a lot of pride in their yard. Specifically, I like their high lift mode that pulls air up for easier cutting. Toro’s SmartStow mower (the new battery-powered version of the Recycler) has this one as well. 

I also appreciate that Milwaukee has the same M18 battery across all their tools. You can save some serious money on batteries by using this mower if you already own Milwaukee M18 tools. Ryobi is still building out their 40V HP series, so it isn’t quite as expansive. I also think Milwaukee overall is a more “premium” brand than Ryobi.

Winner: Milwaukee M18 FUEL Mower

The Milwaukee M18 mower is more durable than Ryobi 40V mower

If I’m going to drop darn near a grand on a battery-powered mower, the thing better last until I can pass it down to my unborn children. So durability matters big time. 

The most important thing in anticipating the longevity of a mower is the motor. Brushless motors (as mentioned at the beginning of this article) are the new wave in electric tools and should be mandatory. They provide more torque, a cooler running engine, and a longer life.

Fortunately, both the Ryobi 40V and Milwaukee M18 mower provide a brushless motor – a huge benefit when compared to brushed. Check that box.

The next thing I look for is the construction of the deck. Metal matters here – it is much more durable and provides additional weight that is extremely helpful in keeping the mower straight. The M18 mower is forged with a steel deck whereas the Ryobi 40V HP mower has a plastic deck. It is still made from tough material and comes with a lifetime warranty, but it isn’t as nice as metal.

Milwaukee has a great steel deck.

Using the Ryobi mower, it felt like the mower was almost too light. I blame the plastic deck for this, but it popped around when I hit tufts of grass and felt like it got out of control.

Winner: Milwaukee M18 FUEL Lawn Mower

Milwaukee’s mower is more expensive than Ryobi’s 40V mower

Okay it seems unfair that Milwaukee’s M18 mower has one every competition so far with Ryobi’s 40V HP mower, but it comes with a price. A big one.

Milwaukee’s M18 mower comes in at over $1,000. Is it worth it? It depends. If you have Milwaukee batteries already and/or want a PREMIUM walk-behind mower, then yes. You can grab it at Home Depot.

The Ryobi 40V HP mower costs about $750 from Home Depot (only place you can buy). So 75% cheaper than Milwaukee.

Plastic deck is NOT great.

Here’s my advice: the Ryobi 40V HP mower is still a premium mower that’s better than 75% of mowers on the market. But if I don’t already own Ryobi 40V HP batteries, I’m going to go with a cheaper mower of similar quality with a metal deck, like the Greenworks 80V Pro electric mower from Costco.

Final Review: Ryobi vs Milwaukee mower

Now that we’ve considered power, usability, durability, and cost we have a pretty good understanding of which mower is better. It’s clearly the Milwaukee M18 FUEL mower winning the competition against the Ryobi 40V HP mower.

Is the cost worth it? Maybe. But if you’re going with a premium mower, it is definitely the cream of the crop. 

Lastly, if you want to check out some other mowers out there for a fair comparison, check out how we rank these against EGO mowers.

Why you can trust The Lawn Review

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. 

We take testing tools seriously.

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 I look for in a battery-powered lawn mower

When looking to purchase an electric lawn mower, you need to make sure you understand what things matter. You will get hit with a lot of technical specifications and marketing tactics. Totally forget them and focus on the things that impact you. Below are my recommendations:

Ryobi and Milwaukee 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.

Recognizable for quality.

Ryobi and Milwaukee both have TONS of different tools. Milwaukee puts a ton of thought and research into developing a new product and then BAM – it’s a hit.. Extremely well designed and durable, easy to use, and powerful. Ryobi also has a ton of products across several different industries and seems to be more focused on quantity than quality. 

But that doesn’t mean Ryobi doesn’t have some bangers. There are some great Ryobi weed eaters and Ryobi pressure washers that include gas and electric version, but there are also amazing Milwaukee string trimmers in that same 18V FUEL lineup.

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. Luckily with Ryobi and Milwaukee, they have batteries that can be used across a TON of their products – both indoor and outdoor.

Milwaukee has some great products like their hedge trimmer in the same FUEL lineup called M18 and even some great Milwaukee blowers from that same lineup.

If you have more questions, check out our list of exactly how we pick our favorite mowers.

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Ryobi 40V vs 18V Electric String Trimmer: Comparison Guide

Ryobi’s 40V and 18V battery lines mirror each other – but I like the Ryobi 40V trimmer better because it has more power and runtime. They have a ton of the same products in both 18V ONE+ configurations and 40V – including string trimmers. We got the opportunity to try both and do a side-by-side comparison. 

To make it fair, we had to take one of the more powerful 18V weed eaters from Ryobi and compare it to the Ryobi 40V Expand-It series weed eater. 

We were pleasantly surprised with the performance of both, but had to pick a winner between the two. If you’re in the market for a new string trimmer and are confused as to why Ryobi has two different battery offerings, you’re in the right place. Because before this article, we had the same question.

Jump ahead:

Comparing the Ryobi 40V vs 18V String Trimmers

Ryobi makes great power tools and I want to kick off this comparison with a piece of advice. If you ALREADY OWN either the 18V ONE+ battery or the Ryobi 40V battery – you should go with the trimmer that corresponds with it. You can buy the tool-only version of either trimmer and save a ton of money. Now let’s jump in.

Power comparison: Ryobi ONE+ 18V vs 40V weed eater

When evaluating a string trimmer to see how powerful it is, the easiest thing to note is the difference in voltage. Yes, 40Vs are bigger than 18Vs – so right away you can infer that the 40V is the more powerful of the two assuming all else is the same. 

Def. has a little more power.

But it’s also worthwhile to note that cutting swaths are a huge factor in evaluating both of these as well. The larger the cutting swath, the more power you’re able to get. For example, most commercial string trimmers have 17-19” cutting swaths. The 18V ONE+ Brushless String Trimmer has a 13 inch cutting swath. Compare that to the Ryobi 40V weed eater’s 15 inch cutting swath.

It’s clear that the 40V is the winner of this battle, but it was designed to be the winner. The ONE+ series of tools is mostly designed for lighter duty jobs, smaller yards, etc. But that doesn’t mean that it still can’t be the right string trimmer for you. Let’s keep going deeper.

Winner: Ryobi 40V String Trimmer

Durability of Ryobi’s 18V and 40V weed eaters

When it comes to durability in weed eaters, there are really two things that matter:

  1. The type of motor
  2. The type of weed eater string

When it comes to motors, brushless motors are the far superior choice to brushed. We did a full write up of Ryobi’s brushless motors and compared them to the old brushed-style of motors, but it really comes down to how the motor spins. Brushless motors use magnets to spin the motor and generate the transfer of power from the battery. This is opposed to brush motors that use friction, generate heat, and ultimately burn out.

Brushless motors are the way to go. Fortunately, the Ryobi ONE+ weed eater has a brushless motor, but sadly the 40V Expand-It series that can hold attachments does not. I can feel the Expand-It getting hot when I use it, sometimes overheating on my warm when I am using the trimmer. They’ve recently upgraded this one to a brushless motor, so if you can find that one then it is definitely the winner.

New one has a brushless motor.

Other than the motor build, these two are very similar in the durability category. The first thing I would do with BOTH of these weed eaters is change out the weed eater string to a more durable one. I had the stock weed eater string on this and it was so lame. Changing it out made a MASSIVE impact. We developed our own weed eater string and tested it in the Ryobi 40V. It was life changing. 

Winner: Ryobi ONE+ 18V String Trimmer

The Ryobi 40V series is a bit heavier but has more power

String trimmers need to not only be powerful and durable, but easy to use. A few things I take into account when comparing weed eaters is the weight, balance, and handling. 

The last thing you want when walking around your yard trying to do precision work is to have a clunky, difficult, shoulder-crushing tool. The ONE+ 18V Ryobi string trimmer comes in at 7.3 lbs whereas the 40V string trimmer is 11.3 lbs. Those 4 pounds are definitely going to be felt after you’ve been carrying this around for a few minutes.

The battery system is great.

Another thing I look at in these string trimmers is length. Short weed eaters are more difficult to use and require you to lean way down to the ground to get a good cut. Both of these are right around 5.5 feet long, making them a great length. It’s a tie here.

The ONE+ series is better for light duty handling.

Lastly, I look at how they handle – the Ryobi 40V has an adjustable D-loop handle that’s also found on the 18V weed eater. They will handle almost identically given their similar build. The one thing that gives the 40V a competitive edge (pun intended) here is that it has the ability to take on a ton of other weed eater attachments. This can save you big money in the long run.

So the 18V string trimmer is lighter, but the Ryobi 40V has more functions due to the attachments. 

Winner: It’s a tie!

Which Ryobi Trimmer is the better investment?

Cost is important! One thing that both of these weed eaters share is a battery system that works with a TON of other tools. The 18V ONE+ battery series has a ton of tools, all of which tend to be lighter-duty like their slightly smaller 18V backpack sprayer. The 40V battery system also works with a lot of heavier duty tools like the blowers and mowers.

A great ONE+ battery tool.

You can grab the 40V Expand-It weed eater for around $180 from Home Depot or grab the tool-only version on Amazon for about $125.

The 18V ONE+ weed eater can be found on Amazon for an ever-changing price, but a good one is around $150. They’re also for sale at Home Depot.

Final ranking: Ryobi 40V vs 18V String Trimmer

This is a tough one. My first piece of advice is to go with whichever one you already have the battery for. This allows you to grab the tool-only version and save a ton of money.

The 40V is still a great option.

If you own neither Ryobi batteries already, I think the 18V string trimmer is the best bang for the buck. It has a brushless motor, a great price, and has all the bells and whistles you want out of a weed eater. My only advice is to change out the weed eater string.

The 40V is also a good option if you want to add on a blower or mower at some point in the future and can grab the brushless edition.

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. 

We take our testing seriously.

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 a weed eater

Weed eaters AKA string trimmers come in all shapes and sizes. They aren’t highly complicated pieces of equipment, but they do have a few nuances. Here is how I see it:

Feel

Obviously this is subjective, but feel is everything to me. I have had weed eaters in the past where the handle is off to the side, making me torque my shoulders and back. If you can, get as many adjustable pieces as possible to make this customizable. It doesn’t seem like you use a weed eater for a long time, but the work is precision work that requires a steady hand and focus.

Motor type: Brushless vs brushed

Brushless motors are a non-negotiable when it comes to battery powered weed eaters. Without a doubt,  they are the best option to ensure you have maximum torque, more durability, and a longer life. These things are top notch performance and will be the only option when others start to catch on.

Curved vs Straight shaft

 I always, always, always prefer straight shafts. They are so much easier to use and control and are much longer than curved shafts. Curved shafts are good for clearing out a small piece of land unable to be mowed. But if you want to actually do some good trimming and edging, a straight shaft is much better. Curved shafts are difficult to maneuver and to create a straight line for edging. 

How to instantly improve your weed eater

Upgrade your weed eating game with the ultimate GrassKicker Weed Eater String! While weed eaters and lawn edgers are great tools, it’s not complete without the right string. Our specially crafted line is designed to enhance your weed eater’s performance and give you flawless edges around your yard and garden.

Don’t settle for subpar string that breaks easily and leaves ragged edges. Our team has scoured the market and combined the best colors, shapes, thicknesses, and materials to create a superior line that cuts more cleanly and lasts longer.

With GrassKicker, you can take pride in your perfectly manicured lawn and make a lasting impression on your friends and family. And who knows, your envious neighbors might just start dropping by more often! Don’t wait, elevate your weed eating game with GrassKicker Weed Eater String today! Click the link now to buy.

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4 Electric Riding Mowers That Made Me Rethink Everything

Electric riding lawn mowers are an excellent way to stay on top of yard work without having to pay for gasoline. You’ll also love not dealing with the headache-inducing maintenance that some gas-powered lawn mowers require. 

As the shift to all things electric grows, so does the supply of electric riding lawn mowers on the market. If you’re dead set on buying an electric lawn mower or even still on the fence, read on to see the best electric riding lawn mowers – I bet we can do some convincing.

We tried our best to stick with just pure electric lawn tractors, but couldn’t resist throwing in a zero-turn in our top picks.

Best Electric Riding Mowers, Ranked:

  1. Greenworks CrossoverT Riding Lawn Mower
  2. EGO Power+ Zero-Turn Lawn Mower
  3. Club Cadet XT1 LT42E Electric Riding Lawn Mower
  4. Ryobi 100 AH Electric Riding Mower

The Best Electric Riding Lawn Mowers: 2023 Ranking

Finding the best electric riding mowers wasn’t too tall of an order. A few of these we’ve used personally and frankly, the market still isn’t very large. The bold companies that have put these out there are making a big bet on the future – and I think they’ll be right.

1.) Greenworks CrossoverT Electric Riding Lawn Mower

Greenworks dubs itself the “final evolution of lawnmowers.” When you see the specs and features of the CrossoverT Riding Lawn Mower, you’ll see why. My favorite thing about this mower is that it cuts up to 2.5 acres on a single charge and only takes 90 minutes to recharge. 

Holy smokes, those are some great numbers. 

Not only that, but this electric riding mower comes with six 8.0 Ah batteries and three dual-port turbochargers. Again, you can use these same batteries on any of your Greenworks 60V products. 

Aside from its quick recharge time, the CrossoverT is super comfortable, with padded seats, foldable armrests, and advanced back support. Moreover, you won’t waste any energy thanks to innovative microchips that monitor the grass quality in real time. The mower boasts high-torque rear-wheel drive that lets you climb 15-degree inclines – basically better than my car. 

I also love that there’s built-in theft protection – the perfect way to protect your precious investment. To add the cherry on top, the CrossoverT requires absolutely no maintenance other than recharging and sharpening the blades as needed.

It is truly a beast.

Why this mower made our list:

  • Runs for up to 60 minutes with the included 8.0Ah batteries
  • 90 min charge time (!)
  • Cut like a professional with SmartCut Technology that auto-adjusts and senses grass thickness
  • Features a high-padded seat and armrests
  • Designed with an integrated cargo bed that can hold up to 200 lbs. of yard supplies, like big bags of mulch

The folks at Greenworks absolutely crushed it with this riding mower. While it isn’t a zero-turn, it’s a great, affordable electric lawn tractor that absolutely slaps. They sell these at Tractor Supply Co (we have no affiliation) for $4,500 MSRP. 

2.) EGO Power+ Electric Zero-Turn Lawn Mower

Delivering all-electric power comparable to a 22 HP engine (like the one on this Toro zero-turn mower), the EGO Power + Zero-Turn Lawn Mower never fails to deliver. Compared to other electric mowers on the market, this EGO product stands out because it holds six batteries – four of which are included. It also has swanky features like premium LED lights, a USB charging port, and Bluetooth technology. Not bad.

Pretty sophisticated control panel.

It still delivers some serious cutting width, up to 42 inches (about twice the average push mower). This is on the lower end of zero-turn mowers and about average for regular riding mowers. 

Looks pretty dang sweet.

With an adjustable hydraulic seat (WITH ARMRESTS!), you can rest assured knowing you’ll stay comfortable as you accelerate up 7 MPH (or 8 MPH in travel mode). The EGO zero-turn mower can cover up to two acres on a single charge, and recharging only takes a few hours. Given its premium features and three driving modes (Control, Standard, and Sport), some might call this product the Bugatti of electric mowers, and rightfully so. 

Summarizing what we loved about the EGO Power+ Zero-Turn Mower:

  • Supports up to six batteries for longer run time
  • It boasts the electric equivalent of a gas-powered engine with 22 HP
  • Can cut up to two acres of lawn without a recharge
  • Comes with three different driving modes: Sport, Standard, and Control 
  • Features a premium LED interface that gives you complete control over the mower
  • It has a separate charging cord that allows you to charge all the batteries at once
  • You can pop a battery off and straight into your EGO blower or EGO weed eater

These things are absolutely sick, but they come at a cost. If you’re dedicated to electric riding mowers, then you’re going to have to show it at the cash register. You can grab this one from Lowe’s (we have no affiliation) for $5,500. This is on the higher end for a zero-turn mower, especially one with limited run-time, but it’s still great for a homeowner with less than 2 acres.

3.) Cub Cadet XT1 LT42E Electric Riding Lawn Mower

You may have seen the LT42E posted up outside of Home Depot next to its gas counterpart, the Cub Cadet XT1 LT42. The Cub Cadet XT1 LT42E might not seem like the most innovative electric mower, but it provides great bang for your buck. This all-electric mower can mow two acres (roughly 1 ½ hours) on a single charge. It also doesn’t fade as the battery power starts to decline, meaning you won’t have to re-mow areas of grass – most lithium Ion batteries operate this way. 

More expensive but really snazzy.

Recharging the battery takes around four hours, so it’s not as fast as the Greenworks CrossoverT, but still reasonable. When it comes time to recharging the battery, you can use a standard 110-volt outlet. 

There are two brushless motors that fuel the mower’s steel direct drive and twin-blade cutting deck. And since the mower is completely electric, you’ll never need to shift between gears – just push a button and get ready to rumble. You’ll also enjoy a comfortable ride with a premium adjustable cut-and-sew seat. Since this mower isn’t the cheapest product on the market, you’ll be glad to know you get a three-year limited residential and four-year limited battery warranty.

The highlights:

  • Mow up to two acres without recharging the 3000Wh lithium-ion battery
  • Comes with a (somewhat) fast charger that only takes four hours to recharge the battery
  • Features four-gauge wheels for anti-scalping and a 1” – 4” cutting range
  • Forward speed of 5.5 MPH and reverse speed of 3 MPH
  • Comes with a three-year limited residential warranty and a four-year warranty on the battery

This mower is great for a mid-size homeowner’s lawn. I wouldn’t let it do anything super heavy duty, but it is definitely well constructed. 

One downside of this mower is that Cub Cadet doesn’t have a ton of battery-powered items, so you won’t gain any economies of scale with this battery.

You can check out the price of this one exclusively at Home Depot – where they seem to be selling a lot of them.

4.) Ryobi 100 AH Electric Riding Mower

Ryobi turns it up a notch with its 100 AH Electric Riding Mower. This low-maintenance mower has no filters, spark plugs, or belts. It can run up to 2 ½ hours per charge (approximately 2 ½ acres). It has a sleek black and yellow design paired with a comfortable, well-adjusted seat. 

This one made our list of the crazy Ryobi mowers, coming in at #7 and being the only riding mower.

Minimalistic but still great!

If you want to mow at seven in the morning without waking up your kids, this Ryobi mower will do the trick with its quiet cutting and cruise control. The mower features three cutting options – bagging, side discharge, and mulching. It comes with a three-year warranty, and if you ever run into issues, you can take the mower to one of 300+ service centers nationwide. 

This is definitely the lightest-duty mower on this list, only able to boast a 38 inch cutting deck, but still with an impressive run time. It also is  the lowest price, so is actually one of pound-for-pound strongest electric riding mowers on the market.

Summary of why we liked this mower:

  • Get up to 2 ½ hours (2 ½ acres) per charge despite having a smaller cutting deck
  • Quiet cutting keeps you from waking up your neighbors (this is a negative if you don’t like them)
  • 12-position manual deck adjustment – wish this was electric but still nice
  • Get the job done quickly with a maximum speed of 7 MPH
  • Comes with a three-year limited warranty for extra protection

All-in-all, this one is a really good value if you are more price sensitive. It isn’t quite as comfortable as the others, but will definitely get the job done. 

This one is available for just over $3,000 at Home Depot , which is a crazy good value.

The Bottom Line on electric riding mowers

If you’re considering investing in an electric riding lawn mower in 2023, you can’t go wrong with the EGO, Greenworks, Cub Cadet, and Ryobi brands. These companies offer some of the most inventive electric riding lawn mowers that make mowing fun – not a chore.

And that’s what it’s all about, right?

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. 

Our testing methods are…unique.

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 We Look for in Electric Riding Lawn Mowers

There are various things we consider when looking at electric lawn mowers that make or break their performance. Before pulling the trigger on one of these, make sure you’ve done your research (or just keep reading our recommendations).

Battery life on electric riding mowers

The ideal electric lawn mower should have a good runtime (ideally two hours or more). It shouldn’t take more than four hours to recharge the battery. If an electric mower has a low runtime and high recharge time, cutting your lawn will become a much more difficult feat.

Further, you should be able to pop off one of the batteries and use it with a blower, trimmer, or other lawn tool. This is how you can save some serious money – buying the tool-only version of other tools in the same battery line.

Comfort

Additionally, an electric riding lawn mower should have a comfortable and adjustable seat. After all, you’ll ride it for at least an hour a week – you don’t want dreaded back pain. It sounds ridiculous to make this a sticking point, but it HAS to be comfortable if you are sitting on this bad boy for a while.

Easy to use and control

Moreover, we look at the different cutting options the lawn mower offers. The electric riding lawn mowers we hand-selected have multiple cutting options – bagging, side discharge, and mulching. Lastly, the riding mower should be easy-to-use and relatively maintenance-free.

It’s also really cool that riding mowers can double as little ATVs that pull trailers around your yard.

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Greenworks vs Ryobi Electric Mowers Comparison Guide

Greenworks vs Ryobi is like asking to compare Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Two young studs taking the field and destined for greatness. I like the Greenworks mowers better because they have metal cutting decks and generally come in at a lower price.

Both Greenworks and Ryobi have become masters in the battery-powered lawn mower game – and for good reason. They make high quality lawn mowers and have a TON of different types.

We have even reviewed the some great Ryobi mowers and our favorite Greenworks mowers – that’s a LOT of lawn mowers.

Today, we are going to put two of their best mowers head-to-head. We’ve done a ton of research and found that two of their mowers are extremely similar. Let’s figure out which one is best.

Let’s put the Greenworks 48V push mower up against the Ryobi 40V HP mower in a battle for the ages.

Jump ahead:

Ryobi 40V vs Greenworks 48V Mower: Comparison Guide

Greenworks vs Ryobi – the ultimate head-to-head challenge to see what the top dogs can bring to the table. Let’s assess each of these for power, durability, ease of use, and price. Here we go!

Power: Ryobi’s 40V HP vs Greenworks’ 48V (2×24)

To properly evaluate power, there’s a bit of science that goes into it but also other considerations beyond formulas. For starters, typically higher voltages mean more power if you are operating in a vacuum. But we aren’t operating  in a vacuum, we are operating in the real world. Scientifically, the combined 48Vs in the Greenworks mower would impute a higher power output than the 40V of the Ryobi mower.

They’ve always been good.

But let’s take a deeper dive. The Greenworks 48V mower and the Ryobi 40V HP mower both have about 45 minutes of run-time and up to ½ acre of coverage on a single charge. 

Ryobi has a function called HP, which basically means that the motor and battery are designed to work together to produce optimal power output. Greenworks is really combining two 24V batteries, which doesn’t seem to have the same level of connection to the motor that Ryobi is describing. 

I have to give a slight edge to Ryobi in the power game, solely because they have thoughtfully approached the connection between their brushless motor and their batteries – to deliver maximum output. 

Greenworks is still a great choice, but didn’t “feel” as powerful when we ran them side by side.

Winner: Ryobi 40V HP

Durability: Metal vs Plastic deck on Greenworks and Ryobi

Next up after reviewing power is the necessary focus on durability. I’ll be the first to admit that battery-powered mowers aren’t perceived as anywhere near as durable as gas-powered mowers. 

But that doesn’t mean there are more durable battery powered mowers than others. Ryobi and Greenworks are a really great example here because they have one major difference: the composition of their decks.

Metal > Plastic.

The cutting deck is what houses the blades and what the motor sits on top of. In the Ryobi mower, there is a plastic cutting deck which allows it to be lightweight, but more susceptible to cracking, scraping, and chipping. The Greenworks 48V mower has a metal deck, which is exactly what every gas mower carries. It makes the mower heavier, but actually gives it some momentum, keeps the mower on a straight path, and protects it from breakage. 

Another key thing to notice here is that both mowers have brushless motors. Brushless motors can be contrasted with traditional brushed motors in that they have less friction, provide more torque, and a longer life. They are the superior key to motor durability and a non-negotiable when buying any electric lawn tool. 

Because of the metal deck, I have to give this category to Greenworks.

Winner: Greenworks 48V Mower

Ease of use: Greenworks compared to Ryobi

There are a lot of things to consider when evaluating a mower for ease of use, but none that are as important as how the mower feels. Feel is so important because despite all the bells and whistles and performance highlights that a mower might have, if it feels off you are going to have a bad time. 

One thing that is often overlooked is the weight of the mower. Believe it or not, lighter isn’t always better. When I was mowing with the Ryobi 40V HP mower for the first time, it felt like every little bump in the grass would throw off my trajectory. It felt like I didn’t have great control because it was too light. 

Kinda got tossed around by grass.

On the other hand, the Greenworks 48V mower weighs about 20 lbs more. Not super noticeable when you are using the mower, but it feels like you handle rough patches better. It can push through things, not around things, which makes a huge difference.

I also like how both of these mowers have easy push-to-start functions, grass collections bags, and are foldable for easy storage. 

Battery-powered mowers are super easy to use, but the feel of the Greenworks mower was much more comfortable and straightforward (literally).

Winner: Greenworks 48V mower.

Price and warranty comparison on Greenworks and Ryobi

The Greenworks 48V mower has a 3 year tool and battery warranty. Not bad! But Ryobi has a  5 year tool warranty and a 3 year battery warranty. It’s going to win the warranty challenge

As far as price is concerned, you can get the Ryobi mower from Home Depot for about $399.

The Greenworks mower is available on the Greenworks website and often goes on sale on Amazon for a really good price.

Ryobi wins the warranty competition, but it’s a tie on price.

So which is better? Ryobi or Greenworks mowers?

It is a tough call, but someone has to make it. While I like Ryobi’s HP series and their effort to optimize performance with their 40V battery and brushless motor, but favor Greenworks when it comes to reliability and ease of use.

If I had to boil it down to an absolute winner, it would be the Greenworks 48V mower by a hair. 

You really can’t go wrong with either. In fact, if you already own Ryobi’s 40V products, then you’re better served buying the tool-only version of the mower and saving a ton of money. 

You can grab the Greenworks on Amazon today – check to see if it’s still on sale.

Oh – and one of these made our top battery powered mower ranking. The Greenworks is actually also made our list of the premier mowers at Walmart.

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. 

We spend our days analyzing mowers.

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 we look for in battery-powered lawn mowers

When looking to purchase an electric lawn mower, you need to make sure you understand what things matter. You will get hit with a lot of technical specifications and marketing tactics. Totally forget them and focus on the things that impact you. Below are my recommendations:

Looking for more power? Check out the Greenworks 80V mower review.

Ryobi vs Greenworks 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 other Ryobi products we’ve reviewed.

Ryobi and Greenworks both have TONS of different tools. In my experience, when Greenworks puts out a higher-end product, it’s a beast. Extremely well designed to be durable, easy to use, and powerful. Ryobi also has a ton of products across several different industries and seems to be more focused on quantity than quality. 

But that doesn’t mean Ryobi doesn’t have some bangers. There are some great Ryobi weed eaters and Ryobi pressure washers, but there are equally as good Greenworks pressure washers.

Metal where it matters: the decks

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. Luckily with Ryobi and Greenworks, they have batteries that can be used across a TON of ther products – both indoor and outdoor.

The same battery used in this Greenworks mower is the same one that can be used to power their cordless shop-vac.

They’ve got great tools!

If you have more questions, check out our guide to electric lawn mowers.

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Ryobi Brushless vs. Brushed Motors: Difference Explained (2024)

Ryobi brushless and brushed tools are big names in the lawn tool space. Brushless motors are superior technology that allows for cooler running motors, better durability, and more efficient torque.

Although it may be hard to figure out from the box or product description, there’s actually a huge difference. Today, I’ll walk through what the difference is and make some product recommendations from Ryobi for their brushless motor line of tools. 

My goal is to make this not overly technical, but just give you the quick and dirty explanation that can help you decide whether or not to spend more money.

In short, YES – it is worth it to spend the extra money for brushless lawn tools. If you want to know why, keep reading or skip ahead using the below links:

Brushless vs brushed Ryobi tools

I’m trying to avoid getting too technical here, so let me break down what brushed vs brushless motors do and how this impacts Ryobi tools.

Brushed motors (Regular) from Ryobi

Brushed Ryobi motors have an internal, stationary magnet surrounded by a mobile rotor. The brushes make physical contact with the rotor to transfer the electricity from the battery to the rotor. It essentially causes the rotor to move by changing which side of the motor is magnetic.

It sounds complicated, but here’s what you need to know:

  • The brushes making physical contact with the rotor means that there is increased friction
  • With increased friction, you get heat
  • Heat is going to generally wear down things like plastic and other parts inside of lawn tools
  • This leads to a reduction in lifespan and durability of the product
  • It’s also less efficient than brushless because you are losing energy to heat instead of to power

On a positive note, up until a few years ago (and still to this day), most products are brushed. It’s been the standard for a long time. I have a hedge trimmer from the 90s that’s brushed and still works fine because I barely use it.

But in general, these aren’t as reliable and will get bent out of shape over time and ultimately stop working. 

Ryobi’s Brushless motors

Brushless motors flip the engineering of brushed motors on their head. Basically instead of having the mechanical action of the brushes, a different type of current is used to cause a magnetic field that rotates and moves the magnet. 

It’s almost like an invisible motor, totally driven by an electric current and magnets instead of manual transferral of voltage. 

For those that aren’t nerds, here are some of the impacts:

  • More torque due to no heat loss 
  • Cooler running motor
  • Longer life

Which is better – brushed or brushless Ryobi tools?

It’s pretty clear that Ryobi’s brushless tools are better than their old brushed motors. If you aren’t convinced by the increased power of their new brushless lineup, you should be convinced by the durability. 

Brushless motors are akin to the lithium-ion battery instead of the old nickel hydride batteries. They last a lot longer and perform way better. 

Our favorite Ryobi Brushless Lawn Tools

We’ve written a ton of reviews about some of Ryobi’s best brushless tools. Let me save you some time and give you the best from each category.

Best Ryobi Brushless Blower

Ryobi came out with a new 40V Brushless Whisper series blower and it is sweet. We put it in a head-to-head challenge we called the Ryobi vs EGO blower battle. 

Ain’t it a beaut?

Here’s what we love about the Ryobi 730 CFM 40V Brushless Whisper blower:

  • It’s quiet – well, kind of. It makes a different noise which definitely isn’t loud but also isn’t the best sound in the world.
  • This Ryobi brushless blower has a really cool handle that allows you to control the speed and set a cruise control with your thumb
  • It also has a turbo button that takes it all the way up to 730 CFMs or 190 MPH. That’s pretty dang fast.
  • The Ryobi 40V comes with two 4.5 Ah batteries and a charger.
  • Total time to charge the leaf blower from completely dead to fully charged was 53 minutes. Not bad!

It’s easily the most powerful handheld cordless blower that Ryobi offers. You can grab it from your local Home Depot or grab it on Amazon for a great price.

Best Ryobi Brushless Mower

We did a full ranking of the best Ryobi lawn mowers and found the Ryobi 20 inch 40V Brushless Smart Trek Self-Propelled mower was the best. They have a few mowers that look just like this one and even have a newer model, but I really like this one from 2022 because of its simplicity and price.

Coolest looking one.

Here are a few things I liked about this one:

  • Brushless motor (duh)
  • I like that it is black and not neon yellow
  • The self propelled function works really well
  • It is extremely lightweight and easy to maneuver
  • This Ryobi mower has some really easy-to-use tools
  • You can use the 40V battery with everything

This one is also available on Amazon for a really good price, but can also be bought at Home Depot if you want the newer model.

You can also see how this Ryobi 40V mower compares to the Greenworks 48V mower.

Best Ryobi Brushless Weed Eater

When it comes to Ryobi Weed Eaters, we loved the Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V brushless 13 inch weed eater. This brushless weed eater from Ryobi comes as a part of their 18V ONE+ series of tools, which is a great collection for the homeowner with a small to medium sized yard. 

This is the one.

Here’s why we picked it over a bunch of Ryobi weed eaters:

  • It has a decent sized cutting width at 13 inches. Many of the smaller ones are at 10-11 inches  which is frankly too small to do any kind of edging work. 
  • It’s one of the only Ryobi weed eaters with a brushless motor
  • It’s super easy to handle with it’s large D-shaped handle
  • This one is well-balanced which means you won’t torque your shoulder when carrying it around

This one is a no-brainer if you’re looking for a brushless Ryobi weed eater. I got mine at Home Depot when I first moved into my house, but you can also get it on Amazon for a great price.

Best Ryobi Brushless Pressure Washer

I probably go a little over the top with my recommendation here, but I am blown away by this Brushless Ryobi Pressure Washer. 

Pure power.

The Ryobi 3000 PSI 1.1 GPM electric pressure washer won both our best Ryobi pressure washer AND best electric pressure washer rankings. It’s a beast. Here’s why I am obsessed with it:

  • Best-in-class pressure for an electric pressure washer at 3000 PSI
  • Large soap tank
  • Nozzles built into the tip that allows you to just rotate the tip to change the angle
  • Big never flat wheels

It’s truly top-of-the-line when it comes to electric pressure washers. The fact that it has a brushless motor and will last longer than the others is a huge bonus.

This one is a legend and can be bought online at any local Home Depot for a great price. 

Final words: Ryobi’s brushless vs brushed motors

Like I said at the beginning, brushless motors make a difference and I highly recommend going with them if you are a DIYer. 

If this is your first time buying a lawn tool and know you won’t use it often, you can get away with it being brushed and probably be fine. I would buy cheap and have low expectations, however.

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. 

This is our job.

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. 

About Ryobi

I’m sure you already know a ton about Ryobi or at least own a few of their tools. They are HUGE in Home Depot. We love Ryobi products and have written extensively about dozens of their tools. Here are a few of our favorite Ryobi products:

Ryobi tools are fan favorites mostly because they are good-enough quality, are relatively low cost, and make just about every tool under the sun, which allows you to reuse their batteries and save a ton of money. 

Some of their awesome tools – the backpack sprayer.
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EGO 56V Blower vs Ryobi 40V Blower: Comparison Guide

EGO vs Ryobi leaf blowers is a new beef. These are the two top battery-powered leaf blower brands on the market and they’re facing off. I like the EGO blower better because it feels sturdier and is more powerful.

Rocky vs. Ivan Drago. They’re both beasts. They’ve both been working their whole life for this. 

And we are officiating. It got messy and involved an unmanned office chair spinning out of control.

Luckily, we got our hands on the EGO 765 CFM leaf blower and the Ryobi 40V 730 CFM Brushless Whisper Series blower. Here is what we tested on both:

And there was only one winner. Let’s dive right in. 

***SPOILER***: We give the advantage to the EGO 765 CFM blower because it’s more powerful with a longer run-time. You can grab it on Amazon for a great price.

EGO 56V vs Ryobi 40V Whisper Blower: A Breakdown

Let me tell you – this wasn’t an easy comparison. These are the two premier battery powered leaf blowers on the market and you honestly can’t go wrong with either.

But c’mon – one of them has to be better, right? 

Let’s find out.

User Experience: EGO compared to Ryobi blowers

Using both the EGO and Ryobi blowers, the first question we got was about sound. One of the main benefits of using battery powered blowers is that they don’t have nearly the same noise levels as gas powered blowers.

Sound and noise from EGO and Ryobi blowers

EGO had a lower-pitched whirring sound whereas Ryobi had a much higher frequency screaming noise. The Ryobi 40V blower is a part of the Whisper series of equipment from Ryobi. While it was definitely a lower decibel level than the EGO, it had an unpleasant high-pitched noise that wasn’t much better honestly.

Weight

From a weight perspective, the EGO comes in at 9.4lbs whereas the Ryobi is a little lighter right at 9lbs. Weight is important when using a blower because without a strap, you’re on the hook for holding these during the entire duration of your blowing experience. If you’re going to be out there for a decent amount of time, then you need to make sure you have a lightweight blower to get the job done. Fortunately, these are both relatively lightweight when compared to a gas blower but slightly heavier than many other electric blowers.

Exactly 9.4 lbs.

Controlling these two blowers is easy

From a control perspective, I’m looking for something that gives me total control over the speed of the blower that is easy to adjust and access on the fly.

Both the EGO and Ryobi blowers have a variable speed control trigger, meaning you can control how much power you’ve got at any moment in time. 

Cruise control thumb adjustment and turbo button.

Both have a cruise control function that can be adjusted with the thumb with the same hand that controls the variable speed trigger (for right-handers only).

Both the Ryobi and EGO blowers have a turbo button, which takes it from their base level of CFMs up to their maximum (more on that later).

Overall, both offer similar controls and come in at almost the exact same weight. If you’re looking to pick one based on user experience, the differentiating factor between the EGO and Ryobi blowers is the sound. One is louder, one has a funnier noise – it comes down to preference. Listen to both on our video to see which one you prefer.

Battery Life – EGO vs Ryobi blowers

Both the EGO and Ryobi both have lithium ion batteries, meaning they put out the same amount of power regardless of whether they have 5% battery life or 95%. 

Ryobi’s 40V battery that comes on the whisper series brushless blower is a 4 Ah 40V battery. You can use other 40V batteries from them with higher or lower Ah, but the 4.0 comes standard. The higher the Ah, the longer the battery will run. 

The EGO 765 CFM blower comes with a 5 Ah battery but can handle more as well. 

Run time comparison of EGO and Ryobi batteries

Here at The Lawn Review we like to get a little wild. So our first run-time test is going to compare the two blowers with their triggers and turbo buttons zip-tied down. 

This part took a while.

The results looked like this: 

  • EGO turbo button run time: 15 minutes
  • Ryobi turbo button run time: 12 minutes

Pretty close but 3 minutes matter when you’re standing out in the sun!

Next was the highest speed without the turbo button. Again, we used zip ties and got these results:

  • EGO full speed blower run time: 25 minutes
  • Ryobi full speed blower run time: 16 minutes

The last speed test for us was the low speed test. We zip tied these ones on the lowest setting and well….it took a while.  Here were the results:

  • EGO low speed blower run time: 157 minutes
  • Ryobi low speed blower run time: 90 minutes 

While the majority of the run time differences come down to the difference in Ah between the  two, I didn’t expect them to be that stark. The EGO definitely wins this category.

The last battery test was how long it takes to get to a full recharge using the EGO and Ryobi battery chargers. 

Here’s how long it took:

  • Ryobi 40V battery charge time: 70 minutes
  • EGO 56V battery charge time: 53 minutes

Ryobi pulls this one out with a faster battery run time at under an hour. 

The EGO blower is more powerful than Ryobi

What may be the most important category yet, things start to get really wild when we compare power. I’m talking out-of-control-spinning-office-chair-wild. 

But first, a quick intro into how power is measured in blowers. Both the EGO and Ryobi blower use brushless motors, which means they use magnets to help transfer electrons instead of brushes. Brushes were prone to become fried due to the constant friction inside of the motor, leading to early deaths and overheating.

CFM vs MPH explained

CFM and MPH are the two most important things in assessing power for the blower. CFMs dictate the amount of volume that comes out of the blower whereas MPH refers to the speed at which the air leaves. If you recall from the beginning of this post, high CFMs typically mean a big burst of air. High MPH means the air is moving really quickly. They often have an inverse relationship where one is high and the other is low. 

In both of these blowers, the CFMs and MPH are super high. The EGO has 765 CFMs when on full turbo at 200 MPH. That’s crazy. The Ryobi has 730 CFMs at 190 MPH. These are both insane when on turbo mode. 

To test this, we blew a pile of dirt off of a plywood to compare their relative power.

Scientific? No. Visually appealing? Yes.

The EGO blew away (pun intended) the Ryobi in this test. 

To take it up a notch, we decided to use the scientific and professional face test. Yes, we put Tyler’s face in front of the blowers and had him tell us which was the most powerful. The results were clear:

Okay definitely NOT scientific but fun.

The EGO was more powerful – much like sticking your head out of a plane, whereas the Ryobi was like sticking it out of a fast moving car. Neither felt good. 

Next up was the spinning chair fiasco. Nobody sustained serious injuries during this test. But we attached both blowers to the arms of a spinning office chair and turned them on to see which one would win with both blowing at the same time. 

Things got out of hand.

It was a hard cycle to stop. But the EGO won.

The EGO is definitely the more powerful of the two.

Price and Warranty: EGO vs Ryobi blower

The warranties on both the EGO and Ryobi are identical – a 5 year tool warranty and a 3 year battery warranty. They are great and this gives me a lot of comfort as an owner of both. 

The Ryobi comes in at around $300 including the blower and two 4 Ah batteries. You can grab it from your local Home Depot, where I’ve seen it for the best price.

The EGO 56V blower will cost about $320 and come with the single 5 Ah battery. It can be purchased at Lowe’s or on Amazon with the battery for a great price. 

So which is better, EGO or Ryobi blower?

Let me start by saying that I own both of these so I am trying to be as unbiased as humanly possible. The Ryobi is probably the better deal, but  the performance of the EGO is worth $20 to me. 

The EGO is slightly heavier but much more powerful and has longer lasting batteries. With the turbo button engaged, it is unrivaled in the handheld electric blower space. 

Both are great – but if you’d like to check out the EGO 765 blower, check it out on Amazon. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, we wrote a great post comparing the 765 CFM blower to the 650 blower.

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. 

How we spend our time now.

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 blower

 Cordless blowers come in a bunch of shapes and sizes but there are three basic things you need to understand:

CFMs on blowers

Cubic feet per minute. This is a measure of air output on the blower. Higher CFM = more power, but not necessarily more miles per hour. High CFM with a wide nozzle = lower MPH. High CFM with a narrow nozzle = high miles per hour. Ideally, you want both a high CFM with a narrow to medium nozzle for most residential jobs.

Usability

What is the point of having a blower if it is hard to use? Have to get one that is lightweight, easy to start, and has some functions that make your life easier. One thing I look for here is how the weight is distributed. I also look for things like variable speed control, sound, and how easy it is to reach or change controls like cruise control.

Motor type

Brushless motors reign supreme. Brushless motors are cooler running motors with more torque, a longer run-time, and last many more years. These are a no brainer when picking a blower.

These are three technical things you need to pay attention to when looking through the specifications. 

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