A user took to Reddit seeking advice about electric mowers, as they looked to upgrade from their gas-powered mower to something more environmentally conscious.
In the r/homeowners subreddit, the poster said they wanted a self-propelled electric push mower, ideally with a brushless motor, and had a budget between $500 and $600.
"My concern is, as with any [lithium-ion] battery," they said, "when they get hot and frequently discharged to a low capacity, the battery cells tend to lose charge capacity faster than say, a li-ion in a drill that gets run down to 25% and then put on a charger."
Fortunately for them, Reddit was here to help.
"Back yard is about 5200 square feet. Front is smaller, maybe half that," one commenter said. "I have a brushless battery operated mower from Ryobi and while sometimes I have to use my second battery (smaller leaf blower battery) it's nice using all Ryobi stuff, the batteries are compatible. I usually only need the one and I still have a little juice left at the end. I do charge it every time between mows, I've had it for 3 mowing seasons so far, this summer will be my 4th, still going strong. I love it, personally."
Another commenter noted that their practice of letting batteries cool down before recharging them would be a good idea, even with the larger batteries involved with lawn mowers.
Multiple commenters sang the praises of the Ego brand.
"We've been using a self-propelled Ego for 3-4 years now," one said. "Our house sits on a 16,000 sq ft lot. We can't do both front and back yards on one charge. We also have an Ego weed whacker with a smaller battery that we can use in the mower if we need to but fully charged the mower battery has no issue. If it wasn't self-propelled I'm sure the battery would last longer. I really like the mower."
Another noted that on their smaller lot, they can do the whole thing on one charge after a year, and on the occasions when it needs a second charge to finish, it's ready to go in 15 minutes.
🗣️ If you're thinking about switching to electric yard tools, which of these factors would be most persuasive for you?
🔘 Better for the environment 🌎
🔘 Cheaper to fuel and maintain 💰
🔘 More enjoyable to use 💁
🔘 Produce better results 👏
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Switching to an electric mower is a great, simple way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Apart from being significantly quieter than their gas-powered brethren, they run at zero pollution. Meanwhile, a single gas-powered lawn mower emits as much carbon dioxide in one hour as a car driving 45 miles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. To make matters worse, the two-stroke engines found in lawn mowers and leaf blowers emit more pollution and toxins of any kind than a 2011 Ford Raptor pickup truck, which weighs 6,000 pounds, according to a study from Edmunds.
Making the switch is an easy, affordable way to help clean up our environment.
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