Battery Powered Lawn Tools

[BC13]

I've been fully committed to the Ryobi and Ridgid 18V lines of battery tools for varying periods of time, and am very happy with the performance of all but a couple.

The first Ridgid 18V tools arrived 10 years ago during a basement remodel, when I realized using sub 10V B and D drill/driver to put together aluminum studs was not going to cut it. The Drill/Driver and impact driver set and the multi tool I bought are still going strong with the original batteries and were joined by another set of drill drivers and a kick ass reciprocating saw and similarly kick ass impact wrench with incredible torque - which is tough as nails. I have a total of 6.Ridgid batteries ranging from a 10 yr old.1.5 Amp set to a large 9 amp battery. All perform flawlessly.

During Covid remodeling I dove into the Ryobi line hard, hitting several promotions to pick up a bunch of very useful tools including:
- promotional impact/hammer drill, which I dont recommend due to its large size and poor ergonomics;
- two sanders (panel sander and detail sander - both light and easy to use);
- small detail router, which is light, quick, and easy for small jobs and a much better tool than I had any reason to expect;
- Jig saw (the higher Ryobi model) which is very serviceable for home use, but not in the same league for smoothness of operation or cut as the high end Ridgid model or other commercial brands;
- circular saw, I do not recommend as it is underpowered, though I still find it's convenience prevents me from reaching for the corded model, as I'd rather use the table or mitre saw if I need more power;
- 2 absolutely fantastic nail/Brad trim drivers (18 and 23 PIN) are probably the best tool purchases I ever made. Thousands of nails through them with no jams. I replaced all the baseboard and door window casements in the house, 25% with compressor driven guns, and 75% with the two Ryobi battery guns, which made me forget I owned a compressor;
- the higher end angle grinder/cutter is VERY powerful and works like a champ.

I have a boatload of Ryobi batteries and have had great luck with all of them for the past 3 years. While, I would not choose the Ryobi tools if I was a tradesman, I would recommend the line, with a few exceptions to any home owner.

After my positive experience with the Ryobi line of tools I bought a leaf blower which uses the 18v batteries and the 40 V weed whacker/edger. The weed Wacker/edger is a great tool. The battery charge lasts forever and the tools work very well. I had a professional still model weed whacker - I don't miss it. The Ryobi is light and powerful enough to do the job. The blower is great for blowing grass off the driveway or moving a few leaves, but does not stack up to my Echo backpack gas blower.

I've got 10 battery power tools with batteries on my garage work bench right now as I do some work on the deck boards and
railings. Being able to just grab each when it's needed without plugging in different tools or tripping over extension cords is great. When finished I blow the dust out of the garage with the battery operated blower!

Switching to battery powered tools is one of the most rewarding decisions I made. Not fucking around with power cords, gas and oil makes home ownership plain easier!





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[SumJongGuy]

Black and Decker 14" corded trimmer finally died last weekend. Looked at platforms.. then saw same fucking corded trimmer on Amazon for $49 delivered. I think I'm good for another 5 years... I guess I'd rather drag a cord all over the neighborhood for 5 years than have to go back in for another battery occasionally..

Now a srill/screwgun or saw I only use for 5 minute here and there for a quick fence repair out back every other month? 100% good with cordless there..

[jackstraw]

Who owns what...so many brands under a few roofs.

[dcpnz]

Got mine delivered too. Everything feels a just little plasticy so I’m gonna try and not abuse them but seems very good for the sale price.
Wow! The blower is pretty awesome - plenty powerful. I’d buy again for sure. Got to grab some bar oil before I test out the chainsaw but feels like it’ll be up for lighter duty stuff it is designed for.

I had occasion to test out the Home Depot Green Machine chainsaw today.
Wind last night did this:



Some googling on chainsaw safety, taking my time and a bit of thought and care, and a couple hours later I’m looking at this:



I am a novice chainsaw user but got say I’m pretty impressed.
Lightweight and plenty powerful for anything I’m going to tackle myself. Only swapped to a second battery when I noticed the first one slowing down but before it was dead which was just for the last 10 cuts or so. Yes its a bit plasticky and shows a few dings just from setting it down, no its probably not up for professional use (although a more durable battery chainsaw would be a great tool for more specialized tasks), but for light duty homeowner use I’m stoked.

[XXX-er]

Up on a trail called " broken axe " there were 2 big stems down across the trail after a wind event and right around the corner another big stem so buddy takes the first 2 and leaves the 3rd, ok so its out of site around the corner but I don't see how he missed #3 ?

apparently buddy ran out of battery

[Rideski]

I still (thankfully) have no lawn after xeriscaping mine after I bought it.

But helping a friend with a recently departed parent clear leaves from ~ acre of lawn with a dozen 100 foot trees on it plus another dozen smaller trees.

I already have the Ryobi 40v chainsaw which I like (despite xxx ragging) and the leaf blower.
Their lawn might need to be mowed, but primary task is clearing the leaves. I'm thinking of getting the mower primarily to chop up the leaves to make for easier bagging. It seems like the lack of air intake means it would be safe to do from that respect, but I'm worried about those two little plastic nubbins that hold the blade in the event I run over a sturdy branch. Is the thing gonna implode?

[crashtestdummy]

I am using my Ryobi 40 v mower to pick up my leaves, but it doesn’t shred my maple leaves very well. All my leaves go on my gardens, but I store a bunch of them in plastic garbage cans until I use them. I found that my 40 v trimmer makes a great stick blender, I plunge it into the garbage can and further shred the leaves. Lots more leaves fit in the cans this way and I doubt that my garden cares.

[Rideski]

Yeah I looked at some leaf eater type machines. Was surprised to find out some of them are a weed whacker blender type contraption. I don't have a weed eater either. But the cost they were paying to upkeep this property pretty much cancels out any equipment I need. These leaves are mainly elm and silver maple, which I presume are less beefy than the variety of maple you're referring to.

[crashtestdummy]

I used to have a Craftsman self propelled leaf vacuum/shredder. It weighed half a ton, and changing the oil was a nightmare. Plus I no longer have room for the beast in the garage. I am a big fan of the lighter weight of cordless yard tools. I am still reluctant on a battery powered snow blower though.

[Touring_Sedan]

I used to have a Craftsman self propelled leaf vacuum/shredder. It weighed half a ton, and changing the oil was a nightmare. Plus I no longer have room for the beast in the garage. I am a big fan of the lighter weight of cordless yard tools. I am still reluctant on a battery powered snow blower though.

It works a treat though.....

[gravitylover]

I'm a couple of years in with the Atlas mower and chainsaw from Harbor Freight and so far they've been more reliable than I expected and at least as capable as I need. With both batteries in the mower will comfortably run for 30 minutes with good power, the mulching aspect works well, the chute is just ok and the bag is easy to use, the drive unit is ez to use and the rear wheel drive works well. The biggest downside is the blade. Like all e-mowers it's thin and doesn't hold up well to those inevitable hard hits, it ez off and on though so pulling it to sharpen just takes a minute. Unfortunately, like most e-mowers the blade isn't like anything else and they're tough to replace, they have a part # but the stores don't stock it. The other downside is it's really a pretty light duty tool,the wheels need tightening pretty often and the folding handle hardware likes to fall off. The chainsaw needs moar power but works well enough up to about a 10" log. I don't think I'd buy another one though.

I'm all in on the Ryobi 18v stuff and so far have had all good experiences other than a weedwhacker malfunction after it sat outside for a year and a half. I have a couple of batteries and 2 chargers so there's always one or two ready to go but I would like a few bigger batteries to get more torque for longer.

[californiagrown]

I just run my push mower, w/no bag, over leaves to mulch them and I leave the mulched leaves on the lawn to decompose and feed it. If some get smashed down instead of mulched, I use a blower to fluff them up, and they'll get mulched at my next mowing. Lawns are surprisingly resilient.

I'm ok beating up my mower blades to end the year, I'll just sharpen them at the start of lawn season next year anyways.

[crashtestdummy]

It works a treat though.....

Mine looked more like a lawn mower. It also had a 8’ long suction hose on it. Too much for my small yard.

My Ryobi lawn mower is stored vertical, sitting on the back wheels. The blade is very visible like this and easy to remove, so mine got sharpened every 3 or 4 mowings. I do wish the speed control was easier to adjust, it’s hard to fine tune while mwing a bumpy yard.

I would leave the leaves on my yard, but with 3 dogs there would be lots of hidden land mines.

[Dantheman]

Lawns are surprisingly resilient.

Says the guy who lives in the PNW

Seems like a great idea if you don't have that many leaves. My dad has three huge sycamores, he picks up an ungodly amount of leaves every fall.

[zion zig zag]

Says the guy who lives in the PNW

Seems like a great idea if you don't have that many leaves. My dad has three huge sycamores, he picks up an ungodly amount of leaves every fall.

I have four huge sycamores. And they don’t fully shed until at least December. Plus gamble oaks. So many leaves

[californiagrown]

Says the guy who lives in the PNW

Seems like a great idea if you don't have that many leaves. My dad has three huge sycamores, he picks up an ungodly amount of leaves every fall.

IDK, I get about the same amount of leaves on my lawn as the above picture each week for about 4 weeks there. I just mulch them with the mower and leave it on the lawn. tiny pieces of leaves decompose quickly. My biggest issue here in the PNW is the low sun angle and general lack of sun spring-early summer, and fall which stunts growth and thins the lawn pretty bad... the saturated soil 8months/year is much less of a problem. But it always comes back growing fast/furious once the sunshine and 60degree temps return.

[Rideski]

Well I picked up the Ryobi and it's been ok. I'd say maybe 3 out if 5 stars for this type of yard. But with a bit less lawn and trees, it would be suitable for sure.

From the reviews the people complaining about battery life were the ones on the self propelled, even though it comes with an 8ah where the push comes with a 6ah. Since this wasn't a long term investment for me I went with the push.

I looked up this property where the gig is and it's about 3/4 acre. Minus a big ranch and the yard is probably .6. I'm definitely undergunned a bit. A heavier blade and deck would allow me to plow through more, but the thing is light so it's not hard to push or toss around in tight corners. I hit a few large sticks and not super confidence inspiring. But if this was your yard you'd have the sticks picked up presumably.

I was chopping up some heavy leaves and definitely used up the battery on a couple different days, but with all the bag emptying I am running about 3 hours total.

The one lever height adjustment is nice for a variety of heights in different zones. It doesn't pick up the leaves completely if the deck isn't fairly close.

The push button start has been nice with all the stops to dump leaves. Pulling the cord that many times would get old especially since I was contemplating getting a used gasser for the gig.

Since it's not close, it's nice to be able to toss it in my newer SUV instead of wanting my older truck so gas fumes aren't in the cabin.

It came with a rapid charger. Will I get better battery life if I just charge with my standard charger?

[Touring_Sedan]

Well I picked up the Ryobi and it's been ok. I'd say maybe 3 out if 5 stars for this type of yard. But with a bit less lawn and trees, it would be suitable for sure.

From the reviews the people complaining about battery life were the ones on the self propelled, even though it comes with an 8ah where the push comes with a 6ah. Since this wasn't a long term investment for me I went with the push.

I looked up this property where the gig is and it's about 3/4 acre. Minus a big ranch and the yard is probably .6. I'm definitely undergunned a bit. A heavier blade and deck would allow me to plow through more, but the thing is light so it's not hard to push or toss around in tight corners. I hit a few large sticks and not super confidence inspiring. But if this was your yard you'd have the sticks picked up presumably.

I was chopping up some heavy leaves and definitely used up the battery on a couple different days, but with all the bag emptying I am running about 3 hours total.

The one lever height adjustment is nice for a variety of heights in different zones. It doesn't pick up the leaves completely if the deck isn't fairly close.

The push button start has been nice with all the stops to dump leaves. Pulling the cord that many times would get old especially since I was contemplating getting a used gasser for the gig.

Since it's not close, it's nice to be able to toss it in my newer SUV instead of wanting my older truck so gas fumes aren't in the cabin.

It came with a rapid charger. Will I get better battery life if I just charge with my standard charger?

I would expect the rapid charger to be a smart charger. I doubt it would damage the battery but if you're worried, you can pick up a slow charger off of eBay for around $10-$15. If you need a refill use the rapid charger, done for the day, slow charger.

I have a couple of 5ah and one 6ah. They're all about 2-3 years old. One of the 5ah occasionally loses its mind and won't take a charge. You can easily pop the case open and short out the reset terminals. It's typically good to go for a few months after that.

[singlesline]

I am using my Ryobi 40 v mower to pick up my leaves, but it doesn’t shred my maple leaves very well. All my leaves go on my gardens, but I store a bunch of them in plastic garbage cans until I use them. I found that my 40 v trimmer makes a great stick blender, I plunge it into the garbage can and further shred the leaves. Lots more leaves fit in the cans this way and I doubt that my garden cares.

Yeah, I like my 40v ryobi for my small yard: can get a couple mows out of a charge, quiet, easy to push, can store vertically, no maintenance.

But it doesn’t generate as much suction (to pull up leaning down grass) or mulching power as a gas mower.

I’ve thought a mulching specific blade like this might help (and I have battery life to spare): https://www.homedepot.com/p/MaxPower...Qhw3eF6Zjptu60
But I haven’t found one that directly fits my 20” ryobi.

[Iowagriz]

I also have the 40v Ryobi mower. No leaves, but are you guys happy with how it mows? From day 1, mine will leave a 1/2" wide strip of uncut grass. Not on every pass, usually when grass is thicker and always in the same spot of the deck. I assume it is a suction problem in that part of the deck.

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[crashtestdummy]

I also have the 40v Ryobi mower. No leaves, but are you guys happy with how it mows? From day 1, mine will leave a 1/2" wide strip of uncut grass. Not on every pass, usually when grass is thicker and always in the same spot of the deck. I assume it is a suction problem in that part of the deck.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

I despise the whole concept of having to mow the lawn, so I feel the Ryobi does ok. Not great, but I have low standards. I would love no lawn, but I have 3 dogs and removing a lawn is a ton of work, and then what do you put in.

[MultiVerse]

Gas powered leaf blowers are a toxic menace in cities. Electric blowers are quieter and nontoxic:

The most obvious critique of the leaf blower is that it’s an obnoxious, destructive piece of machinery. As everyone within earshot of one knows, gasoline-powered leaf blowers are noisy. Deafening, in fact. The device blasts 95 to 115 decibels of sound at its operator.

At the same time, leaf blowers emit toxic pollution. The blower’s two-stroke engine drinks a combustible mix of oil and gas, but a typical leaf blower burns just two-thirds of its fuel, spewing the rest into the air. That’s why two-stroke gas engines have been phased out in nearly all applications—except landscape maintenance. The noxious stew of gases released by leaf blowers—including cancer-causing benzene, volatile organic compounds, ozone, and nitrogen oxides—is a health hazards for workers and bystanders alike.

https://richardheinberg.com/muselett...strial-society

[AK47bp]

Fuck gas leaf blowers!




Anticipated response from some bro that lives on 5 acres with giant trees to be contrarian.

[Meadow Skipper]

I’m visiting a friend in Sonoma CA, they’ve outlawed gas powered blowers here. Nice progressive touch. Love my battery powered blower.

[singlesline]

I also have the 40v Ryobi mower. No leaves, but are you guys happy with how it mows? From day 1, mine will leave a 1/2" wide strip of uncut grass. Not on every pass, usually when grass is thicker and always in the same spot of the deck. I assume it is a suction problem in that part of the deck.

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I'm happy enough. I do try to keep it sharp, but the actual grass mowing seems fine. Never had a problem like you describe, but I do have to overlap my passes a bit more than I'd like because the lower suction can fail to pull up the grass that gets pushed down by the wheels.

Mine is the older 40V brushless 20", not the current "HP" version. Maybe the HP has enough extra power to make up for it. I've often wished I could control the speed manually--when it hits thick grass, it goes into turbo boost mode and spins the blade faster, and since I have far more battery life than I need, I wouldn't mind just spinning the blade faster all the time.

If I had a bigger lawn, I'd probably look at something like an Ego 21" non-self propelled (they are so much lighter than gas...and unless you have steep hills, I prefer to actually push something). I don't really care about battery compatibility on the mower--mowers have wheels so there's no reason not to use the biggest battery possible, but you won't want to use that on hand-held tools.