About two years ago, I purchased a Ryobi 13″ battery powered electric push mower. At the time, I thought I’d shoot a review, but then I decided I wanted to really get some use out of the mower first so I could have a good honest opinion on it.
Here we are, two years later, and I have to say that overall, I’ve very happy with my purchase.
This mower uses the Ryobi 18V battery system. I already had a few Ryobi tools – drills, impact, radio, power inverter – which all run off these same batteries. So, buying a mower which used the same batteries made sense, as I wouldn’t need to buy any spare batteries, and I could also use the lawn mower battery with any of my other tools.
The other thing I was looking for was SIMPLE and LIGHT. About a year previous, I was injured fairly badly and have limited use of my left shoulder/wrist/arm. This makes yard work challenging, even just pushing a lawn mower.
Weighing in at only about 20 pounds, this mower is easy to push. I can even have my ten year old daughter mow the lawn and she has no trouble with it whatsoever. It easily lifts into the back of a small car (without getting that nasty gasoline smell in the vehicle!) and can even be hung on the garage wall for space-saving storage.
Like all electric mowers, it’s amazing how low maintenance these machines are. Gone are the days of mixing gas and oil, checking spark plugs, changing oil, and all the other associated work for a gas mower. And with it being battery powered, there’s no worry about accidentally running over an electric extension cord either!
Electric mowers also tend to be very quiet compared to gas versions.
This particular mower only has a 13″ cutting path. That’s about the narrowest width available on consumer mowers. It’s great for trimming and small yards, but would be very slow for larger properties. For a big yard, it’s a nice complement to a riding lawn mower.
Power on this mower is fine for general mowing. However, it’s a bit limited if you get into heavy and wet grass. For really unkemp areas, I typically raise the deck and then use a back-and-forth cut which sort of “double-cuts” the brush.
The 18V system is great because I ALREADY had batteries, chargers, and other tools that all run on the same system. However, if you are “starting form scratch”, you might want to take a look at a higher voltage or different brand. Ryobi has a number of 40V cordless yard tools. In a face to face test of my 18V string trimmer vs a neighbors 40V, the 40V was significantly more powerful. (On the other hand, my trimmer was SUPER CHEAP at a rummage sale)
Another thing to consider is a battery system that you use year-round. Brands such as Ego (https://amzn.to/3apEIqB) have a range of equipment including both mowers AND snow throwers. That way, instead of only using your expensive batteries in just the summer, you can also use them in the winter to keep your driveway or sidewalk clear of snow!
Because manufacturers now offer such a larger range of cordless tools, there’s really no need anymore to use gasoline for yard work. Your neighbors will also appreciate the quiet!
