During my usual troll online to find good mowers, I came across the EGO 21″ 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Lawn Mower. EGO usually does excellent mowers and tools overall but I was not sure about this one. This review focuses on the older version of the three 56V cordless electric mowers that EGO has on the market.
Click here for our review of the newer version with self-propulsion and other improved features. The 20″ 56V mower review is coming next.
C-ELMR Product Review-Updated 2020
Product: EGO 21″ 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Lawn Mower
Company: EGO
General Market Price: USD 290 – $850 depending on the battery kit
Best place to buy: Amazon
Warranty: 5 years
Now let us look at the details of the different aspects mentioned in the overview and explain why they were rated as such.
Here is a video from EGO showing how EGO Power + is supposed to work.
After watching the video, you will see that they really did not ask you to expect much from the mower. Put aside the cool guy and cool music in the video, what we are left with is:
- Delivers as much torque as a gas mower
- Simple adjustments of height to customize your cut
- Changing handle positions and deck height are simple to adjust
- 5.0 Ah battery runs up to 45 minutes on a single charge
- Lights allow you to mow at late nights and early mornings
- The battery is weather resistant
- Easy to fold handle and pack away your mower
So do these claims have any merit or, was it just a big bag of talk and no substance? Let me show you what I discovered. First, let us look at the design.
Design
The good:
- Push-button, pull bail switch start option (seen in videos below)
- Bagging, Mulching, and sideways discharge options are available with this Ego mower.
- The EGO 56V max mower was designed with great ergonomics to be easily maneuvered around your lawn.
- It is light so you will not be stressed each time you take it to your garage or basement. It is 37.5 inches long, 22.5 inches wide and 16.6 inches tall.
- The cutting width is great. The blades are 21 inches long. The front wheels are 7 inches tall while the back wheels are 9 inches.
- One adjuster is used for all four wheels and is easily adjusted as seen in the video.
- It is much quieter than a gas mower (20Db)
- It has LED lights for night mowing
- It is easy to folded handles just like the video said.
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Great Batteries!
I will take a few moments to tell you more about the batteries because they are really good.
The EGO 56 V push mower comes with a high capacity 4Ah, 5.0 Ah or 7.5Ah ARC Lithium battery. All of which are superior in the market in terms of power.
The Power+ 21” Mower will give you 45 minutes on your lawn. That should be enough time to get your medium-sized lawn under control.
If you have a large lawn, you might need to get it charged during your break.
It takes 60 minutes to charge. This is a bit long but only because the charger actually cools off the battery while it charges.
The batteries are very durable in all weather conditions when compared to other brands because it has a special design.
The “ARC” in the lithium-ion battery name is talking about the shape of the battery. This design allows for the dissipation of heat while providing a completely sealed design. It is coated in black epoxy to prevent damage from the weather conditions. It also helps to keep the battery safe in the case of drops. The battery is compatible with all EGO Power + tools so if you have other power plus tools you can use it in this mower also.
The Bad
- My issue with the design is that the clips at the side of the mower that used to adjust the height of the handles are made of cheap plastic and over time, they will loosen several times during a mowing session.
- The Ego 56 push mower cuts from 1 1/2 inches to 3.5 inches high. Maximum height adjustment is low so there is no space under the mower to facilitate the suction needed to really utilize the mulching feature.
So let us see how that feature will perform in our performance section of the review. EGO made no claims in the video that their mulching is great so it would be your fault for assuming it is lol.
We’ve got you covered. No need to assume
Here is a video showing the feature details, tall grass cutting, and mulching
Power and Performance of the EGO 21″ 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Lawn Mower on Full charge
As powerful as a gas mower? I think not but It does very well. It does not work as good as a gas mower on tall, wet grass. It is a good alternative to the smelly gas mower for many other reasons.
The Good:
- zero harmful emissions
- Less headache from the noisy mower
- Forget that smelly gas scent that follows you around even after taking a shower.
- Sideway discharge is okay. You can request a chute from the company and they will generally send it within 5 days from what I have seen.
- You will work faster with this light, easily maneuvered mower.
- Bagging is good also but wet grass is a problem.
- Mulching is good but…
The bad
Mulching wet grass of the devil’s height!
It gets bogged down, stalls continuously while in the mulching option on very wet, thick, tall grass. If you do not allow your grass to grow to the devil’s height, this should be fine as seen in the video below in the efficiency and ease of use section.
Mulching wet lawns eat batteries more than the cookie monster gobbles down cookies so you might not get more than 35 minutes from this mower in those conditions.
Efficiency and Ease of Use
- Being a brushless motor, this mower heats up less and functions more efficiently.
- Removing the battery and charging it is simple also. There is an indicator on the battery panel to show you the battery level during mower.
- The lightness of the mower along with the design makes it easy to maneuver around the lawn and storage during winter is no hassle to get it in your basement.
- Switching from bagging to mulching is just as you see it in the videos above.
- Removing the bag and replacing it is no trouble at all.
- Folding the handle for storage is made simple by the adjusters on the handle as mentioned above but adjusting the handle becomes difficult over time as the clips wear and become difficult to stay in place during a mowing session.
Durability
Well, this part has me concerned. I saw some customers saying that the EGO 56 Volt push mower works okay at first then mower stops working between 1-3 years but most people said it works great all the way through. There is a 5-year warranty on it so you can get that replaced if it is not something drastic like you dropping it while taking it to storage. As mentioned above, adjusting the handle becomes difficult over time as the clips wear and become difficult to stay in place during a mowing session so you might need to tape them down after a few years.
Ease of locating replacements for wearable parts
As mentioned above, the batteries are universal for all the EGO power plus tools so you will not have a problem going on your computer and ordering one online to be delivered at your doorsteps. The charger is the same.
The 21-inch blades are also available online.
If you damage any other part of the mower, you can call the company and ask for a repair shop near you.
Customer Service from Company
We got through within 5 minutes. The company answered all our questions and they were ready to suggest plausible solutions for problems. Overall excellent service. Naturally, you might have to deal with the company you bought you mower from directly if you have certain problems like shipping, etc. but as far as questions and answers go, excellent customer service.
Summary
Pros and praises from buyers
- The very powerful mower for flat surfaces and well-kept lawn
- Very durable, weather-proof batteries
- Batteries can be used for other EGO power tools
- Easy to start
- Light and easy to maneuver around your lawn.
- One handle adjusts all your wheel heights
- Long battery life. Batteries actually last as long as the company says it does but only of flat, dry grass (45 minutes)
- 3 different cutting options
- Have LED lights for nighttime or early morning mowing
- More silent than a gas-powered mower
Cons and complaints from buyers
- Does not mulch well without stalling in tall, thick, wet grass
- Maximum height adjustment is limited
- Plastic Clips on handle wear over years
Video review after 4-years of using the EGO 21″ 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Lawn Mower
Overall Value – Is this mower worth the purchase?
Well if you are looking for a powerful alternative to your smelly gas mower, this is definitely worth the buy. If you have less than 1/3 acres of lawn and do not plan to use the mulching option in wet, thick, awfully tall grass, you can mow on one battery charge. If you have a bigger lawn, you can mow on two or grab yourself an extra battery. It will be worth it in the long run so go for it!
Check out more reviews from customers on amazon by clicking the link below
View all the reviews of similar mowers from there link below.
Walk-Behind Push Mowers Reviews
Video comparing a Honda gas mower with this Ego
UPGRADE AVAILABLE! EGO has 2 new and improved 56 Volt mower. Take a look at one review here
EGO 56V 21″ Self Propelled Lawn Mower Review
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