Which is better? Which one should you buy for 2020? This comparison of our Kobalt 80V mower review and our Greenworks Pro 80V mower review was done by our team at C-ELMR to make the choice easier for you.
These are both good quality mowers but each has its fault. It depends on what you can live with. So which one did you have your heart set on?
Take a look at the results below and tell me if you were on point with your assumptions. Looking forward to seeing you in the comment section below!
How will you decide which electric mower is better for you?
Whenever you are comparing two electric mowers, there are the areas that you should consider:
- Design
- Power
- Performance
- Efficiency and ease of use
- Durability
- Warranty
This is exactly what we did for you. Let’s start with the mower designs.
Design – Which mower was designed with you in mind?
Both mowers have good designs but Greenworks has an edge over Kobalt. Why? Battery selection and variation in height adjustments.
Update 2020: Kobalt now available with 5Ah battery but it is more expensive than GreenWorks –Link provided at the end of the article.
Batteries – How long can you spend on your lawn before they die?
Kobalt 80V mower comes with 2 2Ah batteries.
The Greenworks Pro 80 Volts mower has more variation in battery selections. If you have thick grass, this choice is especially important for you.
The batteries of both Kobalt and Greenworks tend to drain faster in tall or thick grass. You can get longer run time from your Kobalt or Greenworks Pro 80V mower if you buy a 4Ah or 5Ah battery and charger kit instead of, or with your 2Ah battery option.
I am not sure how it works at your local stores but these options in battery and mower combinations are available on Amazon
Current Prices for different Greenworks mower kits on Amazon
The mower 2Ah kit above is comparable to the Kobalt mower kit with the two 2Ah batteries and the lawn mower.
This 4Ah kit gives 60 minutes of run time without switching batteries. If you buy the 4Ah battery as an extra power source, you can mow close to an acre of moderately grown grass.
The 5Ah battery will last up to 80 minutes in moderate grass height and thickness. This is the ultimate additional battery source. If you get this as an additional battery with your 2Ah mower kit, mowing an acre of your lawn will be a breeze.
Chargers…
Both Kobalt and Greenworks chargers are of great quality and easy to use. All you need to do is find a power outlet, place the batteries in the charging slots and they will both be fully charged in 30 minutes.
Greenworks gets an edge over Kobalt because the Greenworks charger can cool off the battery before charging it. This increases the lifespan of your batteries.
Height adjustments – Which mower will be easier to use in tall grass?
The maximum height adjustment on the Kobalt mower is just 3.75 inches and 3.63 for Greenworks yet Kobalt does not handle tall grass as well as Greenworks.
Which mower is more powerful? Kobalt Versus Greenworks
Points to note:
- Even if you buy the 2Ah Greenworks Pro 80V kit, Greenworks generally does a better job powering through your lawn than the Kobalt 80V 2Ah mower, without bogging down.
- In thick grass, the battery options allow Greenworks to get the edge in the power department, as it takes longer to drain. You can truly abandon your 160cc gas mower if you can get yourself a Greenworks Pro 80V 4Ah or 5Ah battery.
This brings us to performance.
Performance
So GreenWorks is more powerful but which mower performs better on your lawn?
Points to note:
- The only drawback we found with the Kobalt 80V mower is that it does not perform very well in tall, thick grass.
- The only drawback we found with the GreenWorks mower is that it does not mulch as well as the Kobalt does in damp or wet grass. It does an okay job but you might have some leaves left behind depending on how tall or damp your grass is when mulching. It mulches great on dry grass.
- Greenworks has a slight edge over Kobalt with run time using the 2Ah batteries. Nothing significant unless you are using the 4Ah or 5Ah batteries on the Greenworks 80V mower.
Efficiency and Ease of Use
Points to note:
- Both are easy to maneuver around your lawn.
- Both are light and easy to carry to and from storage
- However, Greenworks can be stored both vertically and horizontally which allows for more storage space.
Durability and Warranty
Which 80V mower is more durable, Kobalt or Greenworks?
Both have steel decks and look very durable. Customers gave both Kobalt and Greenworks a thumbs up for the durability of both mowers and batteries.
Blades last similar times depending on the consistency of your grass. Do you have a lot of protruding stones? Well, your blades will get dull faster. You can click here to read our tips on How to Maintain and Care your electric mower
Who has the better warranty?
Kobalt has a 5-year warranty on the mowers and 3 years on the batteries.
Greenworks has 4 years warranty on the mowers and 1 year on the batteries.
So Kobalt takes the cake here.
Overall Value – My final opinion
Both are worth the purchase. They are both two powerful mowers that will last many years. I would go with Greenworks because they have a wide range of interchangeable battery options for longer run time. These batteries can also be used with many other Greenworks tools, like hedge trimmers, snow and leaf blowers, etc.
HELPFUL SUMMARY COMPARISON TABLES
Related Video Review of both mowers
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New EGO 56V Select Cut 21″ Self-Propelled Mower Versus GreenWorks Pro 80V, 4Ah Self-Propelled Mower
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something to take into consideration is replacement mower blades. Can’t find ’em.
Thank you for the in depth review.
After going through it all, for me it would come down to price, and the fact that the Greenworks seems to have a complete range of products with interchangeable parts. I also liked the dual battery powered mower from Greenworks. I think that is good innovation.
After saying all that I would probably buy the Kobalt.! because of its better warranty.
Kobalt for the win!
Choices, choices. You’re welcome, Micheal. Thanks for the feedback
I am on my 5th year with the Kobalt. Mine came with 2 2ah batteries and the first one will be charged by the time you use up the 2nd one. I also have the 80v string trimmer that came with a battery also so I have 3 batteries and I never have to wait for a fresh battery. The trimmer is amazing and every bit as good as my old $350.00 Stihl but now I need no gas and oil. If I used a blower more often I would buy it too but $200.00 for once or twice a year isn’t worth the price.
Hi Crystal,
These mowers are good, even if each has an advantage over the other. I like your comparison it tells me everything I need for a decision.
I have heard of people using Greenworks 80V Pro Mower commercially and that it totally replaced their gas mowers. The other day we couldn’t ground maintain our premises and we called in a company to help out. They used Kobalt 80V Mowers and we were amazed at what they accomplished. I will be honest, at first I thought they would fail, I mean we have seen it before. But they did the work fast, after we had a good talk about those machines so I ended up with a link to this site.
They frequent here for reviews. Thank Crystal for these reviews they save us time online.
Thank you! And tell them I appreciate them taking the time to read my reviews. Happy to help
Thanks Crystal for sharing such a nice information and comparison of Kobalt Vs Greenwork Lawn Mower. I also found that Kobalt Lawn mower is cheaper in price as compared with Greenworks lawn mower.
My favorite is also a greenworks because it is more reliable and has long life. Let me know your views here?
Thanks
Features of Kobalt Lawn mowers
# Comes from the house of Kobalt
# Good power and runtime
# Added deck
# More power
# Commendable runtime
# Easy to use
Features of Greenworks Lawn mowers
# Ideal for big lawns
# Good pricing
# Big deck
# Budget mower with bigger deck
# Electric model
# Easy to use and store
# Ideal for diverse needs
# Reliable brand
# Great runtime
Good morning, I run a small landscape business and wanted to share my experiences with the Kobalt 80 mower. This has replaced my gas mowers completely, I only use gas when I have extra personnel and require the extra mowers.
The Kobalt system is simple and effective, no more maintenance other than changing out tool heads, blades etc.
In fact, I don’t even carry gasoline on the truck anymore. I rigged a generator to the truck for when we run out of charge so we are a sort of gas hybrid system. I have seen gasoline consumption go from five gallons a month to about one gallon in six months as some of my clients are excited about gas free mowing and will allow me to plug into their homes outlets.
The electric equipment is more powerful, more reliable, and more smooth operating than gas. The motors have lasted longer than their gas counterparts that were brand new.
I have started looking at other gas equipment and started wondering whether I could replace their gas engines with a kobalt designed motor. Equipment such as logsplitters, air compressors, and other such equipment that require a separate deck engine that is usually loud, hard starting and problematic due to non regular use conditions.
You will be hard pressed to find me purchasing a gas powered tool that can be replaced with an electric option, and I do this work commercially.
I wish that electric car builders would follow this lead.
Good day Crystal.
Hi there Cake,
Thanks for dropping in and sharing your experience. Glad to see that you were able to use this Kobalt electric mower on a commercial level without any hiccups. Many people are afraid to trade in their noisy, smelly gas mowers, out of fear that the electric mowers just will not get the job done. People like you are proof that electric mowers are not only the future but they are the “Now” and everyone should get in line. You are saving us a lot of extra CO2 right there. I say go electric with as much of your equipment as possible and if you do, you can swing by here again and let me know how they are working out for you.
All the best Cake,
-Crystal
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for the comparison attempt. I would encourage you to look a little more into this and update your post, as some of the major info is off, starting with the prices. The Kobalt is available for $400 at Lowe’s. Quoting $600 is just wrong. Kobalt is a Lowe’s brand (like Ryobi and Home Depot) so looking online will always have an inflated price.
The greenworks as usually sold is more expensive with one 4Ah battery, so you have to wait to charge if it takes you longer rather than switching.
I am not in favor of one or the other but listing the Kobalt as $600+ is not helpful for deciding. If it was only available at some random local store for $400 that would be one thing, but Lowe’s is nearly everywhere.
You told Oscar you did ‘intensive’ research…well the price mistake would say otherwise. 😉
Hi alvin,
Thanks for all your insightful suggestions. The price was not a mistake but this post needed to be updated to reflect current prices. The prices for both mowers reflected the prices in 2017 when the post was originally published. They both went down since then. Will try to update more frequently to reflect current prices.
Always a pleasure hearing from our readers so thanks for dropping by!
Thanks for the informative review. Just my two cents on the Kobalt brand in general: This is my 5th mowing season with the Kobalt, 40 Volt Lawn Mower. I know some people have had some problems with the quality control, but I’ve had nothing but good luck. I have a medium sized lawn and I can mow it and still have enough battery juice left to use my Kobalt Blower to clean-up.
I like that the Kobalt Lawn Mower is light weight. Other models I’ve tried were made from heavy metal that is used in gas mowers. Honestly, I think the light-weight, dual blade design has kept my lawn looking smoother and nicer these last 5 years.
That’s great! Both mowers seem to work very well for everybody else also
This is my third season using my 80v Kobalt. I was overwhelmed the first time I used it. The power was incredible and the motor speed increased when I hit some tall grass never hesitated. I like the fact batteries charge quickly in 30 minutes although I would like the option of purchasing a 4AH. All in all I luv this mower and actually look forward to mowing the lawn. It is so light to push and easy to maneuver.
I also added the 80v weed trimmer to my lawn tools and grateful I did. This beast is amazing and I like the fact I can use my old interchangeable tools with it.
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your experience Bob! Many readers will benefit from your contribution.
I just purchased a Kobalt mower ( RWD version ) from a local Lowes ( due to battery warranty ) but have not yet had time to try it;
been raining a LOT in Chicago area when I am home.
I tried to find the weight for the powered version but only know the mower box lists the packed mower as 13 pounds heavier than the unpowered version ( 58 pounds sounds a bit light per what I lifted compared to my gas Toro ) The Kobalt doesn’t seem very much lighter than my gas powered mower – maybe 15 pounds lighter based on just lifting both individually- no scale to put it on. 😉
What I don’t like is that batteries – it seems for any mower – can’t be purchased locally; must buy on line.
Hey Robert,
It has been raining here on and off for about 3 weeks now, so I know what you mean. And ordering online isn’t really a bad thing when you look at it. Its just a click away! Stores like Amazon, Target and Lowe’s offer safe online shopping experiences.
Let me know how it performs when you finally get a chance to use it.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience with us. Always appreciated.
-Crystal
Greenworks makes the Kobalt mower
Yes and they are both great products. These two mowers gave different results though. I hope you found the comparison helpful.
Thanks for stopping by
Hello Crystal,
With Gas mowers i have done reasearch that suggests you need 5 horsepower or 163 cubic centimeters for a cut that will ctually cut instead of rip the grass. Based on your conversion above, both mowers cant produce even 1 hp. The conversion is 1 hp to 745.7 watts, which is almost double what both mowers produce.
will the mowers still be able to cut the grass well and not rip the grass?
Thank you.
Hey Blake,
Thanks for dropping in.
These mowers really do give you a clean cut. Not the ripping and bending effect you will see with some of the poorly designed electric mowers. All you have to do is keep your batteries charged and your blades sharp. We have a video of the Greenworks mower at work in the Individual review. You can take a look at that. No video available here for the Kobalt mower though but from what I have seen, it cuts well also.
-Crystal
Good review. One point though- you can’t multiply voltage by amp hours to get power. Power is voltage times amps.
A higher amp hour battery *may* be able to produce more amps, but it will be very dependent on the full system.
You are absolutely right. It does depend on other factors in the system like the energy wasted, etc etc. The hr would mean the answer would be technically called capacity and not power. The logics we were working with would be V x Ah = Watt- hour, which is indeed called capacity (a measure of energy). Capacity or A “watt-hour” is equivalent to producing a watt of power for one hour. I get you though. I’ll update to include that info in brackets so others will understand. Thanks for your very insightful comment. Hope you drop by again soon!
I think you missed his point. Your chart calculating power from V * Ah is not correct. That is just capacity. Your chart implies, however, that this is a power difference. The higher A batteries from Greenworks only give you more running time, nothing more. Power for these types of machines is very complicated and really has to physically ‘measured’ rather than calculated.
Hello again Alvin,
Thanks for dropping by again. This was addressed under the post you are referring to and that section was deleted to avoid further confusion.
Hi Crystal,
you sure made it a hard decision for the reader to find out which mower is better. You did your research well. Both are excellent options and a must have for small lawns.
This is the first time I heard of a battery operated lawnmower. Can you tell me a little bit about it? You mention that you do have some time on the lawn before battery life is gone. However, have you tried it yourself? I am always skeptical when it comes to battery operated machines because they are often not the best option, but I love the fact that you don’t need gas and over all, no cord that are disturbing you while mowing the lawn.
Thanks,
Oscar
Hey Oscar,
Battery operated mowers are the new eco friendly solutions to your environmentally hazardous gas mowers. People prefer battery operated over corded mowers simply because it is annoying to drag the cord all over your lawn. The Greenworks and Kobalt 80V mowers are two of the best cordless electric lawn mowers on the market. They are both packing a lot of power compared to other cordless electric mowers. Other battery operated mowers have given the consumers poor expectations of battery operated mowers because the batteries just cannot take on your entire lawn without 2 or three charges per mower session. Added to that, they usually take forever to charge. These guys are packing the power to handle a small lawn to medium sized lawn and they come with an extra fast charging battery to go even longer.
To answer your other question, I have not tried any of these as yet but intensive research was done on each. I used the feedback, reports and videos from people all over the world who purchased them and used them in various lawn conditions. I compared reports of complaints as well as praises from customers to the company’s claims on how the mower was intended to work and then compiled the reviews of each. The reviews were then compared.
If you want to see some live reviews of our winner from verified purchases, visit here and scroll down to the feedback section.
I hope you switch out your mower soon. The environment will thank you. If you have any other questions, continue our chat here or if you need to talk in private, use our contact C-ELMR page and we will ge back to you promptly.
Thanks for dropping by and Happy Holidays from all of us at C-ELMR!
Thanks Crystal for sharing such a nice information and comparison of Kobalt Vs Greenwork Lawn Mower. I also found that Kobalt Lawn mower is cheaper in price as compared with Greenworks lawn mower. Here is the price detailed review and price list of both lawnmowers
My favorite is also a greenworks because it is more reliable and has long life. Let me know your views here?
Thanks