These electric garden tools sure have improved in just the last few years. I bought a nice Honda gas mower quite a few years ago and just put a new set of rear wheels on it last week. When it dies, I’ll pony up for an e-mower. But if it’s anything like Honda motorcycles, it may outlive me.
We bought a Ryobi “one HP” electric mower to replace a GMC petrol thing which had problems, it’s fine for our small lawns. Lighter, no fumes, battery life OK for our purposes. We buy green power so feel OK using it.
I got a Greenworks 80V four years ago and the batteries haven’t slipped one iota yet (knock on wood). It’s odd though, the 4Ah has always lasted longer than the 5Ah. Will also never go back and wish I could get an electric snow blower. Alas, my petrol burner my never die.
I went with an EGO push mower. I had my doubts but it’s hanging in for its 4th summer and I see no degrading of its battery. Out here (CO) I now refer to what was midwest ‘cut the grass’ to ‘cut the yard’, as I’ve narrowed down my limit on weeds to pretty much thorny, as anything green stays- ha. Interestingly, I charge it up for the winter and remove the battery from the charger, and when I go to re-charge in the spring I’ve found it fully charged, so no loss over the winter.
Since I do have plenty of power to get through what yard I do cut, I wish the blade and walking speed was a bit faster, but other than that it’s nice not to have that 2 gallon gas tank in the garage…
Yes, same here.
Another vote of confidence for the 80v Greenworks line. Mower, blower, swappable head trimmer, and chainsaw have all seen extensive use. The electric chainsaw and trimmer both weigh more than their gas powered counterparts. The gas trimmer is superior - it uses thicker line and spins faster. Gas chainsaw is preferred due to the weight and run time.
i have the greenworks, 80V push lawnmover, not the newer self propelled one, though need to get that, but then we are usually out 4-5 weeks in summer, so makes sense to give the mowing to some local. Just for the shoulder season it’s good enough. also have the small 80V snowblower and the big 2 stage snowblower. the small one is very light and handy for clearing 3-4 inches of light snow, the big one for heavier snow and more importantly the snow plough curd that gets thrown on the end of the driveway - the small one can;t handle it. Also have the trimmer. don’t have any gas powered tools - the initial cost is much higher, and lower power, though the newer tools are catching up, but way less hassle factor and noise!
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Picked up our new Lexus UX300h yesterday after a five week wait, ‘platinum’ with black interior. Wait on a Corolla Cross was six to eight months, so Lexus it was, although more $$; the Corolla felt a bit cheap in comparison to our ex-CX-30 even though it cost more.
Beautiful car, very comfortable, quiet and smooth, even with run flat tyres. We’re still wading our way through about 600 pages of manuals and have yet to work out all the tech of course. Sound is by Mark Levinson, very clear and can play plenty loud enough but perhaps lacking a little in bass compared to the - I hate to say this - B*** system in the Mazda. Will look at the EQ if I can work out how to get to it!
One thing we can’t find in the menus is the ‘Idiot Detector Warning System’ which we specified on the order. However, if we do find it, the thing will be going off all the time around here.
Other than that, the Lexus has everything.
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Still using the same gasoline powered Simplicity two stage snow blower since 1988. And the same Poulan Pro gasoline powered lawn mower since about 1995. I also like my gasoline powered 4 cycle weed wacker and 2 cycle leaf blower. Very dependable products with lots of power. They usually start on the first pull, unless it is extremely cold out. No screwing around charging batteries, (or forgeting to charge them between cycles).
“ … I charge it up for the winter and remove the battery from the charger, and when I go to re-charge in the spring I’ve found it fully charged, so no loss over the winter. …”.
For long term storage, it is best to store LiFePo4 from 50%-70%. Storing at a high soc can increase degradation, especially in high temps. Of course, those ego batteries may not be LiFePo4.
This should power your mower all year, and the house for a few days.
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After posting that, it got me to thinking they are some pretty smart people here when it comes to things electrical … anyone here familiar with separately derived systems, in relation to having two completely separate electrical systems powering the same building?
I have had a EGO mower for a couple of years and it’s great. Much lighter than the old gas mower and much quieter. I also picked up an EGO power head and a string trimmer and power broom attachments that work with it. They all work with the same battery. I use the power broom for light snow falls that don’t warrant the snow blower. Our driveway has a 17 degree grade and it needs to be spotless to get up.
I have a Snow Joe electric snow blower. It can move snow as well as the Honda it replaced but the power chute freezes up easily. After 3 years it was ready for a new set of rubber paddles. I went to their website and they weren’t in stock and i couldn’t find them anywhere. I called them to see when they would be back in stock and discovered that they had come out with a new model and those parts would no longer be available. They did offer me a 10% rebate on the new model. Needless to say they will never get another dime of mine. I bought some truck mud flaps and made my own replacements. I may part it out since it has 2 100V batteries.
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I’ve had e-envy since you posted about your IONIQ 6. How’s that been working out for you?
i am interested in your battery backup system and the dual failover question/direction you are going. I do not have a suggestion for you, but do you mind, creating a separate topic for this. there should be a lot of good info.
This guy is great!
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I love the Ioniq6. The speed is effortless and quiet. I haven’t taken it on a trip where I’ve exceed it’s range, but have charged it at local public chargers which cost me less than $8 while I had dinner at a nearby restaurant. It cost half that to charge at home off 120V but can take days. That’s not a problem since I’m retired. In two years several car makers intend to have cars with new solid state battery tech. Twice the range, faster charge times, lighter, no cold weather loss of range and impossible to burn. I will never own a ICE vehicle again.
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yep, waiting for next gen battery tech for cars. right now, EV would be good for around town, but i have an older beater winter leave it in the ditch vehicle, doesn’t make much sense to upgrade, till the wheels fall off. Out of town. ICE is still preferred, due to range and easy of filling up and taking scenic routes!
@ron_e are you using the wall plug or have you installed the garage charger, the garage charger should be faster, but still not supercharger fast, but should eb able to get you fully charged overnight.
I’m using the 120v Level 1 charger that came with the car. The cost is prohibitive to add a 240V Level 2 charger. Our garage is detached and we’d need to run a new service to it for 240 volts.
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Friends in our street have an IONIQ, it’s extremely comfortable, quiet and roomy and has great acceleration: they charge it from their solar panels for free! Great car.
The owner’s a car fan and also has a Citroen 2CV, Golf GTI and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow.
Only drawbacks I can see with the IONIQ are its weight - which means it might be heavy on tyres and brakes - and its lack of buttons, with most things done through the screen. Not as extreme as a Tesla, which even uses the screen to open the glovebox.
I find our new Lexus harder to operate than the ex-Mazda, which was much less complicated, had more buttons and didn’t lack for features. I preferred the Mazda’s non-touch screen, too, but no car is perfect and we’ll get used to the Lexus in time.
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With the regenerative braking turned on I almost never use the brakes. I don’t use the highest level which is one pedal driving mode. Let up on the accelerator and the car will come to a stop without braking. I’ve read that if you don’t hit the accelerator hard all the time tire usage is reasonable.
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