Going battery on the yard tools

I bought the Ryobi 'battery' grass-trimmer and hedge clipper.
They are great .... no more extension cords.
Ryobi 40V batteries come in 2, 4 and 6 aH / very pricey, but worth it.
For yard work, I'd want a minimum 40V @4aH (or more).

4aH Battery is $159.
Complete setup and charger is $169.

If you're going to invest in 'battery' yard tools, see what other tools would run off the same battery.
Example: leaf blower etc.
 
Anyone here made the switch?

Here are the mower's I have in mind.

Kobalt 40v mower
Ryobi 40v mower

String trimmers,

Kobalt 40v trimmer
Ryobi 40v trimmer

I have 1/3 acre or less it's an hoa so everyone basically has same property lot. Any input thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated. I didn't list a blower that's because I still have my poulan 2-stroke blower. Thanks

Im battery on the string trimmer, pole saw, & hedge trimmers and have an electric chain saw.

Went with the Makita 36V combo head- its pretty awesome.

Im still gas on the mower and backpack blower.
 
I’ve gone Makita (who practically invented cordless tools) for both string trimmer and blower.

Having the same battery/charger system is important. Both the blower (which uses 2 18v li-ion batteries) and trimmer (which uses 1) last long enough on a charge to do our modest yard.

I liked the blower so much, and it works so well, that I bought a second one for my shop, where I’ve already got Makita cordless drills and impact. Same batteries. Same chargers.

Mower for our modest yard would be easy, but Makita is pricey and Mrs. Astro has rejected the idea a couple of times (I just got a raise/promotion, so one might show up anyway, but that’s another story).

It is absolutely great to eliminate electric cords and/or fuel handling and maintenance on those two pieces of equipment. If the batteries support doing the property in one charge, you will love the quiet, easy to use, low maintenance equipment.

I would seriously consider selling the Poulan and adopting the cordless. Leaf blower is ideally suited to cordless: you’re moving around a lot, you just pull the trigger to start it, and it’s quieter.
 
The Ryobi will certainly give you a lot of other tool options. They are priced pretty competatively. On the down side they are not the most Robust. I can not comment on the Kobalt chordless mowers. If you take decent care of your equipment the Ryobi should give you a satisfying ownership experinece.

How long does it take to mow your 1/3 acre of grass?

I hear nothing but good things about the Ego battery equipment. However they are more expensive.
 
My 45 yr old Stihl Farmboss gave up the ghost. I bought a gasket set and carb for it. Tore it all down and had a revelation. I liked my brother's Greenworks cordless saw. So I bought one. I am contemplating buying the 21" mower that uses the same batteries
 
Update: just bought the Makita 18”. This model:


Prices have come down. 10% discount for military at Home Depot makes it even more attractive.

We were already using a corded electric, which I liked for the low maintenance and quiet. Looking forward to cutting the cord…
 
How long does it take to mow your 1/3 acre of grass?
I'm in the house since October this was the 3rd cut... 1st cut was $40 last 2 cuts $50(ea.) So I definitely have to do something with buying equipment. Takes the lawn guy 20-25 mins
 
I’ve gone Makita (who practically invented cordless tools) for both string trimmer and blower.

Having the same battery/charger system is important. Both the blower (which uses 2 18v li-ion batteries) and trimmer (which uses 1) last long enough on a charge to do our modest yard.

I liked the blower so much, and it works so well, that I bought a second one for my shop, where I’ve already got Makita cordless drills and impact. Same batteries. Same chargers.

Mower for our modest yard would be easy, but Makita is pricey and Mrs. Astro has rejected the idea a couple of times (I just got a raise/promotion, so one might show up anyway, but that’s another story).

It is absolutely great to eliminate electric cords and/or fuel handling and maintenance on those two pieces of equipment. If the batteries support doing the property in one charge, you will love the quiet, easy to use, low maintenance equipment.

I would seriously consider selling the Poulan and adopting the cordless. Leaf blower is ideally suited to cordless: you’re moving around a lot, you just pull the trigger to start it, and it’s quieter.

The 36V blower is great and for a garage, porch, or small yard - its awesome.

It used to come with 4 batts and a dual charger, so in effect the blower was free.

It runs about 8 min on high so I cant tackle my yard with it but for small jobs I'm with you.

Really curious to hear your feeback on the mower!
 
I've considered moving to cordless battery lawn tools but haven't made the switch as of yet. I've got all Honda and Echo stuff and the oldest piece of equipment is my CS-310 chainsaw which is only about 6 years old so I think I should be set for awhile. There seem to be a lot of good options out there now and I'm sure they'll be even better by the time I'm finally ready to replace my equipment.
 
The 36V blower is great and for a garage porch or small yard - its awesome.

It used to come with 4 batts and a dual charger, so in effect the blower was free.

It runs about 8 min on high so I cant tackle my yard with it but for small jobs I'm with you.

Really curious to hear your feeback on the mower!
Thanks. Mower came with 4 batteries as well. $359 + tax. Given the price of batteries, the mower and charger were free…

Same batteries as the blower, drills, multi-tool, sawzall and impact I keep at the house. I’ll have quite the charging bank next to my workbench…

Universal batteries in this case means that there will be a fresh pair (now two pairs) ready to go for whichever tool: blower or mower.
 
Thanks. Mower came with 4 batteries as well. $359 + tax. Given the price of batteries, the mower and charger were free…

Same batteries as the blower, drills, multi-tool, sawzall and impact I keep at the house. I’ll have quite the charging bank next to my workbench…

Universal batteries in this case means that there will be a fresh pair (now two pairs) ready to go for whichever tool: blower or mower.

Oh Im with you....I have a fleet of Makita products in my garage, Its starting to become an unhealthy addiction.

just picked up the grease gun....

My buddies and I are off dewalt, and ryobi.
I know they work for some but we've actually worn out these brands and Ive never worn out a makita beyond economic repair.

My dewalt saw built a deck and a shed and gave up.
 
Thanks all for the input, I'm going to check out my lowes and depot.. I even have a factory tool outlet if I wanted to go factory reconditioned route. I'll keep all posted on the purchase.
 
I can’t see going cordless on a chainsaw, yet. When I fire up the Husqvarna saw, I’m usually taking out a whole tree, or a big part of one, so I run it hard for hours. I need the power density of gasoline. I keep several sharp chains, a couple quarts of premix trufuel, and a bottle of bar oil at the ready.

I don’t use the Husqvarna saw for pruning, even heavy limbs.

I find that the Makita cordless 18v reciprocating saw with a pruning blade is quieter, lighter, more convenient, and safer. I can climb a ladder, or even a tree, with that cordless and not worry about starting, kickback, or weight.
 
My first Makita cordless drill was bought about 30 years ago. A 9.6 volt.

Still works perfectly, though it got brushes, a trigger, and some fresh grease about 20 years ago.

Only problem is that Makita stopped making the the NiCad batteries a while back. Knock offs are still available.

The 18v Li-ion battery system available now is so much better, it’s amazing.

Makita builds good tools.

I’ve still got a 40 year old corded Makita drill that my dad gave me on my 18th birthday. Though rarely used these days because cordless is so convenient, it works perfectly. I added a keyless chuck a long time ago.

Sorry, rambling.

Can’t go wrong with Makita.
 
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