Companies like EGO are pushing the boundaries and limits in ways never before seen in this category, and it won’t be very long before the thought of a homeowner using a gas tool to mow or trim the lawn is an antiquated idea. EGO is a new brand whose tools are now available at The Home Depot and which feature never-before-seen 56V lithium-ion battery packs. These packs are impressive. In addition to looking like something you’d see powering a time machine in a science fiction movie, they’re built really well and look to be able to withstand the rigors of outdoor use and abuse.
An Amazing New 56V Battery
But with new technology and new tools come new surprises. The biggest surprise of all has to be the fact that the new 4.0 Ah 56V battery pack from EGO can be recharged in just 30 minutes! The 2.0 Ah pack can get fully recharged in just 25 minutes. It’s actually completely unbelievable—which is why we tested it after draining a full pack all the way down…only to find that the claims are true. With the EGO CH5500 charger, it does indeed recharge its biggest battery in under 30 minutes. To make it even better, charging for just 15 minutes gets you to 50% to complete a job if you’re in a hurry.
The CH5500 comes standard with EGO’s new 20-inch Cordless Lawn Mower, but it’s also a $99 option for anyone who bought the company’s other tools (which come with the slower, but still impressive CH2100. With the CH2100, you can recharge a 2.0 Ah battery in about 40 minutes. The toss-up is whether you want to invest in a charger, or just pick up an additional battery to swap out if you need more continuous run-time. If you bought the 56V lawn mower, then you have a little bit of both.
Reviewer’s Note: How are Watt-hours calculated for lithium-ion cells and batteries? Multiply a cell or battery’s rated capacity, in ampere-hours, by its nominal operating voltage. That means that the 2.0 Ah 56V EGO battery (XBA1120) puts out 112 Wh and the 4.0 Ah model (BA2240) delivers 224 Wh of power.
Obviously, these batteries pack a punch.
Tool by Tool, a Look at the Four New Products from EGO
I can’t think of a better way to go through the EGO line than to simply review each tool independently and compare it to what I know and what I’ve come to expect from my outdoor power equipment. As someone who has done a considerable amount of yard work over the last thirty years, there are expectations that don’t get exempted simply because a tool chooses to use a battery and an electric motor instead of a gas-powered system. A great tool will still perform the same, or have reasonable compromises that make sense given the change in the power-delivery platform. EGO has addressed many of the issues we’ve seen in past battery-powered outdoor tools by increasing the power potential with their new 56V platform. Now it was simply a matter of seeing if their tools kept up in the areas of run-time and power delivery.
EGO 56V 20-inch Cordless Lawn Mower (LM2001)
EGO’s flagship product is their 20-inch 56-volt Cordless Lawnmower. The reason the company can get excited about this product is two-fold. For one, it boasts as much or more power than its gas-powered counterpart, and secondly, the 56V battery is a one-of-a-kid solution that delivers up to 40% more power (which could also translate into run-time) than the former 40V reigning champion.
But, I have to admit, that’s not what impressed me the most about this mower.
The first thing that caught my eye was the image of the mower standing erect, perfectly folded and stored away in a garage. Now, unless they’ve invented gyroscopic gas tanks in the last day or so, this is something that is absolutely impossible with a traditional lawn mower. And other cordless models I’ve seen, haven’t caught on to this either. This is what we in the industry like to call “disruptive innovation”. It’s a new innovation that shakes things up and forces others to react.
Don’t be surprised to see next-gen cordless lawnmowers follow suit over the coming years—if they don’t, they’re missing the boat. And it’s not just that it folds up—it do so easily, with a handle that collapses down telescopically, without having to unscrew anything or flip any levers. There are even handles on the front and the back to let you lift the mower as needed without cutting into your fingers. I lifted it plenty of times without gloves and never once cut off the circulation to my fingers as I do with most other mowers.
There are other features worth mentioning about the EGO 56V mower. This includes the full-size 20-inch cutting deck. The 56V battery pack delivers enough energy to make this possible, and it will run for 45 minutes. That’s enough time to cut a small yard without needing a recharge or a replacement battery. I’ll get into how it performed in just a bit, but let’s say that the run-time feature is a big plus.
Another feature I liked was the one-handed cutting height control. Unlike the ridiculous four-wheel height adjustments still being used today on even the most popular mowers, you can just grab the “stick shift” lever on the left side of the mower and adjust it to any of five positions…and that’s it. There’s no hassle, no gymnastics, no struggling. You just move it and the height is set. This is great for when you need to adjust the height for a different area or yard, or when you simply want to perform a high cut as you head into the winter months.
Starting the mower is a simple matter of extending the handle and locking it, inserting the 56V 4.0 Ah battery, placing and pushing the safety key, and pulling on the bail bar/handle. That’s it—the mower starts right up. To turn it off, just let go of the bail handle. When you do turn off the mower, the blade rotates a bit before stopping. It has an integrated electric brake that stops the blade, but it’s not as quick as a circular saw or drill (it also has a lot more rotating motion to stop). The bottom line is that you don’t want to start and stop the mower without taking care to allow the blade to come to a full stop.
The EGO mower has another feature that is really a cut above (you see what I did there?) other products I’ve seen, and that’s a battery level indicator which is built right into the top of the mower. This means you can see the status of the battery without having to open up the plastic cover to press the button. It also indicates that the LED light is on. Yes, the mower has a dual LED light system with four discrete Cree-style LEDs. This would sound ridiculous except for the fact that this EGO mower is actually fairly quiet—particularly when compared to a traditional 2-cycle engine. The only sound you have is the electric motor and, of course, the blade cutting through the grass at high velocity.
The EGO 20-inch mower is nearly vibration-free. Seriously, you can barely feel it as you walk behind. This is due to the aluminum tubing used in the handles, plus the system is incredibly well-balanced. About the only trade-off, aside from the steep $499 price tag, is weight. This mower comes in at about 62 pounds, that’s nearly 33% more than a competing 40V product we’ve used and about the weight of a small gas powered model. The additional stability of the tool also makes it a tad less maneuverable, with a slightly longer wheel base than we’re used to.
This didn’t translate into any real-world problems, but we wouldn’t describe this mower as “nimble”…more like a “machine”. If I had to sum it up, I’d say that the EGO mower is a revolutionary product that cuts well, is comfortable to push, easy to fold up, and provides more than enough run-time on the included 4.0 Ah battery pack. This is an impressive mower that makes my gas-powered model suffer a serious inferiority complex.
Features & Specs
- 20 in. cut capacity
- Battery: 4.0 Ah 56V Li-ion
- Run time: Up to 45 minutes
- Mulching/Bagging/Side discharge modes
- Folds for compact storage
- Push-button start
- 5-position deck height adjustment
- 1.7 bushel grass collection
- LED Headlights
- Charge time: 30 minutes (4.0 Ah)
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $499
EGO 480 CFM 3-Speed Turbo 56V Cordless Electric Blower (LB4801)
I could sum up this review in a single sentence: Don’t ever buy any other handheld blower before checking this one out. Ever. Never ever. Yes, there may be some caveats, but in general, this is a tool that really impressed me and everyone I handed it to. You simply don’t expect a battery-powered blower to have enough thrust to push back on your arm as you use it.
This one does.
So when you take competing battery-powered blowers that are rated for “light duty” and you run them side by side (as we did), the competition gets a little embarrassed. There is nothing light duty about the EGO LB4801—a fact that is obvious from the 4-inch throat on the business end of the tool and 92 mph max air speed. Competing cordless blowers often compensate for a lack of power by narrowing the output of the blower engine or coupling the output to a flat spreader nozzle.
Not so with the EGO—it just spits out air like it’s going out of style. While a smaller blower will successfully move material up to 12-inches in front of the nozzle, the EGO will push material that is a full 4-6 feet away. It’s literally the difference between painting a floor with a 2″ paintbrush or using a roller. You tend to get a lot more work done with this blower.
Is there a downside? Sure. There are two speeds, “Lo” and “Hi”, as well as a Turbo button on the top. Once you use the turbo button you’ll be hooked. As a result, you’ll drain your battery in less than 10 minutes of blowing. If, however, you can contain yourself to run the brushless blower motor in low speed, you’ll get up to an hour of blowing. In low speed, the blower still outperforms most 40V models we’ve used. And if you need more power, or you need to remove material more quickly, then by all means goose it up—just know that you’ll need to take the occasional 40 minute coffee break or swap out a battery.
The three speeds of the 56V EGO blower:
- Speed 1 – High Efficiency: blows at 250 CFM
- Speed 2 – High Power: blows at 385 CFM
- Speed 3 – Turbo Boost: blows at 480 CFM
EGO claim a max output of 480 cfm (cubic feet per minute) and while we have no means of measuring that, we also have no reason to doubt them given our experience of this handheld blower. We took care of an entire yard full of leaves, as well as some areas with literally years of caked up decomposition and dirt and both tasks were completed smoothly and with an impressive display of power. The Turbo button is a great addition, and it really comes in handy when you get to an area that simply needs a little push to get cleared. The tool is also very light, allowing you to use it for extended periods of time without getting hand or arm fatigue.
One minor squabble we had with the blower is that it was difficult to pick up without activating it. The handle is so convenient, it’s hard to grasp it without beginning to cycle the motor. This wasn’t more than a small issue overall. Though the price on this blower ($199) may seem steep compared to a gas model, it’s a bargain compared to what we’ve seen on the market already. When you factor in that the price includes the battery and charger, it’s a pretty great value in my opinion and it all but overshadows what else is currently available on the market.
Features & Specs
- Brushless motor
- Turbo boost function
- Battery: 2.0 Ah 56V Li-ion
- Run time: 1 hour (Lo speed)
- Charge time: 40 minutes (2.0 Ah)
- Speeds: 2 + Turbo (250-480 CFM)
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $199
EGO 12 in. 56V Cordless Straight String Trimmer (ST1201)
While the EGO 56V Mower and Blower were impressive tools—they paled against the sensibility of a cordless string trimmer. If ever there was a tool that is plagued with imbalance and being downright awkward and cumbersome, the string trimmer gets the award. But take away the gas engine and rebalance the tool so that it has a front-loaded motor and—BAM! No more imbalance. The EGO 56V cordless string trimmer is, by far, the most helpful tool in the line-up. It’s just a pleasure to use—so much so that I don’t think I’ll ever use a gas trimmer ever again. I’ve had some nice gas-powered trimmers, but the reduction in weight is astounding enough to warrant an entire rethinking of cordless as a mainstream solution—even for pro users.
The EGO ST1201 uses a 49-inch straight shaft, so you can get into tighter spaces and reach further. The bump-feed head seemed to be pretty fool-proof and changing out the line was the same old tired process that every manufacturer describes as easy, but in reality is quite a pain (just not more of a pain than any other system I’ve used). Whenever possible I tend to replace my heads with pro heads that take a fixed piece of string that can be of a high enough gauge to last a good long time.
I used the EGO string trimmer quite a bit, cutting a significant amount of material around a deck, and even testing it on some vines that needed to be cut back (more of a job for an edger than a string trimmer). While I went through string like candy, the trimmer didn’t appear to be bothered by the load to any significant extent—at least not on grass. Thicker material gave it a bit more of a workout. I found the integrated bump protector to be a nice feature when cutting around the edge of a house where I didn’t want to disturb the paint. It was quite easy to flip into place when needed, and even easier to get out of the way.
This is a very straightforward tool that’s easy to use and difficult not to like. For $199 it’s a great addition to the line and something that will have a lot of people grateful to give up their gas models for good.
Features & Specs
- 12 in. cut capacity
- Battery: 2.0 Ah 56V Li-ion
- Run time: Up to 45 minutes
- Line: 0.080 in. diameter dual feed spiral
- Bump-feed operation
- Shaft: 49-inch straight aluminum
- Soft-start
- Charge time: 40 minutes (2.0 Ah)
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $199
EGO 24 in. 56V Cordless Hedge Trimmer (HT2401)
The final tool in the current EGO line that I reviewed was their HT2401 String Trimmer. I immediately liked the U-shaped safety switch system on the front handle. It’s designed to all but eliminate the need for a rotating handle. With the battery-driven system, the entire hedge trimmer weighs just 12 pounds. That’s pretty lightweight, and the front handle’s wrap-around safety switch makes it a simply matter to turn the trimmer on either side and use it just as easily as if it had a rotating handle mechanism. This tool cuts well, it handles easily, and I enjoyed how easy it was to switch from trimming across the top of a row of hedges, to trimming up the sides and back. Flipping the tool around as needed is simple and intuitive.
With a little oil on the blade, this is going to be a tool that lasts a very long time. For the pro user who has a limited amount of hedge trimming, or the means to recharge or swap batteries as needed, the EGO Cordless Hedge Trimmer just might revolutionize how you work. At $199 it’s priced right, and since it comes with a battery and charger, it’s a great addition to the EGO line for those who may already have at least one other tool in their collection.
Features & Specs
- 3/4-in. cut capacity
- Battery: 2.0 Ah 56V Li-ion
- Run time: Up to 60 minutes
- Speed: 3000 strokes per minute (spm)
- 24-inch hardened steel blade
- Electronic brake
- Charge time: 40 minutes (2.0 Ah)
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $199
EGO is the brainchild of Chervon North America, a company well-known for OEM-ing some excellent tools for well-known manufacturers, home centers, department-store chains, and distributors around the world. This is important because EGO isn’t a Johnnie-come-lately. They’re tools manufactured by a company with serious credentials.
