Powering Up
SPRING TURNS A MAN’S fancy to... wait for it… outdoor power tools. Every April, I’d haul out the gas mower to prep it for the summer season. That meant a trip to the hardware store for oil, a spark plug and an air filter. Then I drove to the gas station for some new fuel.
For an hour, I would pretend that I understood the manly art of maintaining an internal combustion engine. I would gap and change the spark plug, clean or replace the air filter, and then add the fresh oil and gas.
Finally, it was time to pull the starter cord and hope to hear the engine roar. Or a cough followed by silence. There were times I’d forgotten to connect the spark plug or failed in some other significant fashion. After all was done, I’d wash at the laundry sink with gritty Lava soap, stripping grease, oil and little bits of my skin from my hands.
This year was different. Now, I own a battery-powered mower. Late in the 2021 season, during a moment of inattention, my mower blade whacked an immovable object. With a loud clang, my 12-year-old gas mower stopped dead. Suddenly, I was in the market for a new model.
I had to borrow a neighbor’s mower to finish my yard. Although I’d just destroyed my own, he bravely lent me his relatively new Toro self-propelled gas mower that adjusted its speed to your walking pace. Pretty nifty. I told him I was thinking of a battery model. He shook his head, expressing concern over whether an electric model would have enough power.
My brother-in-law had already bought an EGO battery-powered mower. I called to get his view of it. He said he was happy with its performance, but then he lives in the Southwest, and so has a different mowing environment than I do in green Ohio.
Next, I consulted the reviews in Consumer Reports. It had very positive test results and no major power issues were noted. EGO mowers are sold through Lowe’s. Comments on its website and Amazon were favorable, and also mentioned that the mower can mulch grass and leaves.
That’s an important attribute for my tree-filled yard. Besides, my quarter-acre suburban lot—with significant areas devoted to planting beds—isn’t exactly a big spread to cover. I thought an electric model could handle the job.
EGO won points from Consumer Reports for its ecosystem of products. Interchangeable batteries worked with its leaf blowers, trimmers, weeders, chainsaws and more. I already owned an EGO blower. While its smaller battery would fit the mower, it probably wouldn’t be sufficient to cut the lawn. There are limits to interchangeability, although it’s handy that both batteries power off the same charger.
I took the plunge. I bought a self-propelled mower light enough to push in most situations. After multiple uses, I’ve become a convert. The mower cost almost $600, including tax, perhaps $100 more than my neighbor’s gas-driven Toro.
In 2022, Consumer Reports published a calculator comparing the costs of electric versus gas mowers. It shows a relatively short breakeven point for the higher-cost battery-powered mowers because they cost less to operate than gas models.
The real payoff has been the new mower’s convenience. I recharge the removable battery for less than an hour after mowing. When it’s time to mow again, whether it has been a week or the whole winter, I simply insert the battery, push the start button and begin mowing. My hands never smell like gasoline. I’m never breathing fumes. And even my neighbor has commented on how quietly it runs.
My brother-in-law facetiously suggested that I can now thumb my nose at “Big Oil.” I don’t think the few gallons of gas or quarts of oil I’m saving each year will make a difference to Exxon.
While walking behind my mower, I do ponder the environmental pros and cons. Yes, I’m saving gas, oil and exhaust, and I no longer have to transport used oil for recycling or run out to buy gas.
My mower’s lithium-ion battery does have a finite life, however. I store the battery in the house to avoid the temperature extremes in the garage, which I hope will extend its life. Replacing it costs $300, and I’ll have to learn where to recycle it.
What happens to all the old batteries? Are they completely recyclable? And what are the implications of mining the materials to make the batteries? I don’t have all the answers.
Yet I have settled the question of the mower’s power to my satisfaction. Autumn brought the ultimate test. I ran the mower through piles of leaves before bagging them for recycling. No problems. If there was a light coating of leaves left on the lawn, the mower mulched them right in. The bottom line: I may have questions about the mower’s battery. But I’m a believer in its functionality.
Howard Rohleder, a former chief executive of a community hospital, retired early after more than 30 years in hospital administration. In retirement, he enjoys serving on several nonprofit boards, exploring walking paths with his wife Susan, and visiting their six grandchildren. A little-known fact: In May 1994, Howard was featured—along with five others—on the cover of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance for an article titled “Secrets of My Investment Success.” Check out his previous articles.The post Powering Up appeared first on HumbleDollar.
