EGO Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Outperforms Gas Engines
As battery-powered mowers continue to gain traction in the lawn care world, there are two main concerns: power and run time. The EGO 56V Peak Power self-propelled lawn mower attempts to solve both problems. We set out to see if they were successful.
advantage
- Self-propelled with adjustable pace
- Mows up to 3/4 an acre on a single charge with included battery
- Excellent cutting ability in the harshest conditions
- Only 81dB at no load
shortcoming
- Price is $749 (includes two 56V 5.0Ah batteries)
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Performance
cutting force
For our top contenders, we torture-test to see how they handle the madness. We let the lawn grow for a few weeks during the hot and rainy Florida summers. We then set the mower's cutting height to 2.5 inches, set the walk speed to 2.5 MPH, and ran the mower until the blades stopped.
The EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower reaches 60.5 feet, easily the best performing cordless model. In fact, it beat all of our petrol models except for Honda's top business beast. It even surpasses a lawn mower powered by a Honda GCV engine.
What does all this mean? The EGO's 8.5 foot-pounds of torque exceeds the power of any other battery-powered mower we've tested. While we answered concerns about power, the test wasn't enough to show how well the EGO will work when the grass gets firmer.
If only we had a sod farm…
so we were invited to the turf farm
After our original test was posted, we received an invitation to visit Gulf Kist Sod in Vero Beach, Florida, to take this and other mowers out for some follow-up testing. We moved bushy Floratam (St. Augustine variety) from the yard.
Here, EGO was able to show what kind of power it can generate. When you cut Floratam short, it becomes harder, denser, and generally harder to cut. The Peak Power mower effectively cuts down to 1-1/2 inches. EGO's second-generation self-propeller goes to 1-3/4 inches, and Kobalt's 80V also has a few gears. While all three are impressive, Peak Power is clearly more powerful than the others.
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Runtime and Area Cut
Battery power is a nice touch, but you'll hate the day you choose it over gasoline if you can't cut grass on a single charge. Even if your charger and battery work fast, having to charge a dead battery mid-mowing can disrupt your workflow. That's why knowing the actual area cut per charge is an important detail to know when shopping for a lawn mower.
With its 21-inch cutting deck and matching dual 5.0Ah batteries, the EGO Peak Power mower can tackle up to 35,640 square feet, or just over 3/4 an acre, on a single charge. In our test, it ran for 48 minutes on just one battery, and we used it for service, with two in the kit. Upgrade to a pair of 7.5Ah batteries to cover over 1-1/4 acres!
While doing medium-duty mowing on the Floratam, the dual-battery mower still ran for over an hour (70 minutes) and mowed over half an acre.
Only the more expensive Greeworks Commercial models squeeze out more cutting area than the EGO in light and medium cuts. It has a higher watt-hour capacity with 2 batteries and a 23-3/4" cutting strip to great effect.
However, when we turned to heavy felling in Floratam, EGO forces took over and felled just over 1/3 of an acre in almost 50 minutes at worst. No other battery mower can keep up with the EGO's level of cutting.
noise level
One of the benefits of using cordless power is noise — battery motors are much quieter than gas motors. But how quiet are we actually talking here? For the EGO 56V Peak Power Self Propelled Lawn Mower we're talking 81 dB(A).
To put that into perspective, 81 decibels is equivalent to running a garbage disposal. Air mowers are typically around 96 dB(A), and ours measured 86-94 in the no-load test.
EGO Peak Power is on par with other battery powered options. Almost all the cordless lawn mowers we tested fell in the 78-82 dB(A) range, with a few outliers at the 85 and 88 decibel marks.
Adjustable speed self-propelled
EGO's self-propelled drive controls look a little unorthodox, with a tiny engagement handle that's surprisingly comfortable to use. You can easily adjust the walking speed with the throttle on the left side of the handle. Speeds range from "crawl" to "I have to jog to keep up with it," so you'll probably find a comfortable speed somewhere.
Height Adjustment and Range
Like most cordless lawn mowers, the EGO allows you to set the cutting height in 6 positions between 1.5 inches and 4.25 inches by adjusting a lever. Instead of having to go around each individual wheel to adjust the height, you can set all 4 at once.
We tested a number of mowers with this feature, and quite a few of them felt a little flimsy at the wheel's adjustment point. The EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower feels very solid and sturdy, although the steel deck could be an improvement.
Simple handle adjustment
Many mowers we test have 3 handle positions, like this EGO. However, there aren't many that are as comfortable and easy to adjust as EGO's Quick Adjust Lever. It's as easy as squeezing the lever and moving the handle into place. You can also fold it up and store it upright in your garage or shop.
Adjusting to your height is also simple. The telescoping handle has 3 positions, just pull out the tab, slide the handle to your desired length, and snap the tab back in place to adjust.
Additional features
- headlamp
- Onboard battery charge indicator
- 10″ rear wheels
- 3 in 1: cover, bag or side row
EGO 56V Peak Power Self Propelled Lawn Mower Prices
EGO Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers are available online or from your local Lowe's. It comes with two 5.0Ah batteries and a fast charger for $749. Admittedly, this is high-end for a domestic lawnmower, but this one represents the top of the range of EGO self-propelled lawnmowers. Plus, it comes with a 5-year limited warranty.
You should also consider the depth of the EGO's 56V line. This includes:
- Lawn mower
- power inverter
- blower
- Milling machine
- chainsaw
- thread cutter
- Hedge Clippers
- chainsaw
- snow blower
- multi-head system
- Milling machine
- thread cutter
- Articulated hedge trimmer
- chainsaw
- cultivator
- brush
- Extended accessories
The point here is that if you've ever had doubts about finding more uses for the EGO 56V battery platform, you should put those doubts aside. EGO has a full line of OPE tools that run on this platform, and the two batteries included with the kit could easily find other uses with other tools in the line.
the bottom line
If your lawn care requires cutting longer or thicker grass than typical battery-powered mowers can handle, EGO's Peak Power self-propelled models are for you. It's more fuel-efficient than most of our gas lawn mowers in the toughest conditions, but it still has time to mow 1/4 of an acre, or more, in better conditions. As we write this, EGO's biggest competition is the Select Cut XP itself.
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Specifications
- Model: EGO LM2142SP
- Cutting Width: 21″
- Wheel Size: 7″ (Front); 10″ (Rear)
- Voltage: 56V
- Number of Batteries Required: 2
- Cut height options: 6 positions; 1.5″ – 4″ range
- Cutting options: mulch, bag, side discharge
- Deck Material: Plastic
- Drive Type: Rear Wheel
- Handlebar Positions: 6
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $749
For more information on the EGO Peak Power self-propelled lawn mower, visit EgoPowerPlus.com.