It’s SPRING! The air is filled with all the smells of fresh earth and the sound of birds chirping. I’m peeking daily in my gardens for signs of life. In the coming weeks, we’ll be tending our yards. Neighbors will be making cordial conversations, discussing their holiday seasons and summer plans. And before we know it, that smell of wet earth will be replaced with fresh cut grass and the sound of lawn mowers.
Cutting the grass is one of those summer chores that — living in Wisconsin — you kind of learn to relish. The season is so short; mowing will get you outside on days when you really don’t think you can muster the energy, but leave you feeling grateful for the time outdoors and the line of sweat on your brow by the time it’s done.
Two years ago, we invested in an eGo electric lawn mower, and I have to admit, it’s brought a bit more joy to this task. Our family really strives to be more green and this was one of the first switches we made from gas to electric. It’s been a great change and has really instilled a faith in the future of electric for our family.
Maybe that’s a heavy load for a little mower, but here’s what we love about it.
Reduced air and noise pollution
What will ruin a Saturday morning more quickly than the sound of someone mowing their lawn at seven a.m.? Nothing. Fortunately, the sound of our electric mower is a fraction of the volume produced by a gas mower. I no longer have to worry about creating a disturbance in the neighborhood if I want to mow at a time when a baby might be napping (or a college kid nursing a hangover for that matter).
I also don’t need to worry about keeping a gas can full in the garage or smelling the fumes as I make my way around the yard. That smell is 100% pure, fresh cut grass. (Or clover, if you will. Learn why we’re overseeding our lawn with clover here.) Bypassing the cost of gas and oil-based maintenance is one of those wonderful perks of going green that you may not think about when making that initial investment, but it can be substantial! Not only do you bypass the ongoing cost, but also the volatile price hikes. Cha-ching!
It mulches!
Okay, many gas mowers mulch, too, but this was our first. We love that we don’t have to bag our clippings anymore (and then find a way to dispose of or compost them). Bonus: all that mulched goodness also functions as fertilizer, so we not only save on the cost of a greener yard, but we can brag that we’re not contributing to the growing algae problem in our local lakes. (Seriously, please don’t put fertilizer on your yard.)
Bagging option
There comes a time every fall when the leaves simply become too much, mulched or not. When we hit this point, we just attach the bag. From there, we can either dump the mulched matter into our compost, onto our gardens, or into a yard bag. (Win, win, win!)
(Yes, we could just leave the leaves for the bugs, but with two dogs, springtime is messy enough… if you know what I mean.)
Battery life
The eGo mower comes with a 7.5kAh battery which we’ve found is sufficient for our residential lot. On the rare occasion that we do run out of power (usually because we’re running on residual charge), we exchange it for a battery from one of our other eGo products (we also have their leaf blower and chainsaw with batteries). Not an option? No worries, the battery doesn’t take long to charge to wrap up the job.
Compact
Let’s face it, garage storage is a ubiquitous issue. Between bikes, shovels, rakes, hula hoops, and miscellaneous sports equipment, trying to find a few square feet of space for a bulky mower can be an overwhelming problem.
The eGo mower is awesome if you’re short on storage space! It has a telescoping handle and folds into itself for rough dimensions of 2’w x 3’h x 1.5’d. Watch me unfold and fold ours!
Self-propelled
A self-propel function is super helpful if you have a large, square yard. Our landscape design is very curvy, so we don’t use this feature often, but you can really cruise if you do!
No pull cord
We all know the sight of the neighbor who’s struggling to start their mower, repeatedly pulling the cord trying to get the engine to turn. This isn’t a problem with the eGo mower. The eGo starts with the press of a button, which really saves your triceps if your kids or chatty neighbor chronically interrupt your task.
Warranty
As with most products, eGo offers a warranty with registration. Per their warranty page, it’s 5 years on equipment and 3 years on batteries and chargers with personal use. We’re always sure to remove our batteries from the charger when they’re full and we bring in our battery chargers over the cold winters, so we’re pretty confident that they’ll last well beyond the warrantied period. If you do have questions thoug, their support staff is incredibly helpful.
Is it worth the investment?
Yes, we think that our electric mower was worth the investment. If you crunch the numbers, not only is there a gas cost, but a properly maintained gas mower should have regular maintenance — oil and filter changes, carburetor cleaning, spark plugs. If you pay for someone else to do this, it can really add up over time. If you do it yourself, that’s great! But for us, spending a couple of hours on a Saturday winterizing our lawn mower at the end of the beautiful summer season is not worth it. Those moments are precious and need to be relished.
If you’re ready to explore their mower options, know that eGo is sold on Amazon, at Ace Hardware, or you can buy directly from the company.
Ace is usually our go-to, as they’re franchised so it keeps our money local. However, sometimes Amazon has good deals and greater choice in battery v. non-battery, should you already own some of their pieces.
If you opt for an eGo mower or already have one, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Good luck on your green-going venture!
— The Joneses Four
