Ryobi 40V Battery 21″ Lawn Mower Review
Ryobi battery lawn mower review is sponsored by Ryobi Tools. I have been provided with product. All ideas and opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
It is finally starting to look like spring around here in Utah. Sometimes we get teased with warm weather, and then a snow storm will hit the next day. Ha ha mother nature keeps us hopping.
As Spring brings in the good weather, it brings lots of yard work with it!
I don’t know about you, but when I do yard work, I just want my equipment to work so I can get it done. I hate messing around with pull strings, carburetors, mixed gas and regular gas. When I was a kid, I would wait until Dad came back for lunch to start the weed eater…I could never start that thing on my own. Oh and the tiller, well that was always a challenge.
As battery powered lawn equipment has evolved, I’ve always been drawn to it. No messing around with engines, just plug in the battery and get to work!
Ryobi 40V battery powered 21″ self propelled Lawn Mower
This lawn mower is awesome. It runs better than all of our previous gas mowers, plus it is so much quieter.
This mower is so easy to use, but first things first…charge the battery.
Once the battery is charged, just open the lid and slide the battery into place. There is also an on-board storage spot for a second battery.
To start the mower, pull back the black bar.
Then push the center green button on the handle. That’s it, now the engine is purring and the clippings bag fills up with air.
You can choose to push the mower, but if you would like assistance (and why wouldn’t you), there are green handles to engage self propelled mode. The self propelled speed is adjusted with a slider in the center of the push handle.
Min is a nice leisurely walking speed, and well Max is for someone with much longer legs than I have ;-).
And just like that the lawn mower and I are ready to get to work!
Additional Adjustments
The blade height is super convenient to adjust, pull the trigger and lift or lower the handle on the left side of the mower.
The height of the lawn mower arm/pushing handle can be adjusted for the operators height. The lower setting is perfect for me, I’m 5’5″ish.
Storage
One of my most favorite features about this lawn mower is the fact that it can be stored UP RIGHT!
We are always tight on garage space, and the fact that this Ryobi lawn mower can be stored so compactly is amazing!
Testing the Mower
- As I mentioned before, the Ryobi brushless 40V lawn mower has plenty of power. There was no bogging down of the engine, it really seems to run as well as a gas mower.
- Battery life – my yard is just under 0.4 acre acre and having the mower blade height on the second lowest setting. I can get over half of my yard done with the 7.5 Ah battery. Having 2 batteries would be perfect for me. If I set the blade higher, I could get a longer run time.
- I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute to recommend this lawn mower to a friend.
- It has all the power needed to cut thick grass.
- The mower has many thoughtful features, easy blade/mower height adjustment, easy start, easy self propel adjustment, ergonomic adjustment of the handle, etc.
- It is quieter than a gas powered mower.
- The clippings bag is a generous size and is easily removed and replaced.
- This mowers icing on the cake is the compact storage, man I love that feature!
My Ryobi Lawn Mower — Gas-Like Power But Cordless!
Late last fall, our electric powered lawn mower died. Chris and I had used it for over ten years at our last home where it worked well. To operate it though, we needed a very long outdoor extension cord. But we had a super small lawn so it was really no big deal. Our new home however has a much bigger lawn, like almost three times as big.
So when we started shopping for a new lawn mower, we loved the idea of possibly going with a battery operated lawn mower this time. I discovered that Ryobi had a battery powered lawn mower that could deliver even more power than our old one. And lucky for me…the wonderful people at Ryobi were kind enough to send me one to try out!
Chris and I both love this 40V 20” deck Ryobi Lawn Mower! It has gas-like power but with a cordless convenience. We are totally amazed by how much faster we can finish mowing the lawn when we’re not struggling with a cord.
It’s so simple to operate too! We grab the battery, install it, and then check the charge. With just a simple push of a button, you can see the battery strength. We’ve found that it holds its charge for about a month when we mow once a week. (It usually takes us about 20 minutes to mow both the front and back yards.)
To start it up, we simply press the button, squeeze the lever down and off we go a mowing. That’s right! It has a push button start. No starting cord to pull over and over. It even has LED lights so we can mow late into the evening when it’s much cooler outside.
Another feature we love is how quiet it is when mowing. True story, I was in the backyard mowing one day when a neighbor popped his head over the fence and said, “Is that a lawn mower?” A little confused, I replied, “Yes, it is.” He says, “I thought maybe you were mowing, but it was just so quiet. I didn’t think it was possible for a lawn mower to be that quiet! That’s amazing!” And I told him, “Ya! It is! Love it!”
Did I mention that this lawnmower also folds up? We have a very small two-car garage with like no storage. But look how much space this lawn mower needs when stored away.
Isn’t that amazing?! From the wall of the garage, it only sticks out by 15 inches! I can totally park my car right next to it with no problems. When you are short on storage space, this is a lifesaver! I just place the bag on top for easy storage.
Here’s a little video to show you more of the lawn mowers features in action:
If you are looking for a great lawn mower this summer, definitely check out this mower from Ryobi. You will not be disappointed!
Ryobi 40V Lawn Mower
I don’t have a lawn that needs to be maintained, but if I did, I would want a cordless battery-powered push mower like the Ryobi 40V (RY40112A kit, RY40100A bare mower).
Obviously larger lawns and fields are better mowed with ride-around or robotic mowers, but for smaller lawns the Ryobi walk-behind mower looks quite good.
The cordless mower has a 16-inch cutting deck, quick height adjustment, large wheels, 3/4″ minimum cutting height, and mulching capabilities.
The handles even fold up and collapse down for storage. It looks like this is accomplished using large tool-free levers.
Runtime is said to be 40 minutes. The kit comes with two 40V batteries which charge completely in 90 minutes.
According to Ryobi, this mower is suitable for lawns are yards 1/4 to 1/2 acre in size.
Price: 349 for the 2-battery and charger kit, 169 for the bare tool.
Buy Now(Kit via Home Depot) Buy Now(Bare Mower via Home Depot)
Black Decker’s 19-inch (399 via Amazon) and 18-inch (310 via Amazon) 36V cordless mowers look like reasonably good alternatives, but I find the Ryobi to be more visually and functionally appealing. The bumper on the front, large carrying handle on the top, and large levers and adjustment knobs make the Ryobi mower look a little more polished.
Do you use an electric battery-powered lawn mower? Which would you recommend?
s:
I have a Honda HRX lawmower I got as a smoking deal a few years ago, and It’s been great the seven years I have had it. I have to admit the new cordless lawn mowers have been tempting me lately. The fact that they are so quiet and you don’t have to hassle with gas going bad and other maintenance like oil changes. I don’t have a large lot to mow so running out of a charge isn’t an issue. The one thing that concerns me about these 40v tools is the replacement battery cost 130 dollars is pretty pricey and you only get 3 years of warranty on the battery.
I use the Neuton CE6 and I like the mower but dislike the battery technology. The lead-acid battery technology is slow to charge and the battery is really heavy. I also don’t like the customer service of DR Power the company that sells Neuton. That being said I would never again buy a gas mower for a small lawn, it’s not worth the hassle, noise and smell of starting and maintaing a gas mower.
I had an older model Ryobi for a few years. The moment your done using it you better get it back on the charger. After about a year it would no longer fully charge and the battery life fell apart. I bought a new battery and always kept it on the charger when not in use. Worked fine again for a while until hurricane Ike. We were 9 days without electricty and a lawnmower was not my priority on my generator. Battery again fell apart. Trashed it and went back to a gas mower. I’ll never buy another.
Reasons like this are why I am really, REALLY hoping that brands release 18V x2 battery pack adapters for the 2015 lawn and garden tool season. Black and Decker had mixed results with their efforts in this area, but Makita seems to have seen favorable sales for their 18V X2 tools. (2) Li-ion batteries that provide combined voltages of 36V or 40V Max would be great for lawn garden tools and gear. I know a lot of brands (such as Craftsman) have new tools out this year, but maybe they can still work on battery adapter solutions.
Too bad Don did not read the owners manual it would have saved him a low of headaches. The manual states remove the battery from the charger when fully charged and unplug the charger.
For small lawns I simply use an old fashioned style push mower. Significantly less issues than I can imagine with a battery operated unit. The push mower always has power, as long as I can push it. For small lawns it takes little effort or time with the push mower.
Actually I own this particular model and it’s incredible. It has two batteries and they last a descent amount to get both my front and backyard lawns done. The batteries also do not lose any charge while sitting around. I love this system and my husband is a big tool guy and he says it’s so much better then gas powered lawn equipment. I assure anyone looking for a good quality product, this one is excellent! Unless you have massive yard then you might need a few more batteries but otherwise great!
Hi, I have a BD 24v mower which I really like. A few years ago the charger went bad. Because I had just bought a new battery, I decided to get a 24v battery tender, which was cheeper than the replacing the BD charger. It works great. I have thought about getting a second battery and making them interchangable, but the wife just looks at me funny when I mention it.
Craftsman has its clone of this mower in red and black, if you prefer that look. Both mowers have extremely chintzy handle locks which don’t leave a good impression if you fold the handle up and down a few times. Likewise with the bagging door and mulch plug – all of these items are plastic, but thin in places they ought not to be to save weight. Don’t be mowing on a chilly morning, folks. Other than the plastic, the motors are reasonably grunty and the mower is fairly well balanced. I wish the price was a bit more reasonable, but those 40V batteries are spendy little suckers. Speaking of batteries, while I haven’t gotten a chance to test it yet I’m fairly certain the Ryobi 40V batteries and the Craftsman 40V batteries are the same connector, just like how the BD 20V Matrix and the CM 20V Bolt-On used the same battery with different casing and color.
I have a Greenworks 40v mower that I purchased off Amazon 6 months ago. I believe it’s the same as the Ryobi. One charge can do my whole yard (1/4 acre of grass) with 25-35% battery left. It’s light, quiet, and plenty powerful for what I need. Under load (thick, damp oak leaves) it increases in rpm temporarily. I like not having to maintain or run a gas mower. Adjusting the cut height is easier and faster than with the Troybuilt mower I used to own and it takes up less storage in my shed.
I agree completely. I have the Greenworks 40v Gmax and I LOVE it. I have only had it one full season, so we shall see about long term battery life. So far this thing is a beast. It is suspiciously similar to the Ryobi and I am in process of researching if they are indeed sister companies. I suppose best practices would mean many brands adopt successful features.
Purchased the Ryobi 40V, 20″ cordless mower and found it poorly made, especially the handle to mower attachment, and overall ‘flimsy’. Considering it’s price tag here in Canada at HDepot of 449, it is poor value. Will be returning the one I bought and looking for something else.
Have a Ryobi lithium mower – runs well tho have only used it 3 times – Who knows how to adjust the lower handle at the mower body – cannot get the handle to sit up high enough for comfortable use – do not see mention of adjustment for that part of handle in the manual- there are round ‘caps’ some sort of plastic, that have a lever type lock, but for what ? if cannot adjust.
I just bought the ryobi 40v mower about three weeks ago. I grew tired of cleaning the carburetor of my gas powered, self-propelled lawnmower. My old lawnmower had large rear wheels to ensure the self propelling would be easy my 1/4 acre lawn, so I was a little worried about going to a battery powered lawnmower, that is not self propelled. After cutting my lawn twice, i am convinced this is the best lawnmower I have ever had! I cut my lawn (front and back) with a single battery (40v 5 amp), and still have about 25 % charge or more remaining. It’s easy to push around, quiet, efficient and even fun. I am even thinking of trying the chainsaw to replace my gas powered chainsaw.
CONS OF THE RYOBI
- There is no option of a side discharge
- It’s not self-propelled. Although it is lightweight, it may be difficult for some to maneuver on hills or steep grades. A self propelled version is now available, which I will hopefully get a chance to test
- Its charge rate is good, however a ‘quick charge’ option would be good
Over a three year period, I’ve used this mower in wide range of conditions – super thick grass, wet grass, new sod, new seed, mulching leaves, bagging, different cut heights etc, and its power and performance did not disappoint.
It can handle tough grass without any issue, and given how light it is, it did well on newly seeded areas as well. When the mower hits a patch of lawn that is tougher it adds more power. You can hear the motor speed up to compensate. This is done automatically in order to conserve battery usage.
In my experience I get approximately 40 minutes from a full charge of one 4 amp hour battery. My lawn can usually be done in about 30 minutes, so I’m able to do it all with one battery. And that usually leaves enough juice left to do the trimming as well. Not that I need to use one battery for both. The mower and trimmer both came with 2 batteries, so I could easily do my neighbors lawns as well if I needed too. I bought the blower without batteries, when I realized how much extra capacity I had. I believe the current model of this mower now comes with a single 5.0 Ah battery.
Ryobi’s batteries charge to full capacity in 90 minutes. So technically, if you had three batteries, you could basically mow indefinitely. The batteries each have 4 led lights on them so you can check their power level and you can see their charge progress as they’re charging. Even though the mower could be used to mow 1/2 acre or larger; in my opinion, it is best suited for lawns that are between 1/3 of an acre to 1/2 an acre. That leaves you plenty of capacity for those days when the grass is super thick, or if you need to cut when it’s wet. And, truthfully, I think most people would want a self-propelled mower for lawns larger than 1/2 an acre.
DURABILITY
Over my three years of ownership I only had two things break on the mower. The first item was the plastic battery cover. One of the hinge pins broke when I was opening it. It doesn’t open quite far enough in my opinion. I was able to fix this simply by putting a bent nail in it’s place. The other item that broke, was the rear protective shield. See photo. It basically ripped off. This item receives a lot of wear, so perhaps it should be made from metal instead of plastic and rubber. I called Ryobi about this problem and they mailed me a new one free of charge, so that wasn’t too big of a deal. It was fairly easy to swap out.
ALTERNATIVES
The starting price of the Ryobi is comparable to gas mowers, while also having comparable power. It cuts just as good as a gas mower. In fact, it is the same style blade. Similarly sized gas push gas mowers, however, weigh between 60 and 70 lbs. So the Ryobi pushes a bit easier than a push gas mower in my opinion. In comparison to other battery powered mowers, it’s main competitor is the more espensive EGO mower. The design of the Ryobi isn’t quite as refined as the EGO, however it offers a more appealing value proposition in my opinion. Other 36V cordless mowers look like reasonably good alternatives, but their power and feature sets just don’t compare.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this mower. Ryobi offers a great combination of features at a reasonable price. It’s perfect for a small to medium-sized lawns, and especially attractive if you plan to buy other tools that can use the 40-volt battery architecture. It’s very light, very portable, does an excellent job cutting, and has ample run time. On top of that, it has all the benefits of a cordless electric mower – ie. quiet, no maintenance, easy storage, easy to start, etc.
Check out my gear section for links to this mower and more.
Комментарии и мнения владельцев
JC after 3 years…my only problem is that my “circuit” breaker keeps popping. I need to wait about 2 minutes to reset it. Any idea how to get this fixed?
Kevin Not sure. It should still be under warranty. If it can wait until winter you that’s a more convenient time to get repairs done
Joseph J Dear JC, I was also facing similar problem with my old Ryobi lawn mower. After a proper servicing by a local expert fixed the issue. So I suggest you to do the same.
Diane Romanski Hi I brought the newer Ryobi push lawn mower yesterday and after charging the battery to full capacity I mowed my yard. It was 88 degrees and hadn’t rained here in days. I noticed that my passes of cutting had grass that had never been cut. I am not understanding why this is happening. I tried googling it and it talked a lot about sharpening the blade. I just took it out of the box yesterday. Any ideas? Thank you.
Joe Anshien Let me say that there are some very good things about this mower but if you serch YouTube or other sites for problems they are there. Mine kept cutting out and I tried all the DIY solutions and eventually took the thing part. The inside had tons of grass clippings indicating it is sealed very poorly. Eventually I gave up and brought it to Home Depot for service. Even though it has a warranty they charge a 20 evaluation fee. Then they send it to Atlanta for repair. After about 6 weeks I finally got the # for the repair depot in Atlanta and called. They said they had not received it. I could have pushed to mower to Atlanta from Richmond in less than 6 weeks. At the end of this saga I fanally got it back after over 3 months and they tried charging me over 70 for stuff that I did not authorize such as that protective shield. I met a guy on the way out that heard me complain and said his trimmer was MIA for over 6 months. Better have a backup mower if this one ever needs service.
Ryobi OLM1833H ONE Cordless Lawn Mower Review
I’ve used a Ryobi lawn mower for many years, I have had two in my time as a professional gardener, so even though they are built primarily for domestic use, being used at the most probably once a week in the spring and summer months, I have used mine between three and five times per day from March through to October and several times a week in November and December. This proves to me how robust and reliable the Ryobi OLM1833H ONE Cordless Lawn Mower really is.
Ryobi OLM1833H ONE Cordless Lawn Mower
Product Details
- 33 cm cutting path means that the Ryobi is easy to manoeuvre.
- Five position, cutting height adjustment from 25-65 mm.
- Able to mow up to the edge of lawns with the easy grass comb feature.
- Ergonomic handle with 5 different positions.
- Folding grass box for easy, compact storage.
- Includes a mulching plug and a 35 Litres grass box
- The 18 V ONE battery is compatible with all tools within the cryobiology cordless range.
- Battery or charger are not included.
For the latest Ryobi Cordless Mower with Battery and Charger included click here. As with most cordless tools the batteries are interchangeable in particular product groups so if you already have a RyobiOne tools then you don’t need another battery unless of course you like to have a spare one.
The Ryobi Cordless Mower is very easy to assemble.
It is a great mower and cuts as well as the petrol ones I have previously used, on both dry or wet grass.
As it is so lightweight, with handles that fold down easily and a collapsible grass box, I can get it in and out of my work vehicle with no trouble at all.
You may think that this is not relevant to someone using it only for their own lawns but if you have limited storage space it’s a good point to know.
The low weight of it also means that it is much easier to maintain and manoeuvre.
It can be used as a mulching lawn mower too which means that at the times of year when your lawn needs a feed, it is easier to do so as the mulched grass left on the lawn will feed it more than adequately. Just remember to then remove the mulching plug for subsequent cuts in order to for grass to be collected in the grass box.
The benefits of the Ryobi OLM18X33H40 ONE Lawn Mower, 18 V
If you have been thinking about buying a cordless mower but can’t decide which one to choose then let me assure you that Ryobi are a quality product and well worth your consideration.
There are several Ryobi cordless lawn mowers in the Ryobi garden tools range, available from Amazon
The Ryobi Cordless Lawn Mower is also available at Tooled Up take a look now for best on all garden tools, household tools, maintenance and DIY tools.
For those awkward, tight places that a lawn mower just won’t go you need a cordless grass strimmer, find out which are 8 of the best cordless grass strimmers review
As we are rightly becoming more and more environmentally aware, choosing cordless tools are the way to go. For more labour-saving, eco-friendly garden maintenance tools please take a look at
As a professional gardener I can highly recommend cordless garden tools and there is one for every job, to keep your garden hedges and shrubs in tip top shape find The Best cordless hedge trimmer reviews
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Ego LM2150SP Cordless Lawn Mower
Several features allowed the Ego to clinch Best Overall, no small achievement in our mower tests. First is its outstanding cut quality. Healthy grass looks like velvet after it has been mowed with the EGO. Even when the mower is used in mulching mode, we did not find clumps of accumulated clippings after the mower was finished (it’s important to specify here that these tests were performed on dry grass). We attribute that cut quality to the X-shaped blade (a design developed decades ago on Honda’s gas engine mowers) and to the smooth and unobstructed deck surface surrounding the blade.
This mower is also an excellent bagger, gathering pounds more grass per square foot of test area than most mowers. You have to be aware of that when operating this mower. Its bag will fill more quickly than you might think. Although we spend most of our time testing mowers in mulch mode, we recognize that bagging is particularly important to people who have a lot of foot traffic in parts of the yard and want to prevent grass clippings from getting dragged into the house, garage or onto patios. If that’s you, the Ego is probably a good fit for you.
Like many battery mowers today, the Ego is equipped with an all-plastic deck that will never rust, and a tilt-forward handle that also telescopically adjusts to suit the user’s height. To make it even easier to use, it has single-lever deck height adjustment with a large T-shaped handle. The combination of the spring-loaded adjustment and one of the better speed-control mechanisms we’ve seen–a simple dial that you rotate forward and back.
Since this model is sold without a battery and charger, it’s up to you how much battery to put in it. The brand recommends a battery with a minimum of 7.5 Ah of capacity, and that’s what we used to arrive at the cut area you see below. You can easily do better than that with a larger battery such as the company’s 10-Ah, a whopper of a power pack. Given that the Ego’s motor and drive system are both quite efficient, enabling it to accomplish nearly 1500 square feet of mowed surface per amp hour of battery capacity, that would translate to nearly 15,000 square feet of mowed surface with such a large battery. That’s a lot of lawn. With a 10-Ah battery, the manufacturer estimates run time as 75 minutes. That strikes us as plausible, particularly on level ground, in mulching mode.
With decades of mower testing behind us, we’ve seen just about every type of drive control imaginable. It’s difficult for us to assess these, since what one person finds comfortable someone else may not. We found the Ego’s dial-adjusted speed control (the company calls it Touch Drive) to be simple and intuitive. Move the dial forward with your left or right thumb to increase speed. Move it back to decrease. The slowest speed is a leisurely pace (.9 mph), the top speed requires a comfortably-fast walk.
The Ego is powerful, fun to operate, and cuts so well—it’s difficult to find anything to complain about. We suppose its big batteries could use a handle (like the Toro) but at least they are well shaped and have a lot of rubber-coated surface, to promote a good grip.