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I'm in the market for a new cordless mower, and I had my mind set on the current EGO model at Home Depot, before finding out about the new black and blue 80v mower that Lowe's carries. One of the main reasons I am switching is poor mulching performance in thick patches from my current outdated 24v Earthwise mower. I love everything about the EGO, especially the design and storability, but it's hard to pass up the increased power of the competitor. My timeline for purchasing isn't urgent, so I'm wondering if there are any rumors about a higher powered model coming out in the next few months? I noticed several Home Depot stores had clearanced out some of their EGO mower inventory, so I'm hoping that this is a good sign. Like I said, I love everything about the current one, and if a higher voltage option was available, I would instantly buy it.
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210 Points
Posted 5 years ago
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4,426 Points
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,078 Points
John, this is not an official response, just my point of view.
Most companies don't announce new products until they have something to sell, so I don't think we'll get any announcements until that time. I'm sure Ego will revise their mower at some point, but as it sits right now it's one of, if not the best, cordless mower options available. Here's what Pro Tool Reviews had to say about it in their recent test:
"A year after taking the OPE market by storm, this is still the best overall design that we’ve seen from setup to storage and mowing in between. With a battery capable of running over an hour and a half, you can easily mow a 1/2 acre or more with this model."
Regarding the 1/2 acre capacity comment, they are referring to the new 7.5Ah battery option.
My personal feeling is, the combination of build quality and storage compactness makes this mower a better deal than most realize. I have very little space to store a mower in my small garage so this may carry more weight with me than some, but I have a feeling most people would feel the same once they saw how easy it is to store with every use and how much space it frees up in their garage or shed.
Most of these mowers offer folding handles, and some models even store upright like the Ego does. BUT, they are such a hassle to fold up I doubt most people would end up doing it every time they use it.
That's my point of view, for what it's worth.
Most companies don't announce new products until they have something to sell, so I don't think we'll get any announcements until that time. I'm sure Ego will revise their mower at some point, but as it sits right now it's one of, if not the best, cordless mower options available. Here's what Pro Tool Reviews had to say about it in their recent test:
"A year after taking the OPE market by storm, this is still the best overall design that we’ve seen from setup to storage and mowing in between. With a battery capable of running over an hour and a half, you can easily mow a 1/2 acre or more with this model."
Regarding the 1/2 acre capacity comment, they are referring to the new 7.5Ah battery option.
My personal feeling is, the combination of build quality and storage compactness makes this mower a better deal than most realize. I have very little space to store a mower in my small garage so this may carry more weight with me than some, but I have a feeling most people would feel the same once they saw how easy it is to store with every use and how much space it frees up in their garage or shed.
Most of these mowers offer folding handles, and some models even store upright like the Ego does. BUT, they are such a hassle to fold up I doubt most people would end up doing it every time they use it.
That's my point of view, for what it's worth.
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,078 Points
In this day and age it's tough to find objective reviews. Many YouTube reviewers gloss over the machine specs and highlight all the good things about the product. In the case of battery electric mowers, half the praise given usually applies to most models. These people don't tend to criticize anything too much for fear the companies will stop sending them free stuff...
Unfortunately, the Pro Tools review is almost as good as it gets outside Consumer Reports.
Unfortunately, the Pro Tools review is almost as good as it gets outside Consumer Reports.
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594 Points
Having a 2 second battery & 30 min recharge is a big deal. Plus another battery is $99 not $199 like the Ego. My daughter borrowed my Ego & liked it. Had to recharge once because of the tall grass. She went on line & found the Kobalt. Ego lost a sale because of the extra battery. Today I am picking up the Kobalt 80 volt for her, because of the extra battery. I love my Ego but if I had shopped around I may have bought the Kobalt too.
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210 Points
This is true, but each of the two batteries that come with the Kobalt are 2 amp-hour, as opposed to the single 4 amp-hour battery that comes with the EGO. The Kobalt batteries have about half the running time (which is why two are included) of one. I do, however, like the idea of separating the same amount of running time between two smaller batteries, because I can charge one while using the other, and never stop. Plus if one dies before the other, it's half the cost to replace it.
Ken, Champion
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73,600 Points
Papajack, a 56-volt, 2Ah Ego battery is $129, not $199 (which is the price of Ego's 4Ah battery). Also, the $99 Kobalt battery is only a 40-volt battery. The spare Kobalt 80-volt battery is $179.
(Edited)
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594 Points
Nice
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65,100 Points
So. You guys are missing the important fact here. None of this matters alone. It matters as a system. Its all based on the wattage of the motor. 2 700 watt motors will have the same horsepower(horsepower is over time, torque is a measurement of force) and if they operate at the same rpm and different voltage will have the same torque. if one motor has a lower rpm, it will have a higher torque. Lower voltage systems require larger wires and larger electronic components to handle the AMP draw than higher voltage systems.
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210 Points
Since we're analyzing this from a physics perspective, you are missing a very important fact as well:
Power = Amps x Volts x efficiency (because no motor is 100% efficient in transferring power).
The EGO has a brushed motor, while the Kobalt is brushless. Brushed motors actually drop torque efficiency at higher RPMs, while brushless ones do not. Thus, even if the motors in the same mowers have the same power rating (I know the EGO is 600W, but no word on the Kobalt), the overall torque of the Kobalt would be higher given the same RPM (EGO 3300, Kobalt 3200) because it's a more efficient motor.
Power = Amps x Volts x efficiency (because no motor is 100% efficient in transferring power).
The EGO has a brushed motor, while the Kobalt is brushless. Brushed motors actually drop torque efficiency at higher RPMs, while brushless ones do not. Thus, even if the motors in the same mowers have the same power rating (I know the EGO is 600W, but no word on the Kobalt), the overall torque of the Kobalt would be higher given the same RPM (EGO 3300, Kobalt 3200) because it's a more efficient motor.
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,078 Points
Not all motors are created equal, however... I did some number crunching with the results of that review. I don't have them ready to present yet, but spoiler: a brushless motor doesn't automatically mean a more efficient system. :-)
SCDC, Champion
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54,898 Points
Brushless ARE more efficient. But that doesn't mean its a better over all system. Nothing wrong with John's comment on the surface level. Each have a weakness, brushless being that they require more electronics and are more expensive. Brushed because it is a little less efficient but do have less fail points. Both have bearings.
SCDC, Champion
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54,898 Points
Blue,
I agree about the comment "efficient system". This is correct. I'm for keeping it simple, thus brush motors are fine with me. Brushless require more "break points" and are more costly. Like I said, trade offs. Both are fine!
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4,426 Points
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,078 Points
SCDC, Champion
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54,898 Points
John Melinte
TK
Blue Angel, Champion
The Ego 56V 4Ah battery has 224Wh of energy (56x4). More than a single 80V 2Ah battery, but less than two of them.
Higher voltage systems can be more efficient, but it takes large increases to make an appreciable difference. For example, the automotive industry has been talking for almost two decades about adopting higher voltage systems. The 14V systems in place now require very high current alternators capable of supplying 100-200 Amps of current to keep today's feature-rich cars fed. This takes thick gauge wiring which is expensive and heavy.
The proposal was to go to a 36V static/42V operational electrical system. This is 3x the current 12V/14V systems. Even though there is immense pressure in automotive to be both more energy efficient AND more cost efficient, these high voltage systems have not yet shown up in our cars.
In a nutshell, even though tripling the voltage of automotive systems would save weight, fuel and (most importantly) money, the benefits just aren't great enough to make the switch. Just to be clear, we're looking at a 300% increase in voltage. Here's an article for further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42-volt_electrical_system
Does an 80V electrical system offer benefits over a 56V system? Yes.
Are those benefits anything close to significant in the real world? No. 99% of the benefit is to the company selling the products... in the form of marketing.
Higher voltage alone does not make a more powerful electrical system. Greater Ah alone does not make a more powerful electrical system. A combination of higher voltage and higher Ah is what makes for more energy capacity, which allows a system of a given power to run longer, or a system to run at higher power for the same time.
John Melinte