Expert Rating

94

Are you looking for a powerful, versatile electric lawnmower to replace an old gas version? Ego’s 56v option can prove to be the best electric lawn mower as one of the available options on the market, a hardy mower with a powerful motor and battery, plus several unique features. Read to see our full review of this Ego model and what I thought. After you’re done with your lawn, you’ll need the best leaf blower to make sure your yard looks perfect.

Ego 21 inch 56V Electric Lawn Mower Overview

Price: $320+ from Amazon sellers

Summary: This 21 inch Ego model is sturdy, lightweight, and powerful, making it an excellent electric lawnmower kit for larger yards and gas mower replacements. In short, it’s one of the many great tools that should be in your arsenal for lawn care. If you’re looking for another addition to your personal arsenal of tools, take a look at the best cordless drill too.

What I Liked

  • Power: 56v battery is one of the best in class
  • Includes headlights for more detailed work
  • Controls are easy to learn
  • 21 inch cutting is broad but not too broad
  • Cordless (no cords – yay!)

What I Disliked

  • The grass collection bag is pretty small
  • Not all controls are durable – some feel a little flimsy

Specs

Mower: Ego model
Ego 21-inch 56V
Battery Power 56V
Battery Life 60-100 mins
Self-Propelled green-check-mark
Mulch Functions green-check-mark
Construction Material Weather resistant plastic
Check Price

Ego 21 inch 56V Electric Lawn Mower Design

Ego BladesThe very best electric lawnmowers tend to have ruggedized plastic shells and large plastic wheels – and the Ego is a prime example of this excellent design. This makes the mower much easier to handle than weighty traditional gas-powered mowers, and those large wheels give it plenty of stability and control over rougher surfaces or tricky climbs. With the best lawnmower, you’ll need the best string trimmer to keep your yard in shape.

If you’ve never tried a plastic-based mower like this, trust us: it really can make a difference in how easy it is to mow (and maneuver).

The 21 inch cutting width is also ideal – enough power and width to cut broad lawns quickly, but small enough to still be maneuverable (electric lawnmowers rarely go broader than this, although there are many smaller widths suitable for little yards where you need to make lots of turns).

Related: Take a look at our DeWalt Lawn Mower review for a reliable and affordable lawn mower.

Yes, There Are Headlights, An Almost Must Have

I also want to draw attention to those headlights on the front, a tool very few walk-behind mowers have. In fact, some gas-powered engine mowers lack this. These lights may help with evening/morning work if you can’t mow in full daylight, but they are primarily useful when mowing in dark corners, under shrubs, and in areas where you want to get a better look.

That 56v battery (which should read “cordless”) also has excellent design features. I particularly liked the drop-down slot on the front of the mower. You simply lift the protective casing off and drop the battery neatly into its space, where it’s ready to work – and pulling it out again for a recharge is just as easy.

Most electric mowers kits include a safety key that you have to plug in before you can turn the mower on. The Ego includes such a safety key, and it’s entirely usable, if simple.

Not Everything is Perfect, Though

However, not everything is perfect. For all the ruggedized plastic the Ego kit has, some parts feel a little flimsy, especially the self propelled handle (note that not all version of this Ego model appear to come self-propelling features, but the model I tested certainly had them). Such parts may struggle to last as long as the rest of the mower.

Also, about that plastic: As I note for other lightweight electric mowers, a fully plastic design is highly maneuverable and makes any self propelled features far less necessary.

However, there are some disadvantages to a plastic mower: they tend to bounce a bit more freely and have less ability to “push down” on the grass. This can become an issue if you have thick patches of grass or a bumpy lawn, where the mower may not do as good a job. In short, you’ll need to exert more human power (i.e. force) through the handles.

Finally, I loved the bagging design for this Ego 56v model. During my review, I found that the grass bag is easy to equip and easy to dump out when necessary. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the small bags I’ve seen on any model, so you’ll have to empty it out frequently even for those mowing a mid-sized lawn.

See related: Check out our EGO Mower review for another reliable electric lawn mower.

Ego 21-inch 56V Electric Lawn Mower Testing and Performance

EGO 21 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Self Propelled Lawn Mower
The Ego mower is an excellent starter model.

The Ego 56v 21-inch lawn mower kit handled very reliably, in large part due to that powerful battery that ensures top performance from the mower – it’s easily enough power to get the job done.

That Lithium Ion battery is rated for about an hour of energy (or run time), and during that time we saw no obvious drop-off in the quality of mowing – slowed, whining blades that struggle to cut grass. These symptoms can plague weaker electric mowers, so the absence here is a big positive. As is the absence of any cord or tether. That said, if you’re debating it, don’t; go cordless. Moreover, there is no obnoxiously loud or smelly engine.

The effective charging station also charges up the Litium battery at top speeds compared to the other models that I have tested, although it really helps if you have an outlet to spare in your garage, since you’ll want to power the battery up after each time you mow (in fact, good battery care includes charging batteries up several times during your non-mowing months, too. This will help maintain their energy).

As far as the Ego 56v mower blades, they performed very well, cutting our autumn grass effortlessly even once it had grown a little high, although it’s common to expect well-performed blades right out of the box.

I liked everything about the controls (aside from that flimsy self propelled lever), especially the very easy six-notch height adjustment, which gives you plenty of different height choices while making it a breeze to switch the mower height in seconds. Those big wheels also made it easier to push and pull the mower into position as necessary.

The Ego 56v self-propelled feature, on the other hand is…just okay. Compared to other self-propelling electric mowers, it works well, giving you an extra jolt of power and speed on demand. But it’s not really a necessary feature on these lightweight mowers that are already so easy to handle, and it’s a different feeling than the strong self-propelling options built into gas mowers. Plus, the propelled setting drains the Lithium Ion battery much more quickly, which isn’t a big plus.

Ego 21-inch 56V Electric Lawn Mower Kit Review Wrap Up

The 21-inch 56v Ego mower is easily one of the best electric mowers I’ve ever tested or had the luxury to review. It offers all the strengths of an electric mower with very few of the weakness, so if you’ve been looking to make the switch from an engine to a battery, this is an excellent model to start with.

This Ego 56v lawn mower kit also comes with a couple unique, potentially useful features, such as the headlights and the six height options. These help add extra value in unique situations. I know they did for me, as I’ve conveyed in my review.

On a final note make sure you find a version of this Ego model that includes the battery and charger as a package deal, since that’s much easier than buying them apart!

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