EGO Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Outperforms Gas Engines
As battery-powered lawn mowers continue to gain traction in the lawn care space, there are two primary concerns: power and runtime. The EGO 56V Peak Power self-propelled lawn mower attempts to address both. We set out to discover if they succeeded.
Pros
- Adjustable pace self-propelled drive
- Mows up to 3/4 acre on a charge with the kitted batteries
- Excellent cutting power in the worst conditions
- Just 81 decibels under no load
Cons
- Pricey at $749 (two 56V 5.0Ah batteries included)
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Performance
Cutting Power
For our top contenders, we ran a torture test to see how they’d handle the madness. We let our lawn grow for a few weeks during the hot and rainy Florida summer. Then, we set our mowers at 2.5″ cut heights and our walking speeds at 2.5 MPH, and ran the mowers until the blades stopped.
The EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower made it 60.5 feet, which was far and away the best performance out of the cordless models. In fact, it beat all of our gas models except Honda’s top-of-the-line commercial beast. It even out-cut mowers powered by Honda GCV engines.
What does all this translate to? EGO’s 8.5 ft-lbs of torque exceeds the power of any of the other battery-powered mowers we tested. While we answered the concern about power, this test simply wasn’t tough enough to show how hard EGO is capable of working when the grass gets tough.
If only we had a sod farm…
So We Got Invited to a Sod Farm
After our original tests published, we got an invite to visit Gulf Kist Sod in Vero Beach, FL to bring this mower and others out for some follow-up testing. We moved from our yard into thick, dense Floratam (a St. Augustine variety).
Here, EGO was able to show what kind of power it can produce. As you cut Floratam shorter, it gets stiffer, denser, and generally tougher to cut. The Peak Power mower was able to effectively cut down to 1-1/2″. EGO’s secon-generation self-propelled made it to 1-3/4″ as did Kobalt’s 80V with a couple of stalls. While all three are impressive, the Peak Power clearly had more power than the rest.
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Runtime and Cutting Area
Battery power is a great option, but you’ll hate the day you opted for it over gas if you can’t cut your lawn on one charge. Even if your charger and battery work quickly, having to charge a dead battery halfway through a mow can ruin your workflow. That’s why knowing what you can expect in terms of the actual cutting area per charge is an important detail to know when purchasing a mower.
With its 21″ cutting deck and kitted dual 5.0Ah batteries, the EGO Peak Power mower can tackle up to 35,640 square feet, or just over 3/4 of an acre on a charge. In our tests, it ran for 48 minutes using only one battery while we used it for a maintenance cut and you get two in the kit. Upgrading to a pair of 7.5Ah batteries can cover more than 1-1/4 acres!
Moving to a medium-duty cut in Floratam, the dual-battery mower still ran more than an hour (70 minutes) and cut better than half an acre.
Only the much more expensive Greeworks Commercial model managed to squeeze out more cutting area than EGO in light and medium-duty cuts. Its higher watt-hour capacity with 2 batteries and 23-3/4″ cutting swath make a difference.
However, when we turned to heavy cutting in Floratam, EGO power took over, cutting for 50 minutes to cut just over 1/3 acre in pretty much the worst-case scenario. No other battery mower could keep up with EGO with that level of cutting.
Noise Levels
One of the benefits of going cordless revolves around noise—battery motors are much quieter than gas engines. But how quiet are we actually talking here? In the case of the EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower, we’re talking about 81 dB(A).
To put that into perspective, 81 decibels is equivalent to running your garbage disposal. Gas-powered mowers typically come in at around 96 dB(A), though ours measured 86—94 in no-load testing.
Compared to the other battery-powered options, the EGO Peak Power is right on par. Almost every cordless mower we tested grouped into the 78-82 dB(A) range, with a couple of outliers at the 85 and 88-decibel marks.
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Design
Adjustable Speed Self-Propel
EGO’s self-propelled drive control looks a little unorthodox with its small engagement handle, but it’s pretty comfortable to use. You can easily adjust your walking speed via the throttle on the left side of the handle. The speed ranges from “crawling along” to “I have to jog to keep up with it,” so you’re likely to find a comfortable speed somewhere in there.
Height Adjustment and Range
Like most cordless lawn mowers, EGO allows you to set your cutting height in 6 positions between 1.5″ and 4.25″ by adjusting one lever. Rather than having to go around to each individual wheel to adjust the height, you set all 4 at once.
We tested many mowers that have this feature, but more than a few of them felt a little flimsy at the adjustment points at the wheels. The EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower felt pretty rigid and sturdy, though a steel deck might improve it some.
Simple Handle Adjustments
Many of the mowers we tested have 3 handle positions, just like this EGO does. However, not many of them were as comfortable and simple to adjust as EGO’s Quick Adjust Lever. It’s really as simple as squeezing the lever and moving the handle into position. You can also fold it over and store it upright in your garage or shop.
Adjusting for your height is simple as well. The telescoping handle has 3 positions and can be adjusted by simply pulling the tabs out, sliding the handle to the length you need, and snapping the tabs back in place.
Additional Features
- Headlight
- Onboard battery charge indicator
- 10″ rear wheel
- 3-in-1: mulch, bag, or side discharge
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Price
The EGO Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower is available either online or from your local Lowe’s. Kitted with two 5.0Ah batteries and a fast charger, it runs $749. Granted, this on the high end for residential mowers, but this mower represents the top of the line for EGO self-propelled mowers. Plus, it comes with a 5-year limited warranty.
You should also consider the depth of EGO’s 56V line. It includes:
- Mowers
- Power inverters
- Blowers
- Edgers
- Chainsaw
- String trimmers
- Hedge clippers
- Pole saws
- Snowblower
- Multi-head system
- edger
- string trimmer
- articulating hedge trimmer
- pole saw
- cultivator
- bristle brush
- extension attachment
The point here is that if you ever had doubts about finding more uses for the EGO 56V battery platform, you should put those to rest. EGO has a full line of OPE tools that run on the platform, and the two batteries that come with this kit can easily find other uses with other tools in the lineup.
The Bottom Line
If your lawn care calls for cutting longer or thicker grass than typical battery-powered mowers can handle, EGO’s Peak Power Self-Propelled model is the way to go. Outcutting most of our gas mowers in the worst conditions, it still had the runtime to cut a 1/4-acre lot and much more when conditions are better. As it stands at the time we’re writing this, EGO’s biggest competition is itself with the Select Cut XP.
EGO 56V Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Specifications
- Model Number: EGO LM2142SP
- Cutting Width: 21″
- Wheel Sizes: 7″ (Front); 10″ (Rear)
- Volts: 56V
- Number of Batteries Required: 2
- Cutting Height Options: 6-position; 1.5″ – 4″ range
- Cut Options: Mulch, Bag, Side Discharge
- Deck Material: Plastic
- Drive Type: Rear Wheel
- Handlebar Positions: 6
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $799
For more information on the EGO Peak Power Self-Propelled Lawn Mower, visit EgoPowerPlus.com.
