Both the EGO and Ryobi are reliable mowers with a large customer base, but which option is the most cost-efficient for your property? To the naked eye, both mowers look similar, tempting you to base your decision solely on the price difference. However, to get the best bang for your buck, you must first consider the many different features of each product.
Pricing
The Ryobi 40 volt 20” Brushless Self-Propelled mower is priced at $399 while the EGO 56 volt Self-Propelled 21” mower is $549. Before deciding on the cheaper option, keep reading to ensure that you will actually end up saving money in the end.
Batteries/Run-time
While the Ryobi 20” Self-Propelled mower has a 5.0Ah battery, the EGO 21” Self-Propelled mower comes with a 7.5Ah 56 volt battery, giving EGO the upper hand on run-time.
Although the initial purchase of the Ryobi mower will save you money, it is suggested to buy a second 5.0Ah battery to ensure you get the maximum run-time possible. However, these batteries run around $139, making the price difference between the two mowers much closer after purchasing the backup battery.
Charge time
The Ryobi battery is often very hot when removed from the mower, forcing you to wait for it to cool before charging. After about 45 minutes the battery is cool enough to charge and then takes around 3 hours to charge fully. This extensive wait time heavily slows down the mowing process. If you have purchased a backup battery, then you could continue mowing with one battery while charging the other. However, at this point, it is more beneficial to spend the money on the higher-quality EGO mower and not have to replace the battery as frequently.
The EGO battery charger has an integrated fan and can charge the battery without any wait time for cooling. The 7.5Ah battery charges in about 60 minutes and often does not need to be charged until the job is done, making this the much faster and more efficient option.
Performance
With a bigger battery and stronger build, the EGO has much more power than that of the Ryobi. In a performance test, both mowers were run over tall grass that had not been mowed in two weeks. Neither mower had trouble cutting the grass; however, while the Ryobi was only able to make 14 passes, the EGO was able to make 41 passes. This is again a significant difference between the two products that consumers should consider before making a purchase, especially an expensive one.
Final Conclusions
If you live in the city with a small yard, the Ryobi mower might be able to do the job with a single battery. Therefore, saving money on the Ryobi mower can be the better decision.
However, if you have a larger lot and you are going to try and save money by purchasing the Ryobi, you might end up spending the same amount or more on new batteries for your mower than if you would have purchased the EGO.
- If your lot is a ¼ acre or more, we suggest purchasing the EGO because of the extended run-time and better build quality.