stefcl100

Having read a lot of reviews from various sources in different languages and countries, my current opinion is that you can't go wrong with Makita X2, they offer good-to-excellent options in almost every OPE tool category. Only the mower offering seems to be (seriously) lagging behind compared to newer models from the competition (brushed motor, no self propelled option).... But I read on previous threads that the mower is not on your top list anyway. That being said, choosing a battery platform is a tough question. For my part, I have been changing my mind every two weeks since months and haven't settled yet.

I did some research about battery-operated snow blowers a few months ago and found that answer on the Ego community forum: The post does not come from an Ego representative but is tagged "official", so I guess somebody from EGO approved it. Disclaimer: I do not own the tool

Greenworks 82v and the newest Oregon mowers have it. It's also found on the EGO, but barely usable according to reviews (even the cheerladers absolute fans from the official community forums admit it). I suspect that from a marketing standpoint, offering a mulching mode and telling people that they don't have to dispose of the clippings sounds more appealing, even if the actual mulching performance is less good than advertised (or so bad that it is actually damaging your yard if you are cutting more than 3 millimeters).

As a consequence of multiple brands being owned by the same companies or manufactured in the same factories, it has become quite common to find tools from different brands sharing the same look and technical specs, differing only on their colors (or only on the printed logo in some cases). Nevertheless, the case of Greenworks sounds a bit extreme to me. Almost every 80v/82v battery system you can find on google can be reasonably suspected to be a Greenworks clone. Just to name a few : Stiga (80v) Kobalt (80v) Alpina (80v) Gardol (80v, 60v, possibly 40v) Miogarden (80v) Powerworks (82v, 60v) Cramer (82v) Craftsman (40v, unconfirmed) Mountfield (80v) Snapper (80v, 60v) Atco (80v) Some only have the mower and blower, while some seem to offer the complete line, including a few unique variants. Can we really trust products that are available under 5 different names in a same country?

Me want! They have pictures of it being used one handed, not sure it's allowed in every country due to safety norms (or if it is possible, the manual can't state it or must advise against it, I am not sure).

I tried to check but decided that I will just take your word for it , I tried to download the outdoor catalog but it failed due to a script error. I could not find much on that JP site (except confirmation that Makita sucks at designing websites). @Jronman That multi tool system is indeed a very nice addition, can't wait to read the reviews. As you are saying, the current Makita 36v OPE line is *very* varied, with a better-than-average option in most categories imho... Only their mower seems to be seriously lagging behind. As I am watching Dewalt, Stihl and Husqvarna releasing their 36-40v models (including self propelled variants and a dedicated mulcher), I feel like Makita may need to even the score.

With mid-March approaching, do you think there is hope for a couple of new OPE tools? I remember reading rumors about a brushless version of their top handle chainsaw. A better 2x18v mower would be on my personal christmas list too.

It took me some time to find that video, for those looking for it, have a look at their instagram page. And yes, I found the difference impressive... I admit I expected any of those blowers to lift snow like a pile of sawdust, especially the Stihl and the larger Ego. It reminded me this review from a TIA reader who switched from the Makita X2 to the EGO 530 and explained that the Makita gave him the impression of a more concentrated air flow that made it easier to move small rocks, even on the lower settings, perhaps having to do with the smaller diameter of the nozzle.

I was hoping that EGO's new string trimmer would feature a reverse direction switch just like Husqvarna's 536Lilx. Not necessarily a game changer but sounds like a nice bonus.

I guess I was among them, I knew that higher voltage was not guaranteed superiority, but I was convinced that more volts would translate to more torque at the same speed.

I would actually agree with most of your post. 36v and 40v mean the same to me, just like 18v and so-called 20v "max". I also agree that watts per hour are the important thing. However, my uneducated guess is that you are more likely to see the larger power demanding tools on higher voltage platforms because of the larger W/h potential. Not necessarily because higher voltage means better performance, but because tools need to be balanced in such way that they offer an adequate compromise between power and run time,given a fixed battery capacity. It's hard to imagine a dual stage snow blower based on a 20v system that would require 4 batteries to run (and 4 more if you need a replacement set) where a single 80v pack could achieve the same W/H potential. I am no expert, there may also be other technical obstacles with horizontal scaling that I am not aware of.

I have not used many of their OPE tools but most Makita 2x18v tools have excellent ratings. They seem to get a lot of power out of their 36v system, It would be really interesting to see what kind of monsters they could come with on a larger 58v (perhaps 2x58v) platform. Probably overkill for most home user needs, but what's not to like about excessively powerful tools? @D W Having to mow through relatively wet grass is a common issue here too, a battery mower could perhaps get the job done as long as you don't mulch. It is unfortunately difficult to confirm as most reviews are done on flat yards and under optimal conditions.

Thanks everybody for your replies. It's true that tool prices are usually lower in the US (and yes, it makes me mighty jealous sometimes). However, I have been following recent releases from other popular brands such as greenworks, dewalt, ryobi, makita or husqvarna, and the price differences did not look so huge to me, that 2x factor seems rather extreme. I am definitely considering other options, Husqvarna 36v and Makita 2x18v seem to be nice choices too. Both systems give access to fairly good trimmers, blowers and chainsaws but they lack a good mower. To be honest, what keeps the EGO system on my short list is their mower offering. I have a moderate-sized mountain yard with steep inclines and a few tough areas that leave little space for turning and maneuvering. Despite being self-propelled, my 42kg (96 lbs) honda mower can be really hard to push or pull around obstacles, I suppose a 33% lighter EGO LM 2024 E-SP could make my life easier. I have yet to figure out if replacing it with an EGO would be a wise choice, I have not yet found videos showing how these perform on challenging yards. My current mower has proved to be a very reliable and powerful tool capable of enduring a lot of punishment so perhaps I should avoid locking myself into an "all or nothing" approach while moving to battery OPE. Moreover, there may be new releases in the coming Spring (that may cause me to change my mind for the 200th time). I expected a good SP mower from Dewalt taking advantage of their higher voltage platform, but they have recently announced a 40v non-SP model. Some rumors are talking about a new OPE platform from Makita but there is not much information available... I guess I am going to wait a few months. I love battery tools but things were a bit easier when could just cherry pick among manufacturers .

Hello, I am thinking about investing in a new OPE battery platform. After having spent countless hours reading reviews, watching videos and comparing stuff, I came to the conclusion that the EGO product line would be a solid choice. If I were living in the US, I'd probably be on my way to the local DIY store to purchase the complete tool range. However, here in western Europe, EGO products are a bit harder to come by, they are a recent addition to the market and, more importantly, they are priced surprisingly high in comparison to the US. Put simply, we need to pay a lot more for less. As an example, the typical 190-200$ EGO ST-1500 trimmer would cost you about 240 EUR (~280 USD) and that's only for the bare tool without the kitted 2.5AH battery and charger. The LM2102E-SP mower with 7.5AH battery is about 950-1000 EUR, not doing the math but we understand it's a lot more than 600$, my dad paid this much for a Honda HRX mower. I have compared prices from various stores in Switzerland, France, and Germany, I checked SP-mowers, trimmers and blowers, EGO tools price tag seems to be 180% or 200% higher in Europe, except for the batteries which cost more or less the same. Granted, it's not always fair to compare prices across countries based on the currency exchange rate, but it may be legitimate to ask if EGO products can still be considered great value for money with their cost being above (or at least on par with) well-established brands such as Husqvarna, Stihl or even Makita? There is no easy answer I guess, what's your opinion on this? PS: I am not a native english speaker so please forgive eventual typos or weird grammar.