Cordless Lawn Mower Head-To-Head | 2022

Like Ricky Bobby says ” If you ain’t first then you’re last.” While we love the spirit of that statement, we feel that does not hold true when it comes to the Best Cordless Mower. We feel that there is a place for cordless mowers, whether it is in a small backyard, large backyard, or even a commercial field!

Cordless Lawn Mowers continue to be the most popular OPE (outdoor power equipment) in retail stores. The buzz is real and everyone is competing for a seat at the top when it comes to best in class. The field is ever-changing, even in the 2 years since our last 2020 Cordless Mower Head-to-Head there have been new models and technology improvements.

In this best cordless lawn mower head-to-head we compared 16 cordless mowers from 14 manufacturers. We put these mowers through specific tests against each other to crown the Best Cordless Mower.

Benefits Of A Cordless Mower

Gas-powered mowers require a lot of maintenance, such as oil changes, fuel filters, spark plugs, and air filters. Not to mention rising gas prices. Let’s be honest, most people don’t properly maintain their gas mowers, and put off service until the mower won’t start! Anyone who has had to get a small engine fixed understands how inconvenient and time-consuming it can be.  All of the above-mentioned maintenance, as well as last-minute fuel purchases, are eliminated with cordless mowers, which are also quieter to operate.

Cordless Lawn Mowers Tested

We reached out to 14 of the top cordless lawn mower manufacturers and asked if they would like to participate in our best cordless mower head-to-head article. The models we tested included:

Black and Decker

Model: CM2043C
Voltage: 40V
Deck Size: 20″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 47 Lbs
Price: $265.95

DEWALT

Model: DCMWSP255Y2
Voltage: 20V x 2 (40V)
Deck Size: 21-1/2″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 92 Lbs
Price: $669.00

ECHO

Model: DLM-2100SP
Voltage: 56V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 69.5 Lbs
Price: $499.00

EGO

Model: LM2156SP
Voltage: 56V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 2
Weight: 68 Lbs
Price: $799.00

Greenworks

Model: 2533402
Voltage: 80V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight:  74 Lbs
Price: $749.00

Hart

Model: HLPM061US
Voltage: 40V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 89 Lbs
Price: $498.00

Kobalt

Model: KMP6080-06
Voltage: 80V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 87 Lbs
Price: $599.00

Kobalt

Model: Model KSPM-1040A-03
Voltage: 40V
Deck Size: 20″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/4″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 65 Lbs
Price: $429.00

Makita

Model: XML11CT1
Voltage: 18v x2 (36V)
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/4″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 88.5 Lbs
Price: $499.00

Makita

Model: XML08Z
Voltage: 18v x2 (36V)
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/4″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 94 Lbs
Price: $699.00

Milwaukee

Model: 2823-22HD
Voltage: 18V x2 (36V)
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 80.5 Lbs
Price: $999.00

Ryobi

Model: RY401210
Voltage: 40V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1.5″
Number of Blades: 2
Weight: 74 Lbs
Price: $799.00

Skil

Model: SM4910-10
Voltage: 40V
Deck Size: 20″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 60 LBs
Price: $449.00

Snapper

Model: 1687982
Voltage: 82V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 71.5 Lbs
Price: $658.36

Stihl

Model: RMA 510 V
Voltage: 36V
Deck Size: 20″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 64 Lbs
Price: $699.99

Toro

Model: 21566
Voltage: 60V
Deck Size: 21″
Max Cutting Height: 4″
Min Cutting Height: 1-1/2″
Number of Blades: 1
Weight: 81 Lbs
Price: $799.00

Best Cordless Lawn Mower Head-to-Head Comparison

While this isn’t a professional testing facility and we are not a professional testing crew, we did gather measurements, analyze each mower in a variety of categories, and rank them against one another.

We always strive to figure out how to make our Head-To-Head tool tests uniform, reproducible, and fair when we start putting them together. In order to give you the Best Cordless Lawn Mower, we looked at the following 10 categories.

1. Noise
2. Run-Time
3. Speed Test
4. Ergonomics and Features
5. Handle Comfort & Adjustment
6. Amount of Grass Mowed
7. Maneuverability
8. Deck Height Adjustability
9. Compact Storage

Cordless Mower Cut Quality

There was no BIG discernible difference in the cut quality of the mowers. The grass we mowed was field-quality, green, and approximately 6-7 inches high. As a result, the grass plant type was not particularly uniform. This made the cut quality hard to determine, and since we did not have a sod-quality lawn, we did not rank this category.

Editor’s Note – Both the Ego and Ryobi have multiple cut blades which enhance the quality of the cut. All the other mowers that we tested had single-blades.

Ego has three blade sets included in your purchase. A set of Mulching Blades for shredding grass into fine bits. For all-around performance, the extended runt time blades set provides a perfect blend of cut quality and duration. Finally, they include their “High Lift Bagging Blade” set, which provides greater suction for bagging and leaves your yard free of clippings.

The Ryobi mower comes with stacked, two crosscut blades making the quality of the cut better, by creating smaller grass clippings.

Quietest Cordless Mower Winner  – Stihl

One of the most often asked topics concerning cordless mowers seems to be how much noise they make.

To gain a relative comparison of noise, we ran a basic decibel test to measure the loudness of the mowers in a controlled environment. The test consisted of running each mower in our barn, on a concrete surface with the deck lifted to its full height. Each mower was tested in the same spot on the floor, and the decibel meter was at the same height and relative position as an average user.

Note: the mowers were tested on top of a concrete slab. In practice, when utilized on a lawn, these mowers are significantly quieter.

When the ECO mode is selected, the mower operates at a lower RPM for situations requiring less power. This increases energy efficiency and battery runtime as well as reduces the noise of the mower. To switch the ECO mode on, swing the battery cover open and hit the ECO select button, and then close the lid.

We ran the test for enough time to have the mowers reach a maximum and stable rpm speed. Many of the mower motors start at a high RPM and then cycle down to a slower speed to save energy. The quietest mower we tested was the Stihl which measured in at 79 decibels.

A three-way tie for second at 80 decibels was Greenworks, Snapper, and Toro. Coming in the loudest mowers were the Ego and Makita XMLCT1 at 88.5 decibels.

There are five mowers that have a turbo feature which increased the noise decibels between 3.5 to 5.0 DBS.  Milwaukee, Echo, Stihl, Greenworks, and Toro. When in turbo mode, which Milwaukee calls “High lift mode,” the Milwaukee was the loudest mower we tested at 90.0 decibels. High lift mode uses a higher blade speed to achieve additional airflow and increased grass lift to deliver better quality mulch or bagging results.

Cordless lawn mowers allow you to cut your lawn efficiently and quietly, with none of the noise, gas, oil, or maintenance that comes with gas-powered solutions ~ ROB

Gas vs Cordless Mower  | Noise

For comparison, the average gas lawnmower produces 95–100 decibels. The noise measurements for our test mowers averaged 82.6 decibels. When compared to a loud gas mower, these cordless mowers cut sound energy by over 20 times when compared to a 100 dB noise level.

Many towns have enacted noise ordinances that limit the times of day you can mow with a gas mower. Cordless mowers are unaffected by these ordinances.

Most Grass Cut | Cordless Mower Run-time

Run-time used to be a big question in the minds of people considering the purchase of battery-powered tools. Huge advancements in battery technology have made cordless mowers a viable option for users. The million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is how much grass will a cordless mower cut on a battery charge?  Mowing run time will vary greatly depending on the height of grass, the thickness of grass, and the type of grass.

Best Cordless Mower Run-time Procedure

We measured and marked mowing lanes for each mower and kept track of the time and total distance that each mower traveled.

Grass Conditions: The grass we mowed was field-quality, green and white clover, and approximately 6-7 inches high. Every mower was set at its highest cut setting, 4″. We set each mower to its maximum speed if it were self-propelled. We asked the operators of non-self-propelled mowers to move at a comfortable pace. It was interesting to note that a 40-year-old man in good shape pushing a mower was faster than most of the self-propelled mowers.)

If any mower completed mowing its entire marked lane, we lowered the mower deck by one additional inch and re-cut that lane. Once the mower stopped running, we used a measuring wheel to measure its final resting spot.  Some mowers have dual batteries that will operate separately. In this instance, if the batteries were provided in the kit, we doubled the calculations to come out with our total distance mowed.

Most Grass Cut | Run-time Winner – Milwaukee

The winner of the most grass mowed in this year’s Best Cordless Mower Head-to-Head goes to Milwaukee.  The M18 mower runs on two 18V 12 Ah batteries.  These power banks propelled Milwaukee to run for 14,936 feet or 2.83 miles.  The total cutting area was 26,138 square feet, a truly impressive amount of grass for a battery-powered mower. The final ranking is based on the area the mower can cut with the total batteries on board. We also showed a column of data on area per watt-hour just as additional information. Ultimately what users are most interested in, is how much area can I mow on a single charge.

Just behind Milwaukee was the Kobalt 80V, mowing a distance of 14,017 feet and 24,540 square feet in our test. The Kobalt is powered by a single 6 Ah battery.

Rounding out the top three was the EGO mower. A single battery powers the EGO like the Kobalt and this kit came with a 10 Ah battery.  The EGO was able to run for 10,868 feet or 2.06 miles, cutting grass over a 19,000 square foot area.

Watt-Hours

It’s important to note that all 16 of these mowers have different battery Amp-Hour, capacities, and voltages.  Comparing one tool’s battery capacity to another by referencing “Amp Hours” is a common practice but an inaccurate and misleading one.  Watt-Hours is calculated by multiplying the voltage (actual load voltage, not the MAX that some companies advertise) by the battery pack Amp-Hours. This calculation allows us to compare the total energy available to do the work based on both the voltage and size of the battery pack (amp-hours).

For example, we can take a look at the two leaders of the runtime/area mowed test, Milwaukee and the Kobalt 80V.  The Milwaukee uses two batteries at 18V and 12 Ah a piece.  Each battery has 18V*12Ah equaling 216 Watt Hours capacity.  Adding both batteries together yields 432 WH onboard and supplied with the kit.  The Kobalt has a single 80V Battery rated at 6Ah with a Watt-Hour capacity of 480.  The takeaway here is that even though the Milwaukee has two batteries each with an advertised 12 Amp Hour, and the Kobalt has a single with “only” 6 Amp Hour, the Kobalt has a larger/more energy-rich battery.

Since we already gathered the data we went ahead and calculated the Area (sf) / watt-hour mowed for each mower kit in the test.  This value is a crude measurement of the efficiency of the mower at cutting grass given its battery capacity.

While an interesting exercise that helps explain how some mowers with smaller batteries outperformed those with larger ones, we feel that this data and any kind of battery normalized performance is irrelevant in this case.  We set out to find which mower “Out of the Box” could cut the most grass.  If you already own batteries of a particular mower platform, this could greatly swing your decision to invest in a particular mower if run-time and cutting area is a concern.

Speed Test – Winner – Milwaukee and Toro

After performing our runtime test, many of the mower operators shared that they wished that their mower moved faster. We decided to test the highest setting propelled speed of the mowers. We set up a 100-yard dash to see who was the fastest. Two crew members were assigned per mover; one operator and one to record the time.

Because many of the mowers require several feet to ramp up speed, we started every mower 6 to 8 feet in front of our timing line. Once the wheels hit the orange line the timer started. Once the wheels hit the 100-yard mark the timer stopped. We tested each mower twice and recorded the average time. There were two mowers that were not self-propelled, the Black and Decker and the Kobalt 40V. These mowers did not compete in this test.

Milwaukee and  Toro tied as the fastest mowers, with an average time of 51 seconds.

ECHO and Ryobi tied for third place, with an average time of  57.5 seconds, and the turtle in the race was the Snapper mower coming in at 78 seconds.

Ergonomics and Features– Winner Ryobi

All 16 mowers have fairly similar features, we considered the following features for this category…

1. Handles
2. Propulsion
3. Controls
4. Foldability / Storage
5. Deck Adjustment
6. Mulching
7. Bagging

For the ergonomics/features, we evaluated seven areas. These included the adjustability of the handle, the effort of maneuverability, human factor in the ease of foldability and storage, deck adjustment, ergonomics, and propulsion/control ergonomics.

The Ryobi shined in this category with 10-points. This 40V HP brushless whisper series 21″ all-wheel-drive mower, has a super easy push-button start, and an onboard lever to choose from: mulching, or bagging.  The 7-position single point height adjustment quickly changes the height from 1″ to 4″. We thought the handle was super comfortable with no hot spots or pinch points. The self-propelled paddle lever being adjustable is a nice feature allowing the user to pick their desired setting. The variable speed control is in a perfect position to adjust on the go without having to take your hand off the handle.

The external fuel gauge ensures was clear and easy to see the battery charge and the one-touch aluminum folding handles store this mower horizontally or vertically into a more compact package.

EGO came in a close second place at 11-points, with its simple and intuitive adjustments and controls. EGO provides an excellent user experience. Most of the control and adjustment buttons or levers are bright green making them easy to find. Our crew also liked how quick and easy the mower handle folds for storage, as well as, the comfortable rubber over-mold handle grip.

Echo came in third with 13-points, with simple, intuitive, and ambidextrous controls. The contoured handle, while comfortable does not allow multiple gripping positions, and the crew noted that while the controls were easily accessed, they were spread out a bit, requiring the operator to remove the hand from the handle. There is NO variable speed paddle, and it has a separate on/off the headlight switch.

Notable Mentions

The DEWALT mower has an “average ” 45-degree pronated grip. The propulsion control lever has little to no modulation. Fine control is difficult to achieve and appears to be a mechanical clutch mechanism. The auto-adjusting speed slows down the mower blade over easy-to-cut grass, and because the propulsion is based on a mechanical clutch it also slows down your pace (at exactly the time when you want to speed up). Slow speed necessitates the operator to extend and hold their fingers, which is awkward and causes hand fatigue. When walking over gravel while pushing the mower, it cannot be propelled without the blade spinning, which could result in a flying item hazard.

The Makita (not PRO) has excellent controls that are easily accessed on the top of the handle assembly. You do however have to move your hand from the handle to access them. It does have an easily adjustable deck height and the handle is all metal making it very durable.

In the last two years, the biggest upgrade to mowers seems to be in the lower tier mowers – Ethan

The Makita Pro has similar features as the other Makita but is way more solid a build. The crew noted that the speed control is a bit off the reach, making awkward adjustments on the fly.  It has excellent controls, easily accessed on top of the handle assembly, you do have to remove your hand from the handle.

Overall the crew felt that the Makita Pro was easy to use, maneuvered fine and the self-propulsion can be left on its turn as the mower speed is slower.  The mower is a bit slow on the speed-up – ramp-up speed which is one reason many of the crew users did not turn off the self-propulsion on turns.

The crew noted that the mower bogged down in 7” inch clover set at 4” deck height.  Operating on two batteries, this mower has a compartment for 4 batteries with a switch between the 2 with a knob on the motor, so you do not have to open the lid to access it. A battery led shows all 4 battery charges at the same time.

When set at mid-range [or lower] we noted that the front right wheel was not touching the ground. The crew all felt that in terms of cut quality it would have a negligible difference on the cut, as this measurement off was 1/8” strong.

The Makita Pro has two handle height adjustments that require a tool to set.   This is a heavy machine, with front and rear lift points, it is truly built for daily Pro use.

The TORO has what they call a “Personal Pace” self-propel drive, which is a  sliding handle grip that slides along with the handle frame – as you push it forward,  it starts propulsion and controls it. It definitely takes some getting used to. The arched [rounded] shaped handle is unique looking, and comfortable but has side-to-side slop possibly causing it to rack. Other than the propulsion system this mower is no-frills and could use an upgrade. (Cannot be propelled without the blade spinning, requires each wheel lever to adjust the deck height Handle does not telescope).

The SNAPPER has a self-propelled sliding handle similar to the Toro, Snapper calls it “step-sense” The Snapper has a variable speed that is built into the Step-sense handle feature. Unlike the Toro, the variable speed can be locked out with a locking knob on the handle deck. Lightweight. This is a no-frill mower, with no lift points.

Maneuverability Winner – Black and Decker and Kobalt 40V

Because they were not self-propelled, the Black and Decker and Kobalt 40V mowers were more maneuverable than the others. To move tightly with self-propelled machines, the user must disconnect the propulsion. The operator must press against the propelling mechanism to turn the mower tightly.

The Black and Decker is super light, very maneuverable, and great for smaller framed people or folks who might have issues with a heavier mower. Because of the weight and no propulsion, this makes trimming around gardens and trees incredibly easy.

The same can be said about the Kobalt 40v, due to the not having a self-propulsion, this mower is geared to smaller yards or a yard with lots of maneuvering around planting beds.

Milwaukee took 2nd place and was the best maneuverability in the self-propelled mowers. This was due because of the short wheelbase front to back. The mowers with the longest wheelbase ranked towards the bottom.

The maneuverability of push mowers is especially important when trimming around gardens, trees, and other landscaping features. The ease with which the mower turns is largely due to the wheels and mower weight.

EGO took third place, and the crew noted that by applying pressure with your palm you can easily engage the self-propelled system. When mowing, users discovered that easing up on the drive button made for smoother, tighter turns.

The Hart mower lost a wheel on one of our maneuvering tests. It looks like the nut /washer on the wheel could benefit from a Nylock nut. Based on this, Hart received a low score in the fit and finish the scoring. The mower itself once repaired maneuvered well.

Deck Height Adjustability Winner – Kobalt 40V and Kobalt 80V

All of the mowers, with the exception of one, we tested include a single-lever, deck height adjustment feature. This sure does beat adjusting each wheel like the old-style mowers we grew up with.

The winners of this category were the Kobalt 40V and 80V due to a combination of their large lever, they both have a strong return spring and are easy to engage. They both feature a 7 deck-height adjustment option, ranging from 4″ at its highest to lowest at 1-1/4″ setting.

Ryobi, Milwaukee, and Stihl came in a close second due to their large handle levers, spring-assisted, and easy-to-use lifting and lowering levers.

The only mower that still has individually adjustable wheels is the Toro. Due to this, we had no choice but to put it in last place for deck adjustability – that’s just archaic.

“Come on Toro! Individually adjustable wheels? Nobody has time for that… it’s 2022!” – SCOTT

Notable Mention

The crew liked the EGO deck adjustment height lever. It has a nice handle but agreed that it was tough to actuate. We assume in time the spring might loosen up and might be easier to raise and lower. 

Some mowers had knuckle-busting setups that would cause the user to hit the lower part of the handle assembly when adjusting the mower for taller cutting.

Compact Design & Storage Size Winners – EGO and Ryobi,

Garages tend to get taken over by mowers, trimmers, and tools throughout the summer, so foldability and storage are crucial to some people. Furthermore, cordless mowers CAN be stored upright without the worry of spilling gas or filling the engine cylinder with oil.

The entire crew considered factors such as; telescopic handles, pivot points, grab handles, and the ability to stand upright on its own while evaluating how easy it was to set up and fold down each mower.

We examined these aspects and attributes as a group and then scored them on a scale of one to five, with one being the best.

There was a three-way tie for the most compact mower in this category. When folded, the EGO, Ryobi, and Hart have the smallest storage space. They are incredibly compact and can easily be stored vertically or horizontally.

EGO

The EGO mower is easy to fold and store compact. You can hang it from the front handle or store it upright. The handle can be telescoped in and out using two side levers. To fold the handle down horizontally, simply pull a large, easily accessed lever. If needed, the EGO additionally has two handles for easy carrying.

Ryobi

The Ryobi mower has a single pull lever to open to fold the handle. Once folded it is very compact and easily stands vertically. The Ryobi had one rear carrying handle the no telescoping features.

HART

The “fast-fold” feature on the Hart mower is a lever that pulls up for a quick, smooth handle fold. There is no need for a telescoping feature because of the short handle, and it folds up extremely compact.

The one mower that does not fold is the Makita PRO grade. We believe that commercial mowers are not meant to store. They are put in a trailer and come off at every site. With that being said the Makita Pro mower has front and rear lift points and is truly heavy duty! A workhorse for sure!

Best Cordless Mower Price Winner – Black and Decker

One of, if not the most sought question is going to be how much money are these mowers.  We always mention that one big factor is what battery platform you are working off of. Well, we think that for cordless mowers that might not be the case. There are several brands on this list that do not manufacture power tools and the majority of the ones that do have larger voltage systems for their mowers.

At the time of publication, these prices are mowers that come in a kit form. Some of these mowers can be purchased in big box stores, or on the web at Acme Tools, or other retail websites. Below is a chart of how these mower kits are sold and the components in each kit.

Coming in at the lowest cost is the Black and Decker CM2043C which will run you $347.0.0 and is a great mower for someone who is mowing a smaller area. The mower deck is plastic and is a “no-frills” mower that will get the job done for your average homeowner. Cutting at roughly 1/4 acre on a single charge, this mower can handle your weekly lawn cut!

With a price of $399.00, the Skil mower comes in second place as the lowest-priced mower. Powered by Skil’s PWRCORE 40V battery, this mower covered a lot of grass on our tests! Covering more than 1.5 miles of mowed grass, this Skil finished mid-pack. It is lightweight and has a telescoping handle for great storage.

The Kobalt 40V mower is the third-ranked lowest-priced mower at $429.00. This mower also has a steel deck and provides about 45 minutes of continuous cut on a 40V 6.0Ah battery. This is a good choice if you are already using other 40V Kobalt Outdoor Power Equipment!

On the flip side, the Milwaukee 2823-22HD comes in at the highest mower and will run you $999.00. That being said, it shined in our area mowed testing, it won the fastest mower test and has some sick features like multiple LED lights. This mower ships with (2) M18 12.0 Ah batteries which probably make up half the cost of the mower!

Best Cordless Mower – Milwaukee

These tests and evaluations are very difficult, take a lot of time, and are ultimately limited in scope as we’re not a professional testing company. We also cannot do long-term testing that would shed light on durability. In order to choose the best cordless mower, all six [6] evaluated categories were scored and ranked 1 through 16, to define the winner. We then tallied those category numbers to come up with a total number. The lower the number the better.

The Milwaukee M18 21″ Self-Propelled Dual Battery Mower took the crown on Best Cordless Mower of 2022. This mower is powerful, running on (2) M18 12.0Ah batteries! It was super fast in our speed test and it covered over 14, 936 feet mowed. That is 2.83 miles of mowing. It ran at full speed for over 44 minutes which is up at the top of the pack when it comes to run time. The team really appreciated its great ergonomics, foldability, maneuverability, and nicely thought-out design!

The team was impressed with the fit and finish of the handles, controls,  steel deck, and overall durable design of this mower. The rear wheel self-propelled drive allowed this mower to move fast and maneuver well.

Many of the crew members who used the mower commented on how quick the throttle to the motor reaction was.  

Milwaukee claims that its optimized steel deck design, higher blade speed, and airflow deliver increased lift which reduces missed grass blades and clumps for better quality grass cutting. Our team noted that the mower’s higher blade speed helped, and did not stall the mower in taller grass.

The blade and propulsion reached full throttle in under 1 second. The throttle or “Active Speed Management Paddle,” as Milwaukee refers to it allowed us to easily adjust mower speed to walking pace. The Milwaukee delivers 10 ft-lb cutting torque and a variable speed self-propel: 0 MPH – 4 MPH.

Many of the crew liked and commended the futuristic 4 location LED light design, although we all agreed that lights on a mower are not an important feature.

As a Milwaukee cordless tool user, I immediately recognized that the two 12Ah batteries with this unit separately cost $500, and can be used in my other high-demand tools. That makes this mower much more attractive to me and puts it in the $400 range. ~ ROB

Lastly, the single-point height adjustment, 2-point carry handles, and easy vertical storage allowed this mower to rise quickly to the top.  As professional contractors, we also like that the Milwaukee mower batteries will run Milwaukee tools.

Our hats go out to The EGO POWER+ 21″ Select Cut XP Self-Propelled Mower which continues to crush its competitors when it comes to outdoor power equipment. This mower is no slouch and it finished right under the winner. It has great ergonomics, cut just over 2 miles at 10,868 ft on a single 56V 10.0Ah battery. This machine will cut anything you throw in front of it. Having the ability to turn off the self-propel feature avoids accidental flying hazards while moving the mower over non-grass areas. 

The team liked that you can engage the “Touch Drive” self-propel function with the touch of your palm, and control the variable speed with a dial with your other hand.  The Ego delivers 8.3 ft-lb cutting torque and a variable speed self-propel: .9 MPH – 3.1 MPH

The Ego also has a 7-position cutting height adjustment from 1.5″- 4″ and bright LED headlights. Ego’s Select Cut Multi-blade Cutting System is equipped with three, interchangeable lower blades; the Mulching Blade, High Lift Bagging Blade, and Extended Run-time Blade.

Ryobi and Stihl tied for third with 30-points.

The Ryobi was the only all-wheel-drive lawn mower. It features two interactive battery ports, and a fast and easy  7-position single-point height adjustment from 1″ to 4″. The crew appreciated the external fuel gauge, LED lights, and one-touch folding handles but were impressed by the integrated mulch plug which engages with a simple one-handed lever.

The Stihl RMA 510 V performed exceptionally well in all of our tests with exception of the speed test. Users wished that this awesome mower self-propulsion was a little faster.

The Stihl was highly maneuverable with an easy-to-use variable speed setting control, allowing mowing speed between 0.6 mph to 2.8 mph. Our crew was impressed with this mower’s fit and finish, especially the durable, 10-inch rear wheels and 8-inch front ball-bearing wheels.

Our team liked that it offers seven adjustable cutting heights, and the handlebar adjusts to three height positions for user comfort. The Stihl is priced $100 less than the Ego and Ryobi, and $300 less than the Milwaukee.

Best Cordless Mower Value Winner – Greenworks

The ECHO mower is our best value winner. This mower competed with the big boys for sure. It scored 6th in the overall finish scoring and came in 5th with a cost of $499.00.

The ECHO scored top three in the fit and finish speed, and ergonomics categories.  It has simple, intuitive, and ambidextrous controls. This machine gives you seven adjustments for cutting increments between 1 and 4-inch cutting heights and an auto-switch dual-battery dock.

Overall the team thought you would get the best bang for your buck, or should we say “cut for your green.”  

Final Thoughts

The noise, odor, and maintenance that come with owning a gas-powered mower are no longer an issue for cordless mower owners. Coupled with other cordless outdoor power equipment, you can now keep the gas to your cars. Cordless outdoor power equipment has come leaps and bounds since its inception and it continues to impress us.

Gas mowers have been around for over 100 years but with powerful lithium-ion battery technology, they are really competing with gas-powered mowers!

Thanks for following and please check out our other Head 2 Head tests!

Best Cordless Mower 2022 | Tool Testing Review Video

Best Cordless Mower 2022 is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Comparing Manufacturer’s Warranties

Comparing warranties between manufacturers has always been difficult, if not practically impossible.  Yet we all have the same few basic questions with regard to each brand’s warranty.   So here at Tool Box Buzz, we decided to ask the vendors themselves to answer those basic questions for you in plain English.  And they did!

Here are the questions we asked

We figured that there are 14 questions that cover the bases as far as what we really need to know.  So here’s what we asked each brand:

For each category o power tools that you sell (if there’s more than one), including batteries:

1. How long are the warranty periods for?
2. How do you require registration to be done, if at all?
3. How long a time from purchase does the customer have to register?
4. Must the receipt be kept?
5. What do the warranties cover?
6. Is the customer responsible for part of the repair/replacement expense?
7. What are the exclusions?
8. What will void the warranty?
9. How do you get service (bring the tool to store, bring it to a dealer, send it to a repair center, etc.)?
10. If to a service center, how many certified repair facilities are there in the US?
11. Who determines if the tool is covered under warranty, and how do they do that?
12. If the customer has to send it somewhere, who pays shipping charges?
13. If the customer brings the tool to a store or dealer, will they get an immediate replacement?
14. Is there an average turnaround time?

The Brands Covered

We got responses from 15 brands to which we sent those questions.  We asked the vendors to respond in a standard format, and their actual responses are linked to by each of their names below (numbers after a brand name link to separate documents of the response).

• BLACK + DECKER
• Bosch
• CRAFTSMAN
• DEWALT
• Festool
• Hart
• Hilti
• Makita
• Metabo HPT
• Milwaukee
• Paslode (1) (2) (3)
• Porter-Cable
• Ridgid
• Ryobi
• Skil (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

IMPORTANT NOTE What follows is our necessarily very brief few-word synopsis of the vendors’ responses.  It is not the complete vendor response. Nor does it cover all the details and subtleties.  For that, you’ll need to click through the hyperlinks above.  In some places, we put an asterisk (*) after a point to indicate that additional detail is found in that vendor’s response when that answer was complicated.

How long are the warranty periods for?

This is the most basic question and the starting point for most of our consideration.  Of course, the devil is in the details, and the rest of the questions address them.  But here’s where we all start.

BLACK + DECKER  2 years for tools and batteries

Bosch  Corded tools – 1 year | cordless tools – 3 years | chargers (made after August 2020) – 3 years | batteries – 2 years | measuring tools – 1 or 2 years*

CRAFTSMAN  90-day money-back | 3-year limited

DEWALT  90-day money-back guarantee, 1-year free service, 3-year limited warranty on most tools.  Batteries have 2 or 3-year warranties

Festool  3 years wear-and-tear

Hart  3 years

Hilti  20 year warranty | 2 year wear-and-tear

Makita  3 years Lithium-Ion Tool, Battery, Charger, and Pneumatic Nailer | 1-year general product warranty | 2 years emissions-related components

Metabo HPT HPT Materials and workmanship only, not wear-and-tear.  Depending on type of tool: limited lifetime, 5 years, 2 years, or 1 year*.  90 or 30-days for accessory-type items.*

Milwaukee  Power tools – 5 years | Equipment – 2 years | Batteries – 3 years

Paslode  Cordless Two-Year Bumper to Bumper Warranty. Pneumatics (including Duo-Fast) 1-year Limited Warranty. Five years on molded parts for both (see * for details).

Porter-Cable  Power tools – 3 years | batteries – 2-3 years

Ridgid  3 years | most items eligible for LSA

Ryobi  3 years | 40-volt tools – 5 years

Skil  Corded handheld – 1 year | Benchtop – 3 years | Cordless/OPE/measurement – 5 years | batteries & chargers – 2 years

How do you require registration to be done if at all?

Registration — specifically failing to do so — has been the bane of many busy pros.  We see here that most brands don’t require registration these days.

BLACK + DECKER  Not required

Bosch  Online or phone

CRAFTSMAN  Not required

DEWALT  Not required

Festool  Not required (in the USA)

Hart  Not required

Hilti  Not required

Makita  Not required but online recommended

Metabo HPT HPT  Not required

Milwaukee  Not required

Paslode  Not required but recommended, online

Porter-Cable  Not required

Ridgid  Online or by mail

Ryobi  Not required

Skil  Not required but encouraged

How long from purchase does the customer have to register?

While registration isn’t required by most brands, it is always a good idea and making a habit of registering new tools is best practice.  We highly recommend keeping a folder for each expensive tool with the warranty, registration, and receipt…and anything else that might be needed down the road.

BLACK + DECKER  N/A

Bosch  Corded and corded tools – anytime during warranty period | measuring tools – within 8 weeks from purchase

CRAFTSMAN  N/A

DEWALT  N/A

Festool  Not required, but within 30 days is best

Hart  N/A

Hilti  N/A

Makita  N/A

Metabo HPT  N/A

Milwaukee  N/A

Paslode  Anytime during the warranty period

Porter-Cable  N/A

Ridgid  90 days

Ryobi  N/A

Skil  Generally within 30 days to get full warranty

Must the receipt be kept?

Many manufacturers don’t require a receipt to be kept, and in many cases the tool’s date of manufacture will be considered the start of the warranty period.  But see the note above about keeping a folder for each significant tool–it’s just good business sense!

BLACK + DECKER  Preferred, but not necessary

Bosch  Yes

CRAFTSMAN  Yes

DEWALT  Preferred but not necessary

Festool  Yes

Hart  No, but recommended

Hilti  No

Makita  No, but recommended

Metabo HPT  No, but recommended

Milwaukee  No, but recommended

Paslode  No, but recommended, otherwise serial # is coded with date of manufacture and dictates warranty period.

Porter-Cable  Preferred but not necessary

Ridgid  No, but recommended, especially with LSA

Ryobi  No, but recommended

Skil  Yes (one-time exception)

What does the warranty cover?

Ahh, here’s where we get into the devil’s details.  Note that most warranties cover defects in the manufacture of the tool, but a couple go significantly beyond that.

BLACK + DECKER  Defects in materials and workmanship

Bosch  Materials and workmanship

CRAFTSMAN  Defects in materials and workmanship

DEWALT  Year 1: Maintenance and parts are worn due to normal use | Years 2-3: Defects in materials or workmanship.

Festool  Everything except consumables

Hart  Materials and workmanship

Hilti  20 years material & workmanship | 2 years wear-and-tear

Makita  Materials and workmanship

Metabo HPT  Materials and workmanship

Milwaukee  Materials and workmanship

Paslode  Cordless – Everything (even if it falls off a roof) during the first 2 years; 5 years molded parts. | Pneumatics – One year on non-wear parts complex; 90 days on normal wearing, see table*

Porter-Cable  Year 1: Maintenance and parts are worn due to normal use | Years 2-3: Defects in materials or workmanship.

Ridgid  Materials and workmanship | LSA covers wear and tear

Ryobi  Materials and workmanship

Skil  Materials and workmanship

Is the customer responsible for part of the repair/replacement expense?

In all cases the customer isn’t responsible for part of the repair expense if the tool is covered under warranty…as it should be.

BLACK + DECKER  No

Bosch  No if covered under warranty

CRAFTSMAN  No

DEWALT  No

Festool  No

Hart  No

Hilti  No

Makita  No

Metabo HPT  No

Milwaukee  No

Paslode  No

Porter-Cable  No

Ridgid  No

Ryobi  No

Skil  No

What are the exclusions?

More of the devil’s details.  There are significant differences between brands here, but note that most vendors disallow coverage if the tool is misused or abused, but some Paslode covers their tools regardless of what you do to them.

BLACK + DECKER  Abuse, accidental damage, unauthorized repairs

Bosch  Misuse, careless handling, misrepair

CRAFTSMAN  Abuse, accidental damage, unauthorized repair

DEWALT  Abuse, accidental damage, unauthorized repair

Festool  Purchase outside USA

Hart  accidents, misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification or repairs by other than Authorized Service Centers

Hilti  Wear-and-tear excludes abuse or non-intended use and some accessories

Makita  Normal wear-and-tear, alterations, unauthorized repair, abuse, misuse improper maintenance, the improper operation*

Metabo HPT  Unauthorized repair, non-conforming parts, normal wear-and-tear, abuse, inappropriate use, neglect, accidents.

Milwaukee  Normal wear-and-tear, and abuse

Paslode  Cordless – none | Pneumatics – see table*

Porter-Cable  Abuse, accidents, unauthorized repair

Ridgid  accidents, misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification or repairs by other than Authorized Service Centers

Ryobi  accidents, misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification or repairs by other than Authorized Service Centers

Skil  Warranty not transferrable

What will void the warranty?

There are some significant differences here; note that purchase outside the United States will void some warranties.  We always recommend buying from an authorized dealer no matter your geographic area.

BLACK + DECKER  Modifications, use outside a home environment

Bosch  Misuse, careless handling, misrepair

CRAFTSMAN  Modifications

DEWALT  Modifications

Festool  Modifications, misuse, use inconsistent with the intent of the tool

Hart  Misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification, or unauthorized repair

Hilti  Abuse

Makita  See above

Metabo HPT  See above.

Milwaukee  See above

Paslode  Cordless – non-U.S. purchase, improper use, non-authorized nails. | Pneumatics – see table*, also non-U.S. purchase

Porter-Cable  Modifications

Ridgid  Misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification, or unauthorized repair

Ryobi  Misuse, abuse, neglect, alteration, modification, or unauthorized repair

Skil  Abuse, modification, unauthorized repair, purchase through unauthorized or third party seller

How do you get service?

The big differences here are mostly whether you can take the tool to a retail dealer or if you have to get it to a service center.

BLACK + DECKER  Factory or authorized repair center

Bosch  Ship to or drop off at Bosch service center

CRAFTSMAN  Take to retailer

DEWALT  Factory or authorized repair center

Festool  Repair center in Indiana

Hart  Get to repair center

Hilti  Ship to repair center or bring to Hilti store

Makita  Return to the repair center

Metabo HPT  Bring or ship to the service center

Milwaukee  Initiate service online or by telephone

Paslode  Bring to authorized service center – or send back to Paslode.

Porter-Cable  factory or authorized service center

Ridgid  Get to repair center

Ryobi  Get to the repair center

Skil  Get to the service center

How many repair centers in the U.S.?

Most brands have hundreds of authorized repair centers in addition to factory service centers.  The services you can get at a non-factory-operated center will of course vary considerably.

BLACK + DECKER  20 factory, 700+ authorized

Bosch  4 Bosch service centers | 400+ authorized service centers

CRAFTSMAN  N/A

DEWALT  20 factory, 700+ authorized

Festool  1

Hart  214+ independent

Hilti  4

Makita  12 factory | 1500+ authorized

Metabo HPT  800+ authorized

Milwaukee  20 factory  | hundreds authorized

Paslode  300+ authorized

Porter-Cable  20 factory | 700+ authorized

Ridgid  330+ independent | Home Depot tool rental centers

Ryobi  330+ independent | Home Depot tool rental centers

Skil  140+

Who determines if the tool is covered, and how do they do that?

In all cases someone at the service center itself determines if a tool is covered.  Of course, there’s no way for us to determine, or even properly ask, just how strict or forgiving that person will be…on that particular day.

BLACK + DECKER  Service center review

Bosch  Bosch Service technician

CRAFTSMAN  Retailer review

DEWALT  Service center review

Festool  Festool employees

Hart  Technician

Hilti  Serial number provides information

Makita  Service center

Metabo HPT  Technician

Milwaukee  Technician

Paslode  The service center

Porter-Cable  Service center review

Ridgid  Technician

Ryobi  Technician

Skil  Customer service, technician

Who pays shipping charges (if under warranty)?

This is an important detail.  If you have to pay for a heavy tool to get to a service center, it may be easier/cheaper just to scrap the tool.  Whatever the vendor’s policy, you always want duplicates of tools that will grind a job to a halt if they go down.

BLACK + DECKER  Customer pays to ship to the service center

Bosch  Bosch pays if, under warranty, the customer pays return charges if not covered by warranty

CRAFTSMAN  Customer must bring to a retailer

DEWALT  Customer pays shipping to the service center

Festool  Festool

Hart  Customer pays inbound

Hilti   if under wear-and-tear coverage

Makita  Customer (one exception)*

Metabo HPT  Metabo HPT

Milwaukee  Milwaukee

Paslode  – Paslode pays both ways |  Pneumatics – must bring to the service center, if sent to Factory, Paslode pays for return only

Porter-Cable  Customer pays to ship to the service center

Ridgid  Customer pays inbound

Ryobi  Customer pays inbound

Skil  Will recommend service location within driving distance; otherwise shipping pre-paid

If the customer brings the tool to a store or dealer, will they get an immediate replacement?

Most brands will offer a refund or replacement within 30-90 days of purchase.  Some brands differ.  We regard a refund as the same as a replacement since you can simply return a tool you’re unhappy with and buy a new one on the spot.

BLACK + DECKER  Most retailers have a 30-day return policy

Bosch  Yes within 30 days |  180 days for PROFACTOR rotary hammer*

CRAFTSMAN  If under warranty, yes

DEWALT  30-day returns to retailers | 90-day returns for most tools at the service center

Festool  No

Hart  No

Hilti  Yes for batteries, chargers, and some tools

Makita  30 days replacement or refund

Metabo HPT  30 days

Milwaukee  No

Paslode  Pneumatics – Store/dealer discretion

Porter-Cable  30 days at retailer | 90 days at the factory service center

Ridgid  90 day return to retailer

Ryobi  90 day return or refund at the retailer

Skil  Depending on circumstances

Is there an average turnaround time?

All brands offer reasonable, if not extraordinary, turnaround times.  Of course, these don’t include the shipping transit times.  Again, make sure you have, or can easily get, dups of vital tools.

BLACK + DECKER  5 business days

Bosch  5 business days

CRAFTSMAN  N/A

DEWALT  5 business days

Festool  48-72 hours

Hart  No

Hilti  Same day in, same day out

Makita  3 days

Metabo HPT  48 hours

Milwaukee  7-10 business days

Paslode  3 days

Porter-Cable  5 business days

Ridgid  No

Ryobi  No

Skil  Goal of 5-7 days

Conclusion

We were surprised by how similar most warranty terms are, and of course very happy to see some of the extraordinarily generous terms of some brands in some areas.  It seems that the manufacturers realize how important warranties are to most pro purchase decisions.  As you would expect in a competitive industry, at similar price points the terms are reasonably close.  Warranty terms aren’t the only characteristic that’s important in a decision to buy, but they can often make or break a decision to invest long-term in one brand rather than another.

Comparing Manufacturer’s Warranties is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Best Cordless Jigsaw – Comparison Testing

A jigsaw is worth it’s weight in gold due to the ability to quickly customize shapes and sizes of lumber for seamless fit-ups and emergency fixes. When our team of PROs got together recently to plan out our newest Head-2-Head, cordless jigsaw competition, we knew our PRO followers and subscribers were curious about many of these same design and performance considerations.  After careful planning a range of uniquely crafted tests and jigs, and cutting hundreds of board feet ¼ inch at a time, we’ve delivered very detailed “Best Cordless Jigsaw” data you’ve come to expect (and crave) from our Tool Box Buzz team of PROs.

Best Top-Handle Jigsaw Evaluation Format

For this Best Cordless Jigsaw evaluation, several categories were developed including; Precision & Accuracy, Performance (speed/power), Features, Ergonomics, and Price.

Each of the categories were ranked individually and used to determine the Best Top-Handled Cordless Jigsaw based on the combined results.

• Accuracy– The accuracy of the jigsaws was compared including the ability to follow a shape, blade drift, and ease of cutting along irregular paths.
• Performance [Power / Speed Test]-We looked at cutting speed as an indicator of saw motor performance.
• Features– An overall comparison of features and specifications.
• Ergonomics– Ergonomics are really important to users and an important category to consider when purchasing any power tool. In addition to traditional ergonomics, we also included functionality in this category.
• Vibration – we recorded and analyzed the vibrations of the tools during our speed testing.
• Price– Price is always an important factor in determining which saw is best for a user. We’ve included the current pricing found online for each of the saws “as-tested,” at the time of publication.
• Best Value Saw – Often times this category winner tends to resonate with most folks as it tends to perform well in the tests but feels good on the wallet

Cordless Jigsaw Specifications

Black & Decker

• Model: BDCJS20C
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-2,500SPM
• Stroke Length: 3/4″
• Weight: 4.3lbs
• Tool-Free Blade Change
• Accepts both U and T shank blades
• Built-in dust blower
• 45° bevel shoe capacity for angled cuts in both directions
• Variable Speed Trigger

Bosch

• Model: JSH180B
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-2,700 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 4.1lbs
• One-handed blade insertion and ejection for convenience and ease of use
• LED light for illuminating cut line
• Adjustable footplate for bevel cuts of up to 45°
• Built-in dust blower
• Variable Speed Trigger

Craftsman

• Model: CMSC600D1
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-2,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 3/4″
• Weight: 4.35 lbs
• Beveling shoe for bevel cuts of up to 45°
• Variable speed trigger
• 3 orbital cutting settings
• Key-less blade clamp
• Built-in dust blower

DEWALT

• Model: DCS334P1
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,200 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 5.2 lbs
• Brushless Motor
• Integrated dust blower
• All-metal, keyless shoe bevel with detents at 0°, 15°, 30°, and a positive stop at 45°
• 4-position orbital action
• LED light
• Variable Speed Trigger
• Accepts t-shank jigsaw blades

Festool

• Model: 576535
• Strokes Per Minute: 500-3,800 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 5.29 lbs
• Variable speed motor blade automatically adapts to the style of cut
• Tool-free multi-base platform and inserts
• Carbide blade guidance system for perpendicular cuts
• Stroboscopic LEDs freeze the blade in operation
• Brushless motor

Hilti

• Model: 2133672
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,000 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1-3/32″
• Weight: 5.41 lbs
• Variable-speed trigger with lock for continuous sawing
• Keyless “push in, click” chuck
• LED light
• Built-in dust blower
• Adjustable footplate for bevel cuts of up to 45°

Kobalt

• Model: KJS 324B-03
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,000 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 5.2lbs
• Brushless Motor
• 4-position orbital action
• Tool-free blade changes
• Tool-free shoe adjustments; bevel left and right at 45°
• Dust blower
• Built-in LED light

Makita

• Model: XVJ02Z
• Strokes Per Minute: 800-3,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 5.8lbs
• Brushless Motor
• 3 orbital settings
• Variable 6-speed control dial
• The no-load speed reduction feature automatically reduces SPM for more accurate cutting starts
• “Tool-less” blade change system
• 0°- 45° left or right bevel capacity

Metabo

• Model: STAB18LTX100
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-2,800 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 5.8lbs
• Selectable shaving blower function ensures free view of cutting line
• 4 Orbital Modes
• 0°- 45° left or right bevel capacity
• Changing saw blades without tools and with automatic ejection

Metabo HPT

• Model: CJ18DAQ4
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-2,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1-1/32″
• Weight: 4.2lbs
• 4 cutting modes
• LED light
• Variable speed trigger
• Tool-less blade change
• Splinter Guard
• Dust Blower
• 45º left and right adjustable base

Milwaukee

• Model: 2737-20
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 4.85 lbs
• On/Off cut line blower keeps the cut line clear of debris, and allows user to turn off blower when using dust extraction
• Accepts T-Shank jigsaw blades
• 4-position orbital cutting
• Tool-less shoe bevel with positive stops allows for quick and accurate shoe adjustment with detents at 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°
• LED light
• Brushless Motor
• Variable Speed Trigger

Porter-Cable

• Model: PCC650B
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-2,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 3/4″
• Weight: 4.2lbs
• Dust Blower
• 3 orbital settings
• Beveling shoe provides the ability to cut 0 to 45-degree bevel cuts
• Tool-free blade release
• Variable speed trigger

RIDGID

• Model: R8832B
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 4.15lbs
• Line Start Mode creates a more efficient, controlled cut by increasing speed after engaging material
• Adjustable Orbital Action
• Variable Speed Trigger and Variable Speed Dial
• Brushless Motor

Ryobi

• Model: PBLJS01
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,500 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 4.0lbs
• Brushless Motor
• Easy release blade lever for quick blade changes
• 4 Orbital Settings
• Variable Speed Dial
• Tool-free bevel adjustment for easy bevel changes, with locking detent at 45° left and right
• Die-cast metal base for increased durability with included non-marring shoe
• LED Light

Skil

• Model: JS820202
• Strokes Per Minute: 0-3,000 SPM
• Stroke Length: 1″
• Weight: 4.74lbs
• Brushless Motor
• 4 Stage Orbital Action
• Dust Blower
• Tool-Free Blade Change

Cordless Jigsaw Accuracy

For the accuracy category each of the jigsaws was ranked on accuracy in the following areas:

• Line of Sight 
• Blade tracking
• Bevel accuracy when set to 45 degrees.
• Cross-cut accuracy when set to 90 degrees (how perpendicular the cut is to the surface)

The major factors that affect the accuracy of jigsaw cuts are: How well you can see the line of cut and how well the saw’s blade stays square to the workpiece (or at a fixed angle during bevel cuts). Generally, a jigsaw with less of its body overhanging the blade is easier to use, especially when you’re working in cramped quarters or trying to follow a curved line, for example cutting out a scrollwork pattern.

Diablo Jigsaw Blades

To be consistent, all the jigsaws were equipped with a new DIABLO 3-1/4″ 20-TPI scrolling blade and a DIABLO 4″ 10-TPI Fine Finish Wood blade.  Each jigsaw was tested at 90-degree, 45-degree, and also with a scrolling blade for pattern work.

Pattern Cutting (Curves)

For the pattern cutting (curves) each saw was set to maximum speed with zero orbital action. A scrolling template was used to trace all the boards consistently, and each jigsaw was used to make numerous cuts in 3/4′” Poplar.

Finish carpenters and woodworkers use jigsaws for fitting and installations.  A jigsaw’s ability to make an accurate cut is crucial and even a slight misalignment or bevel issue can cause compounding errors on a project.

Clean Cutting

Getting clean jigsaw cuts with only light splintering, tear out, and surface chipping is chiefly a matter of selecting a blade that’s designed for the job. All the saws were evaluated on how clean the saws cut.  The team was pleasantly surprised to see three lesser-priced saws [RIDGID, Ryobi, and SKIL] cut as nice as the higher-priced Festool. These were the cleanest edge, cutting saws with the least tear-out. This “clean-cut result,” was also due to using the same Diablo blades along with the operator’s skill set using the tools.

Blade Deflection

Every cut was measured and evaluated for blade deflection at 45-degree and 90-degree cutting. On the 90-degree cuts Festool, Milwaukee, Metabo and Makita ranked the best. On the 45-degree cuts, Festool was the best followed by Milwaukee.

Blade Tracking

Tracking was evaluated by following lines to see how easy or hard it was to follow the line. The Festool, Metabo, RIDGID, Ryobi, and SKIL were the best tracking jigsaws. Again we were surprised to see a more economic brand rank side-by-side with the higher-priced German-engineered saws.

It’s worth noting that when scoring the line-of-sight, points were awarded based on the operator’s ability to consistently see the blade cutting through the popular.  Points were not awarded based on the cut-line deviation from the template cut-line. This ensured that operator error was minimized as a primary scoring factor in this evaluation area. 

Best Cordless Jigsaw Accuracy Winner – FESTOOL

Festool shined in all 4 test categories with a perfect score of 4 points.  It had dead-on accuracy for both 45 and 90-degree cuts. It has a good line of sight and a strobe light system that allows you to see the blade while cutting.  It consistently produced clean cuts and its blade tracked extremely well, with minimal blade deflection at 45 and 90-degrees.

The Milwaukee came away with the second-best score – a total of 6-points. It tied with the Festool for near-perfect 45 and 90-degree blade deflection and an excellent line of sight. Milwaukee’s score was 1-point lower in the tracking and clean cuts categories.

A three-way tie for third-highest score went to Metabo, RIDGID, and Ryobi all with 7-points each.

Performance Testing (Power/Speed)

An obvious question when comparing the performance of different jigsaws is “which saw cuts the fastest?”  This test also equates to power and power equates to cutting thicker, harder-to-cut materials.

Recognizing that using jigsaws requires the operator to make dozens if not, hundreds of minuscule adjustments during each cut we decided to try to eliminate the human variable. To test the power, we built a jig to hold the saws and pull the saws into 3/4″ plywood using a weighted pulley system.

In the TBB jig, we supported the 3’ pieces of plywood on a frame that in turn was held to the workbench by clamps. The frame allowed for the clearance of the maximum depth of the jigsaw blade. We also used a hold-down clamp on the far edge of the frame and secured the plywood to the frame with three screws each time we made a cut.  That replicated the way a piece of material would be secured in the field. Each saw was fitted with a DIABLO 5″ 6-TPI Fast Cutting Wood blade, designed specifically for fast, rough cutting.

We designed the height of the fixture to be such that the bottom of the sled holding the saw just touched the plywood material. We wanted no gap between the sled and the workpiece because this would introduce additional vibration and is not the manner in which one uses a jigsaw. To cut down on the friction of the larger sled base, we installed an HDPE slick strip surface onto the bottom of the sled. This meant that each run would have consistent friction between the sled and the material. Also, this closely emulated the way the tool is commonly used.

We used this jig to remove as much human variation as possible to allow for the fairest capabilities-based test possible. We used natural, constant force (via the weight) to provide a straight, equal frictionless track to allow the saws the chance to cut as fast as they could.  The saw’s motor power provided consistent strokes per minute (SPM) speed. 

The pulling force was provided by a weighted pulley system which pulled the jigsaws through the material with consistent force. This approach has 2 main benefits:

1. First, it allows a constant force to be applied to each jigsaw in the same way that an operator tries to apply a constant force while cutting.
2. Secondly, by allowing for natural resistance (as opposed to forcing a constant cutting speed via mechanical motors) it allows the saw to cut at its natural maximum speed based on the maximum strokes per minute and the power of the motor. This also underscores the importance of using the same blade types on all saws as without it this test would not truly measure the natural maximum cutting speed. 

The sled fixture held the saws securely and the aluminum tracks kept the saw moving in a consistent and parallel fashion. The saws were in contact with the sled and the sled in contact with the workpiece. During the course of testing, this fixture performed with no issues.

Performance Testing (Power/Speed) – Winner MILWAUKEE

Normalization by Watt-hours

Editor’s Note: An error was found in the calculation for this section and the updated results pushed Milwaukee to the top spot and moved Hilti down to 4th place. Updated September 2022.

These saws came with a different sized “energy power plant” or a combination of battery voltages and Amp-hour ratings. As you can imagine, the saw with the greatest watt-hour battery theoretically has a leg up on its competition with regard to performance. For most of our cordless tool comparisons, we level the playing field by normalizing the results based on total watt-hours. In this way, the reader can see which saw has the most effective combination of battery technology, stamina, and motor power on a per-watt-hour basis.

In this H2H, the batteries were all 18v (under load), with the exception being the Hilti and Kobalt which operate at 22V and 24V respectively. As you can see in the attached table, we derived the watt-hours by multiplying the load voltage by the amp-hours. The following table shows the results of the performance test when normalized.

The saw with the best score for inches/sec/Watt-hr was the Milwaukee with a result of 0.0394. It was closely followed by the second-best score from DEWALT at 0.0386. Festool recorded the third-best score with 0.345.

It is interesting to note that these three saws had the three fastest timed runs for the entire group. Clearly, by both measures, these three saws are the top speed/power saws.

During the Speed/Power test, we noted that a few of the saws had difficulty completing the test. The Black & Decker and Craftsman saws could not finish this test and we listed them as DNF (Did Not Finish). During the run, they could not hold the blade in their blade follower and the blade skewed to the side so badly the saws stopped.

The Porter-Cable saw had the same tendency, but the saw managed to muscle through to the end of the plywood board. You can see that the Porter-Cable average cut time was more than 50% longer than the saw above it in the table. The average cut time indicates the difficulty that it had completed the test. It is interesting to note that these three saws have a very similar design.

Bent blades from the DNF saws

One other saw exhibited difficulty in the Speed/Power test. The Metabo saw had the blade come free of the grooved roller wheel in each run. While the Metabo’s blades did not heal over sideways, the blades did show a wear pattern that the side of the blade ran along the outside of the wheel, not inside of the wheel with the grooved track. Such behavior was undoubtedly the reason the Metabo saw finished in the middle of the pack for Speed/Power.

While we do not know and did not explore the reasons why these four saws had issues while the other eleven did not. We can say that when a person is operating a jigsaw, the user will make immediate and minuscule adjustments to the path, speed, and force they apply in using the saw. That way, if the saw starts to wander or drift, the user can intervene. In this test, once a condition started, the sled made no adjustments and the saws/blade combination proceeded on and the issue compounded on itself – to the point where at least two of the saws’ blades were so skewed to the side that the saw could no longer pull the blade through the wood.

Best Cordless Jigsaw Features – Winner  RIDGID

Comparing tool features from multiple brands is never easy but the devil is in the details, so a feature comparison is certainly warranted. We looked at 10 different features on these saws and rated them 1 through 5 for each saw. [1 being best]

1. Handle and Trigger
2. Soft Start
3. Variable Speed [Trigger and Dial]
4. Selectable Blade Orbit
5. Blade Guide System
6. Blade Change Clamp
7. Shoe plate – Tilting
8. Dust Blower / Collection
9. LED Light
10. Power Lock-on

The RIDGID took first place in features with 17-points, followed by the Festool with 18-points, and Makita and Milwaukee tied for third place with 21-points. DEWALT followed with 23-points to finish fourth. 

The RIDGID consistently showed up in this test as a jigsaw NOT to be ignored. While not considered a higher-end saw, by most pros, the RIDGID has a feature set that many expect in a high-end saw. 

“RIDGID is the hidden gem”  ~ Scott Arnold TBB Crew

Handle and Trigger

A good handle is important on a jigsaw for user comfort and also because a solid grip is essential to controlling the movement of the tool during cutting. In general, over-molds are softer to the touch than hard plastic, provide a more secure grip and even dampen tool vibration slightly.

Note – The pommel at the front of the DEWALT’s handle was unique and allowed a two-handed grip — we found it helpful when cutting in awkward positions.

Wider triggers offer you more gripping options and control, whereas narrower jigsaw triggers can be clumsy and hard to grip while cutting. A jigsaw’s most important operational feature is its trigger that switches the tool on and off.

Note – Ryobi trigger is hard to pull and for a 1/4″, requiring an over-pull, and then the tool activates. This made using the saw with precision difficult.

Festool went to sleep on this handle, it’s too smooth, too narrow, and the rise in the handle is awkward. It feels toy like ~ Ethan Bickford TBB Crew 

The team favored the larger size triggers on the Festool, Hilti, Makita, Metabo, and Milwaukee. We also liked the dual-trigger system on the Festool that locks the saw on or allows you to control the variable speed with a trigger pull.

The team was split with the trigger safety feature on the Makita that required you to turn the power on or off. The crew members that had recently used Makita tools were used to it and knew that it was a consistent feature on their new tools. Other team members felt like it was an unnecessary additional step and did not like having to press a button before the tool started.

Soft / Auto Start 

The Makita jigsaw has “soft-start” motor electronics that start the motor at a slow level and stays at a low speed until the tool starts to cut material. In general, a soft start can prevent the saw from suddenly jerking if you start cutting with the blade in contact with the material. Once the saw engages material the RPMs ramp up.

The RIDGID has a “line-start” feature on the variable speed dial. This feature starts the blade at a lower RPM until engaged in the wood – allowing you to start your cut.

The Festool has an “A” symbol on the variable speed dial that also starts the saw at a lower rpm speed and speeds up when the blade engages the material being cut.

Variable Speed

All of the jigsaws with the exception of the Ryobi have a variable-speed trigger to allow you to vary the speed of the saw according to how hard you pull the trigger or where the speed adjustment wheel is set. Variable triggers that let you ramp up the speed of the blade gradually, up to the maximum set on its variable-speed dial. This is useful when starting cuts in very hard and/or splintery woods as well as materials prone to chipping, like tile and plastics.

The DEWALT, Hilti, Festool, Makita, RIDGID, and Ryobi were the only saws with variable-speed dials that allow you to set the upper limit of motor speed and, hence, the number of blade strokes per minute. This makes a jigsaw a more versatile cutting machine.

Selectable Blade Orbit

This mechanism moves the blade forward slightly during the upstroke cut, resulting in a more aggressive cutting action than if the blade simply reciprocated up and down. The mechanism also moves the saw blade back slightly, so it clears the kerf during the return downstroke and saves wear on the teeth. Adjusting the amount of blade orbit makes the saw cut more or less aggressively. Most saws have four-orbit settings: 0 (no orbit) or 1 for cutting metals and plastics; 1 or 2 for fine and curved cuts; and 3 (maximum orbit) for faster, rougher cuts.

All of the saws, with the exception of the Black and Decker, have selectable blade orbits.

Blade Guide System

Most of the saws use a grooved wheel blade guide system. The groove guides and keeps the blade in alignment. The Festool has a true “blade guide” system. It has a smooth wheel and a v-shaped metal guide that contacts and stabilizes the backside of the blade and keeps it from deflecting during cutting.

All the jigsaws featured had tool-free blade change systems, which allow you to safely and easily change out blades thanks to a spring-loaded lever and clamp.

Blade Change Clamp Lever

All of the jigsaws allow tool-less blade changes, employing a lever that opens the blade clamp on the end of the saw’s plunger — the part that moves the blade up and down. Tool-less blade clamps make changing the tang-style saw blades each model uses quick and easy. But each clamp is different and some are easier to work with than others. They were all easy in their own way – these three saws stood out.

• The Festool’s “Fast Fix”.
• The Makita also has a terrific mechanism with a spring-loaded lever
• The Bosch’s “One Touch” blade change system

This can save you from burning your fingers trying to pull a hot blade out of the clamp after a prolonged cutting session.

DEWALT rattles when you back up the blade and hit the workpiece. Most blade clamps use a twist lock so when pressure is applied to the back of the blade generally the worst thing that happens is it might jump out of the blade guide. But the blade clamp on the DEWALT releases with a linear action that is in line with the blade. This means that when the blade is pushed backward (like when making complicated cuts and making relief cuts) it starts to release the blade clamp, and pushes on the blade clamp release lever, and makes an alarming rattling noise. I could definitely see these causing problems when aggressively moving the saw around to make a tight cut.

Tilting Shoe Plate

Adjusting the angle of a jigsaw’s shoe plate allows the saw to make bevel cuts, say for the edge of scribing baseboard. While all these jigsaws have tilting footplates, only the DEWALT, Kobalt, RIGID, Ryobi, Milwaukee, and Skil allow tool-less angle changes. The rest of the saws require an ALLEN wrench to adjust the base.

The best adjustable tool-less lever was the DEWALT, Milwaukee, and Skil.  These saw levers were easy to manipulate and the tilting base released, adjusted, and locked easily and quickly.

The Festool comes as a fixed base. If you want to bevel this saw you need to purchase an accessory kit. This kit has an adjustable base controlled by a knob.  Because of this, we scored the Festool a 3 [mid-range]

Festool has an accessory beveling base plate that is certainly unique. It is split and bevels in a butterfly fashion with a split down the middle. This is fine for bevel cuts in the middle of a large workpiece but can be a problem when back beveling near the edge of a workpiece as the baseplate will frequently hit the workpiece.

Dust Blower / Dust Collection

Jigsaw blowers don’t impress us much – most of these saws still require you to blow the dust away from the dust, but that doesn’t mean that all blowers are equal.

Milwaukee, Kobalt, Metabo, Skil, Ridgid, and Kobalt have a selectable blower switch giving you an option to turn the blower on or off. The Bosch, Hilti, Craftsman, Black and Decker, Metabo HPT, Porter-Cable have ‘always-on” blowers. All the saws feature a dust blower that uses air channeled from the motor fan to blow dust away from just in front of the blade. The blowers overall do a “just ok” job at removing dust.

Built-in LED Light

All but the Black and Decker, Porter-cable, Craftsman, and Metabo have LED lighting.

The Makita and RIDGID are the only two saws that allow you to activate the LED without engaging the blade.

The best LED was the Milwaukee saw with a bright, full circle halo that surrounds the saw with no shadow line. The Festool was similar in brightness but did not throw out the same size halo. The Festool had a really large halo, not as bright and full of shadows due to its guard. All saw included a built-in LED light. A built-in LED light is a particularly welcome feature on any jigsaw since the overhanging body tends to cast a shadow in the area of the blade.

Power Lock-On

Only four saws have a lock-on feature. The Festool, Makita, RIDGID, and Ryobi have the ability to lock the trigger in the on position.  Makita, RIDGID, and Ryobi are set up for right-handed users with a lock-on button positioned for use by the right thumb. The Festool has an ambidextrous slide switch on both sides of the saw, positioned lower on the saw head.

Ergonomics Winner – HILTI and Milwaukee

Ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools that improve a worker’s efficiency while reducing discomfort, fatigue, and risk of injury.

In laymen’s terms, ergonomics is the interface between the user and the tool. How’s it feel when using it? For this ergonomic section, we considered the following factors, rating them 1 thru 5. [1 being best]

• Grip
• Trigger
• Adjustments and Switches relating to right and left users.

HILTI and Milwaukee had a tie for the best Ergonomics score. Bosch, Metabo and DEWALT had the second-best scores in Ergonomics, followed by Makita and Skil. The Festool has a trigger safety is on the left side of the tool making it difficult for a left-handed user to actuate.  The Makita, RIDGID, and Ryobi have a trigger lock on switches on the left side of the tool making it difficult for a left-handed user.

Vibration –  Winner  Makita

Regardless of how fast a jigsaw cuts, the less vibration it produces, the better. All jigsaws employ some sort of counterbalance system to reduce the up-and-down shaking created by the reciprocating plunger and blade, and some work better than others.

During the speed/power test, we wanted to collect data on the relative difference for the vibration that each saw produced. To accomplish the data collection during actual runs, we attached a fixture to hold an iPhone firmly onto the sled. This phone has a built-in set of accelerometer sensors and we installed an app that not only created an image of the vibration but provided the average and peak vibration readings in G’s for each run.

The data between the average vibration and the peak vibration were close in the rankings. This validates the results of the readings recorded for the individual saws.

Based on our testing the top three saws with the least vibration were Makita, Festool, and Skil.

Dust Collection

From carpenters working in finished spaces, to shop workers who want to reduce the amount of airborne dust in their environment, knowing how well a saw will integrate with a vacuum is an important measure of performance for any user.

We did NOT test for dust collection since all of the TTB crew members agreed that they do not use dust extraction on a jigsaw.

During our discussion, we agreed that we usually use jigsaws for scribing, finishing cuts from a table or circular saw, and cutting openings. All these cuts are critical and the hose can drag the back of the saw around and mess up the cut. Plus the generally infrequent use means that the time and inconvenience isn’t worth it for the small amount of dust made.

The Hilti comes with an integrated air dust channel, the Festool has a dust chute that inserts into the base plate directly behind the blade. The Milwaukee and RIDGID come with a dust port that inserts into the base plate and collects from directly behind the blade guide.

Many of the other saws, like Bosch, Makita, and  Metabo, can be connected to dust collection but do not come standard with a dust port.

Price

Below we’ve included the current pricing (at the time of publication). Pricing is based on the bare tools where available. We chose the bare tool because the jigsaw is typically a secondary tool to one’s tool arsenal.

The best-priced cordless top-handled jigsaw was the Black and Decker at $ 49.00.  Second place was the porter cable priced at $55.25  followed by Craftsman at $ 116.55

The highest price saw in this testing war the Festool Carvex which sells for $ 349.00 The Festool Carvex machines (all versions – corded and cordless) come in a Systainer with or without a battery.

The TBB Crew chose a huge range of jigsaws to test, from DIY quality to professional grade. Because of this, we did not include pricing in our final scoring.

Best Cordless Jigsaw Winner –Festool

The competition for the best cordless jigsaw went to Festool with 18-points.

The Festool came tops in both the accuracy and feature categories and 2nd in vibration. It’s a superbly cutting saw and super precise. We critiqued Festool because the user needs to buy an accessory kit if they want to bevel cut with the saw.

Makita tied for 2nd with Milwaukee and scored tops in the vibration category, second in features, and third in ergonomics.  The TBB Crew found the Makita to have good power, liked the soft-start feature, and really appreciated its low vibration. It has a compact footprint and is truly a nice cutting saw. Similar to Festool, we critiqued Makita’s lack of tool-less beveling. The user requires a tool to bevel the saw base. Makita also scored in the very middle for accuracy/precision. 

Milwaukee tied for second place with 19-points followed by RIDGID at 26-points and Hilti at 27-points, , and DEWALT with 28-points.

Milwaukee had a solid showing with a first-place tie with Hilti in ergonomics. It scored first place in power and third place in features.  The crew all said it was a powerful, nice cutting saw requiring minimal effort to operate.

The Hilti tied with Milwaukee for the first place rank in ergonomics – the entire team commented about how comfortable this saw was to use. It’s a nice feeling saw but was hard to see the cut-line through the dust hood.

RIDGID scored second place in features and fourth in vibration. It scored in the middle of the pack for all other categories which secured its close win over the DEWALT.

Best Value Top-Handle Cordless  Jigsaw – Winner Milwaukee

The best value is the  Milwaukee jigsaw.  The Milwaukee saw came in 3rd overall in this testing and priced mid-pack at $ 168.00 [bare tool]  It was a solid performer and is offered at a good price making this saw the best value jigsaw.

Conclusion

The MOST Comprehensive Information Available

Our ALL Pro contractor team put some serious time and effort into our Best Cordless Jigsaw Head-to-Head evaluation to bring you the most comprehensive information available.

These tests and evaluations are very difficult, take a lot of time, and ultimately limited in scope as we’re not a professional testing company and we’ve got limited time to evaluate the tools. We cannot do long-term testing that would shed light on durability and we can’t possibly test every application that you might use one of these saws for.

We get lots of comments about how we make the final rankings. As we’ve stated, there are hundreds of ways to compare tools. The good news is we’ve openly shared ALL the data from our tests, and you can rank the tools however you want. Don’t care about an item we ranked? No problem. Simply remove that from the matrix above and re-rank them. Hopefully, you’ll find this Head-To-Head useful when comparing compact cordless miter saws.

If you have a moment, please check out our other Head-to-Head Tests.

Best Cordless Top-Handle Jigsaw Head-To-Head is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Black and Decker 60V POWERSWAP 20 in Cordless Mower CM2060C Review

Black and Decker 60V POWERSWAP 20 in Cordless Mower CM2060C

3/5

Manufacturer: Black and Decker
Model number: CM2060C
Price: 339.00
Power source: 60 Voly
Weight: 47.6 lbs

First Impression

My first impression was how light this mower was, it weights 47.6 lbs. Its lightweight also made this mower a breeze to maneuver.  The second thing I noticed was how well this mower cut. The quality of the cut was excellent. In fact of the 12 mowers, we tested it came in third place for quality of cut.

If you’d like to see how we reviewed these 12 mowers check out our Best Cordless Lawn Mower Head-to-Head test.

Features

The Black and Decker mower has what’s called a POWERSWAP feature. This feature lets you quickly Swap Batteries with the Push of a Button.

Power and Runtime

The mower is powered by two 2.5 Ah – 60V Lithium batteries which give you a respectable runtime. This mower was able to cut 18,383 sq. feet of grass which equates to 2 miles. The mower has advanced electronics that will lower the rpm of the motor to conserve energy when not needed. A battery gauge indicator shows remaining battery power at all times

Black and Decker recommend this mower for properties up to 1/3 acre.

Bagging and Mulching

This Black and Decker Cordless Mower lets you choose how you want to treat your grass by allowing three methods of Cutting and collecting:

• Mulch clipping mode
• Bagging mode
• Discharge out the side

Setting the height of cut is easy and the Black and Decker Mower has 6-settings from:

1 1/3 in. up to 4 in.

Storage

The Black and Decker Cordless Mower handles have two clams that engage to fold the handles for storage. The handles easily fold for compact storage and can store horizontally or vertically. Its light enough to hang on a wall.

Specifications

• 6 Cut Heights              1-1/2 to 4”
• Cut Path                      20 in
• Weight                         47.6 lbs

Cost

The Black and Decker Cordless Mower costs $339.00 and comes with a charger and two batteries. In our evaluation of the 12 mowers, this mower came in third for cost and tied for 4^th best mower.

Final Thoughts

The Black and Decker mower is perfect for small-sized yards. PLUS you can enjoy Today’s lack of noise, smell, and maintenance issues that are the hallmarks of gas mower ownership.

Black and Decker Cordless Mower is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Cordless Lawn Mower Head-To-Head | 2020

Cordless Lawn Mowers have taken over the lawn and garden section in many retail stores. Six years ago, Tool Box Buzz ran a Best Cordless Lawn Mower Head-to-Head test of five cordless mowers, so we were really interested in how the field of manufacturers has increased and how the offerings have changed after six years.

Our 2020 cordless lawn mower head-to-head will answer the question of whether cordless mowers’ performance “cut it” when compared to a gas-powered mower.

Why Cordless Lawn Mowers?

Even when operated correctly, gas-powered mowers require lots of service including oil changes, fuel filters, spark plugs, and air filters. Oftentimes people wait to do service until the mower won’t start! Anyone who has had to get a small engine repaired knows the hassle and time-sink that can be. Cordless mowers eliminate all of the above-mentioned maintenance, last-minute fuel purchases and they’re quieter to operate and do not emit fumes.

Cordless Lawn Mower Line Up

We reached out to 10 of the top cordless lawn mower manufacturers and asked if they would like to participate in our head to head article. We received 12 mowers, Greenworks and Kobalt sent two models. The models we tested included:

Black and Decker  60 V POWERSWAP 20″ Cordless Mower CM2060C

DEWALT  2x 20V Brushless 20 in. 3-IN-1 Cordless Lawn Mower DCMW220X2C 

EGOPower+ 21″ Select Cut Mower with Touch Drive Self-Propelled Technology LM2130SP

Greenworks   60V 21 in. Cordless Brushless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with 5Ah Battery and Charger 2520102

Greenworks 60V 25 in. Cordless Mower  with 4Ah and 2.5 Ah Battery and Charger 2510802

HART 40V Brushless 21″ Self Propelled Mower Kit HLPM021VMN

Kobalt 80-volt Max Brushless  Self-propelled 21-in Cordless Mower MP 6080-06

Kobalt 40-volt Max Brushless Self-propelled 21-in Cordless Mower KMP 2580-06

Makita 18V X2 (36V) LXT® Lithium‑Ion Brushless Cordless 21″ Self‑Propelled Lawn Mower Kit with 4 Batteries (5.0Ah) XML08PT1

Ryobi 21 in. 40-Volt Cordless Self Propelled Mower with 7.5 Ah Batteries & 1 Charger RY401130

SKIL PWRCore 40 Brushless 40V 20″ Self-Propelled Mower Kit SM4910-10

STIHL Cordless Lawn Mower RMA 510 V

** Weight includes batteries but does not include clippings bag.

Cordless Lawn Mower Head-to-Head Comparison

While this head to head is not a scientific research project, we did take measurements, evaluate each mower in several categories, and rank them against each other. When we begin to pull together our Head-To-Head tool tests, we always try to figure out how to make the tests consistent, repeatable, and fair. Often, we figure out how to take the human variable out of a test, but we couldn’t do that with mowers.

We looked at the following categories in order to give you the Best Cordless Lawn Mower.

• Quality of Cut – This was a subjective comparison based on mowing adjacent areas of lawn and comparing the quality of the cut areas.
• Noise – We measured decibel levels for each mower. The test was performed with each mower set at the highest deck level, sitting on a concrete slab. We measured the noise at the highest motor speed and the lowest (Note – some models motors ramp down due to demand to save battery life).
• Run-Time – Run-time is affected by so many different variables. However, we wanted to give a relative comparison for discussion purposes so we tested the run-time using a very large field and ran the mowers under “load” conditions.
• Ergonomics – Ergonomics play a major role in all of our evaluations and testing. Not only does the mower need to perform well, but it’s very important that it is comfortable, which ultimately leads to more productivity and reduced risk of injury.
• Handle Comfort & Adjustment– Another subjective comparison focusing on the handle height, adjustments, and overall comfort.
• Maneuverability – We evaluated how easily the mowers were to push and to cut around trees.  This category is largely factored based on the mower weight, self-propulsion, and wheelbase design.
• Deck Height Adjustability – We ranked each of the mowers based on how easy they were to adjust the cutting deck height.
• Rough Stuff – We took the mowers to a field that had 18” tall grass to see which mowers could handle this condition.
• Compact Storage – Users know that folding up and storing these mowers is an important consideration for purchasing. We examined what it took to fold these up and how much volume it takes to store them.

Cordless Lawn Mower Features

All 12 mowers have fairly similar features included the ones noted in the table below:

Both Hart and Stihl have an inoperable battery storage bay (this means when one battery is exhausted, the pack needs to be swapped out manually). One of the big differences with the mowers is how many battery packs each one uses, and how those packs are combined/utilized to power the mower.

• The Greenworks switches automatically to the next battery pack when the first one is exhausted.
• Makita has a switch that is used to change from one set of packs to the other when the first packs are exhausted.
• Lastly, there are others that run two batteries in parallel, like DEWALT and Makita (Makita holds 4 batteries onboard that swap over with a switch).

Cut Quality – Winner EGO Power+

To evaluate the cut quality we mowed adjacent areas with each mower side by side. After cutting the grass we evaluated how well the grass was cut.  The cut quality of the grass areas was excellent. This is due to the fact that each mower was brand new with an extremely sharp and new blade. There was no BIG discernible difference in the cut quality of the mowers.

Note on grass quality: The grass we mowed was field-quality. As a result, the grass plant type was not particularly uniform. This made the cut quality harder to determine than if we had cut a sod-quality lawn.

Since we were evaluating cut quality, we noted that one mower had a unique blade configuration. The Ego Power+ mower comes with three blades. The mower itself runs with a two-blade combination. The top blade is consistent in any combination. The bottom blade is designed to be switched out with either:  a ‘Premium Mulching Blade’ or a ‘Premium Bagging Blade’.

The Premium Mulching Blade is ideal for weekly mowing, giving you the cut quality and run time expected from high-end gas lawnmowers. The Premium Bagging Blade is a heavy-duty blade that turns grass into fine fragments ideal for both bagging and mulching.

We wanted to see if there was a difference in cut quality between all of the single-blade mowers, and the two mowers that had unique blade configurations, [EGO and 25″ Greenworks] hoping to see a cut quality difference.

We attached grass bags to the mowers and mowed a consistent section of grass. The team examined the clippings and saw a substantive difference in the size of the grass pieces. The EGO clippings were much smaller in size than the second-best sample that belonged to the 25″ Greenworks mower. Both of these mowers cut the grass into much finer pieces than the single-blade mowers.

We ranked the EGO mower in the top spot, followed by the 25″ Greenworks mower. The ten single-bladed mowers ranked in third place for cut quality.

Noise Winner – Makita XML08PT1

One of the biggest questions readers have asked about cordless mowers seems to be how much noise do they produce?

We did a basic decibel test to measure the noise of the mowers in a controlled situation to get a relative comparison of noise. The test consisted of running each mower with the deck raised to its midpoint level sitting on a concrete slab. We placed each mower in the exact same designated spot on the floor in a large barn and the decibel meter located in the same height and relative position to the test mower. The decibel meter used an ITU-R 468 frequency rating.

We ran the test for enough time to have the mowers reach a maximum and stable rpm speed. Many of the mower motors start at a high RPM and then cycle down to a slower speed to save energy. Our time interval took the readings before the speed algorithms stepped the rpm down because of the no-load condition.

Makita took the win with 80.5 dB and was noticeably quieter even without a decibel meter. HART came in second place with 82.4 dB and EGO was third with 84.1 dB.

For reference, the average gas lawnmower produces approximately 95 – 100 dB. The average of the noise measurements for our test mowers was 86.1 dB. Compared to a 100 dB noise level, these cordless mowers reduce the sound energy you hear by just over 20 times compared to a loud gas mower. (decibels are a logarithmic scale, 14 decibels difference is approximately 20 times louder).

Many communities have adopted noise restrictions that limit the time that you can mow with a gas mower. Please note that these mowers were measured while running on top of a concrete slab. In practice, these are much quieter when used on a lawn. As a group, these mowers will not have to be limited in their time of use. That is a great improvement!

Run-Time Winner – Kobalt 80v MP 6080-06

Run-time is a big question on the minds of people considering the purchase of battery-powered mowers. Huge advancements in battery technology are making these cordless mowers a viable option but the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is how long can you mow on a battery charge? Mowing run time will vary greatly depending on the height of grass, the thickness of grass, and the type of grass.

The winner of our run-time test was the Kobalt 80v mower.

It’s important to note that all 12 of these mowers have different battery Amp-Hour, capacities, and voltages. So, how do you make any sense of that in order to determine the best runtime?  We measured the performance of the mowers “out of the box,” and also normalized performance on the basis of the energy available. [Watt-Hours explained below]

In order to get a relative comparison of run time, we tested the mowers in a very large field under load conditions. The field was mowed a week prior to our test and the grass type and height were very consistent within the borders of the test area. We set the deck height at the same height of 2 ½” for each mower.

We set each mower to its maximum speed if it were self-propelled. For the push mowers, (DEWALT and Black & Decker) we asked the operators to move at a comfortable pace. (It was interesting to note that a 40-year old man in good shape pushing a mower was much faster than most of the self-propelled mowers.)

Runtime Procedure

We measured, and marked off mowing lanes for each mower and kept track of the time and total distance that each mower traveled by counting the number of laps it traveled. We required the operator to place the wheel onto the furthest extent of the previous lap.

In the event that any mower completed its entire lane, we lowered the mower deck by one additional inch and re-cut the lane.

Watt-Hours is calculated by multiplying the voltage (actual load voltage, not the MAX that some companies advertise) by the battery pack Amp-Hours. This calculation allows us to compare the total energy available to do the work based on both the voltage and size of the battery pack (amp-hours).

The Kobalt 80v took first place, it ran 85.5 minutes and mowed 38,600 sq. ft. Second place went to the MAKITA, it ran 83 minutes, and mowed 35,000 Sq. Ft. Third place went to the Greenworks 60V 21″ mower which ran for 65 minutes and mowed 27,700 Sq Ft.

The HART mower ran the least at 22 minutes and mowed 8,400 Sq. Ft.

Ergonomics – Winner 25″ Greenworks

Ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools that improve a worker’s efficiency while reducing discomfort, fatigue, and risk of injury.

For the ergonomics, we evaluated seven areas. These included the adjustability of the handle, the effort of maneuverability,  human factor in the ease of foldability and storage, deck adjustment ergonomics, and the control ergonomics.

The Greenworks mowers were virtually identical in a number of ergonomic categories and scored very well in those. The mowers’ handle adjustment factors, the ease of folding and unfolding the mowers, and the design of the mower control were where the Greenworks units shined. In close second place was the ergonomic scores in these categories that the EGO mower collected.

Handle Comfort & Adjustment Winner –Both Greenworks Mowers Models 21″ 2520102 and 25″ 2510802

When it comes to comfort with respect to push mowers the handle is a big deal. Both of the Greenworks mowers were superior to the group in terms of comfort, handle height, and adjustments. Adjustment is easily done with the two slides on each side of the handle. Just pull back on them and they dis-engage pins that set the adjustment and you can move the handle up or down. Release the slides and once the pins spring back into place you’re ready to go!

The EGO has a very simple and intuitive adjustment single lever near the base of the handle. Testers liked the large rubber over-mold handle and found it to be quite comfortable. The controls are also easy to use and everything is pretty intuitive, most buttons or levers are green making them easy to find.

The Skil has a wide paddle switch for the self propel mode along with an easy handle adjustment. Making it a third-place runner up in this category.

Maneuverability Winner – Black & Decker Model CM2060C

Black and Decker and DEWALT were more maneuverable than the rest of the mowers because they were NOT self-propelled. The self-propelled units require the user to disengage the propulsion in order to maneuver tightly. The user must then push against the propulsion mechanism to turn the mower tightly.

The 25″ Greenworks was the best maneuverability in the self-propelled mowers. This was due because of the short wheelbase front to back. The mowers with the longest wheelbase ranked towards the bottom.

The maneuverability of push mowers is especially important when trimming around gardens, trees, and other landscaping features. The ease with which the mower’s turn is largely a result of the wheels and mower weight.

Deck Height Adjustability Winner – Ryobi

All of the mowers we tested include a single lever deck height adjustment feature. This sure does beat adjusting each wheel like the old-style mowers. The Ryobi mower was a dramatic stand out with a grab handle that allowed the user to lift or drop the mower while adjusting the height. Rather than the other mechanisms which all relied on a short lever to lift the mower.  EGO took second place with the deck height adjustment out on the deck, clear of any obstructions. Third place went to the Skil, the large handle and reinforced plastic detent plate worked smoothly and easily.

Some mowers had knuckle-busting setups that would cause the user to hit the lower part of the handle assembly when adjusting the mower for taller cutting.

Rough Stuff Testing – Not included in Rankings

We took the mowers to a field that had 18” tall grass and weeds to see which mowers could handle this condition. We recognize that this is the WRONG application for this type of equipment, and did not use the results in the final rankings.

Almost all of the mowers pushed the larger weeds down and simply cut the leaves off of them. The lighter mowers with plastic decks tended to float over the top of the weeds, the Skil and Hart mowers were especially prone to this. Amazingly only one mower failed this test. The 40v Kobalt stalled out three times in quick succession and was the only mower that we felt ‘did not finish’.

Some mowers stalled out but started back up or were simply clogged up with leaves and weeds, and once cleared started up again. The Black and Decker, 21″ Greenworks, 25″ Greenworks, Skil, and Kobalt 80v mowers completed the test without stalling or needing their bags emptied. Testers found that the lightweight Black and Decker, Skil, and Hart mowers basically just slid over the top of the really tall weeds and didn’t do much cutting, but they did cut the overgrown grass.

A few mowers clogged up and needed their bags emptied (we decided to give them a thorough test on bagging in this context as well).  The 25″ Greenworks cut well, which we attribute to the dual blades. The Stihl stopped running a few times because the bag was full but completed the test and absolutely dominated bagging efficiency. The Makita clogged up but would get right back to it when the bag was emptied. The Kobalt 80V got through the test without stalling but didn’t cut as well as some of the other mowers. The EGO’s dual blades made for better cutting and it filled it’s bag near the end of the test and stopped at that point but picked right back up after the bag was emptied. All in All the 25″ Greenworks, 21″ Greenworks, and Kobalt 80v mowers performed best in this test, no stalling and doing a decent job of knocking down the rough stuff.

Compact Design & Storage Size Winner – EGO LM2130SP

Storage is important to some folks, as garages seem to be taken over by mowers, trimmers, and tools during the summer.  Additionally, cordless mowers CAN be stored vertically without the fear of spilling gas onto the floor or filling the cylinder with engine oil.

The EGO LM213oSP really blew away the competition with their very easy to store design. In just 15 seconds you can quickly fold the unit up and store it vertically in a space the size of a suitcase. Because the EGO can be stored both horizontal and vertically, it offers a better solution in tight spaces. Also, with the vertical solution, you can even hang it on the wall which I think is a great option for those of us with a need to hang everything in its place.

Both Greenworks and the HART models also fold up fairly small. The Makita model doesn’t fold and that is due to its durability and PRO grade construction. This mower is designed to be a professional-grade piece of equipment that lives on a landscaping trailer. The handle was specifically designed this way to eliminate a weak point at a hinge.

Fit & Finish Winner – Makita XML08PT1

Makita stands out in this category. This mower was built for daily nonstop use by professional landscapers. The Makita features large-diameter rubber over-molded wheels, a steel deck, and everything about it is tight and made to stand up to some hard use. Screws and bolts hold everything together including the handle which is not adjustable or foldable without a wrench. Almost all of the parts are metal. In short, this high-quality tool is made for the long haul.

The Ego and Greenworks mowers also stood out with regard to fit and finish. The EGO has heavy-duty parts, simply to operate levers and clamps, and a very polished appearance. The Greenworks mowers also have heavy-duty parts and smooth operating features.

Best Value Winner –Greenworks 21″

At the time of publication, the 21″ Greenworks mower was priced at about $349 with a 4.0Ah battery given the performance and overall quality this was a solid pick for the best value. This mower came in tied for 1st place overall and is the second least expensive in the group.

Best Cordless Lawn Mower – EGO and 21″ GreenWorks 

These tests and evaluations are very difficult, take a lot of time, and ultimately limited in scope as we’re not a professional testing company. We also cannot do long term testing that would shed light on durability.

In order to choose the best cordless lawn mower, all ten [10] evaluated categories were scored and ranked 1 through 12, to define the winner. We then tallied those category numbers to come up with a total number. The lower the number the better.

Our test in 2014 crowned EGO as the best cordless lawn mower and its obvious they didn’t take their foot off the gas with this generation 3 mower.  EGO tied for the best mower with the 21″ Greenworks mower. Third place went to the 25″ Greenworks and Black and Decker coming in 6-points behind the top two mowers.

Each of the mowers we tested did a good job cutting grass and offer features that you’d expect from a great mower.

The EGO LM2130SP has an excellent portable design and performed well in all categories, especially the quality of cut, fit and finish, handle comport, adjustments, controls, and ergonomics.

EGO also offers a platform of outdoor power equipment with a blower, trimmer, edger, hedge trimmer, snowblower, chainsaw, a multi-head system, and a portable power station. The EGO is above average in cost compared to the rest of the mowers.

Greenworks also offers a platform of outdoor power equipment with a chainsaw, blower, trimmer, edger, hedge trimmer, pressure washer, and a portable power station. Both EGO and Greenworks tools work off the same battery platform and provide a complete solution for all of your lawn and garden tasks.

Final Thoughts

While gasoline mowers have been around since 1914, the advances in powerful lithium-ion batteries have created a battery-powered lawnmower market that can truly compete for many users with gasoline-powered mowers. Today’s cordless mower owners are not subject to the noise, smell, and maintenance issues that are the hallmarks of gas mower ownership.

Best Cordless Lawn Mower Video Review

Best Cordless Lawn Mower 2020 is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Head to Head Lawn Mower Shootout

UPDATE: We have recently done a NEW Cordless Law Mower Head-to-Head article. Click on the link to view that one with the latest models tested.

Cordless Lawn Mowers are quickly taking over the lawn and gardens section in stores, so we wanted to test several of the leading brands and find out who makes the best Cordless Lawn Mower.

The first U.S., gasoline powered lawn mower was manufactured in 1914 by Ideal Power Mower Co. and they certainly do a great job cutting small to medium size lawns and trimming tough areas on large lawns.   But gas mowers are noisy, smelly, and require a bunch of regular maintenance on the gas powered engine.

Why Cordless Lawn Mowers?

Cordless Lawn Mowers are being touted for being quieter, odorless, and nearly maintenance free. On the other hand, gas powered mowers require lots of service including oil changes, fuel filters, spark plugs and air filters. Any often times people wait to do service until the mower won’t start and the lawn is growing faster than the hair on your head! Cordless mowers eliminate much of the maintenance and they are quieter and odorless.

Our cordless lawn mower head to head will tell you who we think makes the best model, and we’ll answer the question whether cordless mowers perform similar to a gas powered mower.

Cordless Lawn Mower Head to Head Comparisons

While this head to head isn’t a scientific research project, we did make an attempt to evaluate each mower in several categories and rank them against each other. The results are not necessarily comparative to other models on the market, but they are relative to the 5 models tested. For this comparison we looked at the following categories:

• Quality of Cut – This was a subject comparison based on mowing adjacent areas of lawn and comparing the quality of the cut areas.
• Noise – We measured decibel levels for each mower. The test was performed with each mower set at the highest deck level, sitting on a concrete slab. We measured the noise at the highest motor speed and the lowest (Note – some models motors ramp down due to demand to save battery life).
• Run Time – Run time is affected by so many different variables that there’s no great way to test this. However, we wanted to give a relative comparison for discussion purposes so we tested the run time under “no load” conditions.
• Handle Comfort & Adjustment – Another subjective comparison focusing on the handle height, adjustments, and overall comfort.
• Maneuverability – We evaluated how easily the mowers were to push. This category is largely factored based on the mower weight and wheel design.
• Deck Height Adjustability – We ranked each of the mowers based on how easy they were to adjust the cutting deck height.

Best Cordless Lawn Mower – Head to Head Comparison 2014 is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Black and Decker Platinum Series Vacuums: Models# BDH2000FL, BDH2000SL, and BDH2000L

Black & Decker® just launched a 20 volt Platinum lithium, cordless vacuum series with three different models to choose from.  Look for reviews on TBB soon!

Black and Decker BDH2000L

These cordless vacuums  are sized perfectly for the shop, office or car and are powered with lithium battery technology.  They and are touted to have strong suction for the duration of the battery charge.

Black & Decker claims that their SmartCharge system charges the battery digitallywhich minimizes memory effect.  A battery charge can last 18 months in a storage.

The Platinum series features three units : The BDH2000FL, BDH2000SL, and BDH2000L.

BDH2000FL FLEX vacuum:

Black and Decker BDH2000FL

The BDH2000FL FLEX  features a four-foot flexible hose that wraps around the unit for neat storage and portability.It has three layers of filtration, cyclonic action which has been proven to work exceptionally well in wood shop dust collectors, and a filter cleaning tool. The filter is dishwasher safe and the dust bowl is emptied with simple push of a button.

The vacuum also includes a charging base with charge indication and tool storage.  Accessories included are a pet hair tool, crevice tool, and a 2-in-1 brush tool.

The BDH2000SL vacuum:

The BDH2000SL vacuum offers huge power in a lightweight design. Offering the versatility of a replaceable battery and an innovative, ergonomic handle, this compact vacuum allows users to tackle large messes with ease.

This vac weighs 2.7lbs, includes a charger with charge indicator light, washable filter, crevice tool and brush.

Black and Decker BDH2000SL

The sleek BDH2000L vacuum features a rotating slim nozzle with a built-in crevice tool and flip-up brush and is ideal for everyday cleanup of dust, pet hair and crumbs.

A triple layer, cyclonic action filtration system captures the dirt and provides the suction needed to make this vac powerful.

The unit weighs under 3 pounds, empties in one, mess-free step and comes with a charging base, charge indicator light.

How Much and Where To Buy:

The Platinum BDH2000SL  sells for $ 98.99 online here: 

Black-Decker-Platinum-BDH2000SL-20-Volt   

The Platinum BDH2000FL  sells for $ 149.00 online here: 
Black-Decker-Platinum-BDH2000FL-20-Volt

The Platinum BDH2000L  sells for $ 89.99 online here: 

Black-Decker-Platinum-BDH2000L-20-Volt

Black and Decker Platinum Lithium Vacuum Series is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Black And Decker:  The Ratcheting Ready Wrench

I had heard of the original Ready Wrench but had not used it. The new Black And Decker Ready Wrench with ratcheting feature is a useful, handy tool to have in the tool box.  I find that I use just a  few different size sockets or wrenches, but keep a whole complement of sizes, usually the full set in my tool box.

Having the Ready Wrench with the most popular standard and metric sizes on the tool helps keep my tool box uncluttered.  The easy to read, color coded sizes on each socket was a welcome feature which eliminated a lot of looking to locate the correct size socket. I found the Ready Wrench to be a versatile, handy tool to keep on hand.

The project I immediately used the Ready Wrench for was to tighten the kitchen table and chair legs. I was able to switch from 7/16″ to 9/16″ sizes while underneath the table with no change in position. This really helped move the job along.

Next I located the correct metric size head and straightened the handlebars on my son’s trike.  Since I do not own a full set of  metric wrenches, this was a great addition to the toolbox allowing me to work with a less common metric size connector.  Now my son won’t have to drive in circles because the handle bars are crooked!

Overall impression

I found the Ready Wrench to be a sturdy, reliable tool that made performing everyday tasks much easier.  While it will not replace the full set of master mechanic’s tools, it has the most commonly used sizes, makes the work efficient and helped keep me organized.  I think I will find a place for my socket set on the back shelf and move the Ready Wrench to the front.

Black And Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench is a post from Tool Box Buzz