Electric versus Gasoline Lawn and Garden Equipment
For a few years I had been dependent on a very reliable grounds man who operated as an individual entrepreneur but provided an efficient and reliable service. The key factors were met: When I called him, he agreed to the date I proposed, the price was attractive and constant, and the service level was up to par.
Then came the start of a new year and a few factors converged for me. He proposed a price increase of over 20% and reserved the right to increase the price if I had waited too long and the grass was overgrown. The argument was that it would cost more fuel, and take for time and effort to complete the job. This was technically correct probably, however two additional factors got me thinking: (1) A remark about how many other ‘important customers’ he had waiting on his services, and therefore he now proposed a two-week notice to set an appointment for a lawn cutting visit; and (2) my young and growing son who increasingly was demonstrating boundless energy which could be directed to doing chores with me around the house.
Researching the Options
This dilemma got me to some deep research which was time-bound and the grass was growing as I vowed to not settle with this lawn-care provider. I started instead to explore what it would take to handle this job myself with the help of my young trainee who was exceedingly eager.
I had not considered this issue for a few years as I had long concluded that my lawn cutting days were over (I used to do this job myself many years earlier before deciding to outsource). What I found was nothing short of amazing! My memory of doing this job myself involved a trip to purchase petrol, a more than likely fight with the lawn mower and weed whacker as I would only start these pieces of equipment about once a month or less.
Advent of New Technology
The range of new equipment was very refreshing for me. A ton of research into gasoline lawn equipment versus the newly available electric range of not just lawn care equipment but home care equipment in general was incredible.
In addition, I realized that not only had strides been made in a complete range of electric equipment, but the battery technology had been developed and adapted to provide a complete line up of cordless tools, which could all use the same battery and charging unit!
What was even more encouraging, was that based on the new rates being proposed by my grounds man, I was looking at payback in under a year for a lawn mower and edge trimmer combo.
I started to collect data and lay out my decision support material for a shift from outsource to self-maintained grounds for my homestead which sits on a lot of over 15,000 square feet.
Benefits of Cordless Electric Home Care Equipment
No trips to the gas station – This was an important to me as I contemplated the shift to doing this job myself. Whenever I fill a small container with gasoline and transport it in my car, there’s some minor leakage no matter how hard I try. The result is that the car then needs to be cleaned or at least ventilated for a while. An electric solution takes this risk away.
Lightweight Equipment – I was quite amazed at the relative light weight of lawn care equipment relative to the gasoline versions. The key attraction here was that my son could easily handle a cordless electric lawn mower without my assistance.
Hassle-Free Push-button Start – Memories of the battle to get a gasoline engine going after a period of storage wafted away as I researched the ease of push button start and without the hassle of cord management if I went with the cordless range
Low Noise Level – Saturday mornings in my neighborhood, while being the morning for a bit of extra sleep after a long week, are usually an orchestra of near and far noises of mowers, trimmers and other equipment humming away as the surrounding houses are maintained. My plan was to not give up on the morning extra nap but to do this job myself on a Saturday evening. Therefore a quiet run was quite an advantage for me as I would not cause too much of a stir on a Saturday afternoon.
Low Maintenance – I am very handy with any mechanical item requiring troubleshooting or maintenance or repair, however my irritation is the amount of time these activities require. Unless the repair job is of technical excitement, I have actually parked items aside and moved to new items to avoid a repair job. The prospect of almost no maintenance with electric cordless equipment was very attractive to me.
Recharge While You Recharge – At first, the prospect of waiting for 30 minutes or so for a battery to be recharged seemed wasteful until I did a bit of introspection. What usually happens after about an hour of work in the outdoors, for me at least: I would stop for a rehydration break which if it involved a lager, could take 15 – 30 minutes of rest time. In any event, this problem of recharge time could easily be attended to by having two batteries alternating between work and recharge.
Plug N Play – The ease of conversion to electric cordless home and lawn care equipment was evidenced by the presentation of the product lines by various brands. The Greenworks brand for example, which is the brand I eventually decided upon, featured many pieces of equipment working on the same battery, with each of the tools offered with or without batteries. So the first two tools could be purchased with the batteries and chargers, and each additional tool could then be purchased without the batteries, which would make them far less expensive, and the first two batteries could be used across all the tools.
Efficiency – The inherent nature of electric equipment makes them more efficient, after all there’s fewer moving parts, lightweight construction, no fuel containment (in the case of a cordless chain saw there’s a lubrication system including storage of lubricating oil but that’s a breeze compared to filling gasoline into every tool. In fact, when I stepped back and compared this technology to the advances made with electric vehicles (I’m hoping to never purchase another Internal Combustion Engine vehicle ever again) then it becomes very clear that electric cordless home tools are the wave of the future.
Side Note – Indeed in my searching, the prospect of having a robotic lawn mower do this job in a ‘driverless’ mode is also very interesting but that’s a topic for another post. Those products have also come a long way, and I can say with fair certainty that without my automatic swimming pool vacuum, (which is in the pool more often than I am), I would be researching what it takes to decommission a pool! That equipment is a life saver, I mean literally a pool saver! Even for indoor vacuuming, the kit available now allows the vacuum job to be programmed when you are not at home so you arrive to a clean house! How amazing is that?
Reviews and Recommendation – But I digress. After a month of research, I landed on the Greenworks range of cordless lawn care and home care equipment. I am now the proud owner of a Greenworks electric cordless Lawn mower, Edge Trimmer, Hedge trimmer, Chain saw on a pole, Blower, and soon to add other accessories. These pieces have been in service at my home for over three years with practically no issues to date. I sharpen the mower blades myself with a DeWalt Electric Grinder. The string assembly on the edge trimmer sustained some wear to the point that it looked unsafe. I did not want any part of this assemble breaking off at high speed and becoming a dangerous missile (dangerous to my ankles or to anyone in close range). However this part was easily replaced.
I recommend these items highly as they have stood the test of time for me and yes I have gone way beyond the payback period on all of these items. My plan is to do an individual review and critique of each of these pieces right here on this website. If a few readers of this site benefit from my commentary and make the switch either from outsourced services to a self-maintained approach, using these tools or from gasoline tools to electric, then my posting would not have been in vain.
Bonus – Latest update, now I can rely significantly on my son to help with these jobs as his skills have improved and the tools are lightweight and easy to use. It has proven to be a great decision as I am satisfied that he’s also learning daily and one day will be able to handle around his house just as well – unless the robots take over by then!
