Ryobi 40V lawn mower review

Finally decided to pull the trigger on an battery powered lawn mower after the old Briggs and Stratton powered machine finally bit the dust, again, for the last time. 

We debated for a week on whether to pay the lawn guy one more time or just go get the new mower. So the lawn was very overgrown. The backyard had patches that were over 6" long. The front was close to 3". 

So I unboxed it and started the battery charging. While that was happening I decided to sneak in a little three hour motorcycle ride. When I returned the battery was fully charged and ready to go. 

It's quiet. I love that. It's light and very easy to push and maneuver.  I did not get the self propelled model. I set the height to the highest setting for the backyard. It adjusts from 1.5-4". It had no problems knocking down the overgrown yard. I was really impressed. I used the bag for the backyard only just to try it out. I had to empty it three times. Unlike the reviews I watched in YouTube I had no issues with it filling the bag. 

For the front I lowered it to the next to lowest setting, probably a 2" and installed the mulching plug. I have no plans to bag the grass I just wanted to try it out. It does a very good job mulching, much better than the old gas mower. 

After it made quick and quiet work of the front yard I decided to go over the back again on the lower height. I didn't expect the battery to last long enough to get the whole thing done again but it did. After I was done it still had one bar showing on the battery indicator. So it's going to have plenty of capacity for my needs with the 5AH battery. 

Things I like. It's plenty powerful and has plenty of capacity for my needs. I really love how quiet it is and how easy it is to use. It's just an easy experience. I like how small it folds up and how it can be stored upright. I've got a small one car garage and it's nice how little space it takes up tucked away in the corner. The old mower had to live on the patio and it's nice to get that space freed up. 

Things I don't particularly like about it are the charge time is a little long and the plastic deck is pretty soft. I bumped a tree with it and the blade made contact with the deck so that could be a little stronger IMO. 

I guess the only thing to worry about now is how long the battery will last. But overall I'm extremely happy and consider it a major upgrade over a gas powered mower.

I bought the Lowes "kobalt" branded one two weeks ago. Now I need to wait for the grass to actually grow enough to cut it.

I have a Ryobi 40, but it sounds slightly different than yours. Either way, my only complaint is that the bag is too small. Too many trips to dump it. 

I purchased the Lowes Kobalt 40V the beginning of last year.  Like the Roybi above, it is very light and quiet.  I mowed a few weeks before I learned it has two power settings.  One week the grass was longer and it powered up to the next level automatically.  The battery died about 2/3s of they way through the summer.  It was covered under warranty but the three weeks I waited for the new battery were a real pain.  I had to charge the bad battery 10-12 times to get the lawn mowed.  The new battery worked the end of last year and for the two times I have mowed this year.  One dislike is that it does not create enough "wind" to blow the grass off the sidewalk.  My favorite part is how quiet it is.  I can easily listen to music or the baseball game while mowing.

Glad you're liking it! We looked at a bunch of electric mowers before finally deciding on the old school reel mower. Been happy with it so far for our tiny yard. 

My mom has a self propelled ryobi 40v she got on clearance at home depot. She really likes it.

I, in my infinite wisdom(I needed a smaller charger to use at work) got an 18v string trimmer from them. So far my only issue is that it takes all 4 of my 4ah batteries to do the entire yard but it'll go through stuff that would make the gas husqvarna I have bog down and die with no issues so I'm not going to complain.

Probably going to pony up the cash for a 9ah battery and be happy with it.

How big is your yard(s).  I'm considering a battery mower when my current gas model kicks it - which given how it was smoking and sputtering a few days ago, may be sooner than later.  Plus, that would really entice me to run some electric out to my shed so I can set up a charging station for the batteries out there.

I already have an 80v Kobalt trimmer that will easily trim my yard as well as clear grass clippings (it takes common attachments and I have a blower/sweeper for it) twice on a charge.  So I lean towards a mower that uses the same battery.

BTW - I've heard/read that these new lithium-ion batteries don't like really cold temps and it's a good idea to bring them inside for the winter. And definitely don't charge them in freezing temps. 

In reply to Ian F :

As far as I've ever known no batteries like really cold temps. It kills the charge in anything much faster than heat.

I love my Ryobi 40V "Expand-it" trimmer and the blower attachment. No more pre-mix and pull-starting the engines just to blow off some leaves or pollen. You squeeze the trigger, it spins. That simple. Looks like it uses the same battery as the mower. 

In reply to Grizz :

True, but it seems modern lead-acid batteries are designed to withstand cold temps fairly well.  Li-Ion, less so.  When used in RV's they are installed in heated compartments. 

On a related note - 

Craftsman recently switched from 19.2v Lithium systems to this new 20v slide-in battery, and conveniently added some better battery chainsaws. Kinda pisses me off because I've got a bunch of Craftsman 19.2v batteries headed for obsolescence. 

If I'm going to get a battery powered chainsaw, am I better to go with something like Dewalt where I can use the batteries for other tools, or instead get something like a GreenWerks or Ryobi or some system that includes battery powered outdoor tools?

I can't speak for the 40v but my 18v were kept in my truck throughout the winter and they held up fine. Not that it ever gets terribly cold in maryland but still.

Of course I'm of the opinion that you should always have your chargers for battery stuff inside the house where you can actually keep an eye on it.

We picked up the 80V Kobalt mower and trimmer last spring. Been very happy with the battery life and power. 

I've never taken the time to look one of these over. So the only thing between you and  disfigurement is a plastic deck that flexes every time you hit something? I'm all about some battery powered tools, but I like my apendages the way they are too.

I'm very happy with my 40v ryobi too. I don't bag grass, only mulch. I've used mine close to 2 years now so I will probably try to sharpen the blade soon. 

However, my FAVORITE feature is the headlights. Allows you to mow at dawn or dusk when it isn't a million degrees outside (and the mower really is quiet enough to not wake neighbors). The headlights do a great job of showing the 'line' where you have mowed and where you haven't. 

In reply to Robbie :

You should put a light bar on your mower and post pictures about it.

maschinenbau said:

In reply to Robbie :

You should put a light bar on your mower and post pictures about it.

GRM: we put the grass in grassroots mowersports!

THE only thing I like about the battery-operated stuff is that I return it once a year and get the free upgrade to the newer model...which I literally did this morning on the POS ryobi 40v weedeater that my wife bought. 

Fortunately the local HD is pretty cool about returns...or they just know I won’t leave until they swap it out.

In reply to Ian F :

My yard is roughly 3,000 sqft. Basically split even front to back. I did the back twice so it did roughly 4,500 sqft on one charge. I'm not sure how much was left but I don't there was much. 

STM317 said:

I've never taken the time to look one of these over. So the only thing between you and  disfigurement is a plastic deck that flexes every time you hit something? I'm all about some battery powered tools, but I like my apendages the way they are too.

I took some pictures. 

Here is how much room there is between the blade and the plastic deck.

Here I'm applying a moderate amount of pressure with my thumb and the deck touches the blade.

This shows the damage done to the deck when the blade made contact.

I'm not too concerned about it hurting me. Just need to remember to be a little more careful when getting close to hard objects.

pheller said:

If I'm going to get a battery powered chainsaw, am I better to go with something like Dewalt where I can use the batteries for other tools, or instead get something like a GreenWerks or Ryobi or some system that includes battery powered outdoor tools?

I have the 20v Dewalt chainsaw. It seems to be getting better with more sharpenings, but it's easy to overheat it if you're working it hard. Battery life with a 4Ah battery is not impressive but that's the difference between running it continuously vs something like a circular saw or drill/driver.

I’m really curious about the bigger Ryobi electric zero turn riding mower. Claims to be good for 5 acres which seems impossible to me but would be amazing if so. It’s even cheaper than my current mower was. 

akamcfly said:

pheller said:

If I'm going to get a battery powered chainsaw, am I better to go with something like Dewalt where I can use the batteries for other tools, or instead get something like a GreenWerks or Ryobi or some system that includes battery powered outdoor tools?

I have the 20v Dewalt chainsaw. It seems to be getting better with more sharpenings, but it's easy to overheat it if you're working it hard. Battery life with a 4Ah battery is not impressive but that's the difference between running it continuously vs something like a circular saw or drill/driver.

We got my dad a battery chainsaw for Christmas a couple years ago. They all had some positives and negatives, but ultimately, as a general “rule”, the safest chainsaw is the best chainsaw—meaning, the better it performs the safer it is. Once I realized that, the battery system itself took a backseat. We went with Stihl for that reason. 

Got the EGO self propelled three years ago for a half acre lawn.  First year it cut the whole thing on one charge. Second year started pooping out on the last 15 minutes.  This year I can only get half the lawn done on a charge.  Did leave the battery in an unheated garage over the winter but not real pleased with the battery life right now.

In reply to mtn :

Stihl has a battery power chainsaw line as well.  

I have a pole-saw attachment for my Kobalt trimmer and holy cow is it a useful tool.