Which is better ryobi or toro

In our tall grass test, we found the mower delivers exceptional performance. Raise the deck, snap on the side discharge chute and have at tall grass and weeds. The high voltage and the mower's solid build help it churn through the rough stuff like a tank, one of the few cordless mowers that we could say that about. A final observation is that the mower is equipped with a shock absorber feature built into the handle Toro calls it a Flex handle.

Toro mowers are so comfortable to mow with, generally, that we've never had a problem with them. Still, if you're looking for a more comfortable self-propelled walk mower, then this Toro may interest you for that feature. This is a great US-built mower that can handle a significant amount of cutting on one charge. Open its box, fold back its handle, tip the box up and roll the mower out. Squeeze the handle to engage the drive system; slide a thumb switch on the handle to increase or decrease ground speed.

Incidentally, even all the way to the right top speed is quite leisurely. On the other hand, that comparatively slow ground speed provides an excellent cut quality and near perfect mulching. You notice the importance of that when you tackle ruts, steep hills and especially when mowing sidehill. Top all that off with single-lever height adjustment. Volts: 40 Weight: The Worx is a great little mower with a ton of nicely-designed features: single-lever deck height adjustment that is among the best that we've seen; one of the best fold-forward handle locking mechanisms ever developed a pair of organge levers at the top of the handle , a bag that lifts and descends straight up and down, between the handle bars, and a neat little pivoting lever to close the back of the deck for mulching or to open it for bagging.

And speaking of bagging, it's one of the better cordless baggers out there. Will it handle rough and tumble mowing? Good question. We raised up the deck, snapped on the robust side-discharge port and walked it into the weeds.

We'd define it's performance there as satisfactory higher voltage mowers rule in the tall-grass test. But that's beside the point. The sweet spot for this light, fast-stepping mower is zipping around the well-manicured landscape, bagging as it goes. Voltage: 40 Weight: 38 lb. At 40 volts and weighing under 40 pounds, plastic-deck mowers like this may be the future for people who have tiny yards.

That makes it completely out of its element in tall thick grass, but that's not what the mower is designed for. A final benefit is its conveniently located single lever on the left to raise and lower the mower deck. But it also has small and important details. The motor is located almost entirely above the deck, protecting it from impact, moisture, and dirt. Yes, this does make the Stihl slightly taller than others, but we see no harm in that.

We also like the slot for a second 6-Ah battery tucked away below the battery hatch. The mower did reasonably well in mulching mode, cutting taller-than-average grass with the deck set at mid-height, but it did leave behind trails of chewed-up clippings in places where the lawn was particularly lush. On the other hand, every battery mower we tested left some clipping deposits in similar situations. Voltage: 60 Weight: 86 lb. We were very pleasantly surprised by this inch mower, the only wide-cut machine in the cordless class.

Given its design run time of 60 minutes, we think it should do somewhere in the range of at least 6, square feet. Its major features are these: rear wheel drive with variable speed control, fold-forward handle, dual-mode capability mulch and bag , a turbo setting for leaf pickup or tall grass, and seven cutting heights controlled with single-lever adjustment.

Voltage: 48 Weight: 35 lb. So in that respect, this is a nice little mower. Its cut quality is quite good and, overall, the mower is extremely easy to use. Its cut quality and mulching are quite good for an inexpensive mower, and it's bagging ability is what we describe as middle of the road suitable for this class of product, but nowhere near a Toro, Honda or Cub Cadet. That's the second year in a row that the Hart brand has given a good account for itself. Unlike last year's mower which has rear wheel drive see below this year's version is a push mower and this explains the large cut area.

No battery charge is diverted to the drive system, enabling the little white mower to cut, and cut, and cut some more. The lack of a drive system is not a big deal on level ground because the mower with bag and battery only weighs For your money, you also get the convenience of single-lever deck adjustment with a conveniently located cutting height scale next to it for adjustment from 1.

Voltage: 40 Weight: 58 lb. Plus it has solid range, owing to the efficiency of its brushless motor and adaptive motor speed control to suit grass density motor rpm ramps up when you push it into tall, thick grass. Its operation is familiar to most people who have owned a self-propelled mower.

Squeeze its blue handles to make it move forward; release them to stop. Flip the ground speed control lever to the right to go faster. For storage, unlock the handle lever, telescope the handle down, flip another lever to pivot the handle forward, and stand the mower on end. You get one battery, but it has a bay for a second. Buying Advice Battery-power mowers range from 36 to volts, with deck diameters between 18 and 22 inches.

Setting aside what manufacturers claim as their run time or their cut surface per charge, we find that on average they will cut grass for half an hour to an hour, allowing you to mow an area roughly from 5, to 10, square feet before they need to be recharged.

Mowers equipped with larger-voltage motors 58 to 82 volts do better in tall grass or if the mower is self-propelled, since that requires more power. Of course, this makes the mower heavier and more expensive, too. Smaller-voltage mowers 36 to 40 volts are lighter and easier to maneuver for small yards with 2, square feet of grass or less.

Also note in the above reviews that whenever possible, we record the square footage that each mower cut on a single battery charge, in other cases we estimate the square footage due to inconsistencies in our test areas. Almost all mowers will cut more area when the grass is at mid height and dry mid summer. Nothing taxes a battery like tall, thick, damp, or wet grass—conditions that dominate at the start of the mowing season.

When the mowing conditions are really tough, you can expect to see your mowed area per battery charge reduced from our above measurements by at least a third. Unless your mowed area is very small, say 1, square feet or less, you almost always need a second battery or pair for dual-battery mowers.

Backups help see you through the wide variety of cutting conditions that occur in a growing season, and they also help spread out the wear and tear on the batteries, instead of quickly working them to death. Go with a battery mower if your cut surface area falls somewhere in the 2, to 8, square-foot range with cutting conditions that are not particularly taxing.

That is, you have a nice neat yard. These types of mowers are very common as they allow medium to high cut grass to be quickly cut and deposited in a rear-mounted grass box. These mowers typically have four fixed wheels for maneuvering. Cylinder mowers: Cylinder mowers have a series of blades which tend to be exposed in a cylindrical drum structure on the front of the machine.

Unlike rotary mowers, these cut grass by slicing against a fixed bottom plate, with a series of smaller blades doing the work of one. These machines work best when cutting low to medium height grass. Instead the hover mowers create a downward firing cushion of air that allows them to move easily in any direction, like a hovercraft. Many battery-powered mowers can be purchased with a spare battery so that your mower is never out of action.

You can buy extensions for your mower, but this might be inconvenient if you have an extremely large backyard. These models can also run for up to 90 minutes, so unless you have acres of land to cover, you should be able to get the job done. Running costs may be another concern when it comes to buying an electric lawn mower. You should consider how large your yard is and how often you intend to mow it. Although it might seem simple at first, choosing a cutting height for your lawn actually depends on the type of grass you have.

If you live in northern parts of the US, your grass will typically be cool-season grass. Select a cutting height of between two and three inches high. Included in this guide: 1. Specifications Deck size: inch. Battery: 7. LED headlights: Yes. Dual battery: No. Self-propelled: No. Reasons to avoid - Expensive battery to replace.

Greenworks 48V inch Brushless Lawn Mower Battery: 2x 4. Dual battery: Yes. Reasons to avoid - Not powerful enough for large gardens. Battery: 5Ah. LED headlights: No. Self-propelled: Yes. Reasons to avoid - Grass collection could be more efficient.

Greenworks inch 60V MO60L Reasons to avoid - Could self-propel faster. Battery: Ah. Leaf blowers can be loud, so learn your local regulations regarding their operation. Some cities and towns have full-on leaf-blower bans, and others allow leaf blowing only during selected times. For example, Arlington, Massachusetts , allows just one gas-powered blower per 6, square feet, to be operated only 30 minutes at a time, with minute breaks in between. Other communities adhere to maximum decibel levels.

You can find several prominent styles of leaf blower to choose from: corded, cordless, and gas powered. Each has a unique set of trade-offs that make it ideal for different circumstances, but we think corded models are the best fit for most. They need to be tethered to an outlet, so they might not be as maneuverable as other options, but they cost the least, have limitless run time, require almost no maintenance, emit a not-so-irritating sound, and issue zero emissions, all of which are major concerns for cordless and gas blowers.

Cordless blowers provide power similar to that of corded models but offer a much higher degree of maneuverability. Couple that with a charge time of around 90 minutes at least, usually more , and it potentially means a lot of starting and stopping, unless you have either a small lawn or a second battery which can get expensive. On the good side, cordless models are generally the quietest blowers.

Gas blowers, which were once the standard, are falling out of favor as corded and cordless models have begun to equal their power, but with less noise and none of the emissions. We prefer backpack gas blowers to handheld gas blowers: Engines are heavy, so by relocating the weight to your back, backpack blowers can offer a bigger, stronger engine and a larger gas tank for longer run time without putting any strain on your arm. As for the drawbacks, gas blowers are loud and stinky, and they require proper off-season storage.

Concerns over emissions and noise have led many cities, neighborhoods, and now even states , to place restrictions on gas-powered small engines. After finding several options delivering adequate power, we turned to other ease of use factors to distinguish one model over another. We wanted to recommend an accessible lineup of leaf blowers, including options that are easy to use by a wide range of people of various abilities.

That meant we sought models with versatile handle and grip options, a light and manageable weight, and good enough balance to make the blowers easy to control without a struggle during extended use. We did the majority of our testing, specifically of the corded and cordless blowers, on a rural property in New Hampshire.

The approximately 2-acre lawn is surrounded by, and dotted with, oak, maple, ash, and apple trees, all of which have leaves that drop in the fall. We used the blowers around flower beds, cobblestone steps, and stone walls, as well as in dense ground cover like pachysandra and vinca.

We also took the blowers into the woods to test them on the dense, damp mat of pine needles and leaves that make up the forest floor. Through this testing, we kept an eye on the ease of the controls, the weight of the machines, and the overall ergonomics, looking subjectively at how far we could move leaves and how easily the air helped us steer the leaf pile around. Run-time tests were done on all of the cordless blowers. We fully charged their batteries, then set them to high and waited until each one died out and recorded the time.

We tested the gas-powered models with help from Kevin Walker, a landscaper with 31 years of experience, and two of his crew Anthony, with nine years of experience, and Justin, with 12 years of experience. To test these gas blowers, each landscaper fueled up, started, and used each blower for an extended period of time, and all three inspected each unit from tip to tail. We also looked at the decibel readings of each blower using a Triplett SoniChek sound meter.

We discovered that the blowers all measured similarly in terms of decibels but that different tones were either more or less annoying. After seven years of testing, our pick is the Toro PowerJet F , which combines gale-force air movement with a smartly designed handle, an essential feature with such a strong and unruly blower.

Compared with the other leaf blowers we tested, the Toro showed no problems getting under a bed of thick, damp, matted leaves and pine needles on the forest floor. With the blower tubes in the same position, the Toro pushed leaves at least 2 feet farther than most other blowers we tested.

The long curved handle lets you adjust the angle of the blower, lessening wrist strain. The design also includes a front pommel grip, which we found useful in our tests particularly at the highest speeds, where the power of the blower could get a little intense. Running the Toro at full speed feels a little like being pulled down a sidewalk by a leashed dog chasing after a squirrel—gaining control can take a moment or two. Tested against the other corded and cordless leaf blowers, the Toro has impressive air-moving power, lifting and launching wet, matted leaves with ease and blasting them farther than nearly all of the others.

All of this means faster work and less overall time spent moving leaves. Most other blowers have smaller-diameter nozzles, which are nice for precision work but take more effort and more back-and-forth sweeps to clear a lawn.

The Toro is also easy to operate. The interface is one-handed and consists of a single thumb dial that turns the blower on and off and adjusts the speed. Toro has put the dial to the right side of the handle looking at it from the top , which actually makes it a little awkward for a right-handed person but offers benefits when you use a two-handed grip. In addition, the handle is curved, which makes it easy to direct the blower down in front of you. The Toro also adds a pommel grip at the top of the handle, which is helpful given the power of this blower.

The extra piece allows for a comfortable two-handed grip, which we ended up using a lot ourselves. Like any leaf blower, the Toro is loud. We found during testing that the noise of an electric motor is very different from the irritating high-pitched whine of a two-stroke engine, even if the decibel readings are in the same ballpark. We like that the Toro is powerful but also stripped down, which not only lightens it but also reduces the overall cost.

If you have no plans to use a mulcher, why pay for that? Toro recommends at least a gauge cord for 25 feet, a gauge cord for 50 feet, and the heavier gauge cord for feet. I can say from experience that a foot, gauge cord is extremely unwieldy and difficult to wrap up—and sadly, capable of taking out an entire flower bed.

Because of this back-end positioning, the blower can easily pull clothing against the intake cover. You just have to get used to keeping the blower farther away as you move it around your body. The leaf-moving power of the Toro is immense, but because it comes with only the single wide-end nozzle, you have no way to pinpoint the airflow for clearing out things like stone walls or gutters.

It works best with wide, swinging arcs, and for blasting leaves across the yard. This blower is actually more powerful than the Toro, but the handle design makes it difficult to wrangle. According to Worx, this blower blasts a whopping CFM of air.

On the flip side, the handle is small and there is really only one way to grip it, so a lot of strain is put on the forearm, especially at the higher speeds.

The blower is controlled with a three-speed thumb dial that is easy to reach and turn. In our tests, it had among the longest run times and was one of the most powerful cordless blower we tested.

Its more focused airstream was even a little better than that of the Toro and Worx corded models at lifting wet, matted leaves. The Ego offers easy one-handed controls and a turbo button that can add a boost of power if needed. Even with those drawbacks, however, we think the benefits are there.