Guides
Your first cordless yard kit, in the order to buy it
Buy the mower first, not because you need it most, but because it decides everything you buy afterwards.
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we rank first — here is how we're funded.
We have not tested these units. Every spec on this page comes from the manufacturer's own documentation and is linked to it. Every computed figure is arithmetic you can redo. Prices are checked daily — last verified January 1, 1970. Here is exactly how we pick.
Building a cordless kit is one decision followed by four purchases. The decision is the battery platform, and the reason it comes first is that you make it by accident when you buy the mower — whether you meant to or not.
The order, and why
| Order | Tool | Why here | Buy as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mower | Takes the largest pack, so it sets the platform and the pack size | Kit, with the biggest battery offered |
| 2 | String trimmer | The job a mower cannot do; every lawn has edges and obstacles | Bare, or a kit with a small pack |
| 3 | Blower | Paths, drives and autumn; the tool that finishes the job | Bare |
| 4 | Chainsaw or pole saw | Only if you have trees. Occasional use, cheap on-platform | Bare |
| Any time | Pressure washer, spreader, aerator | Corded or unpowered, so no platform lock-in | On the tool's own merits |
Our recommended order. The reasoning is energy demand and how often a typical suburban property needs each job, not a manufacturer's bundle.
The critical line is the first one. A mower needs several hundred watt-hours; a trimmer needs a fraction of that. Buy the mower first and its pack runs everything else you own. Buy a trimmer first and you will find yourself either buying a bigger pack later or discovering that the platform with the best trimmer does not have the mower you want.
The watt-hour budget for one Saturday
That is the single most useful number in this whole guide, because it converts "how many batteries do I need" into arithmetic. Four hundred watt-hours of capacity does an average suburban Saturday. Everything above that is margin for thick grass, bigger lawns and the day you decide to do the hedge as well.
Tool one: the mower sets everything
Size it to your lawn first — the sizing guide has deck width and watt-hours by lawn size — and then look at what else the platform makes. The EGO 56V line reaches from this mower to a 42-inch zero turn; Ryobi's 40V range is the broadest consumer line of the three main platforms and the cheapest route to a fourth and fifth tool.
The EGO LM2135SP carries 420Wh in one pack with a published 60-minute runtime claim, eight cut heights and a 5-year tool warranty. The Ryobi RY40HPLM01B kit carries 480Wh across two packs, which means swapping rather than waiting. The full head-to-head is here.
#ad Check the EGO LM2135SP price on Amazon — how we're funded.
Tool two: the trimmer
The mower cuts the middle; the trimmer does everything the deck cannot reach. On the published figures a trimmer is a cheap tool to run — the EGO ST1521S works out at about 4.7Wh per minute, roughly a quarter of what a blower on turbo burns.
The feature worth paying for is the head. Automatic line reload turns the job everyone hates into a button press; bump-feed heads are cheaper and fine until the spool runs out mid-job. Line gauges and feed types are covered on the trimmer line guide.
#ad Check the EGO ST1521S price on Amazon — how we're funded.
Tool three: the blower
A blower is the tool that makes the other two look finished, and the one most likely to be over-bought. On a normal property you will run it near its lowest setting almost always — which is why a genuine variable dial matters more than a headline CFM figure.
The EGO LB6504 publishes a 225 to 470 CFM variable range with 650 CFM on turbo, 64 dB and an IPX4 rating. If your neighbours are close, the quieter option is on the quiet blower page; if your lot is small, the small-yard roundup is the more relevant list.
#ad Check the EGO LB6504 price on Amazon — how we're funded.
Tool four, and the ones that do not count
A chainsaw or pole saw only earns a place if you have trees, and it is the best argument for the platform discipline: a saw bought bare onto packs you already own costs a fraction of a saw bought as a kit for one storm. The specs to check are on the chainsaw guide.
Some tools sit outside the platform decision entirely, and it is worth knowing which: a corded pressure washer, a push spreader, a tow-behind aerator and a robot mower all have their own power arrangements. Buy those on the tool alone — there is no ecosystem to protect.
The three expensive mistakes
- Buying the cheapest mower kit. The cheap kit ships the small pack, and the small pack is the thing you will replace first and most.
- Mixing platforms. Two chargers, two pack families, and every spare battery only useful for half your tools. The compatibility rules are on the compatibility page.
- Buying kits after the first one. Every kit you buy is another charger you do not need. Bare tools plus the packs you own is how the platform pays you back.
The ten-year version of that arithmetic, including replacement packs, is in the cost calculator.
What we cannot tell you
- What any of this costs. We publish no price we have not verified today, and prices move.
- Your real energy use. The Saturday budget above is arithmetic on published claims with stated assumptions about how long each job takes.
- Which platform will still be supported in ten years. Nobody can tell you that, and anyone who does is guessing.
The products discussed
Specs are the manufacturer's own and linked to the page they came from. Prices come from a live daily check; where we have no verified price we say so rather than print a stale one.
EGO Power+ 21" Select Cut LM2135SP
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium · Our score 9.1/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
The most watt-hours in the box of any flagship walk-behind here, on the platform with the widest tool range to grow into.
Published specs
| Deck | 21 in |
|---|---|
| Cutting torque | Up to 7.0 ft-lbs |
| Battery included | 56V 7.5Ah |
| Cut height | 1-4 in, 8 positions |
| Self-propel speed | 0.9-3.1 MPH |
| Runtime claim | Up to 60 min |
| Warranty | 5-yr tool / 3-yr battery |
Source: EGO POWER+ 21" Select Cut System (LM2135SP), egopowerplus.com
56V x 7.5Ah = 420Wh, using EGO's advertised pack voltage.
What the numbers favor
- 420Wh in the box -- the largest included pack of any flagship walk-behind on this page
- Eight cut-height positions from 1 to 4 in, the widest published range here
- Three interchangeable lower blades (mulching, high-lift bagging, extended runtime)
- 5-year tool warranty, the longest published on this page
What they don't
- EGO publishes torque (7.0 ft-lbs), not motor wattage, so it cannot be compared directly against Greenworks' 1500W figure
- The 7.5Ah pack that earns the runtime claim is also the expensive one to replace
your yard is under a quarter acre. You would be paying for 420Wh of headroom you will never discharge, and a 20 in push mower cuts the same grass.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
EGO Power+ 15" POWERLOAD Carbon Fiber ST1521S
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium · Our score 8.9/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
A lifetime shaft warranty and a head that reloads line at the push of a button -- the two things that actually go wrong with a string trimmer.
Published specs
| Cutting swath | 15 in |
|---|---|
| Line | 0.095 in dual-feed spiral twist |
| Head | POWERLOAD automatic winding |
| Shaft | Carbon fiber, split shaft |
| Battery (kit) | 56V 2.5Ah |
| Runtime claim | Up to 30 min on 2.5Ah |
| Charge time | 50 min |
| Warranty | 5-yr tool / 3-yr battery, lifetime shaft |
Source: POWER+ 15" POWERLOAD String Trimmer with Carbon Fiber Shaft, egopowerplus.com
56V x 2.5Ah = 140Wh. 30 minutes of published runtime from 140Wh is about 4.7Wh per minute -- roughly a quarter of what a blower on turbo burns.
What the numbers favor
- Lifetime warranty on the carbon fiber shaft, published
- POWERLOAD winds the line for you -- the job everyone hates
- 0.095 in line, the heavier of the two common home gauges
- Split shaft, so it takes EGO's multi-head attachments
What they don't
- Ships with the small 2.5Ah pack; 30 minutes is a modest published runtime
- EGO does not publish a weight for this configuration
you only edge a short driveway. An 8 in edger attachment on a power head you already own does that job better and costs a fraction.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
EGO Power+ 650 CFM Blower LB6504
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium · Our score 9.0/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
650 CFM in turbo with a genuine variable dial down to 225 CFM, and 64 dB published -- the useful range is the whole point.
Published specs
| Max air volume | 650 CFM (turbo) |
|---|---|
| Variable range | 225-470 CFM |
| Max air speed | Up to 180 MPH |
| Battery (kit) | 56V 5.0Ah |
| Runtime claim | Up to 90 min average |
| Noise | 64 dB |
| Warranty | 5-yr tool / 3-yr battery |
Source: POWER+ 650 CFM Blower, egopowerplus.com
56V x 5.0Ah = 280Wh, using EGO's advertised pack voltage.
What the numbers favor
- A real variable dial (225-470 CFM) plus turbo, not a three-position switch
- 64 dB published -- quieter than the 730 CFM Greenworks, which does not publish a figure at all
- IPX4 weather-resistant rating, published
- 5-year tool warranty
What they don't
- The 650 CFM headline is turbo-only; sustained work happens at 470 CFM or below
- EGO does not publish a weight for this model
your yard is a small courtyard or a deck. 650 CFM will move your mulch, your gravel and your neighbor's patience.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled
Ryobi · Ryobi 40V · Our score 8.6/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
Two 6Ah packs and the longest published runtime claim on this page, on the platform with the cheapest route to a fourth and fifth tool.
Published specs
| Model | RY40HPLM01B |
|---|---|
| Deck | 21 in |
| Motor | Brushless, 40V HP |
| Batteries included (kit) | 2 x 40V 6.0Ah |
| Drive | Variable-speed rear-wheel self-propel |
| Runtime claim | Up to 80 min on 2 x 6Ah |
Source: 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled Mower, ryobitools.com
40V x 6.0Ah = 240Wh per pack; the kit ships two, so 480Wh total -- but only 240Wh is available at any moment, because the mower draws one pack at a time.
What the numbers favor
- 480Wh across two packs, the most total energy in any kit here
- Two packs means you swap and keep mowing instead of waiting on a charger
- Ryobi's 40V range is the broadest consumer battery line of the three platforms
What they don't
- Only one 240Wh pack is live at a time -- the 480Wh is sequential, not simultaneous
- Ryobi does not publish a cut-height range or weight on the product page, so both are unknown to us
you own nothing on Ryobi yet and expect to buy heavy tools later. 40V is the lowest voltage of the three platforms, and the ceiling shows on chainsaws and riding gear.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Where to buy the tools on this page
Every link below is an Amazon affiliate link. We show no price we have not verified today, so where there is no live figure the link says "check price" and takes you to the listing to read it there.
Best overall
EGO Power+ 21" Select Cut LM2135SP
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium
Best overall
EGO Power+ 15" POWERLOAD Carbon Fiber ST1521S
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium
Best overall
EGO Power+ 650 CFM Blower LB6504
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium
Best for a household already on Ryobi
Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled
Ryobi · Ryobi 40V
#ad As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we're funded.
Common questions
Which cordless yard tool should I buy first?
What order should I buy yard tools in?
How many watt-hours does a full Saturday need?
Do I have to buy all my tools on one battery platform?
Which tools do not need to be on your platform?
Should I buy kits or bare tools?
Sources
Read next
- Guides
The questions that come before the shopping. Answered in the first paragraph, then explained.
- How many batteries do you actually need?
Lawn size to watt-hours to pack count, plus the sequential-versus-simultaneous distinction.
- Battery Platforms
Pick the system once and the next four tools are decided for you. Start here.
- EGO 56V vs Ryobi 40V: which platform should you start on?
420Wh in one pack against 480Wh in two, with the warranty and build-out cost worked out.
- What a battery platform really costs over ten years
The four-line cost model for a decade of cordless yard tools, with the battery replacement nobody counts.
- What size mower do I need for my yard?
Deck width and watt-hours by lawn size, with the mowing-time arithmetic for each.