Advice Needed: Which Battery Ecosystem Do I Want? for Lawn Mower/Line Trimmer/Edger

Laviast on 02/11/2025 - 15:44
Last edited 02/11/2025 - 17:22

Dear OzBargainers,

About 15 years ago I bought a '90s era Victa 18" lawnmower for cheap at a storage auction and it has run like a dream ever since, with minimal maintenance. About 6 or 7 years ago I bought a line trimmer at ALDI - the one with a single strand of line and the head that twists 90° so that it can operate as an edger too. I love the concept but it's a gutless little thing and too short so that I have to stoop over. Today, as I was doing the lawn, they both gave me strong indications that they will need to be replaced before I have to do the lawn again.

I have a couple of ALDI brand batteries - in addition to the line trimmer I have a cordless drill which has been fantastic. However, I have accepted that I'm going to need to buy into another battery ecosystem so I'm after advice for the best way to go, or experience from others. As you can see from my purchase history I am a true cheapskate - it's going to cause me pain to drop a large sum of money on a new kit, but I'll work through that with my therapist.

I need:

  • a lawnmower - I have a big block of land (~750 sq. m.) so I wouldn't want a smaller deck than my current 18" (46cm)
  • a line trimmer, and
  • an edger.

All thoughts and suggestions welcome!

Home & Garden Lawn Mower Line Trimmer

Comments

Search through all the comments in this post.
    • gromit on 03/11/2025 - 10:15

      battery mowers aren't narrower. They go right up to 22inch, basically the same as petrol variants. Just the really cheap battery mowers tend to be narrower.

      • Geoff01 on 03/11/2025 - 23:58

        Think what you mean is most of the standard ones that people buy are narrower and the really expensive ones are similar or wider from $500 upwards plus batteries.

        • gromit on 04/11/2025 - 11:25

          any decent petrol lawn mower will also set you back upwards of $500. many people are fine with narrower so go cheap, that doesn't change the fact that petrol and battery powered are both available in similar cutting width, just battery also has the added option of super cheap narrow one.

  • BigTriangle on 03/11/2025 - 10:31
    +2

    Ozito 36v straight shaft trimmer, run it on 4ah or bigger batteries for long run time, bought it a few weeks ago. Great trimmer so far. Ozito 36v blower, again use 4ah ( or boot speed apparently wont work) or bigger batteries. Hit the boost button and it's an amazing blower, better than my 2 stroke blower.

  • payless69 on 03/11/2025 - 10:59
    -1

    A Zero Turn rideon
    all straight foreward..

    • Euphemistic on 03/11/2025 - 11:07

      Why do you need a zero turn if its all straight forward?

      • payless69 on 03/11/2025 - 11:41

        If think it is a marketing thing for mowers turning on the spot.

  • ColtNoir on 03/11/2025 - 11:50

    Depends on your budget. I suggest watching ‘Turf and tools’ on YouTube aka Tim the lawnmower man.
    He’s tested a range of battery products, home and commercial grade ones.

  • rowanb1 on 03/11/2025 - 12:00

    Husqvarna garden stuff is decent - the 36V system. Have a mower, line trimmer and a few other tools and they're all good quality.

  • Lachy2437 on 03/11/2025 - 12:46

    I was in the same situation a few weeks ago and went Greenworks 60V mower and linetrimmer. My dad has the mower on his half acre was happy which swayed me. Husqvarna seemed good but too pricey, Stihl the same and font sell many kits, Ego was close to Greenworks and all the standard tool brands seemed looked so-so. Ideally I would have gone DeWalt as thats the cordless i have but their mowers seem pretty average.

  • PurchaseAnxiety on 03/11/2025 - 12:52

    Depends on your requirements. Personally, my needs are simple enough that Ozito kit serves me well enough. Considering they will often price match Aldi anyway, you get the benefit of the cheaper prices with the accessibility and Bunnings and their returns/replacement process.

    If you haven't physically recoiled at that suggestion, then that's probably the way to go.

  • The Hawk on 03/11/2025 - 14:08
    +1

    I was sorted in Ryobi house on reaching adulthood and have used their One+ range since for pretty much every hand tool from drills to impact drivers, hedge trimmer, blower, grinder and a bunch of others I've forgotten to mention. Great little eco system for me buggering about at home…

    I still have a four stroke 19" mower (10 years old) and two stroke straight shaft line trimmer (15 years old). Both replaced 25+ year old units that were hand me downs I inherited when my grandparents downsized to a unit and were eventually not economical to keep repairing. So far the current equipment is kicking on fine and I hope to get 20+ years out of them too. We are on a 900m2+ block too.

    Electric gear with brushless motors has been getting better and better, but not so much that I would replace what I have while it's working… and even if it died tomorrow I reckon I'd probably just go for another four stroke as I jsut don't know that an electric would cope with my lawn when it's been neglected for a few weeks in summer.

    The idea of an electric robot that nips the top off every couple of days… that I could get behind, but they aren't cheap and I'd only feel game letting it do the enclosed back rather than the publicly visible/accessible front.

    Mum on the other hand has moved to all electric for her little town house and it does the little bit of grass and edges she has just fine. Also means no struggling to start it, no sotring of fuel or other mucking about.

  • surg3on on 03/11/2025 - 17:24
    +2

    Im on 620m2 and an Ozito 36v battery mower works just fine. If you NEED petrol you are either mowing in the wet (dont) or leaving it till it gets too long.

    • BobCobb on 04/11/2025 - 11:46

      Agreed!

  • R4 on 03/11/2025 - 18:05
    +1

    Your block is of average size and at the junction of petrol/battery feasibility.

    Personally, I'd go with Stihl 36V (which I have done).

  • cooni on 03/11/2025 - 21:59
    -1

    If I had my time again, I'd give serious consideration to trying this:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/931048

  • ilikeverycheapstuff on 03/11/2025 - 23:32
    -1

    fossil fuels - a decent 2nd hand mower will be best

    • Euphemistic on 04/11/2025 - 13:49

      I'll never own petrol powered garden gear again. Battery is much more convenient, its quieter, never difficult to start and can get fuel from the wall, not 10min drive away.

      • ilikeverycheapstuff on 04/11/2025 - 15:19

        each to their own but since starting my little side gig of fixing and selling petrol garden tools, i cant wait to sell my makita garden gear.

        The petrol garden gear has way way more torque esp when the grass is slightly damp or overgrown and its so simple to maintain.

        • Daniel Plainview on 04/11/2025 - 15:32

          I'm on acreage - everything I use to maintain the ~4000m2 of gardens is petrol but…..something is amiss of you're perceiving vaguely comparable ICE small engine gear with electric and feeling the former has more torque.

          As theoretically speaking electric engines have maximum torque instantly. ICE engines simply cannot do this.

          I think there's a massive placebo effect potential with ICE engine stuff due to the combustion noise, vibration etc - so it feels more 'oomph' but it's simply not unless there's mitigating factors at play or one is comparing apples with oranges i.e high end ICE gear vs crap electric gear.

          But you say you have Makita stuff - which is generally soild to excellent, so go figure.

        • Euphemistic on 04/11/2025 - 15:44

          and its so simple to maintain

          What? It is vaslty more complicated than battery stuff. The only maintenance you need on battery stuff is blade management - which is exactly the same as petrol gear. Dropping a battery in the charger after youre done seems a lot simpler than managing a pull start, mixing fuel, checking spark plugs and air filters, oil etc. Not to mention the extra noise, heat and fumes.

          Sure, i get that petrol has more grunt but battery is close enough for the average suburban block that is maintained at least semi regulalry.

  • theray on 04/11/2025 - 01:22

    I have both the Ozito self propelled 36v mower and 36v line trimmer and a stack of batteries.
    Mower has been quite good.

    Couldn’t imagine dropping down to 18v versions.

    The line trimmer let out the magic smoke the other day after 3-4 years of use, so I borrowed a friends 56v ego trimmer and the difference is night and day, and the line feed is just so much better. Making the trimming job a breeze instead of chore every time it snaps.

  • BobCobb on 04/11/2025 - 11:46
    +1

    I have 1100m2 - use a Ryobi 36V.

    Can't fault it.

    No need to "purchase costly gasoline."

  • lhou021 on 04/11/2025 - 12:25
    +2

    I am on 700 sqm plus extra ~200sqm nature strips (flat corner block).
    Ozito 36v battery mower and Ozito 36v battery blower work just fine
    Ryobi 18v trimmer & edger - if you don't have a corner block, don't bother with the edger, just get a decent line trimmer

  • MindGrenadius on 04/11/2025 - 14:44

    A +1 for the Ozito reel/cylinder mower for less than $200.

    I have a 700sqm block with quite a decent lawn on it and I get it all done on 1 4ah battery and extra batteries are quite cheap, the cutting action & design seems more power efficient than a typical rotary mower and of course a cleaner cut.

    Also very easy to maneuvre than a bigger mower & simpler to store. Only downside is the reel can get caught on hard things like sticks and woodchips. We have woodchips in our retaining wall surrounding the lawn that our dog is always playing in and scattering throughout. It does get caught up on those.

    It will struggle a bit if you let it get long (i.e. 5-6") but I just run it without a catcher (lawns also looking healthier since I stopped using the catcher) and it's a quick job to run over the lawn once a week.

    Can't speak for their other tools, don't have their line trimmer but the reel mower has been great.

    • Daniel Plainview on 04/11/2025 - 16:43

      Thoughts:
      - OP stated no smaller mower than their present one (~460mm) yours is 380mm
      - sharpening cylinder mowers blades is a PITA at the best of times with good ones, Ozito give no info on doing this as I suspect they view it as disposable
      - thats an 18v, brushed electric motor - which would be very challenging to use for most yards (is excellent if you can in yours)
      - Aussie obsession with catching their lawns is part of the reason why many yards look crap (leaving too long between cuts then cutting too low is the other big one) - catching strips nutrients etc and unless fertilised it'll hurt long term.

      I'll grant you in a small yard, with no stuff on the lawn like twigs etc - that reel mower is likely an underrated choice but I'd consider it cruel and unusual punishment to use it long term on an average ~1000m2 house block.

      • MindGrenadius on 06/11/2025 - 08:11

        Fair observations but wanted to put the idea forward. I've had larger mowers on smaller lawns that were more tedious than this one on my bigger lawn. Have had it a little over a year and no need to sharpen so far. It does handle twigs and sticks fairly well - needs to be fairly big for it to get stuck instead of cutting but woodchips are too dense and the only thing I get it stuck on

  • tenpercent on 04/11/2025 - 19:50

    Eneloop. Ozbargain's finest.

  • Odin on 04/11/2025 - 21:39

    Get petrol

  • TailsK on 05/11/2025 - 07:51
    +1

    Years ago there was a great price on a DeWalt 36v mower that came with 2 x 54v batteries. This was my entry into the DeWalt ecosystem, which includes power tools. The mower is fine for my average suburban block. Depending on the size of battery I am using, I can do the whole yard (front and back).

    While the DeWalt tools are good, if I could go do it over, I think I would have gone Ego for gardening tools. Not to say I wouldn't go down the DeWalt path for power tools, but I would have a different ecosystem for landscaping/gardening tools. My mate has the Ego and I think they're better than DeWalt for gardening.

    The good thing about being in the DeWalt ecosystem though is I have lots of batteries and there are good redemption offers so you can build up a collection (outside of just gardening tools), which includes things like free batteries. Changing the batteries is easy and they charge pretty quickly.

    I am potentially looking at the 54v mower from DeWalt too (but no real need to do that yet).

  • sunnymel on 05/11/2025 - 16:38

    I like my ego gear. The only issues is batteries are very expensive to replace. They never have specials on batteries so you’re forced into buying more tools to get free batteries. It doesn’t make sense to buy just batteries when they are as expensive as the tools. It’s a rabbit hole. My neighbours use Ryobi gear and it seems to work just fine

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