5 Electric Push Mower Brands With Better Ratings Than Makita

In the age of cordless, battery-powered power tools, a lot of people have devoted their toolbox to a single battery system for maximum convenience. While this is a great way to reduce the number of batteries you need to own to save money, it does limit yourself to a single brand, and that brand is not necessarily going to deliver the best quality for every single kind of power tool. Take Makita, for instance. Makita is one of SlashGear's top three power tool brands on the market and has many highly rated tools available, but when it comes to electric lawn mowers, there are plenty of other brands ahead of them.

Among all the electric mower brands rated by Consumer Reports, Makita falls in the bottom half of the pack with its overall ratings. The publication gives 28 different battery-powered self-propelled mower models its "CR Recommended" stamp of approval, and Makita only accounts for two models within that, both of which are on the lower-end of the recommendations. For battery-powered push mowers, zero Makita models get that "CR Recommended" badge.

Other publications are similarly nonplused about Makita mowers. Popular Mechanics, The Spruce, and Wirecutter don't have the name Makita anywhere in their rankings of the best mowers you can buy. Pro Tool Reviews does recommend the Makita 40V Max XGT 21-Inch Self-Propelled Lawn Mower, though notes its base $999 price tag is quite expensive. Because of this lack of enthusiasm, we're going to look at five different electric mower brands that generally receive higher ratings from both experts and owners.

There are some lawn mower brands out there that still place a heavy emphasis on gasoline power. Echo is one of those. However, it's not completely averse to the newer battery-powered models either. Echo currently offers two versions of the same electric mower, the DLM-2100. The standard is a push mower, and the DLM-2100SP is a self-propelled mower. They both use the same 56V Echo battery. Despite being the only electric offering from the company, this is still one of the best mowers on the market.

Popular Mechanics lists the Echo DLM-2100 push mower as the best electric mower for tall grass. One feature it really appreciated was the dual-battery system. It only requires one battery to operate properly, but if that battery were to die in the middle of mowing, the mower will automatically switch to the other battery. One of PM's drawbacks for it was the lack of self-propulsion, but if you were to get the Echo DLM-2100SP instead, that issue would be mitigated.

That self-propelled model is also a favorite of Pro Tool Reviews. It appreciated how easy it was to use, as well as its light weight that still accommodates the power of a 160cc engine equivalent. PTR even specifies that it doesn't have any significant drawbacks. Echo is set to soon release an updated battery-operated model called the DLM-2120SP, and based on how Echo's current electric mower is being rated, there's currently no reason to believe that model won't deliver the goods as well.

If there's some kind of consensus opinion as to what's the best electric push mower brand on the market, that would probably be Ego, one of the power tool brands owned by the Chinese company Chervon. All of its electric push mowers run on the Ego Power+ 56V battery system, and these mowers routinely receive raves just about everywhere you look. Not only do different models receive best in class recommendations from various publications, but other Ego models will be not too far behind them in the ratings too.

Among all the brands rated by Consumer Reports, Ego stood at the very top. While an individual Ego mower didn't top the list of overall scores for electric self-propelled mowers, they do take up four of the top seven spots. The highest-rated on them is the Ego Power+ LM2123SP-2, which is a self-propelled mower with a 21-inch deck. It aced nearly every in-house CR test, from side discharging to handling to evenness, and if for the two tests it didn't, they were still very good scores. Based solely on CR's owner satisfaction scores as well, Ego ranks at the very top as well.

Wirecutter ranks a different model, the Ego Power+ LM2236SP, as the best lawn mower on the market, and its runner-up is another Ego model, the Power+ LM2135SP. The publication was impressed with both models' ability to run for a long time on a single charge, with the former getting over an hour of use. Wirecutter's runner-up model is the one Popular Mechanics selects as the best overall electric mower, which loves how its X-shaped blade cuts. The praise for Ego mowers is nearly universal.

If an expert doesn't put a model produced by Ego at the top of their list, then they're probably going to have one by Greenworks instead. They're the two companies that really dwarf the reception of a brand like Makita, even if that reception is fairly positive.

Greenworks ties for second place among the electric mower brands rated by Consumer Reports, falling just a hair behind Ego. However, the Greenworks LMB455, which features a 21-inch deck and an 80V battery, sits at the very top of the publication's ranking of individual electric self-propelled mowers. While its overall in-house test scores weren't the best of any model, with its bagging capabilities being the low point with an average score, the reliability of Greenworks mowers really boosts the overall opinion to be the top recommendation.

The brand also has very highly rated electric push mowers specifically for power. Pro Tool Reviews is particularly enamored with the Greenworks Commercial Optimus ATM22A. This mower has a 22-inch deck and a power equivalency to a 230cc engine, which the publication was incredibly impressed by and found to be truly commercial-grade. For non-commercial purposes, Popular Mechanics is a big fan of the Greenworks 80V model with a 22-inch deck, naming it the best electric mower to act as a replacement for a gas-powered model. Considering there are some instances where a gas mower is preferred, having a legitimate electric replacement is not something a lot of mower brands can really say, and Greenworks can.

Many of the best-rated electric push mower brands either deal exclusively or predominantly with outdoor power equipment. However, with a brand like Makita, you get the benefit of being able to use the same batteries for the mower as you would with a whole variety of other household power tools. The same is true for a brand like Ryobi, and this one gets far better ratings for its mowers than Makita does.

Ryobi ties with Greenworks as the second-best overall electric mower brand by Consumer Reports. Where Ryobi really stands tall is among regular push mowers, rather than self-propelled ones. Four of the top seven models rated by CR are from Ryobi, with the 40V, 21-inch deck Ryobi RY40HPLM04K2 as the highest-rated of them and second place overall. Granted, Ryobi's self-propelled mowers still rate quite highly as well. The Ryobi RYPM8010 ranks third among self-propelled mowers, and five other models get the "CR Recommended" stamp of approval.

Popular Mechanics also really likes Ryobi's 40V, 21-inch deck mower, selecting that as the best value you can get for an electric mower. You can get that mower along with two 6.0 Ah batteries and a charger for $739, typically. This mower also gets a shoutouts from The Spruce and Wirecutter as well. The former names it the best push mower on the market, while the latter thinks this is the best option for those who already have tools within the Ryobi 40V battery system. The Spruce also recommends the corded electric Ryobi push mower for those on the tightest of budgets.

Toro makes lawn mowers for all sorts of uses, whether it's at home, a golf course, a farm, or a soccer field. Because of that dedication, it only makes sense that Toro would be among the most highly rated brands for electric push mowers as well, particularly when you're comparing it to a more all-purpose tool brand like Makita.

If you're looking for a mower on a budget, Pro Tool Reviews believes that the Toro 60V Max Recycler with Personal Pace is the best value you're going to get with one. With a price tag of $679, you not only get a mower with a 22-inch mower deck, but it also comes with a 60V 8.0 Ah battery. The Recycler name indicates the fine clippings the blades produces to help nourish your lawn. PTR also notes that it makes for even finer mulching too. Popular Mechanics is in agreement with this being a major strength, naming it the mower with the best cut. Meanwhile, the Personal Pace moniker is Toro's name for it being a self-propelled mower that adjusts to your walking pace.

The Spruce spotlights the Toro 60V Max Super Recycler with Personal Pace for those looking to get an excellent heavy-duty electric push mower. This one has a 21-inch mower deck, but it still has the same high quality cutting and intuitive self-propulsion that makes the less expensive option so good, though can be better applied to taller and thicker grass.

Consumer Reports isn't quite as high on Toro as others, as its overall score is exactly the same as Makita's, but Toro's clearly in a good spot if being even is the worst you'll find.