Tool Box Buzz

EGO 56V Cordless 21″ Select Cut Lawn Mower LM2156SP Review

By Ben Carmichael

EGO 56V Cordless Select Cut Mower LM2156SP

Manufacturer: EGO
Model number: LM2156SP
Price: 749.00
Power source: 56 Volt Bttery
Motor size: Brushless
Weight: 68 lbs

We have a large lawn and, motivated by some potent combination of Yankee frugality and sheer I’ll-just-suffer-through-it determination, I’ve been using a cordless lawnmower for years I’ve known wasn’t working and that I should replace. But they say inertia and status quo are the strongest forces on earth, right? In this case, they were for me.

And then, in June, I helped the ToolBoxBuzz crew with their Head-2-Head comparison in which we evaluated sixteen cordless lawnmowers. The EGO 56V Cordless Select Cut Mower was featured during this test and ranked second overall. I’ll reference details from that article as well as my own in this review, but in short: I loved this EGO lawnmower and was an instant convert. Check out the full Best Cordless Mower 2022 article for the full comparison, and keep reading for details on the EGO.

EGO 56V Cordless Select Cut Mower Specs

• Select Cut™ Multi-Blade System, including three lower blades to choose from: Mulching blade, High Lift Bagging blade, and Extended Run Time blade, plus the upper blade
• Touch Drive™ Self-Propelled Technology 
• High-efficiency brushless motor
• Variable Speed Self-Propel: 0.9 MPH – 3.1 MPH
• 7-position cutting height adjustments: 1.5-in – 4-in
• 3-in-1 function: mulching, bagging, or side discharge
• 21″ cutting deck
• Bright LED headlights
• 1-handed height adjustment
• Folds for compact storage
• A 2-bushel grass collection bag
• Includes Mulching blade, High Lift Bagging blade, Extended Run Time blade and Upper Blade
• 60-minute charge time when used with the recommended 7.5 Ah ARC Lithium™ battery and Power+ Rapid Charger

EGO Start Up & Controls

Let’s start where it all begins: the controls. In short, the controls are excellent. The build quality is sturdy, and so when you handle the controls you feel connected to the mower – no flimsy connections, loose bolts, etc. This is immediately reassuring.

The handlebar has three angled settings – low, medium, and high – and the handle itself telescopes out to its full position, which is locked into place with a simple clamp. This comes in handy later when you need to fold and store the mower — a storage feature and process that ranked #1 in our head-to-head review process.

In terms of usability, the use is intuitive, with large and clearly labeled buttons. As to the so-called “Touch Drive” self-propelled feature, it has a throttle on the handle that is easy to dial up and back through the variable speeds of 0.9 – 3.1 mph. Notably, and importantly, the self-propel does work when you are not actually cutting grass. As an aside, I don’t understand mowers for whom this doesn’t work. I often need to move the mower from one side of the lawn to the other, without mowing. Anyway – this feature is appreciated, and not included on all mowers.

Additionally, the mower does have two LED lights on the front, which you can turn on. At first, I wondered about this, and then I used them once when I came home late and needed to mow the lawn at dusk, and found it helpful in getting the mower around – including into and out of my dark garage. I will use them rarely – but they are a nice extra to have,

Finally, adjusting the height is easy: It’s just one easy-to-use lever that takes you through 7 different height positions. It’s just that easy.

EGO 56V Cordless Select Cut Mower | Build Quality

As I mentioned previously, build quality is pretty solid. There are some areas where they used plastic instead of metal, but I understand the goal here: this is a consumer product, not a “pro” model, and the use of plastic is designed to cut down on weight. In my use of it so far, I have no concerns or problems with this. It feels solid, and after multiple uses and being bumped and moved around my garage as per normal, nothing has broken and I have no concerns.

EGO Mower Runtime

For a long time, the question that everyone had about battery-operated mowers is: how can they possibly compete against gas in terms of performance? The technology has come a long way, and these models perform very impressively – especially EGO.

EGO has built a reputation for strong battery performance, and with this mower, you can see why. With its 54v 7.5 Amp hour battery, in our head-to-head, this EGO mowed 20,678 sq feet of lawn. It can run for a little over 2 miles. With its quick charger, these batteries can charge in an hour or so, and I have two batteries, so downtime simply has not been an issue for me. If one battery runs out, I put it on the charger and use the one that’s charged.

Storing The EGO 56V Cordless Select Cut Mower

The storage of this mower is impressive. My last mower didn’t fold – it simply stored upright in the form it was designed to be mowed and so, with the organization of my garage, the handle was always sticking out and in the way. It was a pain.

The EGO, on the other hand, folds easily onto itself. The handle telescopes in, and then the whole mower folds onto itself. It’s so easy and neat, I couldn’t help but think of a cartoon in which a superhero folds into a car or something. Once folded, it can stand perfectly upright, without needing to lean against a wall or anything, or you can hang it. I found how efficient and useful this foldable feature to be unexpected and, perhaps because of this, one of my favorite things about it.

EGO 56V Cordless Select Cut Mower| Overall Impressions

Overall, I love the EGO. Out of all the mowers we reviewed, it ranked in the top three in handle design, controls, desk adjustment, storage, and quality. All around, it’s an incredibly strong performer.  It’s quiet yet powerful and efficient, it’s compact yet can get the job done, and its intuitive self-propel ensures I can use it even after a tiring day at work. 

For the mower only, the current MSRP for this model is around $499. With battery and charger, you’re looking at $749. Some may argue that it may be pricey up front, but once you account for the price of gas – which, as well know, has been very expensive lately – this will be relatively affordable in the long-term. I highly recommend this for anyone considering switching from a gas to an electric mower, or someone looking to upgrade their old mower. I sure am glad I did.

2 Comments

1. Donald Gullett

   August 31, 2023 at 9:30 am

   What about quality of the cut? I have one and it does not leave a very clean, smooth cut. I have to overlap cuts by 2-3″, cut each path twice, and it still does not cut very cleanly. Also, the battery run time is noticeably less now in its second season of mowing. I find your reviews overly positive and not really helpful. A little more realism and more honest attention to the nitty-gritty things that really matter would be more helpful. I can’t help but get the impression that you, the reviewer, get some benefit by being overly positive about a product. By the way, I also read your review of the Milwaukee M18 mower which sounds really good but I am wondering if your review is as superficial as for the EGO. Just my personal feeling! Thanks.

   Reply
   1. Todd Fratzel

      August 31, 2023 at 6:24 pm

      Donald – We can’t possibly give reviews that are “years” later. Occasionally we go back and do a look back review but that’s not very often. What you as a consumer don’t see….we have LOTS of products that we end up not reviewing because they just “suck”. We’re not interested in bashing products. We get no benefit from “good” reviews. I think many of the brands out there would speak volumes about our feedback to their teams on many issues we find. You’re entitled to your feelings, but I’ve been doing this for nearly 14 years and I’ve never written a single review (or approved a single review) that was fluff. What’s interesting is this sort of feeling when you’re benefiting from free content. Not like you have to pay to get all our detailed analysis. And those sir are my personal feelings.

      Reply

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