EGO Power Plus Select Cut LM2135SP Review: The Best (Battery-Powered) Lawnmower

When I returned home after being away for four weeks this spring, I found that the grass—which before I left had been barely revealed by the melted snow—was now over a foot high. Rather than relying on a landscaping service, this year I decided to take matters into my own hands.

After doing my due diligence—which included perusing various review sites and YouTube videos—I decided my first lawnmower purchase ever would be an EGO Power Plus 21-inch mower, specifically the LM2135SP model. Mind you, I've used a variety of reel, gas and electric push mowers in my decades of cutting grass, but none as stellar as this one.

Delightfully Adjustable

Literally right out of the box, the first thing I noticed was how easy it was to adjust the lawnmower to an ergonomic mowing position. Clasping a telltale green lever, I unfolded the handle assembly to a roughly 45-degree angle from the ground. Using the green releases on either side of the handle, I extended the handle to a comfortable distance. And because the grass was nearing scandalous levels, I raised the whole deck to its max height using a single lever on the side—which was lovely, as opposed to having to fidget with individual wheel settings like in the olden days.

Another unique feature about these mowers is the ability to swap in different second blades. (The top blade stays fixed.) It comes with the mulching blade already installed. The other two options are a high-lift blade to help facilitate bagging your clippings (which I didn't do) and an extended runtime blade (which I didn't need). Though it's still nice knowing that I could easily exchange the lower blades if I want to in the future.

Powerful Yet Fairly Quiet

After charging and inserting the battery, I was ready to tackle the coarse underbrush (below). Delightfully, as long as I had the safety lever squeezed to the handlebar, the mower didn't hesitate for a second. It cut right through the tall grass. For this initial extreme lawn challenge, I pushed the mower manually, which helped conserve the battery's energy and therefore drain my own. But even in the brutal 93-degree heat, it ran for a respectable hour before the battery needed to be recharged, which also took an hour.

Not only is it great to have the confidence that my mower can handle any grass I lead it over, but it's also nice to know that I don't have to suffer hearing loss while doing so. In fact, I was able to easily listen to the tunes playing through my on-ear wireless earbuds perfectly fine without any sort of noise cancellation at just two-thirds volume. So this mower isn't quite as quiet as a window fan; but unlike with the typical growl of a gas mower, your neighbors a couple blocks away won't be aware every time you're trimming your lawn.

The Joy of Self-Propelling

In a successive outing, I was able to slice through my roughly quarter acre of grass in just 35 minutes without having to recharge the battery. This time I did engage the self-propel feature, which adjusts to 10 levels using a green dial in the middle of the handlebar. For shorter rows, the first few speed levels were fine. But it was nice having those medium and higher, faster levels for both longer rows and when pulling out of tight corners.

The mower took a little getting used to, first, in learning to engage the self-propelling with either the left or right thumb button without letting go of the safety lever (thus stopping the engine); and second, in figuring out how to tackle turns. Eventually I settled on a method of letting go of the self-propel button toward the end of a row and then reengaging it while coming out of the turn.

The result was that I finished my lawn on this particular balmy 85-degree day only glistening (not dripping) with perspiration. It was such a joy to have the mower do most of the work and just have to guide it. Having debated over whether or not I really needed this feature, I'm glad I decided to spend a little more to have it—a cost I imagine I'll make up fairly quickly by having to spend less on beer or lemonade to quench my post-mow thirsts.

Minding the Model

Before grabbing a 21-inch EGO lawnmower—especially if it seems like a relatively decent price—double-check the model number to ensure that you're actually getting the configuration you want:

1. The last two numbers tell you how current the model is. For instance, my 2135 promises 60 minutes of runtime, but the newer 2156 model ($100 more) promises an impressive 75 minutes from its beefier battery.

2. The SP at the end of the model number indicates it's a model that self-propels, which tends to cost about $100 more than ones that don't.

3. If the model number ends in a 0 (i.e., 2130 versus 2135), that means it doesn't include the battery and rapid charger—which might be fine if you already happen to own an EGO Power Plus trimmer, edger or blower with a compatible battery.

Should You Buy It?

Roughly $600 feels like a lot to spend on a mower. But in my not-so-humble opinion this is worth it, if not for the convenience and ease-of-use factors alone, then certainly for its performance. I wouldn't ever want to go back to the sounds, smells or maintenance of a gas mower.

I can rationalize the price based on not having to pay someone else $35 to $40 a pop to trim the lawn. In just a couple of seasons, I'll have paid the same amount, but this way I have more precise control over the schedule. And not for nothing: It turns out I enjoy the pride of maintaining my lawn myself.

Buy at Ace Hardware.

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