In the world of electric lawn mowers, Greenworks and Ryobi are two giants that are constantly competing with each other on the market.
Consumers often find themselves contemplating Greenworks vs Ryobi at the store and don’t know which brand might be better suited for them, or better in general.
Luckily for you we’ve done the leg work and have taken a hard look at Greenworks vs Ryobi and analyzed the different products they offer along with customer reviews to try and find out which brand really is the best.
Without further delay, here’s our guide to the Greenworks vs Ryobi debate and which brand has the better lawn mowers for the average homeowner.
Greenworks VS Ryobi Battery Powered Lawn Mowers
Electric lawn mowers are becoming more popular than ever thanks to increases in power, battery life, and price.
No longer are the days where gas powered lawn mowers were the only sensible options on the market. Corded or Battery powered lawn mowers are definitely making a name for themselves on the market today.
Greenworks lawn mowers are popular choices as are Ryobi lawn mowers. Here’s a deeper look at what each brand offers and features you might find useful.
Greenworks Lawn Mowers
Greenworks offers a variety of lawn mowers in almost any size and power.
Whether you’re looking for a small battery lawn mower for your 10×10 backyard in the city or you want a battery powered mower for your quarter acre lot, Greenworks has a mower for you.
Battery Capacity
The battery life for your lawn mower is going to depend on the lawn mower you choose. Different lawn mowers consume different amounts of power.
With that being said, their 80V 21″ Brushless Motor Lawn Mower gets about 60 minutes of operation per 80V 8 amp hour battery.
On the other end of the spectrum, their 24V Lawn Mower gets about 40 minutes of run time on a 24V 4.0 amp hour battery.
You can essentially expect anywhere from 40-80 minutes of runtime depending on the model you pick.
Cutting Width
Greenworks offers a variety of different deck sizes on their lawn mowers.
There’s a Greenworks lawn mower with a deck size as small as 13″ for those tiny backyards in the city all the way up to 25″ for home owners with an acre to cut.
Acreage
Most people opt to purchase a mower that can handle the size of their yard without going over or under.
Larger electric lawn mowers can get expensive quick, so buying a lawn mower that is the right size can save you some money.
The largest acreage handled by a Greenworks lawn mower is the Pro 80V 21″ Brushless Lawn Mower. It can handle up to an acre of land and can run for up to an hour with the included batteries.
With a charge time of one hour, you can easily keep swapping batteries between the charger and mower if you need more time.
Those with smaller lawns might opt to go with the 24V 13″ lawn mower. It can run for 40 minutes and can handle lawns up to a 1/4 acre in size.
Warranty
Greenworks has a pretty good warranty coverage on their lawn mowers when compared to other manufacturers on the market today.
A 4 year warranty protects your Greenworks Pro equipment and batteries.
Regular GreenWorks products and batteries are protected similarly, but for only three years.
You should know that this coverage will not apply if your mower is broken due to misuse, lack of maintenance, normal wear, or routine maintenance.
This means in order to make use of your warranty, you need to follow the maintenance procedures spelled out in the manual and you need to properly use your lawn mower.
Lawn mowers that are abused and broken aren’t covered by Greenworks warranty.
Price
All-in-all, Greenworks has their products listed at reasonable prices. You can easily get a brand new battery powered lawn mower for around $200 depending on your needs.
The larger, more powerful mowers can be expensive at upwards of $750. Those mowers are for homeowners with large yards and are probably not the best mower for you if you’re looking at battery powered lawn mowers.
Problems
Greenworks mowers have had reports of problems with taller grass or wet grass.
Electric lawn mowers often have issues with torque and power with tall grass. Cut your grass before it gets too tall and avoid cutting slightly wet grass.
You shouldn’t be cutting wet grass anyways with a lawn mower, so that isn’t necessarily a problem with Greenworks here.
You may notice a drop in battery run time if you try and cut tall grass too.
Features
Greenworks mowers have their patented TRUBRUSHLESS motor system for more power and a smoother cut that will keep your lawn looking beautiful every time.
Greenworks mowers also come with push button starters making it easy to start mowing. The days of priming gas mowers and yanking cords are over with Greenworks push button starting system.
Greenworks also has what they call Innovative SmartCut Technology. This new tech senses where the grass is and auto adapts engine power to give you a perfect cut.
Ryobi Lawn Mowers
Ryobi lawn mowers are considered the Cadillacs of the world of electric powered lawn mowers.
Ryobi is known for their quality builds and great reliability. If you’re looking for a new battery powered or corded lawn mower, you can’t go wrong with a Ryobi.
Battery Capacity
Like Greenworks mowers, Ryobi lawn mowers will have different battery capacities and run times depending on the model you select.
Each model can have a different voltage and number of batteries the Ryobi lawn mower uses. For example, the 18V 20″ mower gets 45 minutes of runtime and utilizes 4 total batteries with lithium ion technology.
The 40V 21″ Ryobi lawn mower can run for a total of 70 minutes and uses 2 batteries during operation.
You can expect around 40-80 minutes of runtime depending on which model you select. Each model can
Cutting Width
The smallest Ryobi lawn mower has a deck size of 13″ while their largest push mower has a deck size of 21″.
If you include their riding mower models, you can buy an electric Ryobi lawn mower with a deck size of a whopping 54″
Acreage
Like Greenworks, Ryobi lawn mowers cover a variety of different acreages.
Their smallest models seem to be aimed at homeowners with 1/3 an acre or less while their largest mowers can handle an acre.
If you opt to purchase a riding lawn mower from Ryobi, you can expect to cut between 1.5-2 acres on their battery powered lawn mowers.
Warranty
Ryobi lawn mowers are covered by a limited three year warranty, the same duration as Greenworks products.
The warranty covers any defects or broken parts not caused by abuse, normal wear, or failure to follow proper maintenance.
Ryobi lawn mowers can be returned for repair to an authorized Ryobi service center within those three years.
Contact Ryobi themselves or the store you purchased your product from in order to find out how to proceed if you have problems with your Ryobi lawn mower.
Ryobi’s battery warranty also lasts three years for their 18V and 40V batteries. Similar conditions like the lawn mower itself.
Take good care of the batteries and you’ll be able to get them covered under the battery warranty should there be a defect or failure.
Price
When it comes to Greenworks vs Ryobi, Greenworks definitely has Ryobi beat on price.
Just from a glance, you can see that Ryobi battery powered outdoor tools are more expensive than Greenworks.
Ryobi’s smallest push lawn mower costs around $300 while a comparable model at Greenworks costs around $200.
Problems
Ryobi products rarely have problems. While there still is an occasional problem with taller grass putting the mower to the test, they definitely are reliable pieces of outdoor equipment.
Features
Ryobi lawnmowers have a variety of features that make your life easier as a home owner.
Their push button starter makes it easy to take the mower out and start cutting. No more dealing with chokes or pull cords like those on a gas powered mower.
Some models are part of Ryobi’s Whisper Series. The Whisper Series is their newest innovation in electric lawn mowers and gives you the quietest operation you’ll ever hear.
When not in use, most Ryobi lawnmowers have aluminum handles that are lightweight and folding making it easier to store your mower in a shed or garage.
Regular lawn mowers often take up a lot of space since their handles are fixed.
Who’s The Best Between Greenworks VS Ryobi?
All-in-all, we think there’s a clear winner here. Ryobi products are known for their quality and reliability and we believe that they outclass Greenworks in most situations.
While they’re more expensive, we think they’re a worthwhile investment if you have a large yard and will constantly be using your lawn mower during the cutting season.
Greenworks lawn mowers while similar, lack the customer reviews and quality we see from Ryobi. They’re still decent machines, but if you’re looking to drop money on a mower Ryobi is the way to go.
Ryobi mowers are unparalleled on the battery powered mower market at this time. While they are still slightly behind gas powered lawn mowers in terms of power, they’re great for homeowners with yards under an acre that are just looking for an easy way to keep their yard beautifully consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Are Greenworks and Ryobi the same company?
Greenworks and Ryobi are not the same company.
Greenworks was acquired by the Stihl Group in 2016. The Stihl Group is a well-known manufacturer of power tools and lawn mowers.
Ryobi, on the other hand, is a Japanese manufacturer of electronics, power tools, and more. They're known for their quality and have been in the business for nearly a century.
Is Greenworks a Chinese company?
Greenworks is a Chinese company that manufactures its products in China. The CEO and founder is Yin Chen, a Chinese national.
Is Greenworks a reputable company?
Greenworks is a reliable company for battery-operated lawn and yard tools. They have a track record of manufacturing quality products, and the fact that they're from China doesn't mean anything in this day and age.
The majority of products you purchase are manufactured overseas. Today, the brand matters more than the country that the products are manufactured in.
Is it okay to leave Ryobi batteries on the charger?
Most modern Ryobi battery chargers have a safety component where they will stop charging the battery or reduce the charge to remove the risk of overcharging them or damaging them.
Check that your charger has this feature before leaving your batteries on the charger for extended periods of time.
