Kobalt/Greenworks 80v equipment review thread

[alabama xl]

Has anyone tried the greenworks commercial 20” saw that claims to have a 3.4kw motor? They also have a 60v saw that looks identical, that claims to have a 3.2kw motor.

their standard 80v saws people here seem to like have a 2.5kw motor.

I just got the makita xcu07 to replace my small gas saws. I wanted the slightly lighter and 20-30% mower powerful 40v saw they offer now, but couldn’t justify based on current usage. The makita was $375 including tax and came with an extra pair of 5ah batteries. Hard to beat when I have other tools that can use those batteries. I haven’t pushed its limits yet, but it seems to outcompete my husqvarna 435. I see need for basically 3 saws, small top handle in tree, slightly bigger rear handle for limbing and small felling on the ground, and 70+ cc saw for felling bigger stuff.

If those big greenworks saws were as good as greenworks claims them to be, I could probably retire my ms440 also. I’m not in love with adopting yet another battery platform, but it may be worth it, if nobody else is ever going to build a saw that powerful.

 

[MarylandUSA]

First post here. YouTuber Reusefull buys, tests, and compares every Greenworks 82V chainsaw. You can find his videos and other videos about high-power battery chainsaws in my playlist Greenworks chainsaws, 2.4+ kilowatts.

 

[MarylandUSA]

I'll start with the mower.

The mower runs at low speed in low load situations to save battery life, then switches to high speed and high power mode when load is detected. Odd to have a mower rev itself up when under load, but you get used to it. I do wish there was a way to manually put it in high power mode and leave it there.

The Gen. 2 80V mower was introduced in late 2021. On Gen 2, you can now press a Turbo button to stay at at constant 3200 rpm. Without Turbo, the blade speed will vary with load, maxing out at 2800 rpm.
I have the 60V Gen 2. I use Turbo mode almost exclusively, along with the Greenworks mulching blade. I don't miss my Snapper Ninja 21.

 

[OM617YOTA]

The Gen. 2 80V mower was introduced in late 2021. On Gen 2, you can now press a Turbo button to stay at at constant 3200 rpm. Without Turbo, the blade speed will vary with load, maxing out at 2800 rpm.
I have the 60V Gen 2. I use Turbo mode almost exclusively, along with the Greenworks mulching blade. I don't miss my Snapper Ninja 21.

Thank you! If I ever burn this one out, I'll definitely be looking at one of the newer mowers.

A neighbor has one of the Ryobi battery riding mowers. Will be looking at one of those, also.

 

[MarylandUSA]

A neighbor has one of the Ryobi battery riding mowers. Will be looking at one of those, also.

Several companies now make nice battery-powered riders. Greenworks Pro offers 42-inch tractor-style and zero-turns in 60V and 80V. Comparable to Ego. Several companies (including Greenworks Commercial) even make 30-inch riders, but some of the 30s use lead-acid batteries that can't be readily swapped when you're running low on juice.

 

[dboyd351]

Several companies now make nice battery-powered riders. Greenworks Pro offers 42-inch tractor-style and zero-turns in 60V and 80V. Comparable to Ego. Several companies (including Greenworks Commercial) even make 30-inch riders, but some of the 30s use lead-acid batteries that can't be readily swapped when you're running low on juice.

If you don't mind my asking, who do you work for?

 

[stihl sawing]

I looked at a greenworks rider mower today, a single blade kinda cheap deck mower. it was way overpriced at 4000 bucks. no way i'd pay that for a mower of that size and quality.

 

[MarylandUSA]

If you don't mind my asking, who do you work for?

I'm a 66-year-old technical writer for a midsize professional services company. I write software user guides for the Department of Labor. Except for mowing my lawn and blowing leaves, I probably use power tools--any tools-- less than anyone in the history of this forum. But I own many Greenworks 60V tools. I also own a few Milwaukee M18 tools, Makita 12V tools, and Skil 12V tools.

Become fairly knowledgeable about the DreamWorks lines by doing research, reading forum posts, and watching videos. I'm a big believer in the future of battery-powered outdoor power equipment. I figured I'd jump in and share some of what I've learned.

 

[dboyd351]

thank you for that
I wasn't sure if you were employed by the green industry or just very interested in it.
Thank you for the clarification.

 

[elijahh]

I love to working with the Green Works Chainsaw. But Kobalt is not bad for me.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Just realized I've had all this equipment for 8 years now.

All the equipment has been perfect.

The batteries don't quite hold the chooch they used to, maybe 80% what they used to. One is still plenty enough to mow my entire yard, depending on how tall I let things get.

Lithium batteries are happiest being stored at ~40% state of charge, being stored at roughly the same temps we humans like, and being charged and discharged gently. This mostly didn't happen. I stored them in my house the first couple years, then moved them out to my shop, and most of their life they've lived out there, at whatever ambient temp is, and have only ever been charged on fast chargers. I'm impressed at how well they've held up.

My solar power enclosure is kept under 80 deg to keep the solar doodads happy. Think I'll move my power tool batteries into that enclosure as well, rather than letting them get cooked this summer. Charging off solar is a minor side benefit.