Battle of the Power: Batteries vs. Gas - Who Wins? - Around the House® Home Improvement: A Deep Dive into Your Home

Episode 1984

Battle of the Power: Batteries vs. Gas - Who Wins?

Eric G dives into the electrifying showdown between battery-powered and gas-powered outdoor tools, and spoiler alert: he’s leaning towards batteries! It seems our boy Eric has made the switch to battery tools for his lawn care and never looked back. He’s been buzzing about the convenience, the ease of use, and the sheer joy of not having to deal with gas spills and oil changes—seriously, who wants that hassle? Plus, he’s got some juicy insights on how much space you can save in your garage when you ditch those clunky gas machines. So, grab a snack and settle in as we explore whether batteries have finally kicked gas to the curb in the world of outdoor power equipment!

Takeaways:

  • Battery-powered outdoor tools have evolved significantly, offering convenience and efficiency over gas-powered options.
  • Storing a battery-powered mower is a breeze since they take up less space in your garage.
  • With battery-powered tools, there's no need for oil changes or worrying about gasoline storage, making maintenance simpler.
  • For most homeowners, battery-powered equipment provides adequate power without the hassle of starting gas engines.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Monument Grills
  • Greenworks
  • Ryobi
  • DeWalt
  • Milwaukee
  • Makita
  • Honda
  • John Deere

To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House.

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Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Transcript
Speaker A:

Foreign.

Speaker B:

The House with Eric G.

Speaker B:

Your go to source for everything home improvement.

Speaker B:

Whether you're a DIY enthusiast or just looking to make your space shine, Eric G.

Speaker B:

Is here to guide you through the latest tips, tricks and trends.

Speaker B:

So grab your toolbox, put on your thinking cap and let's get to work right here on around the House with.

Speaker A:

Eric G.

Speaker A:

Welcome to the Round the House show, the next generation of home improvement.

Speaker A:

I'm Eric G.

Speaker A:

Happy midweek special everybody.

Speaker A:

This is our update that we do in the middle of the week each week that's not part of the weekend radio show and it's brought to you by our friends over at Monument Grills.

Speaker A:

Check them out@monument grills.com wanted to share some updates here today.

Speaker A:

We've got a lot going on with the show coming up this weekend and some great stuff coming up here this spring slash summer.

Speaker A:

But today I wanted to talk a little bit about outdoor power equipment.

Speaker A:

I've had a lot of questions come in about how is the battery stuff versus the gas stuff and I wanted to give you my answer on this.

Speaker A:

And some of you might be shocked, some of you might get frustrated, but this is my take and my experience of using it.

Speaker A:

So outdoor power equipment, we're talking lawnmowers, weed eaters and weed eater, yes, is a brand.

Speaker A:

So string trimmers, chainsaws, all the different things, lawnmowers, whether it's a writing or a push.

Speaker A:

Battery power has come a long ways and I switched over to non gas probably five years ago before COVID and I went completely battery power.

Speaker A:

And at the time I was using Greenworks tools, which there are a lot of great brands out there.

Speaker A:

I think there's a lot of companies.

Speaker A:

Greenworks was really good early on and was definitely an early, an early leader in the brands out there going full battery power.

Speaker A:

And I tell you what, there's been some impressive stuff out there if you look at lawnmowers.

Speaker A:

Great example.

Speaker A:

If you're going to be mowing the lawn out there, to me there is no reason to be using gasoline anymore just on convenience.

Speaker A:

I have no environmental flag to wave here.

Speaker A:

This is about what I like to use and what works for my lawn and other lawns that I've worked with.

Speaker A:

So here's the benefits.

Speaker A:

With a battery powered mower I can go out, I can use so much less space in my shed or garage for the lawnmower because it folds up and goes on end.

Speaker A:

So I have a lot more space in there.

Speaker A:

I can drop in on the Greenworks mower that I have, I can drop in a couple batteries and mow for months.

Speaker A:

On my smaller yard I can do 4 mowings, 5 mowings easily off of one battery.

Speaker A:

You can sit there with their right on mowers like there's zero turn.

Speaker A:

You can turn around and get three and a half acres of lawn mowed without changing batteries.

Speaker A:

Pretty impressive.

Speaker A:

If you have more batteries, you can pretty much run that thing as long as you want to.

Speaker A:

I just was driving around this morning running a couple errands and I drive past one of our big parks and it's a greenway access there.

Speaker A:

So it's a private company doing the lawn care there.

Speaker A:

Battery powered everything they had right on mowers.

Speaker A:

Commercial company.

Speaker A:

And I could see that they had a charging system set up so when they're driving around they're charging up the batteries, they're good to go.

Speaker A:

So really when you look at it, there is no excuse to not change over to that.

Speaker A:

For me it's awesome.

Speaker A:

I don't have to store gasoline.

Speaker A:

I don't have to worry about how to store it over the winter.

Speaker A:

As long as I keep the blade sharp and it cleaned up.

Speaker A:

It's that easy.

Speaker A:

Now string trimmers I even like more because the battery tends to.

Speaker A:

If it's done correctly, the battery will counteract the other side of the head on that and is nice balanced.

Speaker A:

I don't have to worry about mixing oil and gas for two cycle.

Speaker A:

Not a problem.

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And it starts when I pull the trigger.

Speaker A:

It's like your drill.

Speaker A:

It's like your battery powered circular saw.

Speaker A:

It just goes very simple.

Speaker A:

Same thing with the chainsaws.

Speaker A:

Now I.

Speaker A:

There is.

Speaker A:

I'm on the fence with the chainsaws.

Speaker A:

For most homeowners.

Speaker A:

No reason to have a gas powered if you're a logger.

Speaker A:

I get it.

Speaker A:

I do.

Speaker A:

Because the gas powered units work very well and you don't have to worry about changing out batteries if you're felling trees all day long.

Speaker A:

I see it.

Speaker A:

Are there a lot of tree companies out there that have for safety when they're up lemon trees, do they have battery powered ones?

Speaker A:

Yeah, I'm seeing that more and more because they can just grab and go.

Speaker A:

It's like every other power tool.

Speaker A:

We're seeing more and more of that.

Speaker A:

And these are things that are really starting to pay off with safety because you don't have to sit there and start it, just grab it and go.

Speaker A:

And if you have another battery on you, plenty fine.

Speaker A:

So here's the thing.

Speaker A:

And these are My tips, if you have a decent tool company and yeah, Ryobi is decent, I'm not sure if I'd get their outdoor power equipment if you have a big lawn or something because it's not really meant for that.

Speaker A:

But that is a good homeowner grade tool.

Speaker A:

It is not a contractor grade tool.

Speaker A:

But if you've got DeWalt, Milwaukee, Makita, any of the other bigger brands out there and you want to use their outdoor power equipment and stay on the same platform, it's not a bad deal.

Speaker A:

DeWalt.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

Did they have some stumbles on their first lawnmower?

Speaker A:

You are darn right they did.

Speaker A:

It was garbage.

Speaker A:

Is it good now?

Speaker A:

Yeah, they made some huge changes.

Speaker A:

So I think that's where things have gone now is that you've got these brands that are great tool brands that have.

Speaker A:

You probably already have their batteries, a DIYer or a contractor.

Speaker A:

If you've got a lawnmower that runs off that or a string trimmer or a leaf blower, you're good as gold.

Speaker A:

Leaf blowers, great.

Speaker A:

I'll never own a gas leaf blower ever.

Speaker A:

Battery powered is the way to go with that.

Speaker A:

And I'm not gonna sit here and debate the carbon footprint.

Speaker A:

And I know batteries are probably worse for the environment than what the gas is.

Speaker A:

I don't care for me convenience and to be able to grab and go and not have to spend the fall and spring getting stuff started.

Speaker A:

Take it into the lawnmower repair shop to get it fixed because it's not running right.

Speaker A:

It's nice not to have to mess with that.

Speaker A:

No oil changes.

Speaker A:

I had bar oil to the chainsaw and I'm good to go.

Speaker A:

So these are things that I think that we have now graduated onto.

Speaker A:

Battery powered is being superior now.

Speaker A:

Exceptions.

Speaker A:

You're right.

Speaker A:

Logging.

Speaker A:

I'd probably have my big steel and I'd go with that.

Speaker A:

If I'm a lawn care professional, I'd probably look at batteries.

Speaker A:

Gonna save me some money.

Speaker A:

Yeah, it's more expensive to get in sometimes, but once you're there, it's gonna start saving itself pretty good.

Speaker A:

So if you think about those kind of things, that's where I think battery powered really pays off.

Speaker A:

So yeah, my verdict on the battery versus gas is unless you're a professional, battery to me wins hands down every time.

Speaker A:

Are there bad models out there?

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

What's the secret?

Speaker A:

Getting.

Speaker A:

Go out and get the voltage that works for you.

Speaker A:

When you look at Greenworks, for instance, they've got a 24 volt, 40 volt 60 volt, 80 volt, 82 volt.

Speaker A:

That's their pro power stuff.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

If you've got a big lawn and you go out and buy a 24 volt system, guess what?

Speaker A:

Probably got the wrong system.

Speaker A:

Do I have a 60 volt?

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

60 volts, great.

Speaker A:

80 volts, great.

Speaker A:

So get the voltage.

Speaker A:

That's gonna work for you.

Speaker A:

Now if you've got Milwaukee or any one of those other ones, I get it.

Speaker A:

You know, that's you're using your tool batteries.

Speaker A:

That works.

Speaker A:

Might take two tool batteries, but it'll work.

Speaker A:

So take a look at that.

Speaker A:

Think about what works for you.

Speaker A:

But pay attention to the voltage because that's really where you need to be to make sure you can get the right tool for the job.

Speaker A:

And that way you're going to be good as gold.

Speaker A:

So take a look at the voltage.

Speaker A:

That's the key to the whole system.

Speaker A:

That's the power behind it.

Speaker A:

It's like buying a little tiny push mower or buying the big Honda or John Deere.

Speaker A:

That's where it is.

Speaker A:

And yes, snowblowers wouldn't go battery powered, especially if you're into the cold.

Speaker A:

Not the best fit.

Speaker A:

Batteries in cold don't work well, at least if you keep them warm, you're okay.

Speaker A:

But that's the key right there.

Speaker A:

All right, everybody.

Speaker A:

There's my controversial take on power tools and outdoor power equipment.

Speaker A:

I think that it's my take that battery is the way to go.

Speaker A:

I want to hear your comments.

Speaker A:

Send me a comment over to roundthehouseonline.com we'll hear what you have to say.

Speaker A:

All right, everybody, have a great rest of the week.

Speaker A:

I'm Eric G.

Speaker A:

You've been tuning in to around the house and we'll see you on Saturday.

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Just type in at around the house with Eric G.

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And click subscribe and ring the bell for updates.

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Speaker B:

Let's be lovers all over the radio.

Speaker A:

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