I live on almost three acres of land, and while I love my riding mower, there are areas of my property where a more maneuverable walk-behind mower is a must-have. With several garden beds and numerous ornamental trees, the front portion of my yard is just too hard to navigate with a larger mower, even with a nimble zero-turn. But it’s the first thing you see on the approach to my home, so I like it to look pristine. Recent spring weather pushed up a thick, luxurious mat of grass in that section, so it was the perfect time to take the Ego Power+ 56-volt cordless lawn mower (model LM2200) out for a test spin. I was not disappointed with how much power it delivers and how easy it is to “drive.”

The first thing that struck me about this mower was the build quality. Our Deputy Editor Colin Aylesworth assembled it in our shop, so all I had to do was lift it into the truck. The mower deck is made of molded aluminum—not quite as light as Ego’s 30-inch composite model. But, at 91.3 pounds with the battery installed, it was still plenty manageable to get in the truck.

This mower is sturdy, to be sure. I appreciate Ego’s attention to detail on every aspect, especially at the handle support bars. Made from aluminum tubing, the entire handle assembly converts from a storage position—folded over the deck to save space, even when the mower’s standing vertical—to an upright locked position for normal use. Folding the mower for transport also left more room in the truck for other gear.

In all honesty, I haven’t used a push mower for some time, opting instead to power through the entirety of my lawn on a ride-on mower despite the issues navigating the more landscaped area of my property. I also had little experience using an electric mower. But while figuring out the hand controls gave me pause at first, all of that faded fast.

Ego’s Touch Drive system is more comfortable to use than some other self-propelled mowers. You move the mower forward simply by resting your palms against the large pads embedded in the control handle, as opposed to squeezing a bar from below, as many self-propelled electric mowers do.

This machine travels fast, too! It took me a minute to dial in my proper walking speed behind it, but the mower will travel between 1 and 3 mph. My favorite aspect of the controls is the large thumb wheel smack in the middle of the handle, which I adjusted incrementally on the fly. After less than a minute of walking behind the mower, it felt very intuitive and easy to manage.

I have a lot of experience with power tools. But the more time I spend with modern battery-powered outdoor equipment—string trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws—the more I realize we’ve officially crossed the line of saying “good for cordless.” It just isn’t appropriate anymore. The Ego LM2200 has more motor torque at 11 foot-pounds than most gas push mowers. And all of that power is directly driven from the motor to the blades—no belts or pulleys to service.

Meanwhile, I was able to get a full hour of cutting time on one 10-amp-hour battery charge on “Eco” mode (the mower also has “Normal” and “Turbo” for thicker grass). I found nothing to complain about regarding a job that usually finds me complaining plenty.

All said and done, this mower served me well, mowing my medium-sized cutting area perfectly. The cut was clean and precise, and I was able to quickly navigate and experiment with cutting heights—between 1 and 4 inches—before settling on the one that suited me. Even in damp spring growth, the mower avoided clumping better than I expected (I stayed in bagging mode regardless). And its blade speed produced a surprisingly even finish. As with most battery-powered tools, I enjoy the often-overlooked feature of noise control. For a mower as powerful as the Ego is, it’s incredibly quiet. I doubt you’d hear many neighbors complain about an early morning cut.

Best of all, the Ego cleaned up after itself in top order. The suction and lift of the blades aided in filling the bag at a steady pace. The bag held far more waste than I expected and was very simple to detach and remount once emptied.

For homeowners looking to move away from gas without sacrificing performance, the Ego Power+ 56-volt cordless lawn mower makes a very convincing argument. It’s fast, powerful, thoughtfully designed, and capable of handling thick grass without feeling overwhelmed. Frankly, after using it around my own property, I’m not especially eager to go back to gas.

Shop the Ego Power+ 56-Volt 22-Inch Cordless Lawn Mower