Ego LM2135E-SP

What’s the story?

Ego is a fairly new brand that exclusively makes cordless garden tools and batteries to power them. Its range even includes rechargeable ride-on mowers – not a petrol engine in sight.

This self-propelled mower is powered by Ego’s signature 56V battery. In this case it has a 7.5Ah capacity, enough to cut 1000m2, and recharges in just an hour. The battery and charger are huge… and loud, as the latter is fan-cooled.

A lever lets you fold the mower handle forwards, where it clicks into place flat.

You can then tip the mower back to wheel it around vertically like a suitcase and even store it upright for a pleasingly small shed footprint. The same lever selects from three handle heights, while a knob lets you pick from seven cutting heights.

Is it any good?

This is our favourite self-propelled mower on test, thanks to its superb mowing performance and manoeuvrability. No assembly is required – you just clip the mesh grassbox together and charge the battery. If you have a garden larger than 1000m2, its high-speed charging is great because spare batteries cost a lot. Take a lunch break and it’s ready to go again.

Our only real quibble is that mulching requires an insert, sold separately, to clip into the back. At this price, we want it included. Mind you, the fact that it’s an optional accessory does reduce waste if you never mulch.

We found mowing performance to be very impressive, including great edges with barely any tufts. Press a central safety button and then pull the green wire up to the handle to mow. Your hands naturally rest on large buttons at either side to engage self-propelling; a control in the middle sets the speed.

It’s also pretty agile despite its size. The variable speed lets you mow long lengths in comfort, and then it turns easily – this 29kg beast doesn’t feel heavy in use.

It’s not only in its styling that the Ego resembles a muscle car: there are alert lights on the dashboard, and even twin headlights (three LEDS on each side) for late-night mowing sessions.

£919 / go.stuff.tv/ego2135 Key specs ● 52cm mowing width ● 1000m2 mowing area ● 29kg