If you’re not familiar with EGO, they make a lot of quality Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) like lawnmowers, string trimmers, blowers, chainsaws and more. What I am really excited about is their new introduction of a snowblower and backpack blower from last year. If you need to catch up on them, you can learn more about EGO at their website.
Three years ago we were contacted by EGO to check out their new lawnmower. I talked with their marketing guru, Stephen in great depth about their new line. I told him I was a little skeptical for two reasons. First, I had never heard of EGO and second, I have tried battery powered OPE and it really doesn’t impress me. While I love the ease of battery-powered tools, I just love the power of gas and it just can’t be beaten. Being the guy that Stephen is, he quickly wanted to point out why my concerns were outdated.
First, he noted that EGO Power Tools are backed by a company called Chervon, which is a global powerhouse company. At the time I had heard of Chervon, but it really didn’t mean anything to me as I never dealt with them. As for my second concern, he said he agreed about battery technology and OPE, but he just said give this lawnmower a try as he thought I would have a different outlook. So I figured while I may not like battery-powered OPE, there have to be some readers that would be interested in them. So he sent over a lawnmower, blower and string trimmer and I had the summer to use it. After using the lawnmower, blower and trimmer, he was right. I changed my mind as these three products lived up to their expectations.
Long story short, I ended up giving away my gas powered mower, blower and string trimmer.
While I was hooked on EGO, I wasn’t completely sold on the system for three reasons.
First, I understand that Chervon backs the EGO product, but I wasn’t sure how much their heart was into the brand. Was this a brand that would be around for two years and then just disappear like we have seen happen in the marketplace in the past? I mean what happens if we recommend a product to the crew, then EGO decides it’s not worth going forward and stopping these tools? Now everyone is stuck with tools for a company that is no longer around?
My second concern was the battery technology. For me, anyone can develop a product and stick a battery in it and call it revolutionary. Yes, I understand it is harder than that, but I think you get the point. For a battery to truly be good, it takes a ton of money and research to make a battery take the abuse of heat build-up, weather conditions and all the other factors.
So my question was what technology really goes into these batteries? Are the circuit boards good? Does it handle heat well? I had a bunch of questions and concerns about the batteries.
My third concern was what’s inside the tools? Yes, they look cool on the outside, but is the inside of the tool really quality? A user can’t see the inside, so it’s easy for a company to save money by having sub-par parts inside. Even if the parts inside the tool are quality, are they tested for longevity? Are they tested on the lines before they go out to the consumers? Again, I had a lot of questions about the quality of parts and testing for longevity?
Now over the last two years we have been talking about and showing you new EGO products and I found out one thing that was common among our readers.
Time and time again I heard the same concerns from our readers. We get a ton of emails asking our opinion of various products. We received a lot of emails about EGO since they can be on the pricey side. Before people dumped hard earned money into the EGO brand, they wanted to know what they were getting for it.
So now this brings me to our trip to China to finally get these questions answered. If you are a regular follower of Tools in Action, you know we had a chance to visit EGO in China and see first hand. Now to note, again EGO is owned by Chervon which is a global brand with manufacturing, testing and offices in China, North America and Europe, so this is just one of the locations we had a chance to visit. I have never been to China, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Everyone I talked to told me stories about China, even though they have never been there. I heard bad stories about manufacturing and more. I always took this with a grain of salt since they were telling me these stories over their iPhone which was manufactured in China. I never took the time to explain my thoughts that while some cheaper items are made in China, there are plenty of quality products that come out of there also, such as this computer I am typing on, my iPhone, my fridge and more. For me, it’s really about the company backing the manufacturing.
Apple takes their products seriously and they watch to make sure items are tested and manufactured correctly. Well, the same holds true for EGO.
EGO is not some small and inexperienced company. EGO is backed by a global brand that enforces high manufacturing standards. During this trip, I learned a lot about Chervon, but that will be in a different article as I want to focus on EGO for now. Anyways, I was blown away by my visit. Not only was I taken back by my initial thoughts of China in general, but I was amazed by the EGO plant we saw and what is going into this brand. I learned a ton and my eyes really opened up and that is what I want to share with you today. So I would like to go over the three major concerns I talked about above. The company behind EGO, the battery technology and the manufacturing process.
First, is the concern of Chervon sticking behind the EGO and if they are in it for the long run. Without a doubt, they are in this for the long run. Not only did we get to meet and talk with the president, he was open with everything. We heard his story and how he really wanted to develop a company that was different and cutting edge. He isn’t about developing a product and being happy, he is about pushing the limits. He really does believe in developing not only a product but a quality product where other companies have to play catch up. He has no problem dumping a vast amount of money into this line to make it the best product available on the market. They opened a brand new plant which shows me that they are in it for the long run. We saw plenty of new products in development such as the snowblower, backpack blower and a bunch of other new products we can’t talk about. I could go on and on about why I think they are in it for the long run, but I will also touch about this later in the article.
My second concern with battery technology was also answered. After dealing with EGO for the past couple of years, I knew they had a great battery. After seeing what goes into these batteries, all I can say is other power tool companies could take a page out of their book and also develop a great battery. Battery technology is a pretty secretive process, so I can’t really go into everything, but we had a chance to see it first hand. EGO does so much with their batteries such as testing every single cell and they put an epoxy over sensitive areas on the circuit boards and end caps to protect it. They studied the placement of each battery cell to help dissipate heat correctly. Heck, they even spend the extra money and time to cover each battery in a green sleeve to protect them from heat. All I can say is they don’t take their batteries lightly. While some companies look at a battery and just see a power source, EGO looks at their batteries like the brain of the operation and takes it very seriously. I know it’s a short time period, but I have four batteries that for the past two years have all worked flawlessly. In fact, last year I left one outside for winter just to see how it would work this spring. I put it in the blower and it still runs like a champ.
As for my third concern with quality inside the tools, again this was put to rest. Time and time again, we saw so much testing. Not only testing with new and creative products, but also with current products. We saw a load of different lines assembling and manufacturing various items. It was amazing how many people on each line were testing before it moved to the next person in line. Then again when the product was fully assembled, they tested every single product before it went into a box. As far as the quality of the internal parts, they are truly quality parts. When some companies develop a product, they look at their bottom line and what the final cost will be to the consumer and how much profit each product will make. While I understand that you have to have profit in order to survive, it was time after time that I hear over and over that quality was so important. They know that quality is costing more, but that is what’s important to EGO. I really wish I could show you more, but as you know some things we just can’t and you have to take our word.
All I can say is it was not only a mind-blowing experience but a huge eye-opener. To truly see the company and employees behind EGO makes me a true believer. I don’t make many smart moves, but giving away my gas powered tools and switching over to EGO was one of the smartest moves I have made in a long time. I think it’s great that I can finally put my concerns behind me with EGO and move forward. As an FYI, while they did pay for our trip to EGO, they didn’t pay us to write an article. In fact, they said they didn’t even care if we cover the event. They really just wanted to show us the company and process. The real reason I wrote this up was first to share it with you as I know people had the same concerns as I did. Second, of all, I was just very excited. In today’s disposable world, we accept that products can be sub-par. We buy them, use them and toss them out. I think it’s great that there are still companies who desire to make quality products, push the limits and produce quality products for the consumers.
Here is a look at the inside. It’s amazing how clean and up to date the facilities are.
Below is part of the large field where they test mowers. Also, this guy has plenty of trees to cut in order to test the chainsaw. This is just a fraction of how they test the final product.
We actually had a chance to work on the line and put together our own blowers. Don’t worry, these were ours and weren’t packaged and sold. Notice the bead of sweat on Dan’s forehead. We both were a little dizzy after having to work.
I got in trouble, so I had to mow the whole field. I tried to talk my way out of it after the first ten minutes, but it didn’t work.
Wow, someone likes his cheeseburgers. One more cheeseburger and people will start asking when I am due.
Love EGO they are the best. Nice info about the company Eric
Thanks RC
Great article Eric. I got the blower and am waiting for the attachment capable trimmer to hit my HD.
Thanks for the feedback. Let us know how you like the trimmer.
I agree totally… First ever article of its kind I’ve read! lol, I stumbled upon this while thinking, man I love my EGO stuff (I have 2 homes). I have EGO everything from blowers, to trimmers, and lawn mower at both homes! I’m also SERIOUSLY considering going for the snow blower but not sure I’ve committed that far to the CELL side. lol!
Great article, great information @eric! You literally answered all my questions and assumptions I’ve had about EGO!!
Awesome, Thanks for the feedback. IN regards to the cell, I still have some of the first batteries from 2014 and still running.
Cheeseburger cheeseburger cheeseburger. Lol. I feel ur pain.
LOL
Great info Eric. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I’m curious if there have been products now released or announced that you could not talk about before that you can now. For example, the Backpack Link.
Also, I believe that the commercial line is hitting the UK market this summer and the US by year end. A 26ah backpack battery that last 9 hours. A crazy 650CFM handheld blower and more. Anything more you can share now?
Everything we saw that we couldn’t share is out which was the string trimmer with the graphite shaft and the multi head system. I can’t wait to see the commercial line you are talking about. That would be awesome.
How did Ego come up with their name?
Good question, not sure. Next time I talk with them, I will have to find out.
Just sold my Honda HRX217 and bought a EGO 21 self propelled. Never never going back to gas OPE again.
LOL, I hear you
Hi Eric, sorry to hear about you being a big Cubbies fan….Mine are your biggest rival (StL – love those boys). Anyway, I bought an EGO blower and after 3 months of me using this product, the battery wouldn’t charge. Any idea what went wrong? My EGO was a combo pack, with blower, weedeater. If you don’t have a blower like this, this is an awesome machine. It has a wonderful turbo on it. I can move alot with this turbo charge. I took it back to Home Depot and they gave me back my money. I didn’t want my money back, I wanted a new battery. How can I get another one with a great battery. I need one real soon. These EGO’s are so light and easy to use. Thank you,Granny Kathy.
LOL, on the Cubbies. You had a much better year than us. I am surprised they just didn’t return and give you a new one. Try reaching out directly to Ego. They are awesome and sure they can point you in the right direction.
The battery included with our EGO chain saw began flashing orange after one almost 2 years. The product came with as 2 year warranty. I called EGO Customer Support. They identified (based ob the flashing orange code) that the battery has a bad cell in it. I supplied the serial number and Home Depot as the source on the call. They immediately processed an order for a new battery to be sent to my home with instructions to return the defective battery to remove it’s serial number and return it to Home Depot for environmentally friendly disposal. This customer support transaction with EGO was first class. It was a real pleasurable experience and the battery arrived within a week, sooner than ECO’s commitment. FANTASTIC PRODUCT – FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SUPPORT!
That is awesome to hear and thanks for sharing
Try e-Bay for a new or used battery: I just bought a “new open-box” EGO battery on eBay. (I -just- bought it, so I have not yet had a chance to give it a good try-out.)
Very good information. From what you gathered is Ego making handheld power tools? Before investing in the line it would be really nice to determine what to expect in terms of future products such as skill saws impact drivers etc…. any input or predictions would be great from someone who was with the company first hand
Since they knowingly unleashed this deadly virus upon the world, I find it hard to buy anything made in China, no matter how good it may be.
The lab may have been in China, but the gain-of-function research they were doing there was financed and run with US universities.
Unfair of Home Depot to pull the plug on EGO mowers & power equipment. Maybe all consumers boycott all Home Depots! Like the past Neutonowers from DR Power Equipment, Chervon should go into business & mail- order their EGO mowers & power tools instead of Home Depot,Lowe’s,Ace Hardware,etc. I’m glad I got my EGO Power + 21″ self-propelled 56v mower in Dec.16,2020 & after 2 years no problems except battery heat issues. Very tough mower for knocking down 8 to 10ft. tall brush! Chervon,keep up the good work!
Please. Those are contracts. Either EGO wanted more or HD wanted to pay less. It would be completely different if EGO was a HD house brand and decided to drop support.
Just bought the new two stage snow plower at Lowe’s no more eco products at home depot can’t wait tell it snows
Just bought a 16 inch chainsaw and a new lawn mower , Ive been cutting wood now 30 years ,this makes life so much easier ,no smell in the car when going camping , no extra fuel to cart around and an impressive amount of grunt, as for the lawn mower my wife has no excuses now it pulls itself along ,no trouble with starting , great product , watch this space!
Should be July 2019 when I first the new battery-fat fingers
In the past 4 years of usage, our Ego blower, 14″ and 16″ chainsaws have all performed flawlessly. The batteries have seen no drop in performance. Really impressive company and products.
I came across your article The Real Story, while researching Ego power tools. I am very interested in investing in their power tools and getting rid of gas/oil and maintenance. I live in New England with hills and rocks etc. No flat landers here! Something light and less maintenance is right up my alley. Anyway, while I’ve decided to invest in their tools I am also interested in investing in the company. While doing my research on who owned them etc. I read this great blog. What a terrific opportunity you had Eric in visiting this fine company. Whether they are Chinese or not, I’m always impressed with well run companies! Thank you again guys for all of this knowledge and discussion on Ego. This blog and info. is helping to make my decision on Ego.
John C. from southern nh
Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, they are not a public company. I think they would be a great investment and I would love to own their stock if they ever go public.
Could not agree more. It would be an awesome investment. I own just about every one of their tools: powerhead and all attachments, 2 phase snowblower, chainsaw and blower, and am still amazed at how great they all are!! When they upgrade their zero turn mower (made for suburban lawns) to a heavy duty model, I will trade in my zero turn Kabota and buy the EGO.
PS – Can you get them to make a wet/dry shop vac? Please!
Agree 100%, I would love to see a vac, plus I wouldn’t mind a nice radio either.
Replaced my gas lawn mower with the Ego 21″ mower and also a snow blower when it came out. Love them both, but they are in no way cost efficient. My mower only came with 1 2.5Ahr battery and I needed 2 to get through my lawn. I won $100 from Ego on Facebook and used it along with another $100 of my own to get a second 2.5Ahr battery. One of the batteries went bad, just off warranty (of course). $200/3years is just a little more than the cost of gas. I probably mow 25 times/year max at about 4 mowings per $2/gal of gas which calculates to less than $13 in gas per season. One battery cost me over $33/yr for the 3 seasons of mowing, but real cost was $66/yr. Not sure if ecologically I came out ahead either. Was the ecological damage to create the battery as well as generation of electricity to charge the battery less than burning <19 gallons of gas?
Thanks for your feedback. Did you buy the mower used? I didn’t know they came with a 2.5Ah battery. While you can use that battery for a mower, I would think it would put a lot of stress on the battery over time and that is why it didn’t last. I would recommend at least a 5Ah battery but would prefer a 7.5Ah battery. If you use one of those batteries, you should see cost savings. I have my original mower back from 2014. I think it came with a 4Ah battery (Not sure if they still make that battery or maybe it was a 5Ah battery), either way, I am still using the same two batteries for my mower I have had for over 6 years. A mower is a high demand tool and don’t think a 2.5Ah is a good fit. The bigger the amp, the better for those high demand tools.
I purchased an EGO lawn mower, the one that’s not self propelled. Since then they have put out a mower with 21 inch blade. I liked my mower a lot but did notice that it did not pick up as well as I’d hoped. Then EGO came out with a hi lift blade. Oh goody I thought and ordered one not realising it was too long for my mower and a 20″ blade was not offered. O/K I got it and realised my error and got out my angle grinder and a zip blade and trimmed 1/2″ off both ends and then ballanced the blade. Still not good enough, the new blades have two locator holes one on either side of the bolt in the middle. The trouble there is the older mower had one round pin and one D shaped pin. A 3 corner file helped me to square off one side of the hole on the new blade and then it fit. Hooray. I tried it out and the new hi lift blade worked wonderfully well. I lifted the gras and now that it is fall and we have a ton of leaves it picks up those, mulches them, and bags the, Perfect. EGO, get busy and make some high lift blades for your older mowers. They should be around for a few more years.
Our church was given a new in box Ego single stage snow blower and found that one of the battery’s was bad. My phone call to the company resulted in “we do not guarantee a donation” We used it with one battery with shortened run time !!! We purchased another battery & everything was working great until the lever that releases the battery seems to be lower and does not release the battery So what’s your suggestion in getting this fixed (and replacing the original dead battery)
I would contact them again. You might have talked with someone who is new. I could be wrong but I thought the warranty covered the battery from date or manufacturer. If you have a receipt, then it goes from the date of purchase. I could be wrong, but I would call back.
Church might be considered non personal. I think EGO’s battery warranty is different for commercial use.
I’m still waiting on a blower/Vac/Mulcher machine from EGO. I have a Stihl 2 stroke petrol powered blower/Vac/Mulcher. I contacted EGO in Australia but they haven’t yet developed one. Seems they can’t get it to last long enough. Strange how they can put out all these other tools but no blower with a Vac. I would happily ditch my 2-stroke powered machine if they brought out a battery powered equivalent. I have other EGO machines, by the way, and they are powerful.
I am an Ego convert having purchased a blower 4 years ago, a hedge trimmer 3 years ago and a chainsaw last year. I am looking at getting a self propelled lawnmower and trimmer soon. I can’t fault the inovative products or my 2 batteries that still work flawlessly.
In Australia however the Ego brand is sold only in limited boutique hardware outlets and very few people have even heard of the Ego Brand especially in my city of Darwin NT.
The lack of marketing and the lack of a wider audience in Australia is however a concern to me. With such a low profile brand name as well as lack of wider distribution channels it begs the question of long term surviveability in this market.
I truly hope that my fears are unfounded.
Eric, great article! I purchased an EGO 640 CFM Leaf Blower 2 years ago and I’m stuck on EGO! Their batteries are second to none and when I had an issue with my 2.5a battery last year, I had a brand new one on my front doorstep 2 days later. Great customer service! Can’t wait to see what they have in store in the near future.
Thanks for the feedback and glad you have had a great experience. Mine are still rocking, even my mower that I got in 2014.
Props to actually answering readers questions … recognized
Thanks
I’m a huge fan of EGO products, or was. I have their mower, trimmer, blower and chain saw. Unfortunately my 2 year old mower just quit working (blade will not engage) and I’m getting a serious run around on where to get it fixed. Every place EGO told me to take it to won’t repair it because I didn’t purchase it from them. I bought it at Home Depot and took it there, but after 3 weeks they said they won’t fix it because they don’t sell them. Any ideas?
Sorry to hear that. I would check with your local Lowe’s. If you are still having a problem, reach out and I can see how we can help.
I heard that EGO will stop making all outdoor power equipment…since the move from HD to Lowes. Is this true? Also i’ve read about many complaints on the lead time for servicing the mowers…
No that is not true. They just split from HD. I think Lowes has a bigger OPE audience but could be wrong. In regards to serving the mowers, I haven’t heard that. But who knows maybe people are trying to go through HD and there is a delay there or maybe with COVID there might be a delay but that would probably be industry-wide.
How were the Chinese employees treated? Were they earning livable wages?
I am not sure because I don’t speak Chinese but as you can see by the pictures the facility was great and the environment was great. Everyone did seem happy.
Hi Eric,
Next time you chat with EGO, can you ask them if they plan to bring out a vac/blower/mulcher?
Many thanks!
Peter
Sure no problem. That would be a great addition to their line up.
Good Day Eric, A few questions if possible, I have several tools by Ego, I am very surprised to see how the performance has held. I Got my lawn mover in 2017, I got other produce also. My question is I need to order parts from EGO and the first time I got great results. Now we have a outside source handling the ordering. Not to Happy with this. Is there a direct # to Ego to talk to a sale person. I would like to order parts, and have someone who know EGO parts at that end. Thanks for the info.
Try this number – (855) 346-5656. Let them know that you have tried the parts department and have not had a good experience. I am sure they can direct you in the right direction. If not, let me know and I can see what we can do for the next step.
To know that EGO is a good company that is doing its best to produce a quality product is good. The cordless power tools that they produce are becoming more main stream all the time.
Thanks for the blog
I just got a EGO chainsaw 56v, I have two other chainsaws there gas, I getting old and have a farm, I use it in the yard first to see what it would do, just trimming up trees, I was like WOW, so i took it out on the farm to clean up some stuff, and again WOW, I cut up a 18-20 inch log, with a 16in cutting bar, easy. I worked the saw about 1hr and I could tell it was getting week, but so was I, I was a little happy about that all so, The saw did just as good as my big saws that are gas, and to me it was safer, when I stopped the saw stopped. Very little sound for the saw, lighter then my gas powered ones. This is a life change for me I now can do more stuff on the farm and around the house, Getting old is not fun haha. dont know how long it will last but i hope it last a very long time.
Thank you EGO
Impressive article, reviews, etc. Will switch from gas to EGO!!
Just bought my first Ego line trimmer and it looks the goods
We are having rain at the moment so, charging is all I could do
Can’t wait to give it a crack
Cheers Joe from Australia
Great article Eric, even 5 years later. I am not a fan of gas powered tools but then was also not a fan of the short running time most battery operated tools I had in my shed. That is until I found the Ego brand. Upon buying an Ego chainsaw in November, which impressed in the amount of battery time and power, I went ahead and purchased an extra battery, leaf blower and trimmer in short order. This summer I’ll consider their mower and do away with my aging corded lawn mower. Heck, if they come up with an electric car, I might consider it! They seem to take their batteries seriously.
You did not explain where the EGO products – particularily the zero turn mower – are DESIGNED.
It’s one thing to be manufactured in Chine – quite another to be designed there.
Thanks
Art Wild
Good point. This article was released before the Zero turn was released. However Ego has their headquarters in the States where they also design a majority of their products.
Off the subject of the specific product but can Ego stock be purchased, or are they owned by Chevron?
They are owned by Chervon, which is a great company overall.
I have a dozen EGO tools, and up until now recommended them to all. However, my chainsaw broke after two years, and I have been fighting with the company for a warrantied replacement for two months. And BTW, they concur that it’s covered under warranty. I just can’t get them to send the replacement or explain why it is taking two months. If I went on Amazon, I could have that saw in my hand tomorrow! Very frustrating, and as a result, I will stop recommending.
Eric, Not sure if you still have contacts at EGO. If so on youtube.com you should search these two posts ‘Is EGO’s best blower (lb7654) flawed?’ (daniel reviews); and also ‘EGO battery powered blower quit working’ (the greasy shop rag);. Look at both posts. EGO has a major design or parts flaw in their blowers. I have three lb7650’s, all with the same issue. I fixed one by replacing the entire electrical parts string inside the blower (P/N: 2831084001) and narrowed the issue down to the main processor and possibly the Matsuo 40 JHC current fuse protection on the board. If they haven’t identified and corrected the design flaw or part issue this will keep happening. For me Next Stop won’t be an EGO, it will be a Stihl or Husqvarna. Bob