In the past couple years, battery-powered tools for yardwork (also called Outdoor Power Equipment / OPE) have become increasingly popular. If you’ve been into a big box hardware store, you’ve probably seen a futuristic leaf blower or even a riding lawnmower and wondered to yourself whether it was worth the fuss. In short, the answer is “YES” – though what works best will depend on your unique situation. In an effort to help homeowners understand this, I’ve put together this primer for homeowners looking to incorporate battery-powered OPE.

The first clue that battery powered equipment like string trimmers, leaf blowers and the like were viable was when the professionals started using them. Think of it; if you’re running a lawn care business or maintaining large property, there’s a big risk in having downtime in the form of dead batteries. Gas is reilable for these pros because they aren’t dependent on available outlets to re-charge equipment. Down time is lost revenue, and whilIe that may not mean as much for DIY types, it does mean that by and large you can rely on the current equipment to meet your needs. If you’ve considered making the leap to battery powered yard work, look no further for your primer (though after this you may never need to prime a gas engine again)! Continue reading…