Ryobi brushless cordless mower. Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn…

Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower review: quiet and easy to handle

We found the Ryobi 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower to be a well made machine, with a clever handle design that is slightly hampered by an annoying grass box. We think this mower is definitely worth considering if you have a medium to large garden, especially if you have other Ryobi products on the same One battery system.

• Easy set up
• Quiet
• Convenience of battery power
• Well designed telescopic handle
• – No batteries included
• – Poor grass box design
• – No battery readout
• – Narrow handle

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The Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower is one of over 150 tools in Ryobi’s power share range. This means the mower along with a wide selection of drills, sanders, strimmers and other power tools, can all be powered from the same battery.

The appeal is obvious. Not only can you save money buying the bare tool if you already own the battery, but you can save space on cords, cables and fuel for all of your tools and have one or two batteries fully juiced up for when you need them.

It is amazing to think this ample mower with a 40cm cutting width (not the biggest, but not that small either) and generous 50 litre grass bag could run off the same battery as much smaller tools, so we were keen to seen whether it had the power to match the best lawn mowers around.

See how it got on in my garden as I tested it over several weeks.

Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower specifications

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Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

First impressions

The first thing you notice when you open the box is all the intense bright green. Ryobi have clearly worked hard on their branding and their logo, and the distinct colour scheme is prominent on virtually everything, both on and in the box.

The next thing you notice is how complete the Ryobi 40cm Cordless Brushless Lawn Mower is, unlike others I have tested. There are very few parts, nothing needs major assembly and the handles are already semi-connected to the base unit, thanks to the electrical wire.

I was also pleased to see that there was a lot less protective plastic film compared to the Flymo 340R Li I tested recently. The vast majority of the packaging was recyclable cardboard, which definitely a good thing.

Getting started

The Ryobi 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower is about the easiest mower to set up I have ever encountered. There are three main parts: the mower, the handlebar and the grass box. The telescopic handles are already connected to the mower by an electrical wire, but need to be fastened using two bolts.

I was pleased to see that Ryobi had included an Allen (hex) key with the mower for this, so no additional tools are required. I found one of the bolts took a couple of goes to seat properly, but this is being picky, otherwise it was a very easy process.

One thing I did notice was the cable that connects the base unit to the switch on the handle. Some mowers require you to clip it on during set-up using special clips provided. The Ryobi does not, but in several places it is held in place using black cable-ties. While this is no doubt functional, I felt it did undermine the quality of the machine. On a more positive note, I was impressed that it had a protective shield around the cable, something I had not seen before.

The grass box for the mower is also already complete. Being part canvas, as opposed to rigid plastic, allowed it to be shipped as one unit so, unlike models from Bosch, Flymo and STIHL it just clips straight on the back of the mower with no assembly.

The manual that comes with the mower is a bit deceptive. While it looks very thick, this is because it includes about 10 different languages and the amount of information is actually quite short. All the instructions for putting the mower together were pictorial and located (a bit confusingly) at the back. I would estimate that anyone would be able to get this mower up and running within about 10 minutes.

What it’s like to use?

Overall, I found using the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower very simple and straightforward. Startup is a simple case of unfolding and extending the handlebars, clipping on the grass box and pushing in a battery. It comes with the standard safety features, two button operation and a removable key to disable the operation of the mower.

In terms of construction, the mower does feel solid overall. All the components seem to fit together well and you do get that reassuring ‘sturdy’ feel when you use it. Yes, there are a few scratchy plastics that probably won’t wear that well and I did think the switch handles felt a little flimsy. However, these points are minor and it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s going to drop apart as soon as you use it. One area where I was actually very impressed was the telescopic handlebar, which felt very solid and was far better quality than the Flymo 340R I tried recently.

The handles are coated with a layer of foam to make them softer to grip. While I’m not sure how long this material will last, I did think that it made pushing the mower more comfortable than gripping either hard plastic or a metal bar. I also liked how the handlebar had two angles of incline; shallower for the shorter user and steeper for the taller one. I thought that this was a clever touch and again, makes the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower more comfortable to use.

When it came to mowing the lawn, I tested the mower on a variety of different grasses and grass lengths and found that it gave a good standard of cut in every case. The cutting height is very easy to adjust using the handle on the side of the mower. I found that it picked up most, but not all of the grass as it went. Not the best I’ve seen (the STIHL Cordless lawn mower RMA 235 wins that one), but certainly better than a hover mower.

While the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower is on the heavier side, it is very maneuverable and turns easily. I did notice that it left quite pronounced wheel marks in the lawn, but this did not affect that quality of the cut. Considering the weight, I think it would have probably benefited from a roller on the back to leave those attractive stripes people love for their lawn decoration.

As with most mowers, the Ryobi does have the option to be used with or without the grass box attached and like most other models on the market, a hinged flap either rests on the grass box or closes to prevent the ejection of cut grass when the box is not there. There is also a mulching plug included with the mower.

When you are finished, the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower packs down well, thanks to its telescopic handles which simply shorten and then fold across the top of the mower. The canvas grass box squashes down very easily allowing the whole mower to be packed into a very small space.

Ease of use

The biggest asset the Ryobi 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower has to offer when it comes to ease of use is its telescopic handle bar, which can be lengthened and shortened by simply undoing a couple of clips.

There are handles to lock and unlock the angle of handlebar, or to fold it away. This is far easier than other mowers I have tried that have bolts which need to be loosened in order to the fold down the handle. However, I would have preferred the handle to be slightly wider and I suspect broader-shouldered users may find the mower uncomfortable for prolonged use.

Where I did feel that the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower came up short though was the grass box. While it does the basic job of collecting grass, some of the design choices seemed questionable. The box is mounted to the mower at a very steep angle and has a full width opening with no lip at the bottom. This means that as soon as you unclip it, grass will inevitably spill onto the floor, even if there is not much in it. There is also the risk, as it gets full, of grass falling back out while you are still mowing.

The grass box is constructed with a rigid plastic top, canvas sides and thin plastic base. This makes it ideal for storage, as it collapses to almost flat with no effort, however it also gives a very odd weight distribution when the box is full. One of our (shorter) testers noted that she would not relish trying to empty it into a full height wheelie bin. Additionally, the carry handle, while smooth on the top, is ridged underneath (where you grip it) so even without any weight, it digs into your hand when you pick it up.

Other battery powered mowers, such as the Cobra MX4140V, have a readout on the handlebar that shows you how much charge is left in the battery. Some models allow you to check the charge on the battery while it is still mounted in the machine. The Ryobi requires you to remove the battery from the machine so you can you use its readout function. Not a huge issue, but we did feel that this let it down compared to other models for convenience.

Finally, I think the single best feature of the Ryobi 40cm Cordless Brushless Lawn Mower is the battery power. The elimination of an electrical cable makes it a great deal easier (and safer) to use, especially on larger areas. We imagine that anyone switching from a cable mower will find increased convenience will offset the other problems.

Additional features

The main and most important additional feature you will need for this mower is at least one battery and a charger. There is no battery included if you buy the bare tool so you will need to buy one (or two) to actually use the machine. There is actually a red warning label on the box to let you know. This won’t be a problem for anyone already using the Ryobi One battery system, but it should be factored into the cost of purchase for anyone else.

What is interesting about this mower is that it can be used with either one or two batteries. So how much battery power you choose to buy will depend on the size of your garden and what your demands are of the machine.

Ryobi also sell replacement blades for when the original blade eventually wears out and even branded safety glasses for when you are using your mower. These feature on the images on the box.

How does it rate?

Our research showed that consumer feedback on the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower was largely very positive. On Amazon it has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating from 142 reviews. I thought this figure was slightly higher than I would have given it, but not by very much. Many people were impressed by the build quality and the convenience offered by battery power.

The main criticism was its grass collection. Like me, many people had issues with the high angled grass box causing grass to fall back out of the box. It was also mentioned by several people that they did not find the mower to be as powerful as they had expected. I did not find this, although the lawns I tested were not particularly overgrown. Anyone who is going to be particularly demanding may want to take this into consideration.

I have decided to give the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower 4 out of 5 stars. I think that, overall, it is a well built and capable machine that would be a good option for medium and larger sized gardens, especially if you are already using the Ryobi One battery system.

I liked the telescopic handlebars and think that they are well designed and convenient for the majority of users. I also liked how well it packed down and thought that the option to stand on its end made it great for storing in small spaces. I thought it was actually (ironically) easier to store than than the Flymo EasiStore 340R.

I have to say that I thought the biggest negative of the Ryobi 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower was the poorly designed grass box which, in many ways, is the Achilles heel of this particular machine. It could have been better thought out and if 100% grass pick-up is your top priority, then this is probably not the machine for you. I also thought that having to take out the batteries to find out how much charge was left was annoying. Not a deal breaker by any means, but it is not as good as other machines on the market.

The decision to purchase the Ryobi 18V ONE 40cm Cordless Brushless lawn mower shouldn’t be taken in isolation. By buying this mower, or any mower that requires batteries, you are choosing a battery system that will influence your choice of power tools for years to come. If you are already on the Ryobi system, we think that this mower would be a good bet. Yes, it does have a couple of flaws, but certainly nothing serious enough to warrant purchasing a competitor that would not be compatible with your existing batteries.

If you are not on the Ryobi One system then make sure to not only to consider this mower, but also the rest of the One range. Compare it to what other suppliers are offering to decide what you will be happy buying and using over the short to medium term.

Summer Mowing: RYOBI 40V Brushless Mower

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This post is sponsored by Ryobi Tools.

When our guests arrived at our house last weekend, they were very impressed. Our house was clean, but even more noticeable was our new, tidy, perfectly cut yard.

Mom does the mowing.

My husband and kids helped me clean the bathrooms, vacuum, get the outside entertaining area picked up, yard work done, pool cleaned, and I did the de-cluttering (a job for mom). Oh, and probably unlike most households, I did the mowing. It’s always been an outside chore that I love. I do the mowing here! There’s something about the satisfaction of how something so ragged, within a few minutes, can look so sharp and clean!

Mower width=600 height=400 /

Yeah. This is how we roll when we’re hosting a bigger event or dinner party in our home. Our preparation is intentional, and usually involves a little more detail when a larger group is coming, because we want our guests to feel comfortable and welcomed in our space.

The cordless mower.

In steps our new RYOBI 40V Brushless (cordless) Mower. The lightest, powerful mower – ever!

Their new 40V mower has a 20” cutting deck (vs. their current 16”) and a brushless motor, powered by a 40V lithium-ion battery (two are included!)

When it arrived, my husband put it together in no time, putting on the handle, and then charging the batteries. That was it!

It only takes 90 minutes to recharge each battery. So easy to replace, and we can mow the front and back yard with 1 battery when the grass is dry. We have noticed that with wetter grass, we have to use both batteries, which makes sense, but even then it doesn’t drain all the way down.

Mower width=600 height=900 /

Seriously, friends, mowing has never been easier. The instant-starting—you just hold the start button down for 3 seconds—is the coolest thing ever!

Mower width=600 height=900 /

Love the easy removable light-weight bag. I dump our grass right into our compost bin. You can choose between two discharge functions, mulch or bag, for your grass trimmings.

It’s so quiet.

Another thing our family noticed is that, with this whisper quiet mower, we can get our yard work done nice and early and no one will hear us! It’s that quiet, that neighbors will not be bothered with the usually obnoxious mowing sound.

So light and airy.

One more thing I was impressed by, as the family mower, was how light and airy it felt, and there was no exhaust! We can now store our lawn mower in the garage and not have to worry about any gas smell. For that matter, we don’t have to haul gas, stinking up our car each time we do. This thing saves time, your nose, ears, and takes up little space. It’s so light that it will save your back as well. And my husband no longer has to worry about keeping a mower’s gas engine working. This one is virtually maintenance free and, even better, uses the same battery pack that powers our other Ryobi outdoor tools, such as our trimmer and cultivator.

When you are done with your trimming task, use the quick release handle and collapse the unit for compact storage in your garage or shed.

The warranty.

It has a 3-year warranty, folks. You can’t beat that! And if you extend your warranty with RYOBI, they will add an additional TWO years!

Summer fun on the lawn.

Back to company coming over.

I like being able to check off our “to do” list that the lawns have been mowed.

It doesn’t take much time for the backyard to be ready and our family to be prepared, as our guests arrive. Which, by the way, it’s ready for crochet, bad minton, swimming … all kinds of summer fun!

Who does the mowing in your family? Are you happy with your mower?

This post is sponsored by Ryobi Tools, who sent me this awesome mower to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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One comment on “Summer Mowing: RYOBI 40V Brushless Mower”

I have good luck with Ryobi products. BUT I recently bought a cordless electric mower from another brand name. I can’t say enough of how much I love love love my new mower. To be able to start that baby with a touch of my finger, my life contentment score went up an entire level.

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Hello and welcome to my home and table! I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more.

The best cordless lawn mowers in 2023

Looking for the best cordless mower? Browse our experts’ pick, from budget to premium models.

A lawn mower may be one of the first purchases we make when getting a garden of our own, but that doesn’t mean finding a good quality one is easy. There are so many models and brands on the market to choose from, including corded electric and petrol, but as their range increases and fall, cordless, battery-powered models are an increasingly popular option.

Light and compact compared with traditional petrol models, cordless mowers are simple to use, easy to manoeuvre around the garden, and have none of the maintenance and servicing needs or costs of petrol lawnmowers. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which charges up quickly and won’t lose power in storage, they’re also quiet and emission free.

To compare these cordless mowers against other types of mower, we’ve reviewed the best lawn mowers, robotic lawn mowers, electric lawn mowers and push mowers, too. And if your lawn needs a bit of attention, our experts have tested a range of the best manual and powered aerators and scarifiers.Keep edges looking neat with our pick of the best strimmers, the best garden shears and the best lawn edging, and if you’re thinking about somewhere to store your new mower, our comprehensive guide to choosing the best garden shed will be helpful.

For your next DIY project, have a look at the best cordless drills.

The best cordless mowers to buy at a glance

Cordless mowers. Buyer’s Guide video

Many thanks to Rosie Yeomans and Sparsholt College for their help in making this video.

Getting the best cordless lawn mower for you means ensuring it has the correct cutting width, range of cutting heights, and weight plus a battery run time that matches the size of your lawn. We’ve tested a range of cordless push mowers, putting them through their paces across a range of grass and terrains, to help you find the right one for your garden.

Each mower has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to set up and storage, handling, mowing and value for money. Every mower in our round up below has scored a minimum of four out of five stars, so you can buy with confidence.

In every review we award outstanding products our coveted Best Buy award. To see these and the others we recommend, browse our pick of the best cordless lawn mowers, below.

By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Best Buy cordless mowers

Husqvarna Aspire LC34-P4A

Our rating: 4.9 out of 5

• Quiet
• Cuts even long grass with ease
• Battery level visible while mowing
• Small and compact for easy storage
• Part of the POWER FOR ALL cordless range

Part of the new Husqvarna Aspire cordless range, which includes a hedge trimmer, pruner and leaf blower, this 34cm mower is powered by an 18V POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE battery and charger. These are interchangeable with tools in other leading brands such as Flymo, Gardena and Bosch so if you also invest in tools in these ranges, you’ll only need to buy the bare tool and won’t have different batteries and chargers taking up space in the shed.Great for small gardens the mower comes ready to go, there’s no assembly or handles to attach, and it folds down to a compact size when you’re finished, with a telescopic handle that folds completely flat over the body of the mower. It can then be stood up against a wall or hung up, and even comes with a handy hook. The 30l grass bag also flattens down to take up very little room and can be hung on the mower. The Aspire is light, with a carry handle so that lifting it up steps or into other areas is easy and it has an adjustable handle to suit different height users. It’s comfortable and easy to manoeuvre around the garden and has just four cutting heights to choose from, ranging from 25-65mm and changed easily with a single lever on the body of the mower. It cuts grass quietly and smoothly and has an automatic boost that increases blade speed when you’re mowing in tougher, longer areas that works well. You can hear it kick in when you push the mower into longer grass and unlike other cordless mowers that can cut out, just carries on cutting the grass. While you mow the battery charge level is always clearly visible so you know how much battery you have left and when it needs charging. It comes with a two year warranty and we awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy in 2023 for ease of use.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 95 mins; run time. 500sqm. Cutting: width. 34cm; height. 25-65mm. Grass box. 30 litre.

Buy the Husqvarna Aspire C34-P4A cordless mower from Husqvarna and Sam Turner

Greenworks GDG24LM33

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

• Easy to assemble and use
• Comfortable padded handle
• Choice of mulching or collecting clippings
• Interchangeable battery with Greenworks 24V family

Ideal for smaller gardens this sturdy, great value cordless mower is easy to put together, well thought out and simple to use. Thanks to a padded handle it’s comfortable to push, although it did feel a little short for our taller tester, and it’s light and easy to manoeuvre around trees and beds and borders. There are five cutting heights to choose from, adjusted with the simple lift of a lever and it offers the choice of collecting clippings in the 30 litre fabric grass bag or inserting the mulching plug and leaving them on the lawn to break down and feed the grass. It mows well but doesn’t like very long grass, with the battery cutting out occasionally but its long lasting brushless motor offers a a decent run time of 46 minutes and it charges in two hours. Plus, as part of the Greenworks 24V family, both the battery and charger are interchangeable with all the other tools in the range, saving you money if you invest in more in the future. We awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best budget cordless mower in 2023.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 120 mins; run time. 46mins. Cutting: width. 33cm; height. 25-70mm. Grass box. 30 litre.

Yard Force LMG37A 40v 37cm

Our rating: 4.8 out of 5

• Rear roller
• Double folding handle for easy storage
• Quickest charge time
• Part of the Yardforce GR40 cordless range

This sturdy mower has a 37cm cutting width and useful features including a rear roller for those much desired stripes. Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy in 2022 for small to medium lawns, clippings are collected in the large 40 litre fabric grass bag. It offers a wide choice of seven cutting heights, from 25-75mm, and is easy to fold away at the end of the day. The 40V battery is quick to charge, taking just 50 minutes and when full it has the capacity to cut a 400m2 lawn.

Specs: Battery: charge time. 50 mins; run time. 400sqm. Cutting: width. 37cm; height. 25-75mm. Grass box. 40 litre.

Buy the Yard Force LMG37A 40V 37cm cordless mower from Yard Force, Amazon and Wickes