If you are planning to make more eco-friendly choices this year, then you must pick an electric motored mower over the conventional gas one. And amongst all the electric lawnmowers, brushless mowers are the ones with the biggest fan following due to multiple reasons.
A, it is electric, and B, it is kind of automatic, hence making your job much easier. Earlier, most electric mowers were made with a brushed variant, but they weren’t that powerful and showed issues like overheating. Which the brushless variant solved and became the more popular one.
Now that doesn’t mean you should buy a brushless lawnmower! To make an informed purchase, you should be well aware of all its benefits, features, and even drawbacks and be the judge for yourself.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
What is a Brushless Lawn Mower?
A brushless lawnmower is a type of electric push mower that uses a brushless motor. Instead of a gas engine, it uses a battery to generate power. As the name suggests, it doesn’t have a brush in its motor; hence can easily run longer compared to a brushed motor.
Now those who don’t know here brush isn’t something that we use for painting or cleaning or brushing out teeth in the morning, but it is a piece of conductive material that helps in transferring electricity from outside of the motor to the spinning armature that is inside the motor.
Brushless lawnmowers don’t have this part; hence the electricity is transferred to the armature straight but without direct contact. This helps in saving a lot more energy and resolves problems like overheating.
How a Brushless Mower Works?
In the previous section, we gave you a sneak peek of how a brushless mower’s engine differs from a brushed one, but if you are curious to know its mechanism in detail, we will be happy to break it down for you.
We will explain section by section so you get a crystal clear image of how a brushless mower works.
1. Power sourcing
Let’s start with the first part, which is giving the machine power. In the case of brushless mowers, they are electric, so they either get power from a battery or a power cable.
2. Motor operation
Now comes the most interesting part, which is the motor operation. In these types of mowers, a small controller sends electricity to the armature (the part that creates motion when it gets in touch with electricity), which is located inside the motor.
Now if we take a closer look at the armature, we will find two parts, a permanent magnet and a coil surrounding it. The magnet is fixed at one position, and the copper coil winds around it. Since the motor is brushless, an external wiring and sensor combo delivers electricity to the coil.
Once the coil is charged with electricity, it powers the motor. The absence of brushes causes less wear and tear and loss of energy. It makes the motor much more durable and power-efficient.
The brushless motor is also famously known as the “intelligent motor,” as the motor’s circuit board intelligently controls and monitors the motor and tells it what it needs to do.
The Advantages of a Brushless Lawn Mower
If you are planning to buy a brushless lawn mower, you must be curious to know what benefits it will give you. So let’s take a look at the advantages of brushless mowers.
1. Efficient Performance
Since the motor wastes less energy, it gives you better performance on one full charge. That means if you could mow with a brushed mower for up to 45 mins straight, a brushless variant would add at least 15 to 20 mins more, which is around 33% more powerful.
2. Better in The Longer Run
Without the brush inside, the motor gets less wear and tear and generates less heat. It helps keep the motor in good condition for a longer time, giving you better performance in the longer run.
3. Less Noise, More Work
We all can agree on how loud and noisy lawnmowers can be. Now it might not be absolutely silent, but the brushless ones are proven to be a little less noisy than the brushed ones. Hence they will be a little more forgiving to your eardrums.
The Drawbacks of a Brushless Lawnmower
Now everything can’t be all sunshine and rainbows for brushless mowers, and there have to be some drawbacks, right? Well, yes, there are a few. So let’s check them out and see if they really matter to you or not.
- Price: Now, this is a subjective drawback and might not be a big deal for many. But since they are comparatively pricier than other electric mowers, we thought of mentioning them as a drawback.
- Power: At the end of the day, brushless lawn mowers are electrically powered, and especially if you are using a cordless variant, it might not be able to beat the power of a traditional gas mower. And if you are shifting from a gas one to this, you will feel the difference even more.
- Cutting Width: Not all but most electric lawnmowers have a smaller cutting width compared to gas-powered ones, which means you might have to make more passes to cut your lawn, leading to increased time to finish the job.
- Not suitable for rough terrains: If you have a yard that is rough and full of undulation with rough grass, the electric mowers might struggle to give you the best result.
What’s the Difference Between a Brushed and Brushless Motor?
So if you are determined that you want to go with an electric mower, you still need to choose between whether you should pick a brushed or brushless motor. So here’s a faceoff between the two on different aspects so you can pick better.
1. Motor Designs
In the case of brushed mowers, the motor comprises a conductive brush that makes direct physical contact with the armature, which leads to corrosion over time. This part is omitted in brushless mowers, so the damage is less.
2. Efficiency and Power
Since brushed mowers have that extra brush part, it takes up more energy. Whereas brushless mowers can easily generate the same or more torque with the same energy, making them more power efficient.
3. Maintenance and Lifespan
In brushed mowers, the brushes will wear down over time and need to be replaced. On the other hand, since there are no brushes to wear down, brushless motors typically require less maintenance and have a longer lifespan.
4. Price
Brushed mowers are usually less expensive upfront because brushed motor technology is older and more cost-effective to produce. Whereas brushless ones are more expensive initially due to the more advanced motor technology. However, the increased efficiency, performance, and lifespan may lead to cost savings over time.
How Does a Brushless Mower Measure up Against a Brushed Mower?
From the above comparison, it may be pretty clear to you already that a brushless mower has quite an edge over brushed ones, but if you are still a bit confused if a brushless mower measures up against a brushed mower or not, let us give you a clear answer.
- Brushless lawnmowers are more efficient than brushed ones
- Brushless mowers have better longevity than the brushed variants
- Brushless mowers are more advanced and come with smart features like load sensing, which are great for power optimization
- Brushless options are usually less noisy, making the mowing experience more comfortable
Therefore, if you have the budget to splurge, which by the way, will give you better returns in the longer run, you should definitely go for a brushless mower.
FAQ’s On Brushless Lawnmowers
Since there are no commutators in brushless motors, it causes less friction. Therefore it takes up less power to reach the right torque. So it creates a sense of being faster.
Compared to other electric lawnmowers, brushless variants are more powerful, as their motor goes through less manual friction. This causes them to perform around 15 to 30 percent better than the brushed ones.
A brushless DC motor can have a speed of around 100,000 rpm.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, we can say that brushless lawnmowers are the most efficient and powerful electric push mowers you can have. Though their price can seem a little steep while buying, you will realize that you are making a better purchase in the longer run. Because, after all, machines like these are an investment, and you are not going to buy them every year.
So it is always better to invest some extra bucks and get something that will serve you better.