What is a Brushless Lawn Mower? [Explained]

Suppose you have been exploring the possibility of buying a new push lawn mower recently. In that case, you may have noticed that they come in two distinct varieties: brushless and brushed lawn mowers with two drastically different price tags.

But what exactly does that mean? What is a brushless lawn mower?

This refers to an electric lawn mower with a brushless motor, which is faster, stronger, and has a longer lifespan than regular brushed motors.

We don’t know about you, but lawn mowers come in so many varieties and with such confusing names that it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Today we are here to help you clear things up a little.

This article is going to get into the world of brushless lawn mowers and help you figure out if they might be the mower for you.

What is a Brushless Lawn Mower?

Brushless lawn mowers are a style of battery-powered, push lawn mowers with a brushless engine. These engines are high-performance and last longer than brushed motors.

But first, what exactly is a push mower?

These are the most common types of lawn mowers on the market, with a body that sits low to the ground, a sharp spinning blade, and a curving handle to push it along. These mowers are ideal for medium to large domestic lawns. They come in both corded and cordless versions; today, we are going to be talking about the battery-powered option.

Right, now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about motors.

The term ‘brushless’ refers to how electricity is transferred within the engine to power it. This may sound complicated, but we promise we won’t get too technical.

Long story short, brushless motors have a permanent magnet that rotates at the center of the engine with a coil surrounding it. Electricity is delivered to the coil using external wiring and a sensor.

This results in a more powerful engine, which improves cutting efficiency. Some models even have load sensing technology that will adjust the engine’s power output to suit your mowing conditions.

Losing the brushes and, consequently, the friction of the moving parts means that brushless engines last longer even without regular maintenance.

In a brushed motor, the position of the coil and the permanent magnet are switched around, and the electricity is delivered to the moving part using carbon brushes. The coil sits within the rotating magnet, which causes a lot of friction. This can make them easy to overheat and require regular maintenance.

Brushless motors are considered to be newer technology compared to brushed motors, which is why there is a price disparity between the two.

Brush vs. Brushless Motors: Which is Better?

Now that we are more familiar with brushless motors, let’s compare them side by side with brushed motors.

So, as you can see; brushless motors tend to be more efficient and last longer. However, since they are a newer technology, they tend to be more expensive than brushed motors.

While both motors are commonly sold now, the choice of which to go with comes down to your budget.

Brushless lawn mowers will last longer and cost less to run, but they cost more initially. On the other hand, brushed motors cost less upfront but have a shorter lifespan and require more maintenance.

In our opinion, it is worth it to save up a little longer so that you can invest in a brushless lawn mower that will last you longer while being more efficient at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do brushless motors wear out?

As with all machinery, brushless motors will eventually wear out, but if you maintain them regularly, they can last you years.

A common cause of wearing out motors is overrevving, which can cause overheating. This can damage the magnets in your engine and burn out the wiring.

Basically, anything that will burn out a brushed engine will burn out a brushless engine if you push it too far.

Why do brushless motors make less noise?

Another upside to brushless lawn mowers we didn’t touch on is that they are quieter than brushed lawn mowers.

This is because there is less friction occurring within the motor to produce the noise that drives your neighbors crazy. However, they are not completely silent because there is still the sound of the spinning blade cutting to contend with.

Can you mow a wet lawn with a battery-powered lawn mower?

In general, we do not recommend mowing your lawn when it is wet, regardless of your lawn mower.

This is not only because the moisture could damage the engine, but it will also make your mowing tougher. Wet grass does not cut cleanly, which can make your lawn look uneven.

We know it’s frustrating, but we only recommend cutting your grass when conditions are dry, and the dew has dried from the night before.

Conclusion

So, now that we have had a deep dive into lawn mower engines, what have we learned?

Brushless refers to the kind of motor used in the lawnmower, which does away with some of the moving parts used in older brushed motors.

Brushless mowers tend to be more powerful and efficient while requiring less maintenance than their more affordable brushed counterparts.

At the end of the day, brushless motors will give you a good return on your investment because they are more efficient and last longer than regular brush motors.

We hope this has given you some insight into brushless lawn mowers and helped you decide whether they’re the mower for you.