REVIEW – I have a relatively small yard so I was looking at retiring my old gas mower and getting a battery powered one when Toro asked me to review their new 60V Toro 30” eTimeMaster mower. Their 60V battery line has over 75 compatible tools so I was eager to try it out and see if this would be my new 60V battery system.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $2,399.99
Where to buy: Toro
What is it?
The Toro 30” eTimeMaster walk behind power mower features a 30” steel deck with cast aluminum frame. It can tackle tall grass and rough terrain with dual blades and 2 x 10 Ah 540wh batteries included which can last 65 mins on a single charge. The quick fold handle is adjustable and can be set straight up which allows you to save space during storage. Despite weighing a hefty 131 lbs it is pretty nimble with the Personal Pace Auto Drive and makes quick work of up to 2/3 of an acre with the two included batteries.
What’s included?
- Toro 30″ eTimeMaster Mower
- 2 x 10 Ah 60V Batteries
- 2 x Model 88602 Chargers
- Grass Bag
- Garden Hose Adapter
- Quick Start Guide
- Product Manual
Tech specs
- Model: 21491
- Battery: 2 x 60V 10Ah batteries included, 540Wh each
- Number of Battery Ports: 3
- Battery Charge Time: 250 mins
- Battery Run Time: Up to 65 mins or cuts 2/3rds of an acre; up to 100 mins/1.1 acres with 3rd optional battery
- Start: Push button
- Deck Size: 30 in steel deck
- Frame: Cast aluminum
- Blade Tip Speed: 14,279 ft/min
- Blade Type: 15.4 in dual blade, rotary
- Bagger Capacity: 2.5 bushels
- Drive Type: Self propel rear-wheel drive
- Forward Mowing Speed: Up to 4.3 mph
- Height of Cut: 1.25 – 4.25 in
- Height of Cut Adjustment: 2 point
- Wheel Height: Front: 8in; Rear: 10in
- Motor Type: Brushless DC
- Discharge: Bag , mulch , or side discharge
- Weight: 131 lbs
- Dimensions: 65” L x 32” W x 45” H
‼️ This product uses a high-voltage lithium battery and poses a fire risk. Never leave the battery unattended while charging, and always disconnect the charger once the battery is full. Learn more about lithium battery safety here.
Performance
My older EGO 60V leaf blower battery just wasn’t lasting as long as it used to so I was looking for a replacement 60V system but just couldn’t decide since batteries are so expensive. I even carried around a 35lbs Bluetti power bank to power a plug in leaf blower which worked great but plug in mowers aren’t really an option so I was really excited to test the Toro and see how their system performed.
Assembling the Toro 30″ eTimeMaster was super easy. I just cut the end of the box open and rolled it out then inserted the handle and that was it. Initial charge of the batteries took three hours and charging from empty can take 250 minutes with the included dual chargers. There is a third slot to add an additional battery which can extend cutting time another 35 minutes. The 10 Ah 60V batteries are not cheap to replace though. The batteries weigh 9 lbs each, so I like the little handle on top to carry them around.
The Toro 30″ eTimeMaster weighs 131 lbs without the batteries and can be cumbersome to move around when not on and using the Self Propel drive. Putting it in my truck required some boards to roll it up rather than risk my back. The Toro makes my old gas mower look downright puny, but with the handle straight up, it doesn’t take up much more space in the garage. Unfortunately, at 32” total width, it was too wide to get through the normal walk-in back door into my garage, so the only way to get it in or out is to open the actual garage door. It was so wide I had to tilt it sideways to get past the wall and meter on the side of my house.
I wanted to see what it could handle so I took it to an overgrown area near my house to test it out. I installed the side discharge chute and raised the cutting height to the maximum 4.25 inches which is the A position. I installed the two batteries, held the blade bar in, and pressed the start button which got it going immediately.
The easy off and restart is probably the most convenient feature of battery power versus gas. It’s also relatively quiet and I didn’t think ear muffs were necessary when I normally wear them with my gas mower. There is a hose attachment on the side for easy cleanup.
I mowed for a straight 30 mins and had a bar left in each battery afterwards. I had it on Auto and then Max for 15 minutes each. It cut the grass pretty effortlessly and even mowed down most of the larger Scotch broom which is invasive in Washington. The Self Propel drive worked well. I did wish it worked going backwards though at least a little for tight maneuvers. Pushing down all the way on the handle will speed it up to 4.3mph which was a light jog. The 10″ rear wheels are plastic so a couple times they lost traction on really dry grass but that’s no different than gas powered self drive systems I’ve used before.
I then tested the Toro 30” eTimemaster on my front and back yard. Wheel to wheel is about 27 inches and that’s the width of the actual cut on each pass so it did take me less time than my gas mower. However, I noticed that it didn’t seem to cut the grass as crisply as my gas mower. It left clumps here and there and almost looked as if I hadn’t just mowed.
Some others have noticed the same and stated the installed blades on the eTimeMaster are lighter than the gas-powered version to save weight. I checked the original blades which were stamped 145-4002 and they weighed in at 535.7 grams and 535.4. I installed the recommended replacement Toro Hi-Lift Part #20122P which are stamped 116-6358 and the lightest one weighed 553.7 grams. The lift difference is very noticeable though. Whether it was the extra 2oish grams per blade or the higher lift angle the Hi Lift blades cut a lot cleaner and should be the blades that come with the 30″ eTimeMaster straight out of the box.
On such an expensive mower, I would expect it to cut well right out of the box. Maybe the Scotch broom dulled the original blades enough to affect the cut quality, but they shouldn’t need to be sharpened after the first use. Either way, if you have issues, I would recommend installing the Hi Lift blades.
Final thoughts
At $2,199 (currently on sale) the Toro 30” eTimeMaster lawn mower is a serious yard tool investment. Just the mower without batteries is $1,899 so if you are already invested in the Toro battery system the 30” eTimeMaster could add to your yard tool collection and add two 10 Ah batteries for just $200 more compared to $425.20 each on their own. It’s definitely overkill for smaller yards like mine and anyone with over an acre will probably want a riding mower so the 30” eTimeMaster is likely for someone with about ¾ to a full acre of yard that wants to go electric, has a pretty wide open lawn without many obstacles, and has the space in their garage or shed to store it. For me their 21″ Stripe or 22″ Recycler which both can be stored upright would have made more sense for my smaller garage and yard and are a lot cheaper at $554 and $629 respectively. I would recommend checking out their full 60V lineup because they have something for anyone’s needs. I also appreciate their 3 year mower and 3 year battery warranty and full parts catalog which will keep your tools running for a long time.
What I like about the Toro 30″ eTimeMaster Mower
- Super easy to start and operate
- Much quieter than gas
What needs to be improved?
- Include the Hi Lift blades
- Assisted Drive going backwards would be nice for tight spots
Price: $2,199.99 on sale for a limited time. Normal price $2,399.
Where to buy: Toro website
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Toro. They did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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This is ridiculously expensive with so many comparable models from other manufacturers available at much lower prices.