Several readers wrote in, about reports that Home Depot has cut or “dropped” EGO as one of their cordless outdoor power tool offerings.
Thank you to everyone who wrote in with news of this development!
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EGO is one of the best cordless OPE tool brands out there these days, and they rose in ranks as a Home Depot exclusive before broadening their distribution in recent years.
Home Depot made an announcement yesterday, that they will accelerate investments in outdoor power categories, involving a refinement of top brands.
The new move will include a reset that will be executed at approximately 1300 Home Depot store locations by the end of 2020. All stores should have their outdoor power equipment sections reset through spring 2021.
An interview that Home Depot participated in with the Atlanta Business Chronicle, via BizJournals, says:
[Home Depot is] focused on the most relevant brands with the greatest adoption.
If you ask my opinion, EGO has been one of the most relevant brands in the industry, with many “firsts” and constant innovation and improvements.
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The BizJournals article adds:
The Atlanta-based retail giant said the four remaining cordless options fit their aim to provide interchangeable batteries among products, and collectively make up the vast majority of platforms already owned by its customers.
I would say that the power and performance of EGO’s higher voltage and larger capacity batteries is largely responsible for their growth and success over the years. The fact that EGO only produces cordless outdoor power tool products has not been a limitation or detractor before, so why now?
Additionally, Products such as EGO’s cordless snowblower are not yet available from competing brands. Ryobi does offer a 40V Max option, but it’s lower powered compared to the EGO.
At the time of this posting, EGO’s cordless snowblower is still available on Home Depot’s website.
The Home Depot investor relations press release goes on to discuss the move as it pertains to discontinuing their relationship with the EGO cordless power tool brand:
The enhanced assortment will include The Home Depot’s top brands of innovative cordless outdoor power – Ryobi, Makita, DeWalt, and Milwaukee – as well as the most trusted brands of gas-powered products in the industry – Toro, Echo, John Deere, Cub Cadet, Honda, and Troy-Bilt.
As part of this merchandise reset, the company has made the decision to discontinue the Ego line of outdoor power equipment.
Earlier in the year, the company began refreshing its presentation of the outdoor power category to make it easier for customers to determine which equipment would best meet their needs. The branded-bay presentation features the latest in battery-powered technologies that have become increasingly popular among DIY consumers and professional landscapers.
Ryobi, DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita provide common battery platforms across their industry-leading power tool and outdoor power equipment products, which collectively make up the vast majority of batteries already owned by consumers. This provides customers an array of options and flexibility for their battery powered tools that can be interchanged on the same battery platform.
There was no further clarification as to what the enhanced assortment will involve, aside from featuring cordless outdoor power tools from Ryobi, Makita Dewalt, and Milwaukee tool brands, along with gas-powered offerings from a host of familiar brands.
This is a surprising move, as EGO seems to have been an extremely popular cordless outdoor power tool brand, and no doubt both companies enjoyed success from the exclusivity or near-exclusivity in recent years that their partnership has brought.
Champs
…so being in the market, should I buy cheap on clearance or worry about obsolescence? For a lawnmower I’m expecting decades but the battery just years. Crazy to just throw away that investment.
IJK
If you see what you want on clearance, grab it. Lowes picked them up, starting this fall. I’ll be trying to grab the backpack vac before it clears out.
Gerard Wolke
Careful about warranty. Ego’s customer service is extraordinarily bad and they won’t honor warranty claims unless you buy from an Ego dealer.
Rick
I have an EGO 56v string trimmer, it is great, far superior to other brands I have used.
Last year a friend bought an EGO 56v, self propelled mower. I set it up for her and tried it out. I was amazed at the performance and the battery life even when using the self propelled mode.
In my somewhat limited knowledge of all cordless products, I would say EGO is far superior to other brands.
Mike McFalls
Per Lowe’s corporate, they will now carry the ego OPE beginning in the fall and exclusively in December.
Nathan Russell
I have an EGO mower, string trimmer, edger, and leaf blower. They are all great products with excellent battery life. I can easily do my whole yard on two 5aH batteries. This is a disappointment.
Rog
They’re moving to a Lowe’s exclusive now. Probably wanted a larger cut and HD said take a hike.
Rog
EDIT: Or they told HD to pound sand.
Patrick
This is my guess. After reading both press releases I get the feeling that it was Ego that dropped HD rather than the other way around.
IJK
Think it might also have something to do with the notoriously long turnaround times Home Depot has for EGO warranty claims?
EGO definitely makes some amazing OPE, but they’ve taken a bit of a rap for their warranty process, especially during this covid-19.
RC Ward
You are right about that. EGO is number one in the cordless yard equipment.
Drewmcdan1
Damm! In sharpening my blade for the 20 inch mower last month, I figured I might need a blade sometime next year. I went to HD and they were out of stock on one of the two blades that work with mower. Glad I ordered the other blade. Also noticed that a couple of the attachments for their powerhead tool (I really like it) were out of stock.
There is an Ace Hardware store not too far away that carries EGO but I haven’t visited them.
Anyone think that maybe Lowes will be carrying them? I can’t imagine EGO not having a nationwide distributor. I’ve gotten several emails on their upcoming riding mower, so I don’t think Chevron/EGO is going to abandon the brand.
Lance
Lowe’s will be carrying Ego products soon.
Mark Bristow
I’ve had good luck with the EGO blower and the 5 A/H batteries. I also have the snow blower and it doesn’t do too bad either. I would compare the performance to a small single stage gas model. From everything I’ve read though, the EGO push mowers were not designed to handle cool season grasses being cut at 3”+. They seem better suited for warm season grasses, in smaller yards, being cut short. I’ll stick with my Honda 21″ push mower, Stihl 2 stroke trimmer and John Deere 42″ rider.
Dorie Waters
Hi!
I have an ego push mower that I bought last summer. I’m a 68 year old woman and 5’3 and found it amazingly easy to use once I got over my fear of the size. I have a huge yard with 2 levels and a little hill and can do it in 1 1/2 hours with a little break in the middle. I had no trouble cutting it in the start of the season, when the grass was long and damp and I had been trying to decide which machine to buy. I am so disappointed that Home Depot has dropped them or the other way round. I guess I have to shop at Lowe’s now . That’s alright. I have that fast battery charger and want to buy more cordless tools.
Devin Windham
Do you mean 5Ah batteries, rather than 5A/H batteries?
Joe S
Thought it was a little strange when they popped up at my local Ace recently, we could speculate when HD dropped them or Ego decided to go another direction but either way that agreement is obviously dome. Seeing some comments they will soon be at Lowe’s… wouldn’t shock me to see them sold by Amazon as well.
Gordon
I wouldn’t call it a loss for HD, if they actually had other battery OPE in stores. I’ve only seen a display M18 trimmer and the dewalt and M18 blowers. They list Makita, but only sell that online and historically don’t follow the promos or compete on price.
It also doesn’t even sound like they’re going to try and bring in the more professional battery powered systems like Sthil or Husqvarna.
On the flip side I’m surprised that Lowes is jumping on them given their fairly new infatuation with Craftsman. It seems to be hit or miss with stores actually having Craftsman OPE, much to the ire of many customers. I would have expected a deeper involvement with Craftsman, but maybe they ditched that knowing Ego was in the works.
Lance
Lowe’s PR also states they will be carrying Skil tools and OPE. That looks even worse for Craftsman OPE.
Matt
SBD didn’t do Craftsman any favors. They brought out V60 just to dump it the same year. No brushless mowers or anything. They never did launch V80.
Gordon
SBD seems to be trashing DeWalt and Craftsman OPE then complaining that no one wants battery OPE. I’m pretty sure they could take the crown in OPE with some decent flexvolt options. But right now it’s a mess with some 20v tools, and some 60v. I guess it’s a good thing that they got rid of 40v?
Greg
Nope the local Lowes guy I know, in talking with some people up the chain, believes they are dumping all of the Craftsman OPE soon. The local stores are actually clearance pricing most of the Craftsmen hand tools. Honestly though they are in my opinion trash for the price. SBD bought into the “lets skip random sizes in sets of hand tools” game pretty hard. This is an instant no for me, made in the USA or not. Adding insult to injury you can’t even get the missing tools in singles like you could at least at Sears.
It pains me to say it because old Craftsmen could be brought back from the grave but it’s going to take someone like Wright Tools that cares. Sadly it looks like my skepticism upon hearing SBD buying Craftsmen hasn’t been unfounded so far.
rob
The HD stores have the Makita ope, just none of the Makita ope you want. It’s all of the one battery cost cutter models.
JasonM
Home Depot’s Ryobi + Ridgid + Milwaukee already have an equivalent to everything in the EGO line.
If this was HD’s call to sever ties with EGO, then expect a big push in the Trio’s Outdoor Power Equipment line. There is a brand void now for Ridgid’s AEG offshore clone to come into Home Depot and/or Milwaukee to add OPE offerings into the 18V Fuel format.
PCola10k
Not so sure about equivalent string trimmer. Had the 40v Ryobi string trimmer, it had no wheres near the power of the EGO 56v I replaced it with. The EGO will cut through the saw grass at my costal home with ease, the Ryobi could not stand up to the same job. The EGO 56v 2.5 pack is pretty awesome. Have not felt the need for the 5 or 7 amp.
Jim Felt
Having not cut any of our own yard’s grass, shrubs or trees in decades I do know none of my vendors use any of these HD/Lowe’s brands.
Wonder what this says?
Though I do love using the Milwaukee M18 12 Ah Leaf Blower.
Frank D
Commercial mowing people homeowners
RC Ward
This has nothing to do with how good EGO is. They are the best cordless equipment to get. This is about money and HD wanting more of it and thinking that pushing their own brands will get that . HD is a joke.
Jim
Lowe’s is trying to bring more pros into their stores by signing exclusives with various brands — Ego as the latest, but Bosch recently too, and I’m sure others to come.
HD has a pretty strong relationship with Milwaukee. I wonder if this might also have to do with clearing out more floor space for upcoming Milwaukee mowers and other not-yet-released OPE.
Brumz
That MX or whatever series of tools Milwaukee has are super powerful. They could come out with some legit mowers and zero turns. I love their quik lok system they have already.
Just a Medic
EGO’s cordless snowblower is not unique. Greenworks’ 80v cordless snowblower performs equally or better.
Stuart
Which of Home Depot’s other in-store brands have a cordless snowblower? They don’t carry Greenworks.
Erik
Toro has a single stage snow blower with their me electric line.
Toolfreak
Saw the EGO stuff on clearance at HD today, wondered what was up.
This explains it.
Ty B
What did the discounts look like?
Max Wax
one of the most relevant brands?
What??
Depot is let’go my ego because shelf space is better utilized by brands that sell. When Ace Hardware, which is closing stores at an accelerated pace, and Lowe’s picking up the waffle are the only two retail outlets to carry the line that sounds more like an IRrelevant brand.
Stuart
Max, if you’re going to leave a comment like that, trashing Lowe’s, Ace, and Ego, it’s best not to do it from a Home Depot computer or IP address.
Mr Weedley
hahahahaha
Lady driven
All the EGO stuff DISAPPEARED OVER NIGHT online off the HD.CA website. As I was in the middle of deciding between the 3 pieces of EGO or 3 pieces of TORO. I went in to my local BC Canada store. All still at regular price but all the demonstration pieces were on Clearance. So I bought 2 of the 3 items I wanted and an extra 700 battery. No I just need to find a deal on the Snow blower before the snow comes.lol
Scott
I work at HD and just purchased the Ego power inverter for my camping trip works amazing by the way. I own the lawn mower, chainsaw, line trimmer, and the leaf blower. Amazing tools purchased all these so my son can take on all the yard work with ease also, being easy for me to use with tons of power. Just got back from vacation to find out the product has been dropped little sad to see the amazing tools leaving HD. And I have no Lowes up in the north here where we are.
Guess I’m not getting that snow blower this year.
Sam
From personal experience, Home Depot is completely ruthless in trying to have total exclusivity of any product line. The only ones that can fight back are the major players in an industry. They lost Purdy cause they tried to strong arm total exclusivity…bad more.
Sam
bad move that is.
Reddy
Given the speed of Ego’s Lowes partnership, and the fact HD immediately pulled Ego product from the shelves, it seems clear this was Ego’s move. I purchased an Ego mower a few months ago and have been thrilled with its performance. I’d been keeping an eye open for deals on an Ego snow blower as that season approaches so was disappointed to learn the brand was leaving HD. Ego’s announcement says nothing about the Canadian market where Lowes is a bit player, with a third of the number of HD stores, none of them east of Ontario. If Lowes has exclusivity, and Ego can’t supply eastern retailers like Kent or Rona, it leaves a big chunk of the Canadian market out in the cold.
K Williams
wow, it looks like Lowe’s does have an EGO battery, but I had to do a search at the top to find it, they did not have EGO in their brand list yet. And no friendly companion products shown alongside to help me out. Was thinking of expanding my equipment and laying out $ for the multi tool with an edger, but can’t find the multi thing at Lowe’s. whatever. I wish there was some healthy competition for this equipment, it’s rather overpriced right now.
I may switch brands if I can’t find what I need next spring. And EGO recently abandoned their community forum that was so helpful, just to make everything as difficult as possible for customers. And doing all this in the middle of the mowing season? Makes me distrust EGO, but not the stores, necessarily.
Olivia
Bad move on the part of Home Depot. EGO is a superior product. Guess I’ll have to spend my money somewhere else to get what I want; an EGO mower.
Mike
Any update on price discount my local HD took $50 off the $349 carbon 56v trimmer. Seems like they should have taken more off