How Do EGO Batteries Compare To Ones Made By Milwaukee Or Ryobi?

Whether you've been thinking about adding a new cordless power tool to your current slate of devices or are looking to start a collection worthy of maintaining your home's landscaping, chances are the name EGO has already entered the chat. Assuming that's the case, it's also likely that the brand name has raised a few questions in your mind, if only because the Chevron-owned tool line is relatively new on the scene and, thus, less established than major players like Milwaukee or Ryobi.

But while EGO hasn't been around quite as long as those other brands, it has had a stake in the power tool game for more than a decade. Over that stretch, the company has made quite a name for itself, delivering a small but punchy line of devices that can easily keep pace with the competition. That remains true even if EGO is currently manufacturing fewer devices than other brands, with the toolmaker largely focusing its efforts on yard equipment it claims is capable of delivering gasoline power via its 56V lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs.

Of course, EGO isn't the only power tool manufacturer to make power claims like that, with Milwaukee and even Ryobi — whose tools are made by Wisconsin-based Techtronic Industries — among the many outfits to proclaim their own battery-powered devices are pulling no punches on the power front. Here's a quick look at how EGO batteries stack up against those major players.

The yard and landscaping devices manufactured by EGO, Ryobi, and Milwaukee — which is the oldest of the three brands by a fair bit – primarily utilize high-efficiency brushless motors. The battery packs that power them are also largely shareable with other tools in their respective line, with each company making a set of battery packs that stretch across a wide range of offerings in terms of ampere-hour (or Ah, for short).

For this article, we're examining batteries from EGO, Milwaukee, and Ryobi in the 6Ah range, as it is a common enough mid-range rating. In terms of voltage, EGO holds a clear advantage over the competition, as its 6Ah battery packs and their unique ARC design are all 56V in nature. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's 6Ah batteries top out at 18V, and Ryobi — whose 80V packs are primarily designed for lawn mowers and do not include a 6Ah offering — topping out at 40V.

EGO batteries also boast reasonable charging times, with the company claiming its 6Ah packs can reach a full charge in 35 minutes with its Power+ Turbo Charger, or about 120 minutes with a standard one. Ryobi does not offer a turbo charge option but claims its 6Ah packs can charge in about 60 minutes. Milwaukee's M18 Redlithium Forge 18v packs, on the other hand, are capable of reaching an 80% charge in about 15 minutes with its supercharger, though an average charger pushes the time to just over an hour.

If you're curious about the running times for EGO, Milwaukee, and Ryobi lithium-on battery packs, we aren't listing specifics here, as such performance metrics can vary dramatically depending on both the work being performed and the device they are powering. These times can vary so much that we wouldn't be comfortable posting any claims without testing each battery out ourselves in a controlled environment. That said, the ampere-hour rating is meant as a loose measure of those capabilities, with 6Ah theoretically signaling that a 56V battery can evenly deliver that amperage for at least one hour of time.

Now, with EGO batteries besting or at least holding their own against the likes of Milwaukee and Ryobi in certain categories, you're probably wondering about cost. After all, for some people that is the biggest deciding factor in any powered device decision. While EGO devices are not exactly cheap, some are competitively priced; for example, a 14" battery-powered chainsaw from EGO will cost you $179.00 on Amazon. Meanwhile, a 14" Ryobi chainsaw is priced at $229.00 when purchased directly through the company, and a Milwaukee 14" chainsaw will set you back a cool $299 through The Home Depot.

Those prices are, of course, without a battery or charger. And we should note that EGO batteries are not cheap, with Amazon's $229 price tag being the lowest we could find for an ARC 56V 6Ah pack. By comparison, Ryobi sells its 40V 6Ah packs for $199.00, and Milwaukee's 18V M18 batteries clock in at $179.00 through The Home Depot.