Starting in 2026, we’re doing something most landscape companies talk about...
We’re putting an entire commercial lawn crew on 100% electric handheld equipment, powered by DEWALT’s latest 60V MAX/FLEXVOLT technology, and running it through a full Landscape/Hardscape season.
Not as a gimmick.
Not for social media points.
But to see what actually happens when you put battery tools to work all day, every day in the real world.
This article breaks down why we’re doing it, what we’ll be measuring, and what it means for homeowners, HOAs, and commercial property managers who care about results, noise, and long-term reliability, not just buzzwords like “green” and “eco-friendly.”
Gas Built This Industry, But It’s Under Pressure
Internal Combustion Equipment built modern landscaping.
- Instant refuel with a can of mix
- Proven durability in heat, dust, and abuse
- Raw power for thick turf and overgrown properties
But the landscape is changing, literally and legally.
States like California have already moved to ban the sale of new gas-powered small off-road engines (SOREs), such as blowers, trimmers, and mowers, starting in 2024, pushing pros toward zero-emission equipment whether they’re ready or not.
Cities and counties around the country are also targeting noise and emissions, mainly from blowers, with more than 200 localities restricting or banning gas-powered leaf blowers altogether.
At the same time, manufacturers like DEWALT are pushing hard into commercial-grade cordless platforms, 20V MAX and 60V MAX FLEXVOLT blowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and mowers designed to replace gas for many everyday tasks.
So the question isn’t if electric is coming...
The question is, "How far can it go before it hits real-world limits in professional use?"
Why We’re Testing an All-Electric Handheld Crew
We’re not flipping the whole company electric overnight; that would be stupid.
Instead, we’re doing what we always do at Landscaping Unlimited, something innovative, like testing, tracking, and telling the truth.
In 2026, we’re taking one of our commercial lawn crews and running it with 100% electric handheld equipment:
- Blowers
- String trimmers
- Hedge trimmers
- Small saws/pruners
Mowers may remain gas or hybrid for now (that’s where battery tech still struggles on big acreage), but everything in the operator’s hands will run off DEWALT’s 60V commercial battery platform.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR SOCIALS:
1. Client Experience: Does Quieter Actually Feel Better?
Gas blowers and trimmers don’t just cut grass; they cut through conversations, meetings, and workdays.
Electric equipment offers:
- Lower noise at the source and at property lines
- Fewer early-morning or mid-day complaints from office workers
- Less disruption for offices, schools, medical facilities, and neighborhoods
Many of the gas equipment bans and restrictions across the country are justified, in part, by noise pollution and quality-of-life concerns for residents and workers.
Our question is simple:
If we can deliver the same or better cut quality with quieter tools, does that create a noticeably better experience for our commercial clients?
We’ll be asking property managers directly:
- Do tenants comment?
- Are there fewer noise complaints?
- Does it change how they view professional landscaping as a whole?
2. Operator Health: Vibration, Fumes & Fatigue
Landscaping is hard enough on the body without your equipment fighting you.
Traditional gas handhelds come with:
- Exhaust fumes in the operator’s face
- Constant vibration through the hands and arms
- High noise levels can damage hearing over time
Electric tools cut out exhaust entirely and significantly reduce vibration and noise at the operator’s ear, which can reduce long-term wear and tear on the crew.
With the all-electric crew, we’ll be tracking:
- How the guys feel at the start vs. the end of the day
- Whether they report less fatigue, headache, or burnout
- Whether lower noise helps with communication and teamwork on-site
If we can protect our team’s bodies and still hit production targets, that’s a huge win.
3. Performance & Runtime: Can Electric Keep Up?
This is where most pros are skeptical, and honestly, they’re not wrong to ask hard questions.
Today’s DEWALT 60V MAX/FLEXVOLT commercial tools are no joke, and the newer 60V string trimmers, for example, are designed for heavy-duty trimming with 17-inch cutting swaths and high RPM, giving them real bite even in tougher grass and weeds.
But runtime is still the elephant in the room...
We’ll be measuring:
- How many batteries does it take to run a full day
- Whether trimming and blowing times change compared to gas
- Whether operators have to “baby” the tools or can run them full-send
We’ll also test how battery rotation works in the real world:
- Can we keep enough batteries cycling on chargers between jobs?
- Do we need charging infrastructure on the trucks or at the shop?
- What happens on long, hot, peak-season days?
Want the Unfiltered Discussion? Listen to Episode 15
This article gives you the big-picture breakdown, but if you want the unfiltered, shop-floor conversation of pros, cons, skepticism, and all, tune into:
🎧 EPISODE 15 – “Why We’re Betting a Whole Lawn Crew on Electric in 2026”
We unpack:
- Why we chose DEWALT’s electric platform for this test
- The specific concerns our guys have about going battery-powered
- How we’ll measure success over the 2026 season
- What other landscape companies should be thinking about before they dive in
4. Total Cost of Ownership: Gas vs Electric Over a Full Season
Another big question:
Is electric equipment cheaper, more expensive, or about the same once you factor in everything over a full season?
On the gas side, you have:
- Fuel costs (which bounce with oil prices)
- More frequent maintenance (carburetors, spark plugs, filters, pull cords)
- Downtime when something refuses to start on a Monday
On the electric side, you’re dealing with:
- Higher upfront tool and battery cost
- Electricity for charging instead of fuel
- Battery replacement cycles every few years
- Fewer moving parts and no carburetors or oil changes
We plan to track:
- Dollar-for-dollar fuel vs. electric charging costs
- Repair and maintenance tickets for gas vs. electric crews
- Equipment downtime across the season
Our goal isn’t to prove one side “wins” forever; in fact, we believe the "hybrid model" will be superior to choosing either side entirely.
Where We Think the Industry Is Headed: Hybrid Fleets
We don’t believe gas is disappearing from commercial landscaping tomorrow.
Here’s our honest prediction:
- Handheld tools (trimmers, blowers, hedge trimmers, small saws) → Increasingly going electric, especially in cities, neighborhoods, campuses, and sensitive environments.
- Large mowers and heavy equipment → Remaining gas or diesel for a while, with hybrid and electric options slowly entering the high-end market first.
- Regulations and HOAs → More rules around noise and emissions, especially for blowers and small engines, nudging companies toward electric, whether they like it or not.
In other words, the future is likely hybrid:
Gas is still the clear winner.
Electric, where it can match performance while improving comfort, noise, and air quality.
What This Means If You’re a Homeowner or Property Manager
If you hire us, or any professional landscaping company, you don’t care about tool brands for the sake of it - you care about results.
Here’s what an all-electric handheld crew could mean for you:
Pros for Clients
- Quieter service, especially around offices, schools, and neighborhoods
- Less smell and exhaust around entrances, doors, and patios
- Crews who are less worn out, which often means better attention to detail
Potential Cons
- On extremely large or complex sites, electric blowers may take longer in certain conditions (heavy, wet leaf cleanup, for example)
- Some services during the transition phase may require hybrid setups until battery tech catches up fully
Our commitment is simple:
We won’t switch tools if it means lowering our standard of work.
We’ll only keep electric in the rotation where it proves itself on quality, reliability, and value.
Your Turn: Gas-Only for Life… or Open to Electric?
Now we want to hear from you:
Would you trust an all-electric lawn crew to handle your property, or are you gas-only for life?
Drop a comment, send us a message, or bring it up next time we’re on your site.
This isn’t just about tools; it’s about where our industry is going, and we plan to be out front, testing it in the dirt instead of arguing about it online.
- Landscaping Unlimited