Can You Safely Use Your EGO Tools In The Rain? Here's What The Brand Says

Sometimes, rainy weather is an excuse to forget about yard work for a day or two. Other times, though, delaying yard maintenance can cause significantly more work when you're finally able to do it. If you have a ton of yard work to get done, but there is wet weather forecasted through the weekend, you'll be relieved to know that there are some gardening tasks that are a must after a heavy rain, as well as tasks that can be done safely in the rain. These include tree pruning and hedge trimming. Knowing what jobs are safe for you to do in the rain is important, but what about your landscaping equipment? If you use the popular battery-powered brand, EGO, you are likely used to grabbing the tool you need and heading out to the yard without a care. But can you safely use your EGO tools in the rain? According to the brand, you may want to wait until the rain clears up. You may even want to wait until things dry out a little before working with your EGO tools.

This is because the lithium-ion batteries used in these tools can corrode, short-circuit, or even catch fire when submerged or exposed to too much water. This can create a situation that's both frustrating and unsafe. Since EGO's yard equipment costs anywhere from under $200 to over $3,000, using your tools in the rain can also be an expensive proposition.

While EGO's yard equipment is not waterproof, the tools are splashproof. This means they can withstand getting a little water on them, but they should not be submerged or exposed to excessive amounts. Each EGO outdoor tool has an Ingress Protection (IP) rating that tells you the degree to which an enclosed electrical device is protected from water or dust. The IP rating scale for water ingress protection runs from zero to nine, with nine being the most protected. According to the EGO product catalog, the batteries in its tools have an IP rating of IPX4, which means that they are protected from water splashes only. For reference, an IP rating of IPX5 means that something is protected from "jets" of water, meaning it can withstand some rain.

A great reason why you shouldn't mow wet grass or trim and prune in the rain with your EGO tools is EGO's warranty policy. According to the warranty policy, issues that arise during the "normal use" of its tools are covered, but that excludes excessive exposure to water and rain. While the policy does not define what constitutes "excessive," it may not be worth the risk to find out. When in doubt, it's generally easier, and could ultimately be less costly, to take precautions to keep your EGO tools dry than it is to use them in the rain, enter into a warranty dispute, and possibly still end up having to repurchase your tools in the end.