What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[DFB5.0]

I’ll be interested in your experience with Bowdens new twisted drying towel.
they claim it’s far superior to Big Green Sucker.

I’m OS right now but pricing a 650 GT manual with no options. Blue is an extra $700 AUD.
Race red and white no extra charge. So I figure if your ordering Race Red GT Manual it’ll be cheapest Mustang available. Shade over $86k driveaway (Melbourne) via Ford Aus build your Mustang website.
Good luck with your order.

I don't like Twist-Loop style towels, I find them too grabby. They are however very absorbent, so it will depend on how you dry your car. In my case, I use a relatively small towel to mop up any remaining drips of water after blowing the car down.

I have an order for the following -

Mustang GT Hardtop
10-speed Auto
Race Red
Magneride
Black Package (black roof, badges, wheels, mirrors)

$97,000 driveaway (Vic)

I paid $58k for my S550 in 2017, so that price is verrrry close to not being worth it, Ford know what they are doing. The whole ordering process has been an absolute shit show, badly managed by Ford Australia and with minimal to no communication. Its also been delay again, with deliveries not happening to mid next year. Very pissed off with it all and think constantly about just telling Ford to get fu.ked. I've been loyal to Ford for 20 years, but they just don't care unless you are buying a 2.5 tonne ladder frame pickup truck.

Sponsored

 

[PKs]

XR6 Brake Upgrade

After having the wheels off the XR6 last month, it spurred me to act on something that has been on the maybe-one-day list.

Falcon’s were never renowned for braking performance. These were fleet, rental, police and taxi cars first, and performance orientated cars a somewhat distant second. I don’t say that to insult the Falcon or its fans, rather it's a realistic assessment of a car that had to sell in both volume and at low cost.

That low cost covers several different viewpoints. Firstly, the car needed to be attractive to fleet buyers, as in the ones who kept the factory volume up. To do that, Ford needed to offer an attractive per vehicle price, at the same time keeping running and repair costs low. In other words, provide a lower total ownership cost than the competitors. This is why Ford gained ground in fleet sales by offering 15,000 km intervals compared to Holden at 10,000 km service intervals. If a fleet kept the cars for 80,000 km before turning them over, each car would need just over 5 services in that time, a Holden would need 8 over the same period.

What does this have to do with brakes? Well, smaller brakes are cheaper to make, and cheaper to service/replace in the field. And this is why a large, powerful RWD sedan weighing beyond 1700 kg (3750 lbs) was fitted with braking hardware smaller than some small hatchbacks.

The standard Falcon braking hardware from the 2002 BA, right through until the very last FGX Falcon made in October 2016, was the same throughout. Even the BA and BA MK II XR6 Turbo and XR8 got this system –

Front – 298 mm x 28 mm ventilated rotors and twin piston sliding calipers.
Rear – 303 mm x 16 mm solid rotors and single piston sliding calipers.

Ford did offer a much better Premium Brake system as a factory option on all BA and BA MK II XR sedans, the same fitted to the FPV GT, but uptake was low. The limited-edition BA MK II XR8 Devil R and XR8 Enforcer editions also featured those brakes as standard, as were a lot of early BA Falcon press cars. At the time of writing, even after raiding my image collection and scouring the internet, I could find little to no images of this system, be that the black Ford branded or the blue FPV branded examples.

Fun fact, if you paid the $2950 for Premium Brakes on a BA XR6/XR6T/XR8, your car went across the road to FPV for them to be fitted, and a matching alloy spare wheel was a mandatory option.

From BF onward, Ford deleted the Premium Brake option, and all XR6 Turbo and XR8 models came with an upgraded factory fit system (the NA XR6 missed out on this, nor was it an option) -

Front – 322 mm x 28 mm ventilated rotor and twin piston sliding calipers.
Rear – 328 mm x 26 mm ventilated rotor and single piston sliding calipers.

From what I can gather, at some point in the BF MK II run, and then onwards, those specs changed again with the rear reverting back to the standard 303 mm solid rotor and smaller caliper. Again, cost control in the lead up to the new model. For FG, this spec was also used on the G6E Turbo and FPV GS models as well.

Front – 322 mm x 28 mm ventilated rotor and twin piston sliding calipers.
Rear - 303 mm x 16 mm solid rotor and single piston sliding calipers.

I should point out that in normal driving conditions, the brakes on my XR6 are fine, but nothing more. The pedal feel is mushy, and the braking ability limited in performance orientated driving. My main gripe being a lack of stamina, you get one or two big hits and that’s it, the pedal gets longer, they start to shudder and become quite noisy. Which is where this upgrade comes in.

To be clear, I wanted Brembo’s, for the performance but also the looks. However, despite Brembo’s being a direct bolt on and fitting within an 18-inch diameter wheel, the front caliper won’t clear the back of the spokes on the XR Snowflake wheels. And I was not prepared to forego those beautiful wheels or pay for a new set of wheels and tires. A Brembo package with new wheels and tires would be near on half the value of the car itself. I like setting fire to cash, but not that much.

So, this is where I went looking for something that would scratch the braking itch, while being cost effective and without losing those wheels.

A few years ago, you could still buy a PBR upgrade kit, which in effect was a BA GT / BA Premium Brake system with larger/stiffer C5 calipers and larger grooved rotors. In this case, the calipers were painted red rather than blue or black. However, those kits are long gone.

https://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11357450
https://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11452132

I also went looking for an after-market solution, which I found a couple of vendors selling aluminum mono-block 4, 6 or 8 piston calipers that would fit a variety of wheel styles rather than the set list of FPV-specific wheels. But………………I just didn’t love them, too “aftermarket” looking and questionable quality. Brakes aren’t something to take a gamble on in my opinion.

https://www.performancesuspension.com.au/ford-falcon-fg-2008-on-xyz-racing-6-pot-355mm-fixe~17089
https://www.vari.com.au/product/falcon-fg-fgx-gtp-kit/




So with that, I settled on a tried-and-true Falcon upgrade, fitting the BF – FG XR6 Turbo brake setup. In this case, the calipers all round remain the same, but the front rotors are increased from 298 mm to 322 mm.

The first requirement for this upgrade is a larger caliper support bracket. This is for the front only, the rear setup stays as is. These are available from the aftermarket or by sourcing a set at a wrecking yard. In my case, I ordered a new set online.

https://www.planetparts.com.au/ford-ba-fg-falcon-front-brake-upgrade-caliper-supp
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/292209993994

The above bracket allows for the fitment of the larger front rotors. But what rotors? Because Ford used the same brake systems from 2002 to 2016 on Falcon and Territory, the availability and choice of spare parts is a huge bonus of these cars. Ford OEM rotors are still available, but I decided to go a few steps beyond that and looked at DBA’s range of aftermarket options. It’s at this point I reached out to Matt from Race Brakes Sydney for some advice.

https://www.racebrakessydney.com.au/
https://www.fordforums.com.au/forumdisplay.php?f=174

In my case, I skipped the OE-replacement 3000-series and went straight to the 4000 series in T3 spec. While DBA offer cross drilled and slotted 4000 XD and 4000 XS designs, Matt suggested sticking with the 4000 T3 slotted rotor. For the fronts, 322 mm x 28 mm ventilated rotors were chosen, the rears remain the same OE size solid 303 mm x 16 mm rotors.

https://dba.com.au/product/front-4000-series-t3-brake-rotor-dba42107s/
https://dba.com.au/product/rear-4000-series-t3-brake-rotor-dba4505s/

For pads, Matt recommended Project Mu NS-EP on the front, catering to my low dust/low noise requirements. On the rear, DBA Street Performance pads.

https://www.project-mu.co.jp/en/products/pad_ns-ep.html
https://dba.com.au/product/rear-street-performance-brake-pads-db1376sp/

Initially, I was going to leave it at that, however I decided to change the original 15-year-old rubber brake lines for Goodridge braided stainless steel items made by Matt for the Falcon. This modification should reduce that mushy brake pedal feel.

A few days later, some very HEAVY boxes arrived from Sydney...............

So, to recap –

- 24mm larger and upgraded front rotors
- Upgraded front pads
- Upgraded rear rotors
- Upgraded rear pads
- Braided stainless steel brake lines for each corner
- Penrite Super Dot 4 Brake Fluid (The fluid was last changed in 2019 )

With the above, I was hoping incremental improvements in key areas would add up to a more capable whole.

And this is where I changed my direction……………………

Up until then, I had intended to install these new parts myself. The key aspect being everything was a simple bolt on. But messing with the brake fluid, as would be required when changing the brake lines, was not something I was confident doing. So………………….I chickened out and had a local mechanic do the job for me. While I have been getting more and more confident doing mechanical work, messing with such an important safety system on the car didn’t appeal to me. I guess I could have done the rotors and pads myself, then passed the lines onto the mechanic, but I just decided to let them do it all. (Notice the Galaxy Blue AU I XR8 in the background, which was sounding very healthy as I picked up the car. If you think the FG's brakes look and sound underwhelming, those things were even worse with 287mm rotors and single piston calipers all round. )

The main visual giveaway is the green Project Mu pads, otherwise this is a subtle looking upgrade, which suits me just fine. I'm sure if I had the dust shields removed, they would be more noticeable......................

While I haven't had a decent run with the new brakes, on the drive home from the mechanic, the first thing I noticed was the considerably smoother feel under foot and lower noise levels. I was expecting to have to bed them in, but they actually did that for me. I'm looking forward to giving them a decent hit in the future.

Cost BRAKE down –

I’m including this to give a better picture of what this modification costs.

XR6 Turbo Caliper Support Bracket - $69.00 (Normally $170)
4000-Series T3 Front Rotor - $265 each / $530 total
4000-Series T3 Rear Rotor - $200 each / $400 total
Project Mu NS-EP Front Pads - $198 set
DBA Street Performance Pads - $100 set
Goodridge Braided Brake Lines - $298 (set of 4)
Freight - $88.00 (Pickup is available for those in Sydney)
Penrite Super DOT 4 Brake Fluid 500ml – $19.00 each / $38.00 total
Fitment Labor - $385.00

Total Price - $2106

Yes, a lot of money. In terms of brake fluid, that is supposed to be replaced every two years anyway, and the rubber OE lines are now over 15 years old. One a maintenance item, the other preventative maintenance. The OE rotors and pads are virtually brand new, but most 15-year-old cars would have had at least one pad and rotor change in that time.

The side bonus of this upgrade is that I may have found a mechanic I can trust. For many, that is one of the biggest problems a car guy can face, finding someone who is knowledgeable and treats the car like their own. This is a smaller two-person operation, one that I had to wait several weeks to get an appointment. To me, that says a lot.

With thanks to @GT 550 for the advice and words of encouragement.

Hi DFB5.0. I notice that you have the EGO fan. Any good? I was thinking of adding it to my wish list for the uninsulated shed.

 

[DFB5.0]

Hi DFB5.0. I notice that you have the EGO fan. Any good? I was thinking of adding it to my wish list for the uninsulated shed.

If you have the batteries, then I would say go for it.

I love how multi-functional it is, allowing you to position it in different configurations.

You can run the fan with or without the cooling function. Water is drawn from a bucket and misted into the air stream. I have to pick my mark with the cooling aspect, mainly for the moisture while detailing. But the great thing is, you can just switch off the pump and run it as a fan, from a gentle/quiet breeze, right up to a gale force wind.

 

[PKs]

If you have the batteries, then I would say go for it.

I love how multi-functional it is, allowing you to position it in different configurations.

You can run the fan with or without the cooling function. Water is drawn from a bucket and misted into the air stream. I have to pick my mark with the cooling aspect, mainly for the moisture while detailing. But the great thing is, you can just switch off the pump and run it as a fan, from a gentle/quiet breeze, right up to a gale force wind.

Thanks. You have confirmed my thoughts on the fan. I am up to 3 batteries for the Ego tools that I have so that should cover my anticipated needs for now. I can foresee a new fan coming soon. If only it came in orange. I am partial to orange tools.

 

[Brisvegas]

Thanks. You have confirmed my thoughts on the fan. I am up to 3 batteries for the Ego tools that I have so that should cover my anticipated needs for now. I can foresee a new fan coming soon. If only it came in orange. I am partial to orange tools.

I'd love one of those fans but damn then i saw the price and i have zero ego batteries . Will have to stick to my 75cm industrial fan that sounds like a cessna taking off .

 

[Evolvd]

I'd love one of those fans but damn then i saw the price and i have zero ego batteries . Will have to stick to my 75cm industrial fan that sounds like a cessna taking off .

Yeah they are creating an ecosystem much like Dewalt, Makita, Kobalt, Flex, etc. They know once you buy one tool with their battery you’ll most likely keep buying that brand so you don’t have multiple batteries and chargers taking up space.

But I love Ego. I have their mower and 765cfm blower and will most likely end up with their string trimmer next year.

 

[PKs]

I'd love one of those fans but damn then i saw the price and i have zero ego batteries . Will have to stick to my 75cm industrial fan that sounds like a cessna taking off .

Worth keeping an eye on Sydney Tools or Trade Tools sales. Sometimes a good deal comes up. I now have the Ego line trimmer, blower and two of their chainsaws. All just as powerful as the petrol machines I used to run but instart start with no tempermental fuel systems to contend with.

 

[GT 550]

Normally, streaking occurs from using the wrong towel or if the glass is too hot. Neither was the case today. And that was on a best-case scenario in that it was used on glass with an existing glass sealant.

Could that be causing the issue?

Now that I can actually see the rotors behind the wheel

Foollee hella sik brakes man. Righteous. Hetik even bro! May I ask when the first test flight is planned? Keen to read your impressions.

smells too much like a public restroom cleaner

Jeez what were they thinking. Instant fail.

I paid $58k for my S550 in 2017, so that price is verrrry close to not being worth it, Ford know what they are doing. The whole ordering process has been an absolute shit show, badly managed by Ford Australia and with minimal to no communication. Its also been delay again, with deliveries not happening to mid next year. Very pissed off with it all and think constantly about just telling Ford to get fu.ked.

IMHO 97k for an S650 is insane given it's essentially a refresh. But money and happiness are the provinces of the beholder. I just don't think they set the bar anywhere near high enough for the ask and there's clearly an exploitation/fomo factor in the price tag that they're trying on.

Shit show? 'Surely' not. See extract from the 'Big Company rulebook':

'If they keep buying our stuff why try harder'...see also 'If we're meeting expectations we're overachieving'.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2015-jaguar-f-type-r-auto-rwd-my16/SSE-AD-12502071/?Cr=5

Ok it's 30k more but you'll find that somehow. And it's 55k km which I know you're not keen on but look at it from the perspective that in 10 years of Jaaaag ownership given the km you do it'll only be at 56k km while all others will be at 156km . And it's a forever car that'll always be special for the right reasons vs a car that'll just be interesting because it's (potentially) the last of its type.

 

[Ozcraig]

Could that be causing the issue?



Foollee hella sik brakes man. Righteous. Hetik even bro! May I ask when the first test flight is planned? Keen to read your impressions.



Jeez what were they thinking. Instant fail.

IMHO 97k for an S650 is insane given it's essentially a refresh. But money and happiness are the provinces of the beholder. I just don't think they set the bar anywhere near high enough for the ask and there's clearly an exploitation/fomo factor in the price tag that they're trying on.

Shit show? 'Surely' not. See extract from the 'Big Company rulebook':

'If they keep buying our stuff why try harder'...see also 'If we're meeting expectations we're overachieving'.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2015-jaguar-f-type-r-auto-rwd-my16/SSE-AD-12502071/?Cr=5

Ok it's 30k more but you'll find that somehow. And it's 55k km which I know you're not keen on but look at it from the perspective that in 10 years of Jaaaag ownership given the km you do it'll only be at 56k km while all others will be at 156km . And it's a forever car that'll always be special for the right reasons vs a car that'll just be interesting because it's (potentially) the last of its type.

The price is definitely steep, but don't forget $A was worth 79cUS in Sept 2017, and is currently about 63c and heading south. That's no excuse for the price, but considering they can sell hundreds of thousands of Mustangs in LHD there's no incentive to make RHD in small quantities and not make a killing.

 

[DFB5.0]

Yeah they are creating an ecosystem much like Dewalt, Makita, Kobalt, Flex, etc. They know once you buy one tool with their battery you’ll most likely keep buying that brand so you don’t have multiple batteries and chargers taking up space.

But I love Ego. I have their mower and 765cfm blower and will most likely end up with their string trimmer next year.

I believe EGO have the best battery technology in the outdoor equipment industry, trumping the big names right out of the box.

The only tools I don't like from EGO are the lawn mowers, and that is in relation to the cutting system and deck design rather than the powertrain. Keep in mind, I use mowers for a living and we tend to cut lawns much lower in Australia. The bar blade and narrow discharge chute are not conductive to that. That doesn't mean they aren't good machines, rather they are unsuited to Australian mowing conditions.

At the moment, I have the 530 and 765 blowers, the fan and the power inverter. I actually bought the 530 blower for a family member, but it's terrible. It doesn't have a variable throttle, so it's either on or off. There is also a very annoying delay between pulling the trigger and the unit actually starting, very frustrating.

The 765 on the other hand is brilliant, mine is fitted with the stubby nozzle. We even replaced a long line of Stihl BG86 2-stroke blowers with a 765 and dual battery kit, has been absolutely brilliant. No more issues with staff mixing fuel, breaking pull cords, hard (I think every workplace has that one person who breaks literally everything they touch!), hard starting, re-tunes, unblocking carbon traps and exhaust ports.

 

[DFB5.0]

Could that be causing the issue?

Foollee hella sik brakes man. Righteous. Hetik even bro! May I ask when the first test flight is planned? Keen to read your impressions.

IMHO 97k for an S650 is insane given it's essentially a refresh. But money and happiness are the provinces of the beholder. I just don't think they set the bar anywhere near high enough for the ask and there's clearly an exploitation/fomo factor in the price tag that they're trying on.

Shit show? 'Surely' not. See extract from the 'Big Company rulebook':

'If they keep buying our stuff why try harder'...see also 'If we're meeting expectations we're overachieving'.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2015-jaguar-f-type-r-auto-rwd-my16/SSE-AD-12502071/?Cr=5

Ok it's 30k more but you'll find that somehow. And it's 55k km which I know you're not keen on but look at it from the perspective that in 10 years of Jaaaag ownership given the km you do it'll only be at 56k km while all others will be at 156km . And it's a forever car that'll always be special for the right reasons vs a car that'll just be interesting because it's (potentially) the last of its type.

For the ClarifyPhobic, the problem could be in fact incompatibility with the Gyeon Quick View already on the glass. Going by Sandro's review of the product, he seemed to suggest it would be better teamed with an existing glass coating/sealant.



For the brakes, well, that was exactly what I WASN'T going for! I guess if I sold it to a P-Plater, they would be right pleased not having to do that job. Anyway, the car is clean and under it's cover for a little while now. Apparently, I shouldn't beat on them too hard for a 300 km, bloody hell, that would take me 12 months to run up that many K's on the car!

For the S650, this is the timeline of events -

- September 2022, I placed my name on the waiting list at my dealer for a S650, basically a pre-order. Placed a deposit.

- In February 2023, Ford Australia asked the dealer network for a "wish list", basically to gauge what the model mix would look like for the first two rounds of allocations that would be sent to Australia. Those on the waiting list were asked for a preferred spec, model/color/trans/options ect. Pricing was expected to be announced soon after, which would then allow those on the waiting list to lock in their color, transmission and options.

- In May, I was given an NSC order number. In July, I was advised I had an October build slot.

- As of the 6th of October, I still had no idea what the car is costing me. So, I had an order for a car, an order number, no confirmation if my chosen color/trans/options have been accepted, and no idea what the thing is going to cost me.

- In mid October 2023, I had cracked the shits and sent Ford Customer Service an email -

Good afternoon,

In September 2022, I placed a deposit to be on the waiting list for the all-new Mustang at my local Ford dealer.

Both then and now, I knew the waiting period would be long, so that is not the reason for this email.

In Jan/Feb 2023, my dealer asked for my preferred model, colour, transmission, and options.

In May 2023, the dealer provided me with a NSC number.

In late July, I was advised of an October build allocation.

That’s the last I have heard. Again, its not the waiting that is annoying me.

At this point, I have no idea what this vehicle is going to cost me, or if my chosen model, colour, transmission, and options have been accepted. (For the record, a Mustang GT Hardtop, Race Red, Automatic transmission, Black Package and Magneride.) So, I have a car ordered with an October build slot with no confirmed price, no confirmed build spec and no idea when it will arrive.

My main concern though is not knowing what my car will be when it turns up. As car enthusiasts, buying a new car is a special occasion, especially on a highly desirable enthusiast model like the Mustang. As a customer, Ford did not allow me the ability properly consider and place an order with all the cards on the table. I am not alone in this situation, I’m one of many who have stayed loyal to Ford, have placed deposits, and effectively committed to the purchase only to be left dangling on the hook, waiting for any form of communication from Ford Australia.

To be completely fair to my Ford dealer, they are as frustrated and bemused as I am. The complete lack of communication between Ford Australia, its dealers and ultimately the customers is very disappointing.

It would be good to get some clarity on this situation.

Thank you for your time.........

- On 18th October 2023, I was phoned by someone at Ford Customer Service, who went on to read me a pre-written spiel. I'm not dramatizing here, this is basically what they told me..................."we don't have information on new cars, talk to your dealer..........."................in other words, we have no idea about what we are selling. And to be frank, that was not what I was asking about, just give me the price and confirm my build!

- On the 26th of October 2023, Ford released prices and specs, to shock and horror.

- A day later, October 27th 2023, Ford then announced that all Australian market Mustang production had been delayed until Q1 2024, deliveries expected Q2 2024.

- The following Monday, Oct 30th, I went in and sorted out the price, but was given a price that double charged me on LCT. That was rectified, to some degree. It was then confirmed that my chosen specs were locked in. Had I known prices before my car was scheduled, perhaps I wouldn't have chosen Magneride to keep the price down. Again, I was duded by Ford on this.

- On that same day, I asked for a trade in price of my 10,000 km 2017 S550 Mustang GT, not a mark on it and basically showroom ready, only to be offered $42,000 for it. Yet another slap in the face, along with the S650 pricing and further delay slaps.

- As of the 22nd of November, I have heard nothing else.

The above applies to all Australia S650 customers waiting for their car. I knew the wait was going to be long, that's why I got in early. I currently have a Mustang and still enjoy it, so waiting is not my problem. But that lack of communication from Ford has been pitiful. What a bunch of monkeys. Are the selling this car or not? The longer this draws out, I suspect they aren't. Meanwhile, my dealer is earning interest off my deposit while I sit around hoping someone at Ford remembers that they have a huge waiting list on a car that is NOT a Ranger or Everest.

Sorry, a jumbo post on a subject that has me very disheartened and frankly, losing interest in.

 

[Ozcraig]

I believe EGO have the best battery technology in the outdoor equipment industry, trumping the big names right out of the box.

The only tools I don't like from EGO are the lawn mowers, and that is in relation to the cutting system and deck design rather than the powertrain. Keep in mind, I use mowers for a living and we tend to cut lawns much lower in Australia. The bar blade and narrow discharge chute are not conductive to that. That doesn't mean they aren't good machines, rather they are unsuited to Australian mowing conditions.

At the moment, I have the 530 and 765 blowers, the fan and the power inverter. I actually bought the 530 blower for a family member, but it's terrible. It doesn't have a variable throttle, so it's either on or off. There is also a very annoying delay between pulling the trigger and the unit actually starting, very frustrating.

The 765 on the other hand is brilliant, mine is fitted with the stubby nozzle. We even replaced a long line of Stihl BG86 2-stroke blowers with a 765 and dual battery kit, has been absolutely brilliant. No more issues with staff mixing fuel, breaking pull cords, hard (I think every workplace has that one person who breaks literally everything they touch!), hard starting, re-tunes, unblocking carbon traps and exhaust ports.

I agree with your opinion on the EGO mower. Goes ok going downhill, but wants to dig its front in going uphill and becomes real hard work. I have a tiny patch to mow, hence the electric mower, so often just cut downhill and don't cut uphill. Retired guys huh! All day to do stuff all!

 

[DFB5.0]

I agree with your opinion on the EGO mower. Goes ok going downhill, but wants to dig its front in going uphill and becomes real hard work. I have a tiny patch to mow, hence the electric mower, so often just cut downhill and don't cut uphill. Retired guys huh! All day to do stuff all!

They are primarily designed for the US market, where they cut lawns much higher than we do. From a technical sense, they are doing it correctly, taller grass doesn't dry out as quickly, is more tolerant and suppresses weeds more effectively.

But the Aussie mentality is to cut it as low as possible so that it doesn't need to be done again for a while. Which is flawed logic because when you cut something hard, it grows back hard in a survival type of way.

As such, when you put one these style of mowers on its lowest setting, they end up dragging the chassis and/or axle bar across the ground. As me how I know this. And that applies to all American style mowers, some Honda's included. Again, its not to say the machines are complete garbage, rather they just don't suit Australian mowing tastes.

 

[Evolvd]

I believe EGO have the best battery technology in the outdoor equipment industry, trumping the big names right out of the box.

The only tools I don't like from EGO are the lawn mowers, and that is in relation to the cutting system and deck design rather than the powertrain. Keep in mind, I use mowers for a living and we tend to cut lawns much lower in Australia. The bar blade and narrow discharge chute are not conductive to that. That doesn't mean they aren't good machines, rather they are unsuited to Australian mowing conditions.

At the moment, I have the 530 and 765 blowers, the fan and the power inverter. I actually bought the 530 blower for a family member, but it's terrible. It doesn't have a variable throttle, so it's either on or off. There is also a very annoying delay between pulling the trigger and the unit actually starting, very frustrating.

The 765 on the other hand is brilliant, mine is fitted with the stubby nozzle. We even replaced a long line of Stihl BG86 2-stroke blowers with a 765 and dual battery kit, has been absolutely brilliant. No more issues with staff mixing fuel, breaking pull cords, hard (I think every workplace has that one person who breaks literally everything they touch!), hard starting, re-tunes, unblocking carbon traps and exhaust ports.

What breed of grass is prevalent in your area? My yard is is a mix of zoysia and centipede which is typical for north Florida but you can also find Bermuda (couch grass to you all) and St Augustine here as well.

As for the blower, I also think the 765 is their best offering. The variable rate and boost switch are nice to have. I did just see at SEMA Ego will start offering their own stubby nozzle with silicon tip. They finally caught on that people were using their products for detailing lol.

 

[amkr]

we tend to cut lawns much lower in Australia

I've got my Couch / Bermuda Grass running at 8mm at the moment.

Aiming for 6mm through summer But I am mowing ~3x per week with a cylinder mower to keep it at that level.

What breed of grass is prevalent in your area?

In Australia we have 3 main species, all with different names to the US (except the one you classify as a weed).

Buffalo = St Augustine
Kikuyu = pretty sure this is classed as a noxious weed in most states. makes a great lawn though
Couch = Bermuda Grass (my personal least favourite grass variety)
Zoysia is slowly gaining popularity but it's a fair way behind the top 3.

I'm in NSW which is sort of the middle of the east coast, we have all 3 types in equal-ish ratios. Though the running joke is to congratulate people on their new Kikuyu lawn whenever they lay buffalo.

Further north in QLD, Couch is more prevalent as it's warmer up there. They also have something called QLD Blue Couch which isn't really a couch grass.

South (where DFB is) has slightly cooler season grasses, you'll get a bit more Buffalo and Zoysia down there, and the occasional Ryegrass lawn for the real enthusiasts.

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