Cordless Trimmer / Lawn Equipment Lines

[moparfreak]

After dealing with a bunch of failing equipment again, I think I'm about ready to invest into a new line of cordless outdoor equipment. Specifically, trimmer is the one I need the most, followed by a blower. I've got an old plug-in-and-charge B&D trimmer that even with a full charge barely can knock over a blade of grass let alone cut it. I've also got a Ryobi SS30 straight shaft trimmer that's nearly new that an uncle gave to me cause it won't run, and after working on that for a few weeks and cleaning everything out, etc, it still won't start, so my frustration is at a new high for this stuff.

In any case I'm starting to investigate the new lines of cordless options out there, and a few bubbled up to the top:

Black & Decker 40V system - Have used the 24" hedge trimmer as my Dad has it, and it's a nice tool. Not sure about the trimmer. Always a bit wary of the B&D stuff, as it can go to crapsville pretty quickly.

Kobalt 40V - Don't know much about this, easy to find at Lowes

Kobalt 80V - Read a lot of good reviews so far but also don't know much about it, tool options are more limited since it seems rather new

Echo 58V - Good company and good reviews, easy to find at HD

Ego 58V

Does anybody run these cordless tools and have good/bad experiences? Looking for whatever I can do to make the weekly yard work go by a little quicker and less frustrating...

 

[CobraChevelle]

After dealing with a bunch of failing equipment again, I think I'm about ready to invest into a new line of cordless outdoor equipment. Specifically, trimmer is the one I need the most, followed by a blower. I've got an old plug-in-and-charge B&D trimmer that even with a full charge barely can knock over a blade of grass let alone cut it. I've also got a Ryobi SS30 straight shaft trimmer that's nearly new that an uncle gave to me cause it won't run, and after working on that for a few weeks and cleaning everything out, etc, it still won't start, so my frustration is at a new high for this stuff.

In any case I'm starting to investigate the new lines of cordless options out there, and a few bubbled up to the top:

Black & Decker 40V system - Have used the 24" hedge trimmer as my Dad has it, and it's a nice tool. Not sure about the trimmer. Always a bit wary of the B&D stuff, as it can go to crapsville pretty quickly.

Kobalt 40V - Don't know much about this, easy to find at Lowes

Kobalt 80V - Read a lot of good reviews so far but also don't know much about it, tool options are more limited since it seems rather new

Echo 58V - Good company and good reviews, easy to find at HD

Ego 58V

Does anybody run these cordless tools and have good/bad experiences? Looking for whatever I can do to make the weekly yard work go by a little quicker and less frustrating...

Bought my mom a cordless 40volt Black And Decker weed eater. She loves it. I felt the same way with B&D, But for the price From CPO outlets it was worth a try. This unit was Refurbish for $98, cheaper than a 20v "new". Took it out of the box and looked brand new. Have no idea what they had to fix.

 

[03protege]

I've used the B&D 40v weedeater and while it performs very nice I believe they are only available in curved shaft and all the weight is on the front.

If I was to go electric I would get another brand that uses the batteries as a counterweight much like the gas engine on a typical trimmer.

 

[CNGsaves]

Neighbor has the newer battery Ryobi which you might check out. It easily does all the edging and trimming. If HomeDepot would stand behind battery like they do for Ridgid brands, that would be even better, but I've not seen Ridgid weed eater.

Check out the $75 Ryobi on the CPO website.

 

[gayler]

Neighbor has the newer battery Ryobi which you might check out. It easily does all the edging and trimming. If HomeDepot would stand behind battery like they do for Ridgid brands, that would be even better, but I've not seen Ridgid weed eater.

Check out the $75 Ryobi on the CPO website.

I have a 40volt Ryobi as well and it does a good job for me. The only thing I don't like is the line feed is not a bump and go type. The line feeds a little each time the trimmer comes to a stop. I can trim my whole 10,000sq ft yard on one charge. If I edge with it st the same time it will take two charges.

 

[Monte]

What about Stihl ? 36 Volt, brushless motor, made in Austria.

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ That's orange Stihl **** right there !! . . .

Nice post again Monte with top quality products.

 

[CobraChevelle]

I've used the B&D 40v weedeater and while it performs very nice I believe they are only available in curved shaft and all the weight is on the front.

If I was to go electric I would get another brand that uses the batteries as a counterweight much like the gas engine on a typical trimmer.

curved shaft? front end heavy?

idk, 53 year old women maybe weighting 120 using this fine. She wouldn't touch a small gas trimmer.

 

[gravelydude]

I have the Stihl line. String trimmer, chainsaw, hedge clipper, pole saw, and blower. They are all great. I have 2 chargers, and four batteries. That way, I can always keep working. I think my wife designed it that way. I have abused the string trimmer, and it has never balked or failed. The chain saw recently cut down 10 12" oaks where I needed to put a carport. A very good saw. With homes in Florida and the mountains in North Carolina, I use my Stihls 12 months a year.

If I had it to do over, I would probably look hard at Echo. I like Stihl, but they are expensive, and the parts are all proprietary. I can't go to a box store to get parts for Stihl. Can't order online either.

Jack

 

[moparfreak]

The Stihl's certainly look nice but holy moly way outa my price range. I was thinking spending a couple hundred, it looks like just getting into one tool plus a couple batteries will put you past $500 rather quick.

The Ego, Kobalt and Echos all intrigue me quite a bit.

 

[kctyphoon]

i would go echo if itll fit the price range.. they are basically the name to compete with in lawn equipment, and nobody can deny how good their gas powered stuff is..

 

[Itinker]

I recently purchased the Makita 18V x2 (36V) trimmer, blower, chain saw and two port simultaneous fast charger. Very nice and it leverages the batteries I have for my Makita LXT 18V cordless tools. Run-time is more than adequate for all three tools. All have battery charge level indicators for each battery.

Several points on the tools:

Trimmer. Straight shaft. Nice balance. Brushless motor directly on top of the trimmer head. No flexible shaft to break or as a source of transmission energy lose. Two-speeds. Lower speed works fine for all but the most overgrown tasks. Reverse mode for easily clearing stuff that gets wrapped around the trimmer head. Reverse is very easy to use. Touch the reverse and then the trigger. Works one trigger pull, then automatically switches back to forward rotation.

Blower. Small, light and powerful enough for general tasks. Two-speed. It is not going to be pushing clumps of heavy wet leaves, but it is powerful enough. Nozzle is easy to remove for compact storage.

Chain saw. I have a Stihl, but it is bigger than required for most tasks and due to it's infrequent use, sometimes difficult to start. I appreciate the cordless chainsaw for several reasons; Instant on. Pull the trigger and it is on, let off the trigger and it is off. Often when doing yard work, I am turning the gas saw on and off, on and off, or sequencing my work in an sub-optimal sequence to keep the saw running. Quiet. Can be used earlier, later or closer to others without causing so much noise. You can easily make a quick cut or two next to a campfire after dark without disturbing others. Transport. No gas to carry around or worry about tipping over or smelling up the trunk. Comes with a Oregon brand chain. Blade tensioning is straightforward and tool free.

Two-port Fast Charger. Received free when I bought two Makita x2 tools online via Acme Tool. Charges two batteries quickly (2x 4.0A in 40 minutes, 2x 3.0A in 30 minutes) and simultaneously. Many multi-port chargers accept multiple batteries, but only charge one battery at a time.

I feel the Makita Outdoor tool line is very solid. If you have already bought into the Makita 18V LXT platform, it is a no brainer.

 

[rice rocket]

I started a similar thread last year.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=250417

I tried to go battery last year via Black and Decker and came away sorely disappointed. Maybe I didn't get enough "volts", but even quadrupling the power wouldn't cut it. My $60 "homeowner grade" McCulloch string trimmer does more damage at 1/8 throttle than the B&D weedstrangler could at full tilt in "aggressive mode", and was cheaper to boot.


Dollar for dollar, it's still hard to beat gas.

Don't use regular pump gas with ethanol, either buy the premixed TruFuel or find a station that's ethanol free and mix yourself.

Unless you're ready to drop a couple hundred for tools that have no more lifespan (not due to clogged carbs anymore, but due to batteries that inevitably wear and cost hundreds to replace, and/or your battery platform gets obsoleted), I'd stick with gas.

 

[JettaGetUpandGo]

I have the Ryobi 18V hybrid trimmer and blower. They use the same batteries as the power tools which is nice that you can pick up a bare tool in the future and already have batteries/chargers (or extra batteries from the new tools). The hybrid plug in option is great for years down the road. When the batteries are shot and discontinued the trimmer/blower will still have some value.

The trimmer is great and swivels for edging along the driveway. I will be honest and say the blower kind of *****. It works to clear grass clippings off the driveway (provided they're not wet), but that's about it.

 

[MikeF2316]

I know TORO wasn't on your list. But I bought a TORO 51464 back when they first came out. I had very little string trimming to do, and I spent more time taking out and putting away the extension cord with my previous string trimmer than actually using the tool. Coincidentally I just restringed it for the first time last weekend. Even though it's only 12 V it works well, is quite well balanced and the battery is still fine. Which is good because the battery is internal, not easily detachable like is normal these days.

 

[moparfreak]

I'm invested in the 18V Ryobi One+ line of tools, and they have a trimmer option but the fact that all the other big companies are moving to 40V - 80V tells me the market segment is dictating the 18V stuff is too wimpy for this type of job, hence Makita doubling up with two of their cordless batteries to get a 36V trimmer. Otherwise, the Ryobi ones would be sort of no-brainer...

In my head I'm going back and forth between Echo and Ego, both available at HD. Echo is pretty much a market leader, but the Ego line is very well reviewed. Found this video as well looking at internal battery design of the two and comparing them, showing the Ego to be much better in fundamental design aspects:

ultimately, I've got to pick them both up at the store and handle them to see how they feel, and that's something you can't really evaluate through research and reviews...

 

[pinkerton]

I had the Kobalt 80v trimmer. It was bada$$, but more than I needed - so i returned it and got the Ryobi 18v. The Ryobi makes me look like a qu**r, but I like it. It's very light and does a "regular" yard with no problem.

 

[canuckian]

I somehow ended up with 20v and 40v Dewalt string trimmers and leaf blowers. Let's just say the deals were too good to pass up in both cases. The 20v trimmer does quite well but does bog if you push it. The 40v trimmer is an animal and behaves like a decent gas trimmer but ***** a 4ah battery down pretty quickly. I'll pick up a couple of 6ah batteries if I can ever find them for a decent price. The string that comes on the dewalt is by far the most durable I've come across.
The opposite is true with the leaf blowers. The 20v does a better job than the 40v even though it has a shorter and bigger output tube. I thought I may have had a defective blower but I compared it to 2 others and the results were the same. Both do a fine job but I expected the 40v to blow circles around the smaller one but it didn't.
That Stihl line of cordless products looks awesome though. If the dewalt stuff hadn't presented itself when it did, those would have been the ones I'd have went with.

 

[PassnThru]

Unless you're ready to drop a couple hundred for tools that have no more lifespan (not due to clogged carbs anymore, but due to batteries that inevitably wear and cost hundreds to replace, and/or your battery platform gets obsoleted), I'd stick with gas.

This is what I've always thought about with cordless. I know they are getting better but batteries are expensive. How much are you paying for gas over the lifetime? When the battery wears out are you going to pay as much for a new one as you would pay for a whole cheap gas replacement?
I really can't see batteries lasting longer than even a cheap gas unit that hasn't even been cared for. And if the battery costs more than a new gas unit then where are the savings or even the reduction in the frustration level?

 

[Hivolts]

Stay Gas, buy Stihl.. Headache done. No man wants to be in his yard with a cord or battery. Wake the neighbors lol.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Stay Gas, buy Stihl.. Headache done.

Got to agree !

 

[cajunfirehawk]

Not sure if you heard but Milwaukee is getting into this arena soon too stay tuned!

BUT a coworker who is OCD owns the Ryobi 40 volt string trimmer (for his wife!) and just bought her the echo blower pb58, 58 volt that home depot had on one day special recently for $199 w/ two batteries, he swears by both of them, YMMV!

I own all gas echo, husky, and redmax tools so far but am waiting to see what Milwaukee comes out with since I own a lot of their products and battery's already.

 

[AndypCT]

I have the full ego line. LOVE IT! The automatic feed bump does not work, know issue but I weedwhack the whole yard on one charge. I have the hedge trimmer . Leaf blower, and the weed cutter. So 3 batteries. LOVE them.

 

[AndypCT]

I will NEVER go gas again

 

[MikeF2316]

Not sure if you heard but Milwaukee is getting into this arena soon too stay tuned!

BUT a coworker who is OCD owns the Ryobi 40 volt string trimmer (for his wife!) and just bought her the echo blower pb58, 58 volt that home depot had on one day special recently for $199 w/ two batteries, he swears by both of them, YMMV!

I own all gas echo, husky, and redmax tools so far but am waiting to see what Milwaukee comes out with since I own a lot of their products and battery's already.

Yes, I'm (im)patiently waiting for the M18 hedge trimmer.

 

[JoeMA]

Also have the ego string trimmer and blower and wouldn't go back to gas. The ease of picking it up and going, no maintenance and noise reduction is worth it. Don't need ethanol free gas, pre-mix oil and gas or rebuild carbs.

Ego has 3 year warranty on the battery and 5 years on the tool. I do the trimming and blowing of my 3/4 acre on one battery. Also use the blower to clean my pool--blow the surface debris into the skimmer rather than use a net to collect it.

Home depot has run several promotions for a free extra battery with the purchase of a tool kit. If you want, sell a battery or two and use the money to buy another battery down the road when needed.

The line that comes with the string trimmer is not good. I upgraded the line and it made a big difference in cutting thicker growth and not breaking easily.

 

[finn]

Husqvarna has three 40v Li battery powered trimmers, along with other compatible equipment available.

Husqvarna or Stihl equipment would be a big improvement over the box store brands, but at a price.

 

[swanicyouth]

I went with the Kobalt 80v trimmer and blower and love it. So far so good. Plenty of power.

Blower pictured. I think the battery/tool has a 2 or 5 yr warranty??

 

[Monte]

Stihl introduced a new 36 volt "compact" battery system in july with lower prices for the home owner. Available are 4 tools: string trimmer, chain saw, blower and hedge trimmer. All the tools are made in Austria.