Best "Quality" cordless weed eater?

[Fastback]

I am seriously tired of trying to manage a large unruly string trimmer that, while may be ideal for the barn lot, is just overkill for around my house and garage. I now have no less than TWO holes in my siding from one wrong move with this POS and I am over it. I am over the hassle of starting and storing those things. I have no issue with a 2 stroke so much, I use a chainsaw to make money, but they really dont make a light weight trimmer thats made out of magnesium like my small saws. The plastic Echo comes close but I am over gas powered trimmers.

So.
I want a simple battery operated weed eater that works and will last and allow me to replace batteries down the road. I would love it if someone made a unit that used Dewalt 18volt batteries, that would work really well and only make sense.

Its kinda sad they have commercial level cordless chain saws but I cant find anything like that in a weed eater.


I do see the "Core" trimmer, but good luck finding parts on a saturday afternoon at the hardware store for that thing. Or, anything at all for it in 2 years.

 

[vartz04]

http://menards.com/main/lawn-garden...rass-string-trimmer-kit/p-1504380-c-10111.htm

Grandma has this one. My uncle bought it for over there cause he has the 18v masterforce tools.

Works really well.

heres a HD 40V ryobi trimmer http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...langId=-1&keyword=ryobi+trimmer&storeId=10051

 

[91bronc300]

Yeah, my shindaiwa has eaten a hole in my siding as well. To be fair though, it's not because it's unwieldy, I just happened to lazily make the wrong move with it. I don't have any recommendations for a super light trimmer though, I'm just offering my empathy because I've scarred my house just like you

 

[rocco]

i've got a ryobi 18v Lithium Ion battery unti and honestly, i can't stand it. I have to use 3 batteries to get my yard done, doesn't last.

 

[MDSPHOTO]

I've had the same Homelite gas trimmer for the last 15-years. its very light and versatile.

 

[stonesfan68]

I have an 18V Ryobi lithium Ion unit and really like it. I bought an extra big battery to go with the unit, and it takes both batteries to complete my average sized yard. What I really like is that I don't have to wear ear protection or padded gloves. The 2-cycle Ryobi that I used to operate beat the **** out of me.

 

[Svtpickemup]

Stihl has a lithium ion line now. A little pricey, but may be what you're looking for.

Haven't used them, but I love my other Stihl stuff.

I have held them in the store...seems very well built.

http://www.stihlusa.com/lithiumion/

 

[Matt018]

Why cant you use a 2cylce?

 

[powertrip]

Ryobi has a 40 volt version coming out this summer. The 18v is the lowest voltage one they have I think. There is on above it, 24v I think. Read about the 40v version at toolmonger.com

 

[vartz04]

Ryobi has a 40 volt version coming out this summer. The 18v is the lowest voltage one they have I think. There is on above it, 24v I think. Read about the 40v version at toolmonger.com

its out i linked to it already the first post after the OP

 

[djjsr]

I also have the Ryobi 18V. Got a package with a leaf blower on sale for $80 and they came with a charger and 1 lithium battery. So far, I like it.


I just checked their website and it's $99 in the stores.

http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-O...splay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

 

[franzdom]

I don't understand how a cordless question can't include a gas engine option as an answer?

 

[Fastback]

Stihl has a lithium ion line now. A little pricey, but may be what you're looking for.

Haven't used them, but I love my other Stihl stuff.

I have held them in the store...seems very well built.

http://www.stihlusa.com/lithiumion/

That looks interesting, from what I can find online in a review is its over $500 to get the big battery and the charger with it. Ouch.

 

[rlitman]

That looks interesting, from what I can find online in a review is its over $500 to get the big battery and the charger with it. Ouch.

Yes, but it is a true 36V, and supposedly has the power of a commercial string trimmer.

Here's a question back to the OP. What size line are you using?
If you're damaging vinyl siding (although for the life of me, I can't understand why you would have siding so low to the ground that a string trimmer hits it; isn't your foundation down there), you should go down a step in line diameter.
Maybe try .080 line instead of .095, or there's even a .060 line size.

 

[Steevo]

I had a B&D Grass Hog rechargeable for almost 8 years before the batteries quit taking a charge.

It worked well for lawn edging, but nothing more difficult than that.

 

[olytdi]

What Steevo said. I've had mine for about 8 years. I've changed out the small lead acid battery once in that time. It's ready to be replaced again.

It works great as an around the yard trimmer prior to or after mowing. Isn't a lot-clearing weed whacker (though I've used it to clear nettles) but works great as a string trimmer. It charges in it's hanger and can be tilted into a vertical or horizontal position.

I've been surprised how well it has lasted.

 

[2manytoyz]

I bought a Greenworks string trimmer and leaf blower from Amazon.

Saw their infomercial on TV, decided to give it a go. The trimmer comes with a 20V, 6AH lithium ion battery and charger.

When I bought this a year ago, I had a relatively small yard. I've since moved to a larger place with a .66 acre lot. Still not massive, but bigger than the < 1/4 acre lot I had.

It has enough battery capacity to edge, trim, and blow off the sidewalk and driveway. I thought I'd need two batteries, but definitely not needed.

I have a number of trees and landscaping that requires trimming, along with a swale in front of the house that the mower can only partially mow.

The blower was purchased separately, and doesn't include a charger or battery. Still, it was only $33.

The trimmer works very well. No, not as powerful as a 2 cycle model, but also zero delay in starting it. No filling it with gas, pulling it a dozen times, waiting for it to warm up, blah blah. Push the button, trim.

With a push of a button on the body of the trimmer, the head pivots, and becomes an edger. This works VERY well. Easy to guide if you pull it, rather than push it forward. Hard to steer otherwise. Took a few times to figure that one out.

I have a gas string trimmer with all the attachments. I rarely use it anymore.

If you have an "average" sized yard, this is a great tool. It's not a commercial product, and isn't advertised as such. The balance is pretty good since the motor is in the head, and the battery is on the handle.

Sample video of mine in use at my last house:

The leaf blower works okay, but not near as powerful as the gas version. I have to make a pass down/back the 2 car driveway to get it all. With a gas powered one, I can walk down the middle, and swing the blower to get both sides at once. Then again, by the time I get the gas powered one up and running, I'm already done with the electric one!

 

[Monte]

Stihl - made in Germany/Austria

 

[Plumber Crack Kid]

I think the Greenworks trimmers on Amazon are the same as the Homelite's at Home Depot, at least based on pics (different color) and user complaints.

I recently bought a corded version of the Homelite (~$25) for edge trimming ... already using a corded lawnmower, so there was no extra hassle going with the string trimmer.

Except for the Homelite being badly balanced (my other trimmer is a monster 30cc Husqvarna with a shoulder strap; maybe battery powered wouldn't be so bad with the battery as a counter-weight) and even worse when turned to edge, way too short for 6'+ people, and a crazy string advance (advances when it shuts on/off), it's a pleasure to use. It is nice pulling it out of the shed and just turning it on though ... and hopefully will even be more of a benefit next spring when I don't need to take the carb apart to get it running again.

 

[unslow1]

Thanks for the info. Bought the B&D Grass Hog today. Came with two batteries $80.

 

[jeb1978]

I had the 18v B&D Grass Hog for the past 2 years. Comes with 2 ni-cad batteries; you can usually find it with a mail in rebate for a 3rd battery free. I've seen it as low as $50 after rebate from Menards at the end of the season.

Worked great on my small yard. I could almost do all the trimming on one battery. Never had a tangled line, never had any problem with the advance mechanism, never ran out of line. Not the most powerful trimmer for thick weeds, but did just fine on grass.

I only sold it to try and commonize on batteries with other tools (had 4 different battery types), and I really dislike the cheap charger that B&D provides.

Got the C3 trimmer & blower kit from Craftsman at the moment, it also works good. Seems to have more power than the B&D and came with a lithium battery. I haven't used it much to see how it goes long term, but initial impressions are good. The blower is kind of a novelty, but for cleaning the garage floor or quick passes over the sidewalk, it works fine.

The Ryobi may be a better deal as it's basically the same trimmer & blower, and it's about $20 to $30 less for the pair. I paid $115 for mine; normally it's $144. The trimmer by itself with just one ni-cad battery sells for $99.

Whatever you do, don't buy one that has the battery built in. My dad had an American Gardener (I think, it was from Menards) 24 volt model that lasted only about 1 season. Not much in the way of replacement parts short of tearing it apart.

 

[RedFordTruck]

Why not just get a less powerful gas 2-stroke trimmer that uses smaller line?



I like my big Echo Weedeater though. I use .095 gator line in it and it will eat almost anything.

 

[CoryDH]

Stihl makes homeowner up to professional versions of electric. Homeowner versions fsa45 start around 140-150 usd. The 500 dollar battery packs are back pack style and for professionals.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

 

[jonshonda]

I need a string trimmer as my John Deere tipped over in my shed, landed right on the air box (which the choke is attached too), and broke the box into 20 pieces. Think I could find parts for it...not a chance.

So I started looking into cordless trimmers from all brands, and just am not feeling having to make sure the battery get put on the charger after each use. It also feels like battery powered trimmers battery technology is changing too fast to feel good about buying a trimmer I can replace parts on 5 years from now. I do like the thought of not having to winterize and worry about gas, but in 5-8 years when the battery is junk and they have moved onto a new format, I will be buying another new unit. Because of that, I am looking at conventional 2/4 stroke models. A good quality unit should last decades.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Milwaukee and Dewalt both have offerings. Many on here have those batteries. Looked at the Milwaukee in store. Like a lot of trimmers it felt like it was for someone 5’7”” or shorter.

 

[Ainsley]

I have the Makita brushless 18V trimmer and love it!

 

[Technologyteacher]

I have an Ego 56v from Home Depot. I like it. Balanced and powerful

 

[Monte]

 

[jimreed2160]

I checked out the DeWalt and the Ego because I have other tools that could share batteries. I went with the DeWalt because it seemed better balanced in my hand. The trimmer works great and the battery lasts for a few sessions between charges. I like having an extra DeWalt battery for hurricane season because I have the DeWalt radio and lights.

 

[engineer2]

I have the Makita brushless 2x18V trimmer and love it, but it is overkill for my suburban lot. I can string trim 4 times before needing to recharge. The 18V would have been fine.
Makita just came out with a 36V head that you can attach a bunch of different yard tools to.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I know guys who have the Milwaukee and Dewalt string trimmers and they love them, plenty of power. I'm looking at replacing my Husqvarna 2stroke with the Milwaukee cordless this season, since I have plenty of M18 batteries already.

 

[ScottsGT]

I just got the Milwaukee string trimmer and hedge trimmer. Already had the blower. Haven't tried out the hedge trimmer yet, but it is a little heavy with that long, heavy duty blade. Weed trimmer is great! My auto/bump feed for the string didn't work the first time I tried it. I think it was wound up too tight from the factory.

 

[Fbmoose48]

I have the Ryobi 40V and Echo 58V. The Ryobi was ok, but I upgraded to the Echo and haven't looked back. It may not be a great as the European Stihls and Husqvarnas, but it beats the hone owner grade ones for sure.

 

[Parrothead]

IF I remember correctly, the EGO won the shootout between all of them, including the Stihl, Husqvarna and Echo cordless trimmers.

I have a 20v Black & Decker trimmer for my yard, and if you're not clearing brush and foot tall weeds it's great! Even then it's fine but you'll go through the batteries pretty quickly. It can go around my wooded lot, deck, fence, front sidewalks, and driveway. I even use it for touch up edging so I don't have to drag the edger out but 2 or 3 times a year.

If it dies, I am getting the EGO, which will be overkill for my lot.

 

[Trock03]

I've had the Ego trimmer for almost 3 years now. It's been great. Have since added the power head edger and 21" mower. Planning to pick up the 16" chainsaw if Home Depot will ever put it on their daily deal.

TC

 

[jimreed2160]

I have the EGO chainsaw and love it.

 

[engineer2]

Who makes the EGO products?

 

[ItsNemo]

I have the Dewalt 20v brushless trimmer...love it, works great, swaps with my other 20v Dewalt tools, plenty of power for normal grass trimming around the yard, variable speed, good balance/comfort, the string itself is actually pretty good, would definitely buy again.

 

[rk_tek]

I've been in this dilemma myself for 2 years now. I have a Stihl that will shred anything it goes near and works great for edging. I also have a Troybilt 4cycle that i got for free with a trimmer head and blower, then picked up the pole saw attachment for $5 at a yard sale. Our lot is 1/3acre but the back is an extreme slope ~30-40 degrees. I have to trim this a few times a year and both gas trimmers are great for that. The rest of the time, I need a trimmer for 5 minutes to hit the few spots the mower doesn't get and edge the driveway and street. It takes me 25 minutes to mow and trim my whole yard. Now that DeWalt has their cordless mowers to go with their trimmer, I'm seriously considering switching to cordless for weekly lawn care. In the fall we have bushels of leaves that I spend way too much time blowing. I just don't think anything short of a commercial cordless backpack blower could keep up with my gas one. I currently have 8 small engines to care for. I'll never make the full switch but i'd like to lessen that and the electric ones are quiet enough I can get my lawn care done early in the morning where I now have to wait til 8-9 so I don't bother the neighbors.

TLR A coworker has the Dewalt trimmer for a 1/4 acre and loves it. One battery has more than enough capacity for the whole thing. If you don't need a brush cutter, make the switch

 

[PelicanPines]

I have the Dewalt 20v brushless trimmer...love it, works great, swaps with my other 20v Dewalt tools, plenty of power for normal grass trimming around the yard, variable speed, good balance/comfort, the string itself is actually pretty good, would definitely buy again.

This.... got the dewalt 20v too. Best trimmer I tested. Wanted the Milwaukee 18v but it was overpriced... very happy with dewalt.