Ego 16" String Trimmer (ST1623T)

[GirlnAgarage]

After 11 years I finally managed to kill my Troybilt TB22EC string trimmer. I'm skeptical of new stuff and a battery trimmer was no exception. Battery better than a gas engine trimmer? Of that grass outside?

I had been researching battery power trimmers and wanted to try the Ego brand trimmer w the carbon fiber shaft and adjustable handle. From most everything I saw was positive reviews. I purchased the kit from Lowes $359 for the Ego 16" trimmer w LineIQ and a 56v 4ah battery and charger, picked it up and yesterday got my chance to try it out. Long story short, I'm impressed with it.

I was skeptical a battery trimmer would have enough power to get through these rural grass and weeds. After these weeks of rainy weather my edges around the house and property have overgrown badly.

My observations using the new trimmer are:

- decent battery life: ran ~1.5+ hrs on Low speed
- Low speed was strong enough to go through the heaviest of patches, I only tried the fast setting to see it
- Low noise decibels: I had my earplugs around my neck and realized I hadn't put them on. In fact I didn't because it wasn't loud. My gas trimmer was LOUD, in high rpm
- LineIQ fed the line about where I expected it. Most reviews I saw said it lagged just enough they wanted to bump it out of reaction, but I didn't feel that.
- The Powerload string loading feature was stupidly easy and quick. I don't like traditional string loading. I would swap out the head to the quick insert type and that was ok. But the Powerload feature was even better. I saw reviews saying they reload anywhere from 12-20ft of line. I reloaded once and it was with the complimentary line they threw in, I think 12'. I'm going to try 16' next time of the 0.95" triangle line supply I have. The line from Ego was twisted strand.

This was my first battery powered trimmer to ever try and happy it was positive. I would like a 2nd 4ah battery to keep working while the other charges. From full stop to full battery was about 45min on the nose. Also, the Ego charger has a little fan that turns on when a battery is charging, I guess to keep everything cool. So, that is distracting as I had the charger in the living room so I could keep an eye on it during charging. It sounds like a desktop computer fan. With the price of 4ah batteries ($279), I'm tempted to purchase a 2nd trimmer kit so two people in this house can do work, help cut down on the amt of time trimming the property takes. To really see what this trimmer will do I'm going to go further out and try to trim the grass around the pond, and all the wild sunflowers and gangly things. IDK how it'll do but I'm curious.

Anyway, anyone considering a new string trimmer consider Ego. I think they did a good job on this model - has power, easy to use, long run time, easy string loading, adjustable. Out of the box you're up and running after you charge the battery.

 

[Firebrick43]

Did you find the Troybilt trimmer actually adequate for rural use? I used to hate weed rating with cheap curved shaft trimmers as well.

A $150box store trimmer is worlds away from a $350 stihl/echo trimmer

 

[cvairwerks]

Have the same Ego and my big gas powered Echo with the handlebars, hasn't been out of storage in at least 3 years now.... 2nd battery is nice, but I get fatigued after about 30 minutes of trimming, so it's a nice break to stop and charge the battery.

 

[gleman]

I had that same Troybuilt for seven years, it worked ok'ish for rural but I never liked using it.

It got replaced by a Milwaukee Quik-loc last year. The Ego and electric Stihl were also on the radar.



Quiet, plenty of power and light. The brushcutter works really well also.

I think I'll replace my mower and blower at the end of this season, I already have the Milwaukee batteries but I might wait for the electric Honda that's supposed to come out this fall.

I think I'm just tired of fiddling with gas.

 

[DrinkMan]

I have the same Ego. It was a major upgrade from my old Ryobi. Luckily, I already had an Ego blower and chainsaw so I already had 2 batteries and chargers. So, I bought the string trimmer tool only and saved a lot.

While I find it a little heavy and exhausting to carry up the driveway (200 feet, 60 feet elevation change) compared to the lightweight Ryobi, it cuts much faster and through thicker weeds so I actually finish the work much faster. Plus, with the Ryobi, if it was going to be a big job at the top of the driveway, I would have to carry a spare battery. I don't have to do that with the Ego.

Thus far, I've been impressed with every Ego tool I've purchased. We have all of them at our mountain cabin where I need more power to do big things but I'm so happy with them, I'm thinking of supplementing our DeWalt lawn tools at our primary residence (especially the blower) with Ego.

 

[billconner]

I have the EGO multi tool - and other stuff so lots of batteries - and love the string trimmer but heavy. Sounds like you model is lighter.

 

[Steve_P]

I have the steel (edit: aluminum) shaft Ego model, the 1511, that I've been using this year. I've been VERY impressed with it. It's quiet- as OP said, no need for earplugs. It has plenty of power. I have a subdivision lot, but it's ~0.6 acres and involves 30+ minutes of trimming and edging; this only uses one bar of five on a 2.5AH battery. I still have my Echo 2 cycle bent shaft trimmer, and Echo blower but need to sell them- I would never go back, and I've been using two cycle stuff for 40+ years until recently

The only thing negative I can say about the Ego I have is that it's a bit heavy. I'm not sure how much it weighs, but it's noticeable when using it for 30+ minutes while I never noticed the weight of the Echo. I'm fit, and I lift weights, so while I'm not at the zenith of my studliness anymore at my somewhat advanced age, I'm not a weakling. Most people that use it for 30 minutes are going to want a shoulder strap. For me, I consider it a mild workout.

OP, the length of line to use is listed in the manual. IIRC, for mine it's 13' of .095. The autoload feature is freaking awesome- I don't know if Ego introduced that, but it deserves a patent. I don't have the Line IQ, but bumping the head is easy enough since I've been doing that forever.

The Ego handheld blower is also awesome. I have the 7654 and it has significantly more power than my handheld 2 cycle Echo. The Ego stuff is no joke.

Project Farm did a good test of battery trimmers if you want to watch it to see that you made the right decision with Ego And of course he also tested battery saws and blowers.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Did you find the Troybilt trimmer actually adequate for rural use? I used to hate weed rating with cheap curved shaft trimmers as well.

A $150box store trimmer is worlds away from a $350 stihl/echo trimmer

I did find the Troybilt adequate out here. I purchased it back in 2014 when still lived in town and just brought it out here.

Have the same Ego and my big gas powered Echo with the handlebars, hasn't been out of storage in at least 3 years now.... 2nd battery is nice, but I get fatigued after about 30 minutes of trimming, so it's a nice break to stop and charge the battery.

I'm glad you mentioned fatigue, I did notice about the time the one battery ran out I was about ready to take a break. My drive says 'keep working on your chores' but my body is like 'nah, just relax' lol Perhaps a 45min battery recharge time isn't a bad break afterall?


I saw weight mentioned up there. I weighed my Troybilt and it was 11.6lbs. I'll hop on the scale w the Ego, battery installed in the next day or so and compare. I think one ofthe youtube videos spec'd it in the 11-12lb range. But I'll confirm the real world. I do use a shoulder strap for weedeating no matter the trimmer. Since I don't have use of my left hand, I use the strap to carry the weight then drive the trimmer w my right hand/throttle hand. Weight was one of the reasons I didn't look at the Milwalkee unit although it tested well , I saw it weighed heavier. I initially wanted Milwalkee or Dewalt since I'm on those platforms, but the Ego kept getting good reviews and it was lighter.

Since getting on this platform now, I'm considering looking at the leaf blower.

 

[zendriver]

I have that model have not used it extensively but when I do it’s pretty flawless. Still on the original string.

Best trimmer I’ve ever used.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

We got an ego blower 2ish years ago mostle to clear leafy debris out of a couple truck bixes at the end of the day.

The battery still holds charge,but sometimes the machine doesnt start unless you mess with it a lot.

 

[Steve_P]

Ok, I weighed both of my trimmers
Gas Echo 9lb 10 oz. This is a small homeowner bent shaft trimmer, basically as small as it gets.
Ego 10 lb 10 oz with a 2.5AH battery

I was very surprised that the Ego is only a pound heavier. Using it, it seems more like 2-3. Granted, it's 10%, which is significant, but it seems like more than that. This may be because the motor is at the head, and I'm not used to any significant weight there with a gas trimmer. When Project Farm tested battery trimmers, he did note that the Ego was heavy and especially at the head. Because of the motor at the head, it's very sensitive to having the shaft adjusted to the "right" length for you, and the handle and the right position for you. I monkeyed with this so that it would be balanced when I held it by the handle, but maybe I need some more fine tuning.

 

[Steve_P]

Since getting on this platform now, I'm considering looking at the leaf blower.

As I said, the Ego 7654 blower is AWESOME. I have 8 deciduous trees, four that are very large, and never thought that it'd handle the fall leaves, but with even two batteries, it's fine; and I have three. For a blower you definitely want a 4-5AH battery if you're going to use it for real work. While I only use one bar of a 2.5AH on the trimmer for my lot, I use 3 bars with a 4-5AH battery on the blower.

It is fantastic for blowing off the car after a wash, cleaning the deck, porch..... I use it much more than I ever used my two cycle one since it's so convenient. When I finally caved and purchased the blower I said, "I should've bought this years ago"; it is truly that good.

 

[tclark]

I've been running an Ego trimmer, pole saw, hedge trimmers, blower, and edger for several years now and find them perfect for an average size yard like mine (about 3/4 acre). I've done lawn care commercially and used pretty much all of the good gas equipment so I was really skeptical when switching, but wouldn't go back now. A little heavier like mentioned, but plenty of power and so dang convenient. I did have my first battery die a few weeks ago, gonna sting to replace it.

 

[finn]

My wife has the Milwaukee M18 trimmer combo kit with the trimmer, paddle broom, and pole saw attachment. She liked it so much it convinced me to get another M18 trimmer plus the brush cutting attachment for the shop. It’s good enough that I didn’t even bother firing up the gas Stihl trimmer so far this year, and probably won’t ever use it again.

Meanwhile my wife is eyeing the battery powered robotic lawn mowers to replace her Honda gas powered walk behind.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I weighed the Ego trimmer today, w the 4ah battery - 13lbs.

I used two batteries worth of work today around the property. I'm noticing that the side knuckle of my index finder presses against the square handle molding. I'm certain its because of how I have to use the trigger hand as also the driving hand to move the trimmer. Gloves might help but I think I'll glue a patch of neoprene foam to the molding to give me cushion.

One of the sections I worked were the sunflowers at the pond. I used the High setting and tore into it. The trimmer did well for what I made it do. It didn't get through some larger plants close to the ground. I hacked them low as I could, anywhere from 3-6" up. Perhaps triangle string would perform differently? I don't know. I kept waiting for the twisted string to run out so I could try the triangle, but it never did lol Oh well next time. Got too hot anyway and I wanted to bbq some chicken.

 

[bluedog225]

The clone (non-ego) batteries work pretty well. No complaints so far. Much cheaper. One summer in.