Recommended cordless outdoor tool systems

[Steverino]

Hope this belongs here...and hope this isn't a duplicated question.

I'm getting sick and tired of my sick and tired ancient 2-stroke leaf blower/vac. And guess what? Leaf season is coming...

Am thinking of going cordless electric with a new blower, but would like to buy into a tool brand / suite that would be good for other things (small chain saw, string trimmer, maybe a pole saw, etc.)

Would really appreciate any feedback / experiences from others on some of the tool suites out there (EGO, Greenworks, etc).

My only cordless tools currently are in the Makita 18v lithium series. I really like them, but they are small hand tools and I'm thinking the 18v won't be beefy enough for yard stuff.

Thoughts?

 

[Voi]

When we first started to develop our cabin property I was moving my OPE plus my cordless tools plus two & four stroke fuel back & forth. That & our problematic string trimmer prompted a search for electric cordless OPE.

Based on availability at the time the decision to go with Makita was an easy one.

I have two 18V string trimmers, a 36V blower, 36V chainsaw & their first gen 36V mower.

I still have one gas push mower & one gas chainsaw.

In case you were unaware, the 36V Makita OPE take two of their 18V batteries in series.

So the same batteries that I use in all of my tools & lights also runs my electric OPE. I even charge my GPS/phone while out hiking with a Makita USB adapter.

That flexibility has been great for me. If I only owned one property I would have looked harder at a dedicated line of OPE. But then & now Makita is still the best choice for me.

I don't have them yet but Makita does make a pole saw & mulcher/blower/vac that I'm interested in. The pole saw is part of a power head, multi attachment system that looks interesting.

 

[Steverino]

Thanks for the input! No, I hadn't yet discovered Makita's 36v = 2 18v packs. That's interesting and I'll do some further investigating on that and the power head system too...

 

[JimH]

I’ve got a EGO string trimmer and it’s more powerful than the Stihl 2 stroke it replaced.

 

[BlindViper]

I have Makita outdoor stuff. I have a 36v weedwacker, 36v leaf blower and a 18v hedge trimmer. The choice for me was simple as I absolutely hate the smell of 2 cycle exhaust. I also have about 35 Makita 18v LXT batteries. I can weed wack my entire yard (25 min) and still have 2 of 4 bars left on the batteries. The blower lasts for a good bit of time but I have never timed it. But I would not like to blow a entire yard of leaves. I only use mine for blowing off the snow off the cars and grass off the sidewalk and driveway.

 

[Ralf11]

Avoid the RYOBI 40 volt mower - don't ask me how I know this...

BTW Stihl has cordless stuff now

 

[Don53]

I've recently invested in the Milwaukee M18 OPE line. Have pretty much everything except the edger attachment. Quik Loc line trimmer, hedge trimmer attachment, pole saw, and the "stand alone" chainsaw, blower, and hedge trimmer.

So far love it, and amazed what 18v can do.

Still have Echo 2 stroke trimmer, blower, and edger. All about 10 years old and still running well. I'll probably keep, as I've got 3 boys and a few acres, so sometimes two of the same tool comes in handy.

Comparing the line trimmers, while the Echo might have a little more grunt, I feel like there's nothing it could do that the M18 couldn't do as well.

For the blower, pleasantly surprised with the M18 blower. Great for quick (& quiet) blowing jobs (garage, driveway, sidewalk, lighter leaves / grass, etc.), but for a big / long leaf job in the fall, it's not replacing a good 2 stroke blower.

Nothing but good things to say about the other tools... chainsaw, hedge trimmer, etc. are a beast. Sold my old 2 stroke chainsaw when I realized the M18 was just as capable (at least for my needs).

Started with just needing a new hedge trimmer, and snowballed from there. Have added some other M18 tools as well (hackzall, new circular saw, etc.).

I'm sure the Makita 36v stuff is at least as good as the M18 stuff. Cordless OPE stuff and battery technology has come a long way the past few years.

Don

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[midorix]

I’ve been purchasing Kobalt 80v lately due to great clearance price sales and pricing error. I think it’s best bang for the buck. Started with blower and trimmer combo that was heavily discounted due to Lowes pricing error of $159, then got pole saw for $139 on sale, and push mower for $250 on clearance. It’s been awesome. Very quiet, light, and effective.

 

[GeoBruin]

I have the Dewalt blower, hedge trimmer, string trimmer, mower and pole saw. I went with Dewalt because I have Dewalt cordless tools. The beauty of the Dewalt ecosystem is that for high power lawn tools, you can run Dewalt's flexvolt batteries (at 60 volts) but those same batteries can be used on 20 volt power tools for extra run time. For example, I have 2 big flexvolt batteries that basically live in my mower but if I need to do some serious material removal with my grinder, I can grab one and go to town.

As for the performance of the tools themselves, I haven't had any problems. I've only bogged the mower down once when the grass got really tall (and was still damp) and I have never actually run the string trimmer on high power because low does everything I need and saves power.

The pole saw is a freakin' dream to use and I don't know how I got along without it. I have an older generation (non flexvolt) blower so I got jealous when the new one came out but I can't realistically think about replacing mine because it works great.

I always assumed I would go Ryobi for yard tools if I had to start over because they have so many options but as I think about it now, it would be crazy to go with anything other than what I've got since I have zero complaints.

 

[IndyGarage]

If you've already got Makita 18v, then the Makita 18vx2 stuff is a no brainer.

I've got a Chainsaw, a blower, a hedge trimmer and a circular saw in the x2 36V configuration and all of them work well for residential duty.

When I went into some tough brush with the chain saw, I saw some flaws but for everyday use it's fine. Blower works great. Hedge trimmer is good for occasional use, and much better than dealing with gas.

 

[lardy1]

I live on 8 acres, my girlfriends vacant house is on 2 1/2 acres and we have a cottage on 26 acres. I've been maintaing and even beating back overgrowth with a Black & Decker weedwhacker for about four years now. This year I bought the bare tool pole saw and it has already earned its $80.00 purchase price.

I can't do comparisons because these are all I have. But I'm not disappointed in them at all.

 

[jonshonda]

Milwaukee, Dewalt, and Makita all make really good stuff and have a huge product selection. I "feel" like Milwaukee has been coming out with more tools lately, but cannot confirm that. My advice would be go to several of your closest dealers and start handling the tools. Take your time to make an informed decision on how the tools you will use the most fit and feel when you use them.

 

[boom10ful]

I've got the Ego edger, mower, trimmer, and blower.

The mower is the second generation one with a high lift blade. If you're bagging this blade is a must have. Run time and power is pretty good; I can get both the front and back done on a single charge with the 7.5AH battery.

The blower is the 650cfm backpack blower. It does alright, but it chews through the 7.5AH battery in 15 minutes with the turbo mode on. I've also noticed the cfm decrease as the battery dies down.

The edger is more powerful than the corded Craftsman that it replaced. So much, that I have to be careful when using it because it tends to bounce back if I give it too much power! It's very easy on the battery. I bought a shoulder strap for it as it can get heavy.

The trimmer is pretty powerful as well and has more power than the corded Craftsman that it replaced. Very light and it's also very easy on the battery.

 

[Buckaroo5]

The choice is which battery platform do you invest in - the batteries are the highest expense. My son and I have been buying the EGO brand 56V yard tools over the last couple of years. He has the hedge trimmers & hand held blower with one 2.5 amp-hour battery. I have the same plus the chain saw with a 7.5 amp-hour battery. Very powerful tools with good run time - highly recommend them. Available at Home Depot and Ace - don't know where else. Never have seem then on sale.

My son has a whole set of Ryobi battery powered hand tools from Home Depot - 18V I think. I just have my 18V Dewalt hammer drill which I like.

Buckaroo

 

[Steverino]

Thanks everyone! This is exactly the sort of discussion / feedback I was looking for. Hope it is helpful to others, too...

Have a productive Saturday!

 

[gpiggaz]

FWIW- HomeDepot is clearancing the EGO stuff- They lost the contract to Lowe's, and now Lowe's is starting to get their EGO stuff in. I have a EGO Blower, chainsaw and string trimmer- all work well for my needs.

 

[Steverino]

Good to know. That explains why HD EGO stock is almost nonexistent...

 

[powertrip]

40 volt Ryobi. I've had the trimmer for over 5 years. No problems at all and the battery still holds a charge. I also have the hedge trimmer and leaf blower. All work excellent and have a 3+ year warranty on them. I saw the post above about the 40V mower, I have no experience with it but on several websites it gets positive reviews. I am still not sold on battery powered mower but that's just my opinion.

 

[anavrinIV]

I am also a Makita tool user and have the 36V trimmer and 18V blower. I live on a small lot and never had runtime issues - I have 4 batteries (2 4.0 and 2 5.0) and can easily run the trimmer, snap one out into the blower, and get through the job. So far they have been great tools and Ill expand the line as needed.

 

[WisJim]

I have Greenworks 40 volt , string trimmer, pole saw, chainsaw, and mini tiller. Some of the batteries are 6 years old and are holding up well. If I bought new today I would look at Makita because I have Makita cordless tools. My garden tractor/mower is a 1970s Elec-track running on six 6 volt golf cart batteries

 

[engineer2]

Makita has a huge selection of outdoor stuff. I have the 36v weed wacker and the 36v leaf blower, both of which are excellent. If you have smaller lot, the 18V weed wacker would be fine. Leaf blowers on high speed will run the batteries down quickly, so 36V is essential.

 

[Monte]

Stihl and Husqvarna have a good selection of cordless outdoor power tools.

 

[jshillin]

I went with the Ego Trimmer and Blower a couple years back, no complaints at all. My parents switched over to the same as well as most of my buddies. Everyone I know is still going strong.

 

[m6z]

I'm happy with my Milwaukee Fuel string trimmer and blower.

 

[Ralf11]

The problem with the 40 volt Ryobi mower is they tried to save costs and build it completely out of plastic.

I returned one, and the 2nd is still a piece of junk.

String trimmer and the hedge clippers are ok tho.

 

[GeoBruin]

It seems like the feedback on almost all the systems is overwhelmingly positive. That's great and bodes well for the OP, but is perhaps not as helpful for others reading this thread trying to make a decision.

Maybe the discussion should shift to focus more on cordless yard tools that haven't performed well, or have known issues. For example, after reading this thread, I would be hesitant to purchase the Ryobi mower. That's actually helpful.

 

[Steverino]

I have Greenworks 40 volt , string trimmer, pole saw, chainsaw, and mini tiller. Some of the batteries are 6 years old and are holding up well. If I bought new today I would look at Makita because I have Makita cordless tools. My garden tractor/mower is a 1970s Elec-track running on six 6 volt golf cart batteries

Thread continues to be great, and informative!

Had to comment @WisJim - I've owned and restored a couple of Electraks - first an E20 with a front-mount deck, and then a New Idea EGT 120 with a mid-mount deck that I hot rodded with a custom wound motor that gave it a higher output than the E20 / EGT200. Both with electronic speed controls. I really liked them - my primary mowers for at least a decade - but finally decided I wanted good mulching and more modern feeling controls (steering) and maneuverability. Been loving my used JD x534 for the past couple of years, but would go back to electric in a heartbeat if it were on a modern chassis.

Okay, end of rabbit trail. Sorry folks!

 

[Formerjeeper]

Thanks for the input! No, I hadn't yet discovered Makita's 36v = 2 18v packs. That's interesting and I'll do some further investigating on that and the power head system too...

I also had a good core of Makita 18V power tools - started looking at battery/cordless yard tools before Makita had much and I initially started with Kobalt first-generation, which weren't very good. I tried several EGO tools including the blower, line trimmer and even the mower. The mower's plastic deck and adjustment mechanism didn't hold up well, but all of the handheld tools worked well.

Eventually as Makita really ramped up their outdoor line including the dual-battery approach, I have changed everything over to Makita - it gave me an excuse to stock up on 18V battery packs when I needed some new ones anyway, and I have never looked back. I have the Makita 2x18V blower, line trimmer, and chainsaw which is surprisingly impressive. I also have the hedge trimmer with a single battery which is plenty and is a little lighter. Especially if you already have Makita battery packs I think their outdoor power tools are now as good as anything you will find in any brand.

 

[Steverino]

I also had a good core of Makita 18V power tools - started looking at battery/cordless yard tools before Makita had much and I initially started with Kobalt first-generation, which weren't very good. I tried several EGO tools including the blower, line trimmer and even the mower. The mower's plastic deck and adjustment mechanism didn't hold up well, but all of the handheld tools worked well.

Eventually as Makita really ramped up their outdoor line including the dual-battery approach, I have changed everything over to Makita - it gave me an excuse to stock up on 18V battery packs when I needed some new ones anyway, and I have never looked back. I have the Makita 2x18V blower, line trimmer, and chainsaw which is surprisingly impressive. I also have the hedge trimmer with a single battery which is plenty and is a little lighter. Especially if you already have Makita battery packs I think their outdoor power tools are now as good as anything you will find in any brand.

Thanks - that's helpful feedback!

 

[velocipede]

Another Ego fan here. Leaf blower and chainsaw...both awesome.

 

[Steverino]

Just thought I'd report back that I decided to go with Makita since I already have some of their line. I got their 473 CFM unit (XBU02Z) for $328 including 4 batteries, charger, and a flat nozzle. Thus far I am pretty impressed. On high speed it is quite powerful, but still reasonably quiet. Obviously high speed uses batteries faster, but isn't always needed. The lowest speed still moves leaves on hard surfaces pretty well and is extremely quiet. I think this will be a very good addition to my core yard tools and I was thrilled to give my old 2 stroke away.

 

[Farmall450]

Battery are nice. You can't go wrong with DeWalt, Milwaukee or Makita imo. Personally I happen to be a DeWalt guy. I think it's silly to go Ego/Stihl/Echo bc the battery support and compatibility just isn't there. Look at how many AK Stihl tools there are vs M18, for instance...

 

[Dozerhand]

I just made the same desision this summer. I went with a stihl trimmer and just went back and got the blower. Love them both but you have to realize their limitations. I have Milwaukee 18 volt stuff and almost went that way but in the end I would rather give my money to the mom and pop mower shop than the big box store. Chain saw is next.

 

[Monte]

https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-battery-chainsaws-reviews/

https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-battery-powered-weedeater-reviews/

https://www.protoolreviews.com/buying-guides/best-battery-powered-lawn-mower-review/47674/

 

[Den69rs96]

I have a DeWalt 20 blower and hedge trimmer. The blower is decent. I wanted it to keep in the camper and its perfect for that. its great from cleaning out the garage as well. I love the hedge trimmer.

I recently picked up a Toro 60volt lawn mower and I'm glad I did. I plan to get the toro 60 volt hand held blower and a gutter attachment so I can sell my Stihl Bg55 hand held.

I still not ready to give my my 3 Stihl chainsaws, KM110R kombi trimmer/pole saw, or husky backpack blower. The kombi unit might be next to go, but for right now I don't see anything that is electric that can match its performance. If I did replace it, I would probably get the Toro 60volt trimmer.

 

[Ign]

It seems like the feedback on almost all the systems is overwhelmingly positive. That's great and bodes well for the OP, but is perhaps not as helpful for others reading this thread trying to make a decision.

Maybe the discussion should shift to focus more on cordless yard tools that haven't performed well, or have known issues. For example, after reading this thread, I would be hesitant to purchase the Ryobi mower. That's actually helpful.

I've posted this before but there are 2 versions of the Ryobi 40V string trimmer, and honestly neither is that great.

First, there's a single line head with the motor down there, too. This one hauls a** and works reasonably well for SMALL yards and light trimming along small residential property lines. It has an auto feed head that actually always worked well for me. That said, it's a toy compared to my M18 trimmer. The motor is relatively weak and given its location is subjected to everything at ground level, including moisture.

The second unit has a dual line head, bump feed and was meant for various attachments by separating the main rod body and slipping on something else. This necessitated moving the motor up to the top with the battery pack etc. This also required it to be shaft drive and Ryobi flat-out got the gear ratios wrong - surface speed of the head is so slow it's just as likely to slap the weeds around as it is to actually cut them. Otherwise it's a relatively robust unit but performance is lackluster solely 'cause of too little head speed.

TL;DR one unit has a vulnerable motor, is light duty but spins plenty fast to cut small weeds. Second unit is more robust but spins too slowly.

I was blown away when I stepped up to the first gen M18 string trimmer -- it eclipses both Ryobi 40V models by a lot.

 

[username2]

My only cordless tools currently are in the Makita 18v lithium series. I really like them, but they are small hand tools and I'm thinking the 18v won't be beefy enough for yard stuff.

Thoughts?

Aren't there dual 18v battery Makita tools?

On an acre of weed cutting (and blackberries) and a fairly long driveway, my approach was to buy a 100ft. high quality extension cord and use plug-in tools. The 2kw emergency generator works fine on the twice a year that the very outskirts of the yard might need. It's amazing how much corded tool you can buy on the cheap.