Battery Powered String Trimmers?

[RadiclDreamer]

Anyone used one of the Battery powered string trimmers? I don't have a huge yard, around 50x100 lot with about a 2 foot bank around the perimeter. My gut says don't do it because the battery life is going to suck, but I really want to get something that is quiet and less hassle than pulling my back out each time i want to start it.

Thoughts?

 

[BoomerD]

I've never owned one, but one of my neighbors did. We have small subdivision lots, and he wasn't able to trim it all without changing batteries. (I do NOT remember what brand it was) He sold it at a yard sale and bought a 4-cycle trimmer instead.

 

[SandEagle]

had a black & decker that came with two batteries. it was ok, got the job done. bought a gas powered echo gt200r and i love it.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Whats the battery life? Most of the reviews ive been reading either say its great or poor, but no actual run time. I'm thinking 30-45 minutes would be enough.

 

[SandEagle]

30-45m sounds generous. mine was 25-35m i would say. then again, it was a cheap model i got for $99

 

[sixone]

I bought this one last year.

Battery lasts about 20 minutes, which is not quite enough. I bought the blower, which uses the same battery, so I have three now.

 

[spidey07]

Why not go corded?

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Why not go corded?

No convenient outlet locations, plus I dont want to drag 100ft of cord around the yard, more hassle than going gas.

 

[ch33zw1z]

No convenient outlet locations, plus I dont want to drag 100ft of cord around the yard, more hassle than going gas.

I'm in the process of moving away from corded to gas or battery. drives me loco. The battery powered devices aren't bad, if you have a large area to cover (not a dinky .5 acre) then battery may be a PITB as well.

 

[alkemyst]

I had the B&D trimmer, blower and hedge trimmer.

The batteries last about a year before losing capacity...They are about $40 on sale IIRC. I used to keep six on hand.

The blower dies quickly...within 5-10mins it's worthless. The trimmer did well and can edge decently.

The hedger was ok...anything over 1/4" was problematic at times.

I switched to an Echo PAS-225 combo with edger, trimmer, hedger and a Stihl BG55.

I used to use a reel mower as well. My time is really limited now to how much I want to spend on lawn maintenance.

I am close to paying for a service.

 

[DrPizza]

My experience: the if you're going to get a battery one, you may as well get a corded one. They're cheaper, and the batteries you replace after a year or two cost as much, if not more, than the heavy duty extension cord. Plus, you have the heavy duty extension cord... for after the weed eater motor burns up. From my childhood, I recall multiple weed eaters whose motors just burned up.

That leads to a step up: getting a 2 cycle gas powered trimmer. Maintain it well and get a decent brand & it'll last forever. <however, now I don't use a trimmer - I just use goats, a beer in one hand, and a staff in the other to direct the goats around.>

 

[jupiter57]

Wife bought herself one of these 2 years ago:
http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-O...splay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

Runs around 30-40 minutes on a charge, self feeding line, pretty neat since I have all the 18 volt Ryobi tools, Recip. Saw, Drill, Circ. Saw, Vac., Light, etc.!
Bought a 4 pack of Line spools with it, just started using the last spool last week.
She swears by it!
I liked the Li-Ion battery so well I bought 2 more just for my tools!

 

[velillen]

I just picked up this ryobi one this weekend. Worked just fine for my yard. Mostly trimming tall grass at the sides of my house and along the fence and also around septic inspection tubes. I didnt charge the battery and just used it right out of the box and got probably 15-20 minutes out of it. Then it died and i tried one of the nicad batteries i have from my other ryobi tools and they worked ok but not as well as the li battery (though it was also probably half dead too). I did probably 100 feet of trimming just for reference. Also witht he li-ion batteries on thing to note is it just dies pretty much. I didnt really notice it losing power but rather when it died it just died.

As for performance....it did bog down a bit in some areas where the grass was ~18" tall. Not sure how well a gas would do but im sure it would have done better. But now that its been done its just a matter of doing it every other time.

The blower is ok for blowing pine needles off the walkway but doubt it would od much more than that. its not very powerful

http://www.homedepot.com/Ryobi/h_d1...splay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051



For me personally....i'd buy whatever battery powered trimmer based on the brand. if you have ryobi tools already get the ryobi, black and decker...get BD, ect. Always nice to have options for batteries!

 

[sdifox]

Aren't there trimmers with electric start?

I am not saying buy that one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ryobi-30Cc-Touch-Start-Trimmer/dp/B001OXH1G8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have a corded one, but I really should install an outlet on the back of the house, I end up dragging 100 feet of cord around and yeah it can be a hassle.

I know someone that used to use giant scissors. People looked at him kind of funny, but it did work. lmao.

 

[TheAdvocate]

I have this one, and the blower powered off the same extended Li-ON battery. I can trim/blow my entire lawn at least twice off a single charge.

http://www.amazon.com/Greenworks-216...ef=pd_sxp_f_pt

Light as a feather, powerful enough. I love it.

 

[NetWareHead]

Get a gas powered one. 2 stroke models can be had for cheap and the portability and power will be an advantage over battery powered models.

 

[SKORPI0]

Get a 4-cycle gas powered string trimmers. Corded and battery powered trimmers suck. ^_^

http://www.lowes.com/pl_4cycle_4294747235+4294930903_4294937087_?Ns=p_product_price|0

 

[mvbighead]

Always have used gas powered. If you maintain it well, usually doesn't take but a few soft pulls on the starter cord to get it fired up. If you're throwing out your back doing this, you're doing it wrong.

Always have the power, and you can take them anywhere.

I managed to get one for free from an uncle who got it from somewhere else free because the person essentially disposed of it because it wouldn't run on pure 2-cycle motor oil (IE - all oil, no gas). He dumped it out, poured in some blended fuel, and it fired right up.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I have a Worx trimmer, I don't even use my corded Toro any more.

 

[mshan]

I got a Ryobi string trimmer when it was on sale real cheap in bundle with leaf blower. The whole bundle was really cheap on sale, and my main complain is that it is bulky and heavy and maybe not quite as ergonomic as more expensive ones, but don't have any complaints about battery life for the string trimmer (definitely get gas powered for blower).

String trimmer lasts quite a while with battery (30 minutes?), but fades really, really fast (20 minutes max) when using the bundled anemic blower.

It must be that motor whirling around that string doesn't use much power, vs leaf blower that has to move a lot of air.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I've owned two of the Black and Decker cordless trimmers and never had an issue. My lot is about 1/2 acre and I never kill a battery trimming it.

 

[lxskllr]

If it can't be trimmed with my machete, it doesn't need to be trimmed.

 

[Zenmervolt]

If all you're doing is tidying up around a few fence posts/trees on an average suburban lot then an electric will probably be OK. I still don't like battery-operated stuff because the batteries lose capacity over time whereas a gas trimmer will work fine for 20+ years if you get a good one and change the air filter every now and then.

If you're spending 45 minutes or more each time knocking down brush and keeping a couple of acres in shape, then there's simply no substitute for a gas powered trimmer.

Whatever you do, avoid 4-cycle machines. They're heavier than 2-cycle machines, more fiddly, and the reliance on splash lubrication for their oil is bad given that trimmers tend to operate in all sorts of different orientations. 4-cycle trimmers just don't last like 2-cycle trimmers do; there's a reason that the commercial ones are 2-cycle.

ZV