Inexpensive cordless weed trimmer

[Fardringle]

OK, so there may be one more significant negative to the Kobalt besides its weight/balance. It appears that the "edging" option consists of simply holding the entire thing upside down. That seems like it would be pretty awkward...

But it's dual line, and it's BLUE.

It also seems like replacement batteries for the Kobalt are cheaper. At least for the "genuine" batteries. Third-party batteries that I have found for the Ryobi and Black&Decker are about the same price as genuine OEM Kobalt batteries from Lowe's.

Edit: OK, I found a somewhat recent video review and it shows that the oval secondary handle on the Kobalt goes all the way around the shaft so there really is a handle on the under side to use when edging. The whole handle can be pretty easily rotated around to use the big side of the handle for longer edging jobs as well. Still not as convenient as a rotating head, and the wire guide appears to be more of a flower/wall guard and totally useless for edging, but it seems like everything else on the Kobalt is superior to the other two. I wish I could test drive them without having to buy them first...

I need someone to decide for me.

 

[paperfist]

Or you can get a manual edger for $20 that runs on foot power.

How often do you guys edge anyway?

My buddy loves Kobalt tools and he was a Craftsman nut.

I can look up the models on Consumer Reports if you want...

 

[lupi]

HD has a dewalt bundle on sale again.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...301363233?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-10451-456723-

 

[Thebobo]

Have there been fire incidents with these large 40V battery packs and their chargers?

 

[Fardringle]

Or you can get a manual edger for $20 that runs on foot power.

How often do you guys edge anyway?

My buddy loves Kobalt tools and he was a Craftsman nut.

I can look up the models on Consumer Reports if you want...

I don't do a lot of edging. It's just nice to have the option but not required..

 

[Fardringle]

Have there been fire incidents with these large 40V battery packs and their chargers?

No reports of any that I have seen.

 

[Fardringle]

I just stopped by Lowe's totally ready to buy the Kobalt trimmer, until I picked up their demo model. I could feel the impressive torque in the motor when I turned it on, but sadly I can't use it. The shaft is just too long. I'm not tall at all and I have to hold my right arm bent with my hand up near my chest just to keep the cutting head mostly level and my elbow hit the battery 'box' when I moved the trimmer side to side. That's not comfortable at all. I would need to shorten the cutter end of the shaft by almost a foot for it to be comfortable enough for me to hold and use for more than a few minutes at a time.

So I went to Home Depot and picked up their demo models of the Black and Decker LTSE523 and the Ryobi 18+ trimmer with 4AH battery and edging wheel that NoCreativity listed, hoping for a reasonable comparison to the 40V versions on my list.

The Black and Decker is super light and also super short. Extending the shaft to maximum length just barely makes it long enough for me to hold it with my right arm hanging fully relaxed. Almost too small even for me, but definitely better than the Kobalt and extremely light so long work sessions would be no problem.

The Ryobi is noticeably heavier than the B&D with that huge battery on the back, but feels a bit lighter than the Kobalt and is definitely a lot easier to hold.

I'm leaning toward the Ryobi for the thicker line to help cut the demon plants that pass for grass around here, but I guess I'll wait to hear what stargazr reports about the B&D LST136W before I place my order. I would like to have an adjustable length shaft on the Ryobi so I could put my girls to work (they're even shorter than I am) but it's just about the right size for me and realistically they wouldn't use it much anyway...


Thanks for your suggestions and patience with my rambling indecision!

 

[crashtech]

I have a 40V Ryobi and it's fine. I'm brand agnostic, the reason for my post is to advise simply to bring the battery indoors during the winter months. Battery care is pretty important with the these kinds of tools.

 

[rchunter]

I have a Stihl weed whacker. Cost like $200. It's not electric though you have to feed it non ethanol unleaded.
My yard is huge though because we have 10 acres to mow.
We have a Husqvarna riding mower.

 

[paperfist]

I just stopped by Lowe's totally ready to buy the Kobalt trimmer, until I picked up their demo model. I could feel the impressive torque in the motor when I turned it on, but sadly I can't use it. The shaft is just too long. I'm not tall at all and I have to hold my right arm bent with my hand up near my chest just to keep the cutting head mostly level and my elbow hit the battery 'box' when I moved the trimmer side to side. That's not comfortable at all. I would need to shorten the cutter end of the shaft by almost a foot for it to be comfortable enough for me to hold and use for more than a few minutes at a time.

So I went to Home Depot and picked up their demo models of the Black and Decker LTSE523 and the Ryobi 18+ trimmer with 4AH battery and edging wheel that NoCreativity listed, hoping for a reasonable comparison to the 40V versions on my list.

The Black and Decker is super light and also super short. Extending the shaft to maximum length just barely makes it long enough for me to hold it with my right arm hanging fully relaxed. Almost too small even for me, but definitely better than the Kobalt and extremely light so long work sessions would be no problem.

The Ryobi is noticeably heavier than the B&D with that huge battery on the back, but feels a bit lighter than the Kobalt and is definitely a lot easier to hold.

I'm leaning toward the Ryobi for the thicker line to help cut the demon plants that pass for grass around here, but I guess I'll wait to hear what stargazr reports about the B&D LST136W before I place my order. I would like to have an adjustable length shaft on the Ryobi so I could put my girls to work (they're even shorter than I am) but it's just about the right size for me and realistically they wouldn't use it much anyway...


Thanks for your suggestions and patience with my rambling indecision!

Wow what's it like finding clothes that fit?

 

[Pick2]

I bought a greenworks corded trimmer 'bout 10 years ago and it's still running fine , works great.
I had an outlet on the back of the house when I bought it in '92 ... plain indoor GFI outlet with no weather cover on it looked really bad
Replaced it and put two more on the sides of the house near the front so I'm all set. I was temped to go with a corded push mower over the years , but I've got 80+ feet of front and back yards so I've always gone with gas.
I bought a gas riding mower 2-3 years back , so I when My gas push mower threw a rod this past Tuesday , I'm going to order this B&D trimmer/mower:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078YYPWLY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Wish Me Luck

 

[Fardringle]

Wow what's it like finding clothes that fit?

I'm not THAT short...

I'm 5'8" and that Kobalt is way too big for me to use comfortably. It's funny that the Black & Decker LST136 is also almost too small...

 

[NutBucket]

I have a Stihl weed whacker. Cost like $200. It's not electric though you have to feed it non ethanol unleaded.
My yard is huge though because we have 10 acres to mow.
We have a Husqvarna riding mower.

Ethanol really isn't that big of a deal. In CA you can't find "pure" gas unless you get aviation fuel or something. I just make sure to use fuel stabilizer in everything. My oldest 2-stroke is about 20 years old.

 

[Fardringle]

Interesting. So now that I know the Kobalt is too big/long for me, I went looking for more detailed stats on the other units. The 18+ volt Ryobi in the store was just about perfect. However, it looks like the 40V version (that they didn't have in the store) is almost the same length as the Kobalt so maybe it's not what I want. I'd really rather have the 40V version of whatever I get for better power and (generally) larger battery capacity...

With that info, maybe the 40V Black and Decker LST136W might be my best option after all. It doesn't have as much battery life (or the heavier .080 line) of the Ryobi or Kobalt, but the LSTE525 at the store just felt better and the LST136W is only a couple of inches longer, and 20 inches shorter than the Kobalt.

 

[Fardringle]

I have a Stihl weed whacker. Cost like $200. It's not electric though you have to feed it non ethanol unleaded.
My yard is huge though because we have 10 acres to mow.
We have a Husqvarna riding mower.

Gas definitely has its uses in bigger jobs, but my yard is small and I don't want to have to deal with gas for a fuel trimmer..

 

[paperfist]

I'm not THAT short...

I'm 5'8" and that Kobalt is way too big for me to use comfortably. It's funny that the Black & Decker LST136 is also almost too small...

Lol

Craftsman seems to also make a respectable trimmer as does Greenworks which is adjustable according to Consumer Reports.

Kudos on the research. I know who to hire now from the forums for my next purchase.

 

[stargazr]

I just stopped by Lowe's totally ready to buy the Kobalt trimmer, until I picked up their demo model. I could feel the impressive torque in the motor when I turned it on, but sadly I can't use it. The shaft is just too long. I'm not tall at all and I have to hold my right arm bent with my hand up near my chest just to keep the cutting head mostly level and my elbow hit the battery 'box' when I moved the trimmer side to side. That's not comfortable at all. I would need to shorten the cutter end of the shaft by almost a foot for it to be comfortable enough for me to hold and use for more than a few minutes at a time.

So I went to Home Depot and picked up their demo models of the Black and Decker LTSE523 and the Ryobi 18+ trimmer with 4AH battery and edging wheel that NoCreativity listed, hoping for a reasonable comparison to the 40V versions on my list.

The Black and Decker is super light and also super short. Extending the shaft to maximum length just barely makes it long enough for me to hold it with my right arm hanging fully relaxed. Almost too small even for me, but definitely better than the Kobalt and extremely light so long work sessions would be no problem.

The Ryobi is noticeably heavier than the B&D with that huge battery on the back, but feels a bit lighter than the Kobalt and is definitely a lot easier to hold.

I'm leaning toward the Ryobi for the thicker line to help cut the demon plants that pass for grass around here, but I guess I'll wait to hear what stargazr reports about the B&D LST136W before I place my order. I would like to have an adjustable length shaft on the Ryobi so I could put my girls to work (they're even shorter than I am) but it's just about the right size for me and realistically they wouldn't use it much anyway...


Thanks for your suggestions and patience with my rambling indecision!

Well I got my B&D trimmer today. Powered it up and trimmed along my fence until the line ran out they gave me. I like it. I have no intention of returning it so far. I am 6' tall, and it is just long enough. There's an adjustment on the length, and I opened it all the way out. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone taller. It seemed to have plenty of power. I'm glad I got the 40V version. The only thing I didn't like is you have to hold a safety switch in to power it on. I'll try a pair of gloves next time. I will get some line for this tomorrow morning and finish my lawn along with edging, and let you know anything else.

Edit: this is about the
BLACK+DECKER LST136W 40V MAX Lithium String Trimmer

 

[rchunter]

Ethanol really isn't that big of a deal. In CA you can't find "pure" gas unless you get aviation fuel or something. I just make sure to use fuel stabilizer in everything. My oldest 2-stroke is about 20 years old.

I still use the stabilizer when I have to use normal unleaded gas but there are quite a few gas stations around here that sell non ethanol unleaded so I usually just buy that.

Gas definitely has its uses in bigger jobs, but my yard is small and I don't want to have to deal with gas for a fuel trimmer..

Yeah I wouldn't buy a gas powered trimmer either if I had a small yard. You're doing the right thing getting a battery operated one.

 

[Fardringle]

I really wanted to love the Kobalt blue trimmer so while I was at Lowe's again today to pick up a replacement sink faucet, I wandered back over to the outdoor tools area and picked up the demo trimmer again. And I realized that it was assembled wrong. The trimmer head was on backwards so the handle had to be held really high up (basically in upside-down-mode) for the trimmer head to be level...

I put it together the right way and holding it was suddenly very comfortable, so I bought it on sale for $40 off normal price. I'll give you a user review after the battery finishes charging.

 

[Fardringle]

First usage impressions: WHEE! (And not only because it's blue. )

I was ready to be very annoyed when I first plugged in the battery charger. It immediately started flashing red, which means there's a problem with the charger or the battery. But I found a note in the instructions that says to unplug the battery and charger and let them sit for a few minutes, then plug it all back in. I did, and it charged fine after that. By that point it was too dark outside to do any trimming so I had to wait 12 hours to use my new toy...

I switched the trimmer to high power mode (level 2) for about 30 seconds just to see how strong it is, and it was very impressive, but I quickly realized that I'll probably only need level 2 for excessively tough weeds, so I kept it on level 1 for the rest of the test. The battery lasted exactly 38 minutes running pretty much non-stop trimming all the way around my house, shed, and fence areas (went quick because it just needed a quick touch up), and about 15 minutes cutting down stuff like this around my elderly neighbor's house:

The trimmer had no trouble with that stuff on low power either. When I had finished going all the way around his house, there were still two lights left on the battery charge meter, so I decided to give the trimmer a very unrealistic test. Not only does my neighbor not trim around his house, but I don't think his driveway has EVER been edged. At least not in the 10 years I've lived here. This is what it looked like:

You can see an exposed sprinkler head near the center of the image that I dug out recently to let his lawn get some water. Just up from the sprinkler head, that dirt/grass is overlapping the pavement by about 8 inches, and the dirt and roots are at least 2 inches deep. This kind of job really should be done with an edging shovel or an actual power edger, but I wanted to see what would happen.

This is what it looks like now after I ran the battery down the rest of the way, still running the trimmer on low power the whole time:

I had a hard time keeping the line straight since I couldn't even tell where the line was supposed to be under the dirt, but even with all of that extra wasted cutting/digging, I was still able to clear about 10 feet of that insanity. I haven't decided yet if I want to keep digging it out with the trimmer, or just be boring and finish it with a shovel...


Overall, I'm very happy with it, and maybe next time I'll just use it for "normal" trimming and see how long the battery actually lasts. I suspect it will last significantly longer if I'm not forcing the tool to dig a trench or cut down a jungle.

edit: Exactly 90 minutes to fully charge the battery from completely dead. Not bad.

 

[stargazr]

Well I got to use my new Black & Decker trimmer yesterday. It did everything I needed it to do. Having said that, I would say it is a light duty trimmer, and just barely powerful enough for my needs. It's not that I have a huge size property, but here in South Texas the ground is hard and dry. The one stretch of curb I edge is especially gnarly. It does have a lot of balls though. After a bit of practice I had a way to get it to really chop through the dirt and clumps of grass roots. Problem is with the smaller line on this model (.065) it really chewed through a few spools which surprised me. The edging had been let go for awhile though so was especially nasty. It should go better next time. I probably should have a gas engine trimmer but didn't want to bother with all that again.

I had looked at DeWalt models, and they were real nice but bulky and heavy with the battery on the end. I knew I was pushing it with this choice, but it was nice and light, and wanted the edger capability so gave it a try. Battery life is not so great because of the smaller size. It lasts maybe 20-30 min depending on power level used. It only takes about a half-hour to charge though. The automatic line feed works great. All in all I liked it the more I used it and figured it out. Recommended for a small yard but consider something more powerful otherwise.

 

[stargazr]

First usage impressions: WHEE! (And not only because it's blue. )

I was ready to be very annoyed when I first plugged in the battery charger. It immediately started flashing red, which means there's a problem with the charger or the battery. But I found a note in the instructions that says to unplug the battery and charger and let them sit for a few minutes, then plug it all back in. I did, and it charged fine after that. By that point it was too dark outside to do any trimming so I had to wait 12 hours to use my new toy...

I switched the trimmer to high power mode (level 2) for about 30 seconds just to see how strong it is, and it was very impressive, but I quickly realized that I'll probably only need level 2 for excessively tough weeds, so I kept it on level 1 for the rest of the test. The battery lasted exactly 38 minutes running pretty much non-stop trimming all the way around my house, shed, and fence areas (went quick because it just needed a quick touch up), and about 15 minutes cutting down stuff like this around my elderly neighbor's house:

The trimmer had no trouble with that stuff on low power either. When I had finished going all the way around his house, there were still two lights left on the battery charge meter, so I decided to give the trimmer a very unrealistic test. Not only does my neighbor not trim around his house, but I don't think his driveway has EVER been edged. At least not in the 10 years I've lived here. This is what it looked like:

You can see an exposed sprinkler head near the center of the image that I dug out recently to let his lawn get some water. Just up from the sprinkler head, that dirt/grass is overlapping the pavement by about 8 inches, and the dirt and roots are at least 2 inches deep. This kind of job really should be done with an edging shovel or an actual power edger, but I wanted to see what would happen.

This is what it looks like now after I ran the battery down the rest of the way, still running the trimmer on low power the whole time:

I had a hard time keeping the line straight since I couldn't even tell where the line was supposed to be under the dirt, but even with all of that extra wasted cutting/digging, I was still able to clear about 10 feet of that insanity. I haven't decided yet if I want to keep digging it out with the trimmer, or just be boring and finish it with a shovel...


Overall, I'm very happy with it, and maybe next time I'll just use it for "normal" trimming and see how long the battery actually lasts. I suspect it will last significantly longer if I'm not forcing the tool to dig a trench or cut down a jungle.

edit: Exactly 90 minutes to fully charge the battery from completely dead. Not bad.

I looked at these at Lowe's again yesterday. Pretty cool, a bit more heavy duty than the B&D, but still lighter than the DeWalt or Husqvarna.

 

[Fardringle]

Well I got to use my new Black & Decker trimmer yesterday. It did everything I needed it to do. Having said that, I would say it is a light duty trimmer, and just barely powerful enough for my needs. It's not that I have a huge size property, but here in South Texas the ground is hard and dry. The one stretch of curb I edge is especially gnarly. It does have a lot of balls though. After a bit of practice I had a way to get it to really chop through the dirt and clumps of grass roots. Problem is with the smaller line on this model (.065) it really chewed through a few spools which surprised me. The edging had been let go for awhile though so was especially nasty. It should go better next time. I probably should have a gas engine trimmer but didn't want to bother with all that again.

I had looked at DeWalt models, and they were real nice but bulky and heavy with the battery on the end. I knew I was pushing it with this choice, but it was nice and light, and wanted the edger capability so gave it a try. Battery life is not so great because of the smaller size. It lasts maybe 20-30 min depending on power level used. It only takes about a half-hour to charge though. The automatic line feed works great. All in all I liked it the more I used it and figured it out. Recommended for a small yard but consider something more powerful otherwise.

Yeah, I had a really hard time choosing. The LTE136W that you got has pretty fantastic reviews everywhere, and it's really lightweight so easier to use. I think I probably would have been happy with it as well, but when I saw the blue Kobalt, I just had to have it. (Did I mention I really like blue stuff?)

My arms were starting to get pretty tired by the time the battery ran out on mine so I'm definitely glad I didn't get the heavier models like DeWalt or Husvarna, or a gas motor...

 

[Fardringle]

Kudos on the research. I know who to hire now from the forums for my next purchase.

Sometimes I wish my brain wasn't quite so obsessive when making new purchases, but I do enjoy doing research so I guess it's OK.

 

[dlock13]

Sometimes I wish my brain wasn't quite so obsessive when making new purchases, but I do enjoy doing research so I guess it's OK.

I know that feeling.. I did the same when I was researching what battery powered mower/trimmer I wanted to go with. At first, I was leaning towards Kobalt's 80v lineup, but I ended up going with the EGO Power 56v self-propelled mower and carbon fiber trimmer. They both are incredible tanks and last a good long time. My main concern was the battery life, and from what I read, EGO is the best compromise for long lasting and having power similar to that of a gas powered engine.

Next time you're in Home Depot, check out the EGO tools. They're pretty stellar.